Classic News

The media backlash against MOT exemption and some dodgy advice.

While scrolling through Facebook recently, I came across a somewhat worrying post on a group that I’m a member of. Another enthusiast was asking for advice on a torque setting for the rear wheel bearing on a Morris Minor, not that the specific issue is important. A huge variety of answers flooded back ranging from 180lb ft, through 60lb ft, to nipped up then backed off half a turn. The latter might well be the case for modern taper roller bearing but certainly isn’t for the single race ball bearings fitted in this case. To follow this advice could easily have had dangerous or even potentially fatal consequences. I’ve known hubs and wheels to come adrift at speed from this very issue.

It struck me that although social media is often heralded as a great resource for classic car owners – hundreds of discussion groups exist to this end – the variety in quality of information available is as diverse as the questions being asked. If we at Practical Classics gave incorrect advice, particularly relating to something as safety critical as this, we could well end up in court. That’s why everything we write is fastidiously fact-checked to ensure the advice we are giving is correct. The same level of accountability isn’t there for the ill-informed ‘expert’ on social media. Perhaps it should be. In the same way, Youtube is awash with videos from Hillbilly Bob showing you ‘how to service the brakes on your pick-up truck’, but these are in no way as thoroughly checked and well-produced as our Skill Shack video tutorials.

Certainly the fact that huge numbers of people are willing and able to help each other with free advice and information online is great, but when a lack of accountability and keyboard experts threaten to endanger lives, serious thought needs to be given as to where advice is taken from.