Mot and brake clean on my S. Funny

[pgkevet]

My nice local garage had just installed a new lift so are able to hoist my S again. So I asked if they'd service the brakes as well as mot it.
I drove onto the mot ramp, disabled security and the PIN, put it into high suspension and Jack mode and climbed out for a cup of brew.
Car got inspected and I had a nose underneath too... it's a friendly garage. Of course I'd stepped out of fob range when one guy popped the certificate through the window. Oh how I wished I'd disabled tilt/intrude..what a racket!!!.. closely followed by notifications on my phone.

Next we moved to the new 2 poster lift. They didn't want to drive it so down to me. I disabled tilt and re-engaged jack mode. 4 bits of timber were sawn up for the jacking points and car was lifted.

The front brakes were stripped and cleaned and I saw how nearly factory new they look despite no brake service for 3 years. Then onto the rears...

Of course the park brake was on automatically. And there's no button to disable it. I climbed back in. After some fiddling I tried putting it into drive and gentle power. That released the brakes but then had to put it into neutral...and stay in the car to stop it locking up again. You don't have access to tow mode in jack mode.

The guys are laid back about these things. Back brake clean as good as the fronts. Down came the hoist.

Somehow one corner had lowered a few mm and one lift arm couldn't be pulled clear until I figured that you disable jack mode to allow suspension height to be cycled back to high..

Mot and brake clean total was £105

 

[speedyranger74]

So friendly!

 

[Adopado]

The front brakes were stripped and cleaned and I saw how nearly factory new they look despite no brake service for 3 years. Then onto the rears...

Lucky you ... mine looked pretty ropey I have to say (model 3)! Do you use "low" regen (don't know if that's an option on the S ... it's no longer an option on the more recent model 3s). I read of some others who have immaculate brakes but then others with surface corrosion. Do you routinely use a power washer on them in the winter to wash the salt off perhaps?

 

[M1tch]

Looking forwards to seeing Mine in 18 months or so. I drive near 200 miles to work on Sunday and back on a Friday. No matter how much I used to clean my last car they were always covered in brake dust after one way.

Granted these are black, but so little dust comes off them when I do wash it. I use the brakes a couple of times a drive when I’ve misjudged the regen effect but bar that, it’s minimal. Used to be £650 a set on the last car. Lack of regen does catch me out when using the wife’s car though. (as does locking, unlocking, parking brake, switching the engine on/off, overtaking, the 4 pixel resolution parking camera etc etc etc)

 

[pgkevet]

I don't power wash the car at all.. or that often, although it is kept in a barn. I was surprised by the lack of corrosion because this is Wales so cold and damp even in the barn. On the plus side with narrow lanes and wildlife and hills the brakes probably get more use than most + phantom braking is a plus for the discs!
It's a small town and farming community, folk are a bit more laid back about allowing the customer to look over a shoulder and it’s the only Tesla they've had in.. MOT last year and a few punctures .. they like that I can find stuff on the menus and tell them the lug nut torque.
I am fussy about perfect tyre pressures and it will get a wash and protective coat pre-winter and hose the mud and stuff off when necessary but summer time it can go 2-3 months looking OK with just attention to windows and lights and cameras.
They look after my aged 29yr old 200sx as well so they get a respectable business from me and maybe cut me more slack than a stranger?

While we were chatting I was told that an MOT station can't refuse to MOT any car unless they don't have the equipment to do it EV or otherwise...

 

[M1tch]

As you say, apart from the ability to lift the car, I can’t think of any reason not to test an EV under the “not having the right equipment” clause

 

[exlatccatsa]

Lucky you ... mine looked pretty ropey I have to say (model 3)! Do you use "low" regen (don't know if that's an option on the S ... it's no longer an option on the more recent model 3s). I read of some others who have immaculate brakes but then others with surface corrosion. Do you routinely use a power washer on them in the winter to wash the salt off perhaps?

@Adopado mine were the same last spring. I've been on low regen since trying to clean the rears up. It's a slow process, but seems to be working.
Trouble is, having ridden motorcycles for years, I am used to using engine braking, so now my subconscious uses the limited regen and adjusts my slow down distance accordingly so I still don't use the brakes enough!!

