Hi

whats the law on brake pipes? i heard you need to prove where you purchased them from or that they need to be made by an approved garage ect? is this true or can i do them myself?

cheers
Rog

Yes you can make brake pipes up --- important to use 3/16" Kunifer not ordinary industrial copper tubing.

The main problem is getting a decent flairing tool --- good ones aren't cheap.

I've never been asked for anything when MOTing anything that I've made new ones up for, never read anything regarding IVA on here either.
Slightly off topic has anyone had problems with corroded brake pipes failing the MOT recently? I'm told they've tightened up on them & I'm seeing a lot more failing when really it's nothing more then surface rust, no pitting that you can feel on the pipes that is anything like compromising saftey. It's pushing the cost up a lot for getting older cars through the test, even as little as 6 years old!
Mabye been one too many incidents of pipes having been passed when they really shouldn't & something has happened like an acident over it?

Simples two hard winters in the row a lot more exposure to salt, also some local authorities have been using salt coated with molasses it sticks like the devil to cars.

Advisory on a Mondeo last week for brake pipe corrosion, first mention in years, however it is the one that goes over the fuel tank and is a known/ common problem. I'm sure it only seems like it but there does seem to be a focus on different things from time to time. Couple of years ago I had 3 cars fail/ get advisors for flexible brake pipes over a 4 month period.

Yeah the salt etc will accelerate the rust but I'm seeing them fail stuff I'm used to seeing pass no bother. The kind of thing you'd clean with emery to check it is sound & then coat with grease to keep it good. I see something like 6 cars a month for MOT prep so have got used to what they allow to pass or fail. This is at 3 different stations too.
If you got a 12 year old car that needs a balljoint, front discs/pads & a driveshaft boot it's probably worth doing ok, but suddenly it needs 3 brake pipes & the bleed screws are seized in so you end up having to put a wheel cylinder on & then the owner gets a much bigger bill & mabye it'll just get scrapped instead.

I have taken off some steel pipes that were getting pretty thin from corrosion and passed MOT because they weren't massively visible. Certainly not in a condition I would've been happy with if I'd known beforehand..

Greasing them up is probably not a bad idea anyway as it'll stop any rust.. Also should presumably mean that they won't fail them as they won't be all crusty?

It would save owners a lot of money if manufacturers used kunifer pipes and stainless steel bleed nipples it would add pennies to the cost of manufacture but manufacturers work on the principal that once the car gets beyond the second owners ownership any problems that occur beyond about 80,000 miles have no effect on the perceived quality and reliability of the brand.

Now that body corrosion is not the nightmare it used to be and mechanical reliability has improved increasingly one of the major reasons for vehicles going the the crushers is electronic problems such as ABS and security system problems. In 2012 with the MOT changes I won't be surprised if SRS systems cause major headaches.

That's the nail on the head on both counts BT! Pennys spent on production would save a fortune later on but you're right it just isn't seen as benificial for the manufacturer. It's a rare thing for me to do any structural welding on a car now (when I started near 20 years ago it was easily 50% of cars I saw), but as cars get more sophisticated & the regs for MOT get tighter & cover more it's gonna kill a lot of otherwise sound cars.

I had to replace all of the brake pipes on my 2007 Transit Connect at the last MOT. A couple were OK but it seemed a bit daft not to do the whole lot! Likewise, my 2005 Range Rover actually burst a brake pipe 20 minutes after it had it's second MOT!! The pipes run under the nearside sill inside a plastic cover so couldn't be seen.