MINI One - MOT Emissions failure

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Tue 17 Oct 2017 10:15
MINI One - MOT Emissions failure - Leigh Kirk

Hi all

Just arrived back with the daughters car failing it's MOT on emissions. Exhaust emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle excessive (7.3.D.3).

It's a 2010, which i think is the last model with the r56 engine in. Currently has 73000 on the clock.

Could anyone advise on where to start looking based on these results.

Description, Limits, Reading, Result

Engine oil temp, Min 60 deg C, 103 deg C, PASS

Fast idle test

Engine Speed, 2250-2750 rpm, 2682 rpm, PASS

CO, Max 0.2%, 0.77%, FAIL

HC, Mx 200 ppm, 101ppm, PASS

LAMBDA, 0.97-1.03, 0.98, PASS

Second Fast idle test

Engine Speed, 2250-2750 rpm, 2723 rpm, PASS

CO, Max 0.2%, 0.79%, FAIL

HC, Mx 200 ppm, 165ppm, PASS

LAMBDA, 0.97-1.03, 0.97, PASS

Natural idle test

Engine Speed, 550-900 rpm, 719 rpm, PASS

CO, Max 0.2%, 0.19%, PASS

thanks!

Edited by Leigh Kirk on 17/10/2017 at 10:49

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Tue 17 Oct 2017 13:40
MINI One - MOT Emissions failure - Leigh Kirk

OK for those that would like to know

The car was cold when MOT'd

I was advised by my local garage to chuck a bottle of fuel treatment in and give it a run down the motorway. The guy at the parts place also suggested to get the engine red hot before taking back.

They advised that the MOT centre will not wait around to let the engine warm up.

So 40 minutes on the motorway at around 4000rpm and a £4 bottle of treatment and we have a pass.

Thanks

P.S Hope this is satifactory John :)

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Tue 17 Oct 2017 13:49
MINI One - MOT Emissions failure - Gibbo_Wirral

It makes me laugh how some on here call additives "snake oil"!

But, the car still needs attention, if it just scraped through. When was it last fully serviced?

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Tue 17 Oct 2017 14:03
MINI One - MOT Emissions failure - Leigh Kirk

Maybe a air filter and fuel filter wouldn't go a miss. It certainly didn't scrape through on the retest. 0.04 was the result.

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Tue 17 Oct 2017 14:09
MINI One - MOT Emissions failure - SLO76
Seen this many times before and the reason why I always give any car I'm taking for an Mot a few quid of decent fuel and a blast down the bypass before it goes in. My own personal cars have never failed an Mot on emissions nor have I suffered any fueling issues or EGR problems, I put this down to largely avoiding supermarket fuel which lacks the standard of additives used by the big oil firms like Shell and BP.
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Wed 18 Oct 2017 10:30
MINI One - MOT Emissions failure - John F
My own personal cars have never failed an Mot on emissions nor have I suffered any fueling issues or EGR problems, I put this down to largely avoiding supermarket fuel which lacks the standard of additives used by the big oil firms like Shell and BP.

Neither have mine and I regard 100,000m as being just nicely run in for a reasonably well cared for engine. But I think you are too harsh on supermarket fuel (which I always use). Here is an informative link to that very debate on an RAC forum...

www.rac.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?1515-Petrol-Qua...9

I have mentioned my son's experience of the cheap MoT emissions failure scam with the associated pressurised sale of overpriced replacement catalysers to gullible drivers in another thread.

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Wed 18 Oct 2017 10:49
MINI One - MOT Emissions failure - SLO76
"Neither have mine and I regard 100,000m as being just nicely run in for a reasonably well cared for engine. But I think you are too harsh on supermarket fuel (which I always use). Here is an informative link to that very debate on an RAC forum..."

I can only go by my own experiences John as someone who's had many thousands of motors pass through my hands over the years and some cars seem more susceptible to issues related to poor quality fuel than others and from listening to customers, local taxi drivers and friends over the years who've suffered problems like this and the one thing that links every last one of them is the almost constant use of supermarket fuel.

I had a Renault Kangoo 1.5 van which was fed on a nonstop diet of supermarket diesel which became increasingly slow to start and noticeably smoky, after reading a few online articles on the subject I swapped solely to BP and Shell and there was a market improvement in performance and economy while the smoke disappeared. Modern diesels in particular don't like supermarket fuel. None of the high mileage taxi owners I know recommend it and nor do any of the mechanics I frequently speak to.

However it seems to have little effect on Japanese petrol motors for some reason, possibly because their products are sold globally and often into markets with poor fuel standards.
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Wed 18 Oct 2017 11:39
MINI One - MOT Emissions failure - Railroad.

Over time the fuel injector nozzles become clogged with carbon deposits, gum and varnish. This means rather than producing a fine high pressure spray which vapourises in the air they inject fuel in the form of a jet which doesn't mix so well. The result is poor combustion leading to reduced performance, increased fuel consumption and poor emmisions. A shot of injector cleaner and a good blast up the road can work wonders for petrol injector nozzles.

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Wed 18 Oct 2017 18:53
MINI One - MOT Emissions failure - John F
However it seems to have little effect on Japanese petrol motors for some reason, possibly because their products are sold globally and often into markets with poor fuel standards.

Fair comment, your experience carries much weight. I know little about diesels, apart from understanding that their finely engineered fuel and turbo systems are susceptible to impurities and cost a fortune to fix. I suppose our elderly 'Yamaha' Focus 1.6 Zetec could be classed as a Japanese petrol motor! Although never had any trouble with V W/Audi petrol engines (so far....), but I've always done careful homework before buying, as it's my, not 'company' money, they're never new and I usually keep them indefinitely, with minimal necessary maintenance by me, well away from grasping garages - apart from the MoT check.

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Wed 18 Oct 2017 22:00
MINI One - MOT Emissions failure - SLO76
"I suppose our elderly 'Yamaha' Focus 1.6 Zetec could be classed as a Japanese petrol motor!"

A cracking engine and a brilliant car, I still love the Mk I Focus.
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Wed 18 Oct 2017 12:01
MINI One - MOT Emissions failure - RobJP

I have mentioned my son's experience of the cheap MoT emissions failure scam with the associated pressurised sale of overpriced replacement catalysers to gullible drivers in another thread.

If you are accusing an MOT garage of operating a scam, then I suggest you contact VOSA, and make a formal complaint.

Here's a link to do it online

www.gov.uk/government/publications/complain-about-...t

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Wed 18 Oct 2017 13:36
MINI One - MOT Emissions failure - madf

Peopel who do high mileages tend to travel on motorways with warm engines. Diesel engines in particular suffer on short engines when cold..

Our 2003 Yaris D4D - short journeys only -suffered from exhaust/inlet tract crud build up using supermarket fuel.. Italian tiune up plus BP Ultimate/Shell Premium diesel solved the problem.. and continues to..

I not the link referred to is another high mileage driver who never has problems : he is driving in optimum condistions.. Not many people do.

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