I've got my IVA tomorrow and i'm getting all the bits ready today so i can hook the trailer up in the morning and go. So far i have packed a load of tools, spare trim and a few other bits and pieces. Is there anything else people have found they needed to take?
A copy of the very latest IVA manual to check the tester knows what hes talking about?
I havent done IVA yet, but I will also take - Cable ties, any specialist tools, super glue, pen and paper, camera.
Your car good luck not as bad as you think
The good wishes of everyone on LCB?
and Loggyboy - you aren't allowed to take photos in the VOSA place (unless you do it 'discreetly' like I did!)
Description
Description
[Edited on 12/8/12 by stevegough]
Good luck tomorrow
make sure that all your fluid levels are full oil brakes fuel, take all your build photos and as much proof as you can, my anchor points for my belts were not visible but the photos were good enough proof so that i didnt have to remove a panel to show it, same with the tank earth.
have a slow quiet look around your car and check things against what you know from iva manual most peple get caught out by somthing really simple grip on brake pedal etc and remember the tester is not the enemy just doing his job if its right ok if its not fail dont need to kiss his arse but be friendly and positive can make a bit of difference if you need to do some fettling
Some clear silicone and zip ties
I took a good selection of tools, bolts, nuts, washers, Tape, tie-wraps, screwdrivers, trim.
And make sure you have a full tank of fuel, that was the second question my tester asked. Apparently they can fail you for not having a full tank 
Something to do with weights I think.
Most of all, GOOD LUCK!! Hope it all goes well 
brown envelope stuffed with used twenties........
Proof of engine age?
gaffer tape & superglue - comes in handy for all sorts of things
and good luck
Good luck mate, whereabouts is your test ?
Cheers for the tips and support guys, I think I have half my garage packed in the van now. I've only just got in from work and I im leaving for yeading at 6am so I better try and get some sleep in.
my advice is to leave the iva manual in the car. only get it out if you have an issue with a decision the tester makes. if you go in with it they
will have their guard up from the off.
been there done it several times, take the chilax route its much easier.
good luck for today 
Lee
This is terrible
The waiting or the result?
The testing. Think I'm not far from the end now.
quote:
Originally posted by loggyboy
A copy of the very latest IVA manual to check the tester knows what hes talking about?
I havent done IVA yet, but I will also take - Cable ties, any specialist tools, super glue, pen and paper, camera.
quote:
Originally posted by MikeFellows
If I where the IVA tester and you turned up with the book trying to tell me my job, your car would need to be 100% on everything for it to pass
quote:
Originally posted by loggyboy
quote:
Originally posted by MikeFellows
If I where the IVA tester and you turned up with the book trying to tell me my job, your car would need to be 100% on everything for it to pass
I didnt mean to say you should wave it under his nose and question everything!
Personally if he saw you had a copy (with your paperwork, not being scrutinised thoughtout the inspection!) it may even show him that you have actually bothered to download, read and use it during the build.
Either that or as AshG said, just have it there for a reference in case something crops up that you were sure you had done to the manual. More to confirm that you were wrong rather than he was!
quote:
Originally posted by MikeFellows
quote:
Originally posted by loggyboy
quote:
Originally posted by MikeFellows
If I where the IVA tester and you turned up with the book trying to tell me my job, your car would need to be 100% on everything for it to pass
I didnt mean to say you should wave it under his nose and question everything!
Personally if he saw you had a copy (with your paperwork, not being scrutinised thoughtout the inspection!) it may even show him that you have actually bothered to download, read and use it during the build.
Either that or as AshG said, just have it there for a reference in case something crops up that you were sure you had done to the manual. More to confirm that you were wrong rather than he was!
ahh sorry, I misunderstood, I thought you meant to question the wording etc..
This tester is the biggest jobsworth prick I have ever met I'm my life.
I hope hes not a member!
am i to assume its a pass then?
[Edited on 13/8/12 by blakep82]
No it's a fail. Ill fill you in later.
:-( Where was the test?
quote:
Originally posted by Davegtst
I've only just got in from work and I im leaving for yeading at 6am
quote:
Originally posted by Davegtst
No it's a fail. Ill fill you in later.
I thought you had a very good chance of a 1st.
OK i'm home now and have chilled out a tiny bit.
I knew as soon as i got there and met the tester i wouldn't be passing today. I think i must have inconvenienced him.
I failed as soon as i started with the chasis plate. Apparently the vin number should be directly under the manufactures name. Mine had the
manufactures name then the engine number then the vin. WTF, never heard that one before.
Secondly the speedo was out by 4mph but he wouldn't let me adjust it. I am allowed to adjust it on the rollers for the retest though, strange
that.
Third the indicator switch had the indicator symbol instead of the word 'indicator' next to it. I argued it out but he said it was unclear.
Have you ever seen a car with 'indicator' written on the switch?
Fourth the noise was 99.2 db with the limit being 99db. 0.2 db for F's sake! He told me it was a pass first then came back out and said it was
a fail.
