How can I get my imported car through the emissions and brake efficiency tests?
I have imported my car from the Middle East to the UK, and it has had to go for the IVA test for type approval. Among the other things that it failed on (none of which are mechanical), there are the two following problems, which I can't work out how to fix as the car has been regularly serviced and maintained from new. The car is a Jeep Wrangler 2005 TJ model.
It failed on the service brake efficiency (it came in at 56.91 per cnet - breakdown is front 31.1 per cent and rear is 20.65 per cent). Do you have any suggestions on how to increase this to over 60 per cent? Before export, the car had the brake discs skimmed and the brake pads changed, if that helps at all?
It also failed on the emissions test, and specifically the Lambda test. This came in at 1.043. The car has been to the garage since, and tried with new sensors, but this has not made a difference to the result. The car has been fitted with a CATBACK exhaust system, so is not as per manufactured any more. Would this have made a difference? Is there anything else we can try to see whether it can be reduced?
The car was driven some 100 miles to the test centre, so it had had a good run of three hours to get to the centre, but of course has been sitting in a container before that for about a month and a half. Would that affect things?
It failed on the service brake efficiency (it came in at 56.91 per cnet - breakdown is front 31.1 per cent and rear is 20.65 per cent). Do you have any suggestions on how to increase this to over 60 per cent? Before export, the car had the brake discs skimmed and the brake pads changed, if that helps at all?
It also failed on the emissions test, and specifically the Lambda test. This came in at 1.043. The car has been to the garage since, and tried with new sensors, but this has not made a difference to the result. The car has been fitted with a CATBACK exhaust system, so is not as per manufactured any more. Would this have made a difference? Is there anything else we can try to see whether it can be reduced?
The car was driven some 100 miles to the test centre, so it had had a good run of three hours to get to the centre, but of course has been sitting in a container before that for about a month and a half. Would that affect things?
Asked on 11 July 2010 by latm
Answered by
Alan Ross
The problem with the brake efficency may be caused by a fault in the servo unit of your brake system. The servo is there to increase the amount of force when you apply the brakes and it appears that (as you say) all other braking components are ok. I would therefore suggest that you check out whether the servo is working correctly.
In the case of the emissions, I do not have enough detail on this. However, if the emissions are incorrect, you could get the garage to whom you take the car for testing to adjust your mixture controls of the fuel system, ie to weaken the mixture so that it achieves the correct figure so that it then passes.
In the case of the emissions, I do not have enough detail on this. However, if the emissions are incorrect, you could get the garage to whom you take the car for testing to adjust your mixture controls of the fuel system, ie to weaken the mixture so that it achieves the correct figure so that it then passes.
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