First MOT - Xileno {P}
My car is due its first MOT this month. Can't believe how quickly it has come around :-(
I was wondering if there's anything I could do to prepare it for the diesel emisions test. I was thinking perhaps of taking it for a hard drive the night before. Do you think changing the oil might help? What about a fuel additive? And do the garages still rev the living daylights out of the poor engine to test it?

Thanks
First MOT - Ian (Cape Town)
The italian tune-up is always a good idea before an emmisions test - 50-odd miles at a good whack, even keeping it in a lower gear to keep the revs high for a short period.
First MOT - Morgie
Yep an ITU is worth while, I did one for my first one at the end of November and it sailed through.
First MOT - Collos25
Change the oil and filter if they have been in a while.
First MOT - Hamsafar
I would expect a 3 year old car to sail through unless abused or neglected.
First MOT - Ian (Cape Town)
I would expect a 3 year old car to sail through
unless abused or neglected.


...and therein lies the problem.
Many cars are used to pootle down to the shops and back, never get a decent warm-it-up-to-proper-temperature run, and generally get lazy.
I know my daily commute sees me seldom getting above 60km/h (or 2000 revs) over the 20km distance, and as a result when the car gets a good burn up the motorway, at 120km/h*, after 100 kms, the difference in performance is quite noticable.
The old dear's Daihatsu three potter gets a suitable run weekly, when my father takes it in to work - 30ks on the motorway - to 'blasty out he cobwebs, as he puts it... othewise it would have coked up by now, I'm sure!



* - local speed limit. I'm saying 120 to avoid self-incrimination!