Throughout the whole test he was refering to the manual and didn't seem to know some of the most basic info that he should know if he is doing
IVA's day in day out. He didn't have a clue how to drive the car even though i showed him several times how to change gear etc. Almost
snapped my ignition key off too trying to start it. It's only a 2 position switch with a separate start button, he was trying to turn the key
past it's stop to crank it! It passed the emisions but only after i insisted that it was allowed to warm up enough. I have spent quite a few
hours with a gas analyser setting it up so i knew exactly when the cat was 'lit' and what the figures were. I also had to stop the test
half way through so they could fit in another car while i was left waiting outside for them to finish having a chat and a smoke. All the other
testers there seemed really friendly and came over for a chat about the car, seems i lucked out big time. While talking to one of them he mentioned
that 'none of them get through first time there'. The tester also said 2 of the other local stations are quoting really long wait times so
they seem to be getting all of it and they would prefer not to be doing any of it.
All in a fine waste of a day and a huge ammount of money.
On the plus side, It doesn't seem too bad a fail, easy fixes. So it must be a really good build if thats all he could come up with.
Is that right about chassis plate?, mine is like this:
Manufacturers name
Model
Engine type
Vin number
number of axles
Axle 1 Axle 2
Gross weight
Should this fail?
Your right he does sound like a right arse..!
Chassis plate comments is WRONG, he's just looked at the example in the manual and assumed it should look identical to that. Im surpised he didnt
fail it on not being made by 'VOSA MOTOR INC'!
Indicator switch is blatantly WRONG. The pictograms are all there in section 19, with the little indicator arrows being clear and obvious. Should have
passed IMO.
It would have been nice for him to let you adjust the speedo, but I guess he felt as it has failed on other items it wasnt making a difference
noise is also a close call, i would argue there is no way the sound meter can be that accurate, however its on the limit anyway so probably the most
inargulable fail point.
Unlucky, but its good to know that Yeading is one to avoid - thats the testers name?
Many years ago, when I was building my 2B, Yeading would come up on the Rhocar forum as the worst SVA centre, they appeared to pride themselves on the
fact that no one got a 1st time pass. I thought that in 12 years that would have changed. Apparently not
on a whole i agree with the IVA process for testing our cars, however the sytem is flawed due to the massive differences in the inspector's
standards and intepretaion of the manual. There really shouldn't be such differences between test stations and inspectors.
My tester 2 weeks ago was the complete opposite of yours. He allowed me to carry out tweaks throughout the day. He praised certain aspects of the
build and gave pointers to areas that would benefit a bit of improvement.
When you pay £450 for an inspection the least you can ask for is a proffesional service.
That's interesting, I had the same comment from the examiner about not passing 1st time at Yeading for my SVA in 2001!! (and that was barely
after saying 'hello'....)
Can't believe they operate the same negative policy...... Mind you the emissions were so high they broke his gas analyser....
For £450 I'd expect a fair and comprehensive test without any preconcieved predudice.
scan the fail sheet and stick it up.
I wonder if it would be worth trying to contest the outcome of the test, with the obvious negative attitude of the test centre, argueable fail points
it might've worth a shot.
Surely if a centre is not pulling it's weight with fair, professional tests then they should have to undergo retraining.
quote:
Originally posted by loggyboy
I hope hes not a member!
It does sound like you dropped on there Dave, nothing too hard to sort though
but having to pay the retest fee is a bind.
Sounds like you were just unlucky with this one.
The tester sounds like a complete and utter nobber.
When I had my Sva 4 or so years ago in Aberdeen, I got the best tester you could ask for, He did everything he could to pass the car first time, which
it did.
My smokey old pinto was running twin 40s that had never really been set up correctly, but when it came to the emmisions test, he allowed us to lean
the carbs off to the point the car was only just able to keep running, he then tested it, and let us richen the carbs up again.
Sounds like your tester was trying his best to fail it, but at least they are easy fixes and you'll be on the road in no time
I wonder if the freedom of information act would allow us to find out the rate of first time passes at a range of test centres...?
quote:
Originally posted by redeye
Sounds like you were just unlucky with this one.
The tester sounds like a complete and utter nobber.
When I had my Sva 4 or so years ago in Aberdeen, I got the best tester you could ask for, He did everything he could to pass the car first time, which it did.
My smokey old pinto was running twin 40s that had never really been set up correctly, but when it came to the emmisions test, he allowed us to lean the carbs off to the point the car was only just able to keep running, he then tested it, and let us richen the carbs up again.
Sounds like your tester was trying his best to fail it, but at least they are easy fixes and you'll be on the road in no time
Sounds like a you really got the rough deal there Dave
I thought my tester was a little picky, but he was a saint compared to the numpty you had. If he had to keep referring to the manual all the time,
sounds like he needs a tester re-test himself!!
Here's hoping for a re-test soon and a PASS!
Good luck mate.
It may be possible to appeal against the failure in the same way as you can appeal against an MOT ? Perhaps a word with VOSA HQ might be in order? Garages that fail too many MOT tests are sometimes investigated so perhaps there is a system in place for IVA tests
Possibly but 0.2 db is technically above the limit. I don't think it would do me any favours appealing at this stage, they would probably just find something worse to fail me on.
If their tester is only accurate to to 1%, say, there should be some leeway.