Lenient IVA test centres ?

[Julesdm]

Gillingham was interesting for me. As the car was warming up in its bay as the test started, 4 assessors came over to try and outdo the other in finding issues!!! I didn't find it too amusing. The one item they tried to pull me up on which I contested was, they thought the side repeater indicators were not within the visibility range for a car behind. They informed me that the indicators would need to be on stalks like Motorbike extenders!!!! On appeal stating in all the reviews and forums I have never heard of this being an issue...., we chalked out the floor, got out pythagoras theorem and i proved they were acceptable.

Everything else was fine other than my rear wheels locking up before the front and they were precious about the position of my rear reflectors!!! Re test needed. 2 weeks later job done, pass.

The examiner was fine and loved the car and wanted to pass it. Had it of been one item that was wrong he would have allowed me to rectify on site.....wasnt to be the case with me.

I would go back to Gillingham. If you have built the car properly, the test will not be an issue.

Julian

[KevinW]

If you go along the lines of "anywhere except Gillingham" you will have the answer you need.
I don't think it would be very wise for anyone to state publicly that they had "an easy ride" at a particular test centre. The IVA bosses look here and on other forums.....

What Neil said.

[Neil O]

If you go along the lines of "anywhere except Gillingham" you will have the answer you need.
I don't think it would be very wise for anyone to state publicly that they had "an easy ride" at a particular test centre. The IVA bosses look here and on other forums.....

[David R]

Having had a conversation with a Sumo owner a couple of weeks back at the NEC he'd had an issue with his car failing IVA at Gillingham (?) as the tester thought that the bulkhead supports for the seatbelts were insufficient. This is a faff as the tank has to come out to put more steel in.

It made me recall that there was a thread on the old forum about this and the fact that some IVA test centres were more pragmatic about certain things than others.

Can anyone remember which centres gave Cobras a slightly easier time of things whilst still maintaining the high standards expected of them ?