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MOT day today. Passed but 'we had to change a bulb'.

This the third MOT I've had on different vehicles at different garages and each time having done my own visual test I've been told that an indicator bulb wasn't orange enough! One occasion I would have agreed that both rear bulbs needed changing, yet they only changed one?
Is there a Dulux chart number that I can use? Thinking that 'Satsuma Crush' satin sheen is about right!

Not really an answer, but appears to be a common MOT fail...........

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/ ... tm?t=29057

I've used Humbrol model paint before. I can't remember the number (edit: it's Humbrol Clear 1322), but it's a clear paint and supposed to be used for painting the taillights on models.

I used it to remove the egg yolk effect on the rear lights of the 330.

I painted the whole bulb with the clear orange. Masked off half the bulb and used silver paint on the part of the bulb that you can see. The tester tried to fail it because he could see no orange. I asked him what colour it was when it flashed - he admitted that he hadn't checked. He passed it when he put on the hazards and checked .

I had the same when I took my z3 in for a sevice and mot, I thought it was strange when they asked me what was a bmw 1st service I said oil ,filters etc, when I went back to pick her up they told me she had failed due to the rear indicators being not orange enough, so 2 new bulbs all OK
Peter2b

pingu wrote:I painted the whole bulb with the clear orange. Masked off half the bulb and used silver paint on the part of the bulb that you can see. The tester tried to fail it because he could see no orange. I asked him what colour it was when it flashed - he admitted that he hadn't checked. He passed it when he put on the hazards and checked .

Time to find a new test station?

You used to be able to get "headlamp yellow" for painting lights when going to France, this works really well if you can get it, about 3 coats is more than orange enough.

Hairyscreech wrote:

pingu wrote:I painted the whole bulb with the clear orange. Masked off half the bulb and used silver paint on the part of the bulb that you can see. The tester tried to fail it because he could see no orange. I asked him what colour it was when it flashed - he admitted that he hadn't checked. He passed it when he put on the hazards and checked .

Time to find a new test station?

It was a free MOT included in BMW's Approved Used Car scheme. It gave them a bit of a panic situation for them as they had already written the failure sheet . A quick retest late and it passed .

Mind you, I've got a voucher for a cheap test (£30) for this year, so I may have the same discussion in September.

Unless an indicator bulb shows WHITE light it should not fail. It should be pass and advise. This was told me by the local VOSA man several years ago and still is true. However, how mean do you have to be before you can afford to change a bulb or two to make sure your car passes it's M.O.T.. Why do you have look at the yearly test as a me versus the M.O.T. just fit the bulbs for F***s sake.

Tony.

t-tony wrote:Unless an indicator bulb shows WHITE light it should not fail. It should be pass and advise. This was told me by the local VOSA man several years ago and still is true. However, how mean do you have to be before you can afford to change a bulb or two to make sure your car passes it's M.O.T.. Why do you have look at the yearly test as a me versus the M.O.T. just fit the bulbs for F***s sake.

Tony.

exactly,
after a few advisories in the past, I always check and replace indicator bulbs before the MOT nowadays, it is surprising how much of the colour coating has peeled off, the chrome ones don't seem to suffer this though, So most of them are chrome now.