Hello All,
I’ve got a 1973 MG Midget, which is sooner or later due for its MOT. One failure point that I know of (I’m sure however there’s a lot I don’t know about), is the lack of horn. For some reason, the previous owner took out the entire horn assembly.
This is a *really* stupid question, but can I get away with fixing a ‘vintage style’ horn to the car (the one with a squeezy rubber ball on the end) to comply with the MOT requirements?
Does anyone know how this stands legally?
Many thanks for your impending words of wisdom!
DB
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Could you stand by the car and make 'honk' noises whenever you see him press the steering wheel centre?
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I did consider that!
Seriously though - I know it's a daft question, but with the bonkers rules and regs of this country - you never know!
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OK, I had no idea of the answer to this question, but I felt guilty for my mickey taking answer, so I tried to find some info for you.
The main MOT page has no details of the manual, except for trying to sell it to you for £33, but I found some info on a motorbike MOT page, and I don\'t see why it\'d be any different.
Here are the reasons why they can fail a horn on the MOT:
1. A horn control missing
2. A horn control
a. faulty or not readily accessible
b. not functioning
3.
a. a horn which operates but is not loud enough to be heard by another road user.
b. a motor bicycle fitted with a gong, bell. siren or horn which emits two or more alternating tones
c. In the case of a motor bicycle first used on or after 1 August 1973 a sound which is:
(i) not continuous or uniform
(ii) strident i.e. harsh or grating.
So, theoretically, your Mr Toad \'parp parp\' horn would be fine, as long as it\'s good and loud.
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Thank you very much Mr Bear.
Maybe an airhorn would be more in order!
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Wait a minute... I\'ve just noticed I\'ve been edited! Automatically I assume, but really, surely no-one finds the word p a r p offensive? :D
What is Mr Toad to do when he wishes other road users to know of his presence????
a long & tedious story. However, you have now been de-edited. - Mark.
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There was no need to bother doing that Mark, I was very amused rather than anything else, but thank you anyway :)
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www.motuk.co.uk/manual_170.htm
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That's actually the site I went to, but I obviously somehow managed to get myself lost in the motorcycle section.
BTW, on the subject of horns, when I hired an Aston Martin for my wedding it had a switch on the dash which you could use to choose between a normal electric horn and an airhorn. Anyone got any idea what the point of that was?
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Strange I should know this but..
Presuming it's the horn itself missing, you can buy electric two tone horns in ASDA motoring section, of all places for under £7. (In Havent you can anyway)
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Unfortunately, that MOT manual specifically says it can't be a two-tone horn.
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It has two terminals and can be single tone, by using one terminal. I was just amazed they sold them at all so I read the packaging.
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My old man's Aston had one of these back in the 70s. In the manual it called it a Town and Country horn - how very English.
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Thanks muchly...
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Assuming that you still have some sort of horn button, you could just buy any old horn from a breakers and run a wire from the button straight to it.
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No reason why it can't be a twin tone horn, our BMW came out of the factory with a twin tone horn, and we retro-fitted one to my dad's Micra. The only problem is it can't alternate between two different tones in the way that a Police siren would.
The horns in cars emit two different tones but at the same time, continuously and without alternating, this is totally acceptable, otherwise the BMW wouldn't be allowed to leave the factory like that and it would've failed one of it's last 4 or 5 MOTs.
Now then, my Fiesta has a single tone horn and it sounds awful in comparison, really weak and weedy. :-(
Blue
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Motor Vehicle (Con and Use) Regs 1986 is the bible for such items and then it would appear if it conforms to Con and Use then should pass MOT.
Horn: "means an instrument, not being a bell,gong or siren, capable of giving audible and sufficient warning of the approach and position of the vehicle to which it is fitted." (Reg 37 (10) a.)
Every motor vehicle which has a maximum speed of more than 20 mph shall be fitted with a horn, not being a reversing alarm or a two tone horn. (Reg 37 (1)(a))
The sound emitted by any horn fitted to a wheeled vehicle first used after 1.8.1973 shall be continuous and uniform and not strident. (Reg 37 (2))
Does your horn come up to scratch????
DVD
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I believe it would!
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If you can come up with about 11 quid plus the DHL shipping charge (3 days to you from here) I can get you a Taiwanese job from my local accessory supermarket with a 5 way switchable dashboard control: take your choice: croaking frog, conventional trumpet blare (yes I meant to spell it like that), a faux police "woop-woop", a bellowing bull, or just a simple toot.
You can adopt just the tone of automotive voice to deal in a mannerly fashion with different highway situations as well based on your relative position in the pecking order of things. I am sure it would have your MOT man madly thumbing his pages!
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I recall they used to have a similar 'thing' with sound effects of a .50 Browning machine gun, rocket launcher, death ray etc. Ideal for those road-rage moments...
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A two tone HORN!! Think about it, think about it!
Regards.
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The 73 Regs came into being because of the proliferation of Cl. Bogey horns that were the after market kit for the "ton up boys" in the late 70s
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So Del & Rodney would fail their MOT then?
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