 

[Adopado]

@Adopado mine were the same last spring. I've been on low regen since trying to clean the rears up. It's a slow process, but seems to be working.
Trouble is, having ridden motorcycles for years, I am used to using engine braking, so now my subconscious uses the limited regen and adjusts my slow down distance accordingly so I still don't use the brakes enough!!

Same here ... I still have to make a special effort to use some brakes! (I wonder if the inability to switch to low regen is going to be an issue for the more recent cars after they have been through a few winters.)

 

[Adopado]

I don't power wash the car at all.. or that often, although it is kept in a barn. I was surprised by the lack of corrosion because this is Wales so cold and damp even in the barn. On the plus side with narrow lanes and wildlife and hills the brakes probably get more use than most + phantom braking is a plus for the discs!
It's a small town and farming community, folk are a bit more laid back about allowing the customer to look over a shoulder and it’s the only Tesla they've had in.. MOT last year and a few punctures .. they like that I can find stuff on the menus and tell them the lug nut torque.
I am fussy about perfect tyre pressures and it will get a wash and protective coat pre-winter and hose the mud and stuff off when necessary but summer time it can go 2-3 months looking OK with just attention to windows and lights and cameras.
They look after my aged 29yr old 200sx as well so they get a respectable business from me and maybe cut me more slack than a stranger?

While we were chatting I was told that an MOT station can't refuse to MOT any car unless they don't have the equipment to do it EV or otherwise...

Similar setup here too with small town garage. They've done winter/summer tyre changes and chatted about the car in the past. I was expecting some wariness over the MOT but they just booked it in and I didn't have to give them a heads up about anything! (I do supply a set of 4 jacking pads)

 

[IanMcL]

I don't power wash the car at all.. or that often, although it is kept in a barn. I was surprised by the lack of corrosion because this is Wales so cold and damp even in the barn. On the plus side with narrow lanes and wildlife and hills the brakes probably get more use than most + phantom braking is a plus for the discs!
It's a small town and farming community, folk are a bit more laid back about allowing the customer to look over a shoulder and it’s the only Tesla they've had in.. MOT last year and a few punctures .. they like that I can find stuff on the menus and tell them the lug nut torque.
I am fussy about perfect tyre pressures and it will get a wash and protective coat pre-winter and hose the mud and stuff off when necessary but summer time it can go 2-3 months looking OK with just attention to windows and lights and cameras.
They look after my aged 29yr old 200sx as well so they get a respectable business from me and maybe cut me more slack than a stranger?

While we were chatting I was told that an MOT station can't refuse to MOT any car unless they don't have the equipment to do it EV or otherwise...

That's the problem, their hoists don't fit!

 

[robmcm]

My local garage said they had to all go on a HV battery awareness course before they could work on EVs. So guess they could refuse for that reason (although probably not required for an MOT).

 

[Kithran]

As you say, apart from the ability to lift the car, I can’t think of any reason not to test an EV under the “not having the right equipment” clause

Hang on - are you saying a garage can get out of giving an MOT to a Tesla due to 'not having the right equipment' yet Tesla service centres can't do MOT's because that would require them to have equipment to test emissions - one of these two things is incorrect as they are mutually contradictory

 

[IanMcL]

Hang on - are you saying a garage can get out of giving an MOT to a Tesla due to 'not having the right equipment' yet Tesla service centres can't do MOT's because that would require them to have equipment to test emissions - one of these two things is incorrect as they are mutually contradictory

National Tyres did my MOT last year and afterwards said it took them twice as long, as their equipment was wrong size...find someone else next year!

 

[pgkevet]

There may well be a difference between can't do Mot tests and don't want to. Do Tesla want to see their cars for a mere £45?

 

[Kithran]

There may well be a difference between can't do Mot tests and don't want to. Do Tesla want to see their cars for a mere £45?

Point was I have seen the stated reason that you can't get an MOT at a Tesla service centre being the fact they were required to get emission testing machines as MOT centres need to be able to deal with all cars. Now either that statement is incorrect or the statement that a garage doesn't have the equipment to do an MOT can't be correct. If its because they don't want to and they are using it as an excuse doesn't make the statement correct.