Our motorhome failed its MOT last year due to the rear axle resting on the bump stops. I spoke with a mechanic friend who said many do due to the permanent loading. He recommended a local suspension specialist who could improve the leaf spring to lift the bump stops off the axle. At several hundred pounds I wasn’t looking forward to it. Plus the back of the van would be higher.
I then decided to look into air suspension as a solution. Admittedly more costly, but it would have extra benefits. I can not recall the name of the company, Warrington based I think, but they were prepared to help even at the chance of talking me out of doing business with them, which was the case in the end.
Their technician confirmed what my mechanic said; that most motorhome rear axles sit on the bump stop, but he felt they were not bump stops. He pointed out that if the bump stop was squash-able, then it was actually part of the suspension and therefore not a failure as the suspension was as it should be.
Several long phone calls with Fiat confirmed that they were not bump stops but an active part of the suspension. Further phone calls with the MOT testing agency, and the garage, and it was accepted that if the alleged bump stops squashed then they could not be bump stops, but would be active parts of the suspension as claimed by Fiat. The test then included me in the back of our van swaying left to right so their mechanic in the inspection pit could see the stops squash – they did and it passed.
Hope this helps someone else.
As for the air ride company – we’ll track you down when we get our new van in a couple of years as we’re interested in having it fitted.
I had the same problem 2 years ago.after hours of trawling through the net nothing came up.so i called at a local M/Home company near me he said tell the examiner to go to the MOT updates on these types of vehicles,its only accesable by the MOT station with there log in security code,I did that and then they past it after reading about this type of suspention,had no problems since.just goes to show they dont know it all and some think they are God being an examiner.
------------- Think this year is to follow old meet friends for 2014.
If you cant do someone a good turn,don`t do them a bad one,its nice to be nice you know,and little things mean much more later in life.
Pete.
Well done mate, you deserve a PAT on the back, now before you go and spend loads of lolly on some kind of suspension aid, take a look at the option of fitting an extra spring ie. not a leaf spring but a proper coil one, i bought a set some years ago (can't remember the supplier i'm afraid) and i have had them on three campers so far, and i have only just removed them from my Talisman Peugeot based Autosleeper, i only fitted them because i carried a scooter, scooter has gone so i did not need the help of the suspension aides, they are very easy to fit and remove ie. i fyou are handy with tools it takes no longer than half an hour a side to fit/remove them.