On the recommendation of a mate, I took it to National Tyre and Autocare on Chester Road in Hulme, Manchester. They took it in and I read several copies of Mercedes Enthusiast magazine. Eventually, the bloke came through and said it needed loads of bulbs and the driver's side INNER tie rod end was goosed. I asked him to replace all the bulbs and grabbed a coffee...
He came back through clutching the rear number plate bulb assembly - it was corroded to ####! One of the two pins in the assy was missing! He said if I could fix it, he'd pass the car...
So, I legged it over the Mancunian way to Westway Nissan and by complete flook, they had one in (Y). £32 later, in Westways carpark, I removed the bulb assy and found the missing pin was completely corroded into the holder :down:. The parts guy said it was possible a new loom section was needed at great expense...
As the MOT runs out tomorrow, I had visions of ordering a piece of loom and using my Dad's Corolla for a week and then paying for a full retest...
Never saying give up, I legged it back over the Mancy way to Maplin on Regent Road and bought a set of tiny screw drivers hoping the smallest flat blade one would winkle the corroded pin out. It couldn't but I freed the pin and managed to push it completely back into the holder. I connected it up in Maplin's car park and it worked :grinning:!
Legged it back to the test centre and he had alook and printed me off a GREEN ticket for no extra cost - YAAAY! Big thanks to the MOT chap at National Tyre and Autocare in Hulme :grinning:.
He came back through clutching the rear number plate bulb assembly - it was corroded to ####! One of the two pins in the assy was missing! He said if I could fix it, he'd pass the car...
So, I legged it over the Mancunian way to Westway Nissan and by complete flook, they had one in (Y). £32 later, in Westways carpark, I removed the bulb assy and found the missing pin was completely corroded into the holder :down:. The parts guy said it was possible a new loom section was needed at great expense...
As the MOT runs out tomorrow, I had visions of ordering a piece of loom and using my Dad's Corolla for a week and then paying for a full retest...
Never saying give up, I legged it back over the Mancy way to Maplin on Regent Road and bought a set of tiny screw drivers hoping the smallest flat blade one would winkle the corroded pin out. It couldn't but I freed the pin and managed to push it completely back into the holder. I connected it up in Maplin's car park and it worked :grinning:!
Legged it back to the test centre and he had alook and printed me off a GREEN ticket for no extra cost - YAAAY! Big thanks to the MOT chap at National Tyre and Autocare in Hulme :grinning:.
