Absence of triangle tops DOE list of defects
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• One in every six heavy vehicles failed the Irish DOE test— the Irish MoT—last year, according to a new Department of the Environment report.
Some 139,700 statutory tests were carried out on heavy goods vehicles, trailers, buses and ambulances in 2002. An ini
tial pass rate of just 51% rose to 83% when the vehicles were retested following attention, says the report.
One in five light goods vehicles was rejected on the first attempt, with a pass rate of 79% after defects were muffled.
The most common cause of failure in the heavier classification was, unbelievably, lack of a warning triangle on the vehicle. It was followed by speedometer/tacho/speed limiter problems; then by reflector and marking deficiencies; wipers and washers; headlamp aim; rear lamps; side and marker lamps; steering linkage; stop lamps; and problems with mechanical brake components.
Headlamp aim was the biggest cause of failure in the light goods class, followed by wipers and washers; front suspension; transmission; stop lamps; and rear and rag plate lamps.