Motorists in Dundee have been warned to get their cars serviced before winter sets in.
The news comes after a large number of cars were found to be in a dangerous condition during recent free vehicle safety checks.
Trading Standards Officers carried out checks over three days at Kingsway Retail Park.
The tests revealed vehicles with safety faults including defective tyres, blown bulbs and worn wiper blades.
Of 139 vehicles tested, a quarter had some sort of safety defect that would make the vehicle fail an MoT.
These results show that motorists must not be complacent about the safety of their vehicles
Julie Sturrock
Dundee City Council
A further 45% had some other issue which merited an advisory note including wrong tyre pressures, or oil or fluid levels requiring topping up.
Dundee City Council's environmental sustainability services convener, Julie Sturrock, said: "This is an annual exercise which is always very much welcomed by local motorists.
"I'm pleased that our officers have been able to check three times more vehicles than last year, but these results show that motorists must not be complacent about the safety of their vehicles."
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Judging by the number of 'one-eyed monsters' about since the darker evenings set in I would imagine that it's not just Dundee cars that need a bit of a look at.
As for coolant and fluid levels, while waiting for my MOT today, I witnessed a mystified woman come in who couldn't understand why her washers weren't working but the tank was half full. A very patient mechanic explained that the tank she was referring to was the coolant expansion tank and that her washer bottle was indeed empty, he then very kindly topped it up for her, gratis.
As she was about to leave she asked him if she could book the car in for him to have a look for the coolant leak, puzzled mechanic asked her why she thought she had a coolant leak, 'Well the tank only seems to be half full so it must be leaking out somewhere as my husband said he'd only checked it at the weekend.' Very patient mechanic shook his head and then explained to her all about coolant levels and expansion tanks but you could see it going in one ear and out the other. I expect she filled it to the brim when she got home........
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On a regular 6 mile journey along quietish country roads I reckoned about 1 in 10 had a headlamp out. A lad was knocked off his bike and killed in the village about 10 days ago. The driver didn't see him, despite the bike having lights. The car had the NS lamp out, I'm told by my friendly neighbourhood Plod.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr............
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What on earth are trading standards doing spending their time checking cars? No wonder local taxes keep going up?
Somebody in Dundee should be asking serious questions about budget spend.
PS
What is an 'environmental sustainability services convener'? and what does that have to do with trading standards?
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pmh (was peter)
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In the original post I meant to have said:-
PROBABLY THE SAME ALL OVER THE COUNTRY - broken lights, bald tyres...........
The MoT test is once a year and to some if it passes on that one day it is roadworthy for another 364 withoput any attention.
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PMH
What is an 'environmental sustainability services convener'? and what does that have to do with trading standards?
I don't know what it is but it reports to the Rural Transport Outreach Facilitator!
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What is an 'environmental sustainability services convener'?
Top right hand square on my latest bull-faeces bingo card!
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L\'escargot.
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now you know why aberdonians avoid dundee if at all possible! jag.
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Great to see motorists being pulled for defects.
but surely its traffic police area ( iknow there arent any left !) not trading standards !
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how many times do i tell people they have a light out or a soggy tyre, i dont anymore
if they cant be bothered checking their cars or paying someone to if they are too lazy then why should i bother.
same cars with bulbs out are usually the chancers/lazy /or just plain fat types anyway
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how many times do i tell people they have a light out or a soggy tyre, i dont anymore if they cant be bothered checking their cars or paying someone to if they are too lazy then why should i bother.
I still try to tell people if I can but in general only if it is a soggy tyre, two brake lights out or brake lights continuously on.
IMO I consider these failures can very easily contribute to an accident.
I feel I have done my best and I leave it at that so that is why I bother.
>>.....same cars with bulbs out are usually the chancers/lazy /or just plain fat types anyway
There are so many cars with faulty lights I just note any around me and give them more room.
Is it just my impression that the old "faulty earth" on back lights, which caused all sorts of results, seemed to have dissappeared to be replaced with simple failed bulbs?
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Don't worry. As recently promised, when we have 50% of all school leavers with 5 or more GCSE passes by 2010, the problem will be solved. How does it it go now......."education, education, education".
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>>how many times do i tell people they have a light out or a soggy tyre, i dont anymore
if they cant be bothered checking their cars or paying someone to if they are too lazy then why should i bother.
I agree with you oldman, I once told a neighbour's work friend his o/s rear tyre was very soft. His comment was, "thanks mate." 3 weeks later he still had not bothered to add any air. I was surprised the tyre stayed on the rim as it had so little air in it.
Also I remember hearing on the radio abouty a lady who had her car serviced and she returned to thank them for fitting power steering for free. The mechanic laughed saying he had only inflated all the tyre to the correct pressure!
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Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
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a quarter had some sort of safety defect A further 45% had some other issue
The stats themselves can't say much. If the team were selective in the cars checked, they may be more likely to pick those with problems. On the other hand, if this was voluntary, it could well have missed out untaxed or uninsured cars, whose owners won't want any officialdom looking over it.
As some others have said, I'm not sure why Trading Standards would be doing it. Unless companies in Dundee are being quite well behaved so TS are doing a bit of public service with their free time, helping identify faults the owners don't know about. Or maybe there are garages not doing their job properly (they never spot worn wiper blades on my cars).
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I was overtaken this week by a police car, followed by a Golf with its NS headlight completely out. This was around 6pm, wet and windy night, through a busy village.
If the police can´t be bothered, why should the scrotes be?
This was in Frankfurt BTW.
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monopoly games sold in aberdeen with go to jail ammended to go to dundee! jag.
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monopoly games sold in aberdeen with go to jail ammended to go to dundee! jag.
After Dundonians protested this was withdrawn - very clever (& apt in the opinion of some)
Aberdeen does not have lots to crow about as ther are "choice areas" that are a match for the worst in other towns across UK
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The Mondeo popped a headlight bulb last month when I turned the lights on as I left work, and I was forced to drive it home with one working headlight.
I duly stopped off at the local Halfords on the way home, picked up a replacement bulb and fitted it as soon as I got home. However, I did wonder how many people saw me driving home and thought "look at that idiot driving his car about like that".
I wonder how many of the one eyed monsters you see about have just gone that way, and how many have been like it for weeks/months? That said, I see a 54 registered Golf most mornings that has had one light out for the last two weeks.
Cheers
DP
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yes, of course aberdeen has some right rough areas, i was just highlighting the needle that
supposedly exists between the two cities. i myself am neutral, just happen to hear more of aberdeen side. cheers, jag.
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I was overtaken this week by a police car, followed by a Golf with its NS headlight completely out. This was around 6pm, wet and windy night, through a busy village. If the police can´t be bothered, why should the scrotes be? This was in Frankfurt BTW.
The German Old Bill might have been going to something important.........how do you know he/she wasn't bothered?
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