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Well the big day (4th May 2007) finally arrived. I’d worked on the car all the day before doing everything I possibly could to get the car ready. Every exposed nut & bolt had a been covered, every screw head had been siliconed and every sharp edge had been edge trimmed. It was an overcast and quite chilly morning, but I didn't seem to really notice as I made sure that I'd got everything I needed (including the kitchen sink) one last time. It was time to go! I set off for Beverley at 05:50 in order to give me plenty of time, with a feeling of trepidation mixed with excitement. The car drove very well and seemed very sure footed and stable. I encountered an occasional misfire en-route. I suspect a dodgy HT lead and I had a spare, but the problem wasn’t serious enough to stop me, so I pressed on. It was a good drive apart from being pretty chilly and spotting with rain on occasion (at least the wipers worked). Anything above 50mph however threatened to blow my bobhat off, so I had to cling onto it with one hand on occasions when a lorry passed in the other direction. I kept to a sensible speed anyway. There was no need to rush and I was making good progress.

I arrived at the SVA station at 07:15 and settled down for the rather nervous wait. At 08:00 I was summoned in to the ‘Lane’ by the Examiner. Broadly speaking the SVA is split into numerous phases:

1. General Inspection & Some Initial Tests; Plenty of appreciative comments whilst the Examiner seemed to take and eternity looking all over the vehicle, inspecting such things as upper seatbelt mounting points, seatbelt operation, Brake Master Cylinder security, Electricals and of course, always on the lookout for sharp edges etc. All was going well until the Low Brake Fluid Sensor Light refused to work (it worked the other day!). My Examiner said there was a scrap-yard around the corner that I could go to, as it would probably be the cap/switch assembly at fault. Moved the car forwards.

2. Emissions Check; Probe inserted into exhaust tail pipe and measurements taken - All OK. Moved the car forwards.

3. Underside Inspection And Lighting Checks; This is where you sit in the car and get a free ride upwards. The Examiner then goes underneath and talks to you via a PA system, asking you to move the steering backwards & forwards and operate the brakes (including handbrake) on & off, whilst he checked what he needed. More appreciative comments with regards to the steel bracing underneath. When the lift was lowered, I was asked to remove the inspection cover for the pedal box and steering column, so that it could be seen that all had been bolted together sufficiently. The headlights were checked for alignment. I'd left them a bit on the loose side so they could be adjusted properly. Once set, I tightened them up. Moved the car forwards.

4. Measurements And Weigh-In; Self explanatory and as before, many boxes filled in on his clipboard. Moved the car forwards

5. Brake Tests; Now on the rollers at the end of the lane. The brake tests are very comprehensive. The Examiner strapped a sensor to his leg in order to measure the pressure he was exerting on the pedal. With the rollers going, first the front wheels and then the rears, braking effect was duly noted on the clipboard (Handbrake too). The weight of the car is set against a braking effect table once back in the office, to determine if the brakes are sufficient.

6. Speedometer Calibration Checks; Now with the rear wheels still on the rollers, the car is spun up to various set speeds and the speedometer readings are noted. You mustn't be reading under! The test proceeded until after the speedometer check. It was time for a tea-break. During this time, I took the opportunity to examine the Low Brake Fluid Sensor plug. I quickly discovered that one of the connectors was wide open. I squeezed it closer and that fixed it. I then grabbed a cup of coffee and waited and when my Examiner came back, he was pleased that I'd sorted it out.

7. Steering Checks; This is where you hand over the reins of your pride & joy. The car was driven out of the lane and disappeared from view – a rather strange feeling. Whilst out of sight, I guess, was where the self-centering checks were carried out (probably amongst other things). Soon back in sight though and gracefully rolled to a halt upon a confusing array of marked lines on the tarmac.

8. Noise Check; The noise meter was set up at the appropriate distance and angle and the engine was then revved up to 4000RPM. I'd fitted the supplied baffle and it was a standard un-tuned engine, so was fairly confident it'd be OK. Under 101db so OK!

9. Mirrors; All three mirrors checked – OK.

I was then instructed to park up and wait in Reception. After waiting for 15 minutes like some sort of expectant father……. Result!!! I’ve got myself a MAC!!! I was very relieved and delighted. It was an absolutely fantastic feeling to be given the ‘thumbs up’ after two years of working away in the garage. (Blood, Sweat & Tears etc etc). Very happy!

So, all finished by approximately 11:00. My Examiner was friendly and very professional throughout, whilst being thorough, fair and reasonable also.

The drive home was very enjoyable, but draughty! Once I got home I checked over the car and proudly took some more photos. (1, 2, 3, 4).

I'd like to thank everyone who's helped me, offered encouragement, advice, parts, equipment etc and without you and the band of Hoodies, I'd have never got this far.

Roll on 21st May (DVLA Day) and the summer!

Steve...