Brakes broken

2004 Smart Roadster Coupé

Engine 698cc/3-cyl/ohc Power 80bhp@5250rpm Torque 81lb ft@2250rpm

Work done

New brake pipes and a fresh MOT certificate.

Some pretty serious drama has occurred and I’ll admit to feeling rather embarrassed about it. The Smart failed its MOT for the first time in years and it’s proof that MOTS are absolutely vital. The cause of failure? Plastic, that’s what. In 120,000 miles and 14 years of Roadster ownership, my car has been fitted with replacement discs, pads and hoses on numerous intervals, so it came as something of a shock to find the car catastrophically failing the brake test. As with many a car of a certain age (and presumably modern cars), the pipes are hidden beneath a plastic undertray, which an MOT tester simply cannot see.

Having failed it on the brake rollers, our MOT man Nick popped the car up on his ramp and we could see fluid dripping from the edges of the plastic undertray. On removal of the tray, a grizzly truth was revealed. A split had occurred

inside one of the rusty metal mounts holding the pipe to the underside of the car. It is something many of you may already know about, of course, but to the rest of us – who always imagined brake pipes and other items are well-protected – this serves as a handy reminder to thoroughly and more frequently check what lies beneath the plastic!