I have a polo 9n and have decided to remove every airbag possible as the fact of a tiny crash can end up writing my car off due to all the airbags deploying, so basically the airbag light has came on and to get rid of the light I simply took my clocks out and put a bit of tape over the LED so the light dosnt show up at all, so I'm wondering with the new mot laws how is it they'll actually test to see if the airbags are functioning and will my car pass with me blanking off the light ?

Thanks in advance

Liam

I have a polo 9n and have decided to remove every airbag possible as the fact of a tiny crash can end up writing my car off due to all the airbags deploying, so basically the airbag light has came on and to get rid of the light I simply took my clocks out and put a bit of tape over the LED so the light dosnt show up at all, so I'm wondering with the new mot laws how is it they'll actually test to see if the airbags are functioning and will my car pass with me blanking off the light ?

Thanks in advance

Liam

They will be able to tell that the bulb has been removed or in you case covered with tape (they might even think that the fuse has been removed)

They'll know because when you turn on ignition all lights illuminate for a few seconds unless there's a fault and the light stays on! But if there's no light in that few seconds they'll know something's up.

Yes. But if car was built with airbags need are obviously removed its a fail.

They will obviously be missing, and as they know it was built with airbags the light should illuminate then go out.

It's a bit shit,

I had a drivers airbag which was removed with steering wheel, and I can totally remove the light, no evidence of it being there and no light to illuminate to suggest was fitted, but the spec of the car on v5 would mean it had an airbag.

But vague isn't it!

Well could I just use resistors all round ? If so how do I find out what size resistors are needed ?

Well could I just use resistors all round ? If so how do I find out what size resistors are needed ?

I work for Volkswagen and I have a 9n, I changed the seats and don't have airbags in the seats and a few lads have said use resistors but I don't know where to get them from ??

Have you considered that if the crash isnt quite so tiny you might need them?

While I'm intending on driving an old car with no safety features that I know of other than a seat belt on Fridays and to shows etc, am I getting so old to not understand why buy a 9n and then go to the trouble of making it not quite as good.

Id have bought something else a bit older or some other combination of car and less money with less airbags - I guess you have your reasons.

A tiny crash wouldn't set them off, a crash that sets them off would mean the cars pretty messed up to start with so being written off by air bags will be the last worry, certain parameters and conditions need to be met before they will fire but most of the time they dont fire as the conditions are wrong (most of the time when they do they cause some injury ) vehicle speed at impact, direction of impact, deceleration rate etc.. I've attended crashes where the front of the car is no more but no airbag deployment while I've seen a 30mph into a tree (drivers side impact, light damage (still drivable))and the necessary bag deploy (only drivers and not the passengers).

As far as MOT goes Its a fail regardless under the new rules as Standard feature not present (or some other silly wording).

could be wrong but seat bags are not in every version of the 9n so might get away with it if the light problem is sorted but dont quote me on that.

If air-bags were fitted as standard then they must be present. If the light doesn't show at self-test its a fail, if the light stays on its a fail, if system has been obviously tampered with its a fail. After market steering wheel its a fail.

And in the event of if/when you crash and no air bag deploys due to tampering/removal your insurance will most likely be null and void and (if you live) screw you over.

Not so much of an issue on a 9N but it's a bit ironic for the older 6N Polos - airbags are specced to last up to 15 years and while they'll probably still work there's actually no guarantee that they still do. So you might be getting failed for not having an airbag that might not have worked anyway!

Not only that but I remember getting the inside line on an insurance scam a few years back where bodyshops were repairing accident-damaged cars and charging for an airbag replacement, but not fitting an airbag. They're an expensive item to replace and a captive part - OEM only - so a decent sideline profit for unscrupulous garages. Means if your car's had a bump at some point there's a chance it doesn't have an airbag. A slim chance, but a chance nonetheless.

And there's always the nightmare factor of having a bump in an older car and the damage from the airbags going off being the factor that leads it to become an uneconomical repair. Not so much with old stuff, as that'll get written off anyway, but with say a 9N worth three or four grand, if you've got a driver and passenger side airbag I'm told it's near a grand just to replace the unit itself. That's before you deal with the panels that get broken when they go off, and the more pressing issue of repairing the bodywork.

I'm sure someone will be able to back me up, or disprove me. But I got this from an insurance approved bodyshop.

Edited 11 February, 201214 yr by Alex

Don't use resistors.

That would mean the light would illuminate then go out, suggesting there are airbags, which there wouldn't be?

Unless your car still shows there are? (eg standard steering wheel and such)

I had a resistor in mine, but that means the light would work then go out, for my drivers air bag, which clearly isn't present.

But if it doesn't come on at all, no airbag visible, they may believe its say an L spec model which didn't have an airbag.

Not sure you'd get away with it on a 9n.

Modern cars are designed to fold up around the passengers for safety, working with the airbags to protect you, if you have a crash your modern cars likely to be pretty fucked anyway

Modern cars are designed to fold up around a rigid safety shell which protects the cabin. It's the old ones that fold up around the driver :-0

Yeah that's what I said haha

Don't use resistors.

That would mean the light would illuminate then go out, suggesting there are airbags, which there wouldn't be?

Unless your car still shows there are? (eg standard steering wheel and such)

I had a resistor in mine, but that means the light would work then go out, for my drivers air bag, which clearly isn't present.

But if it doesn't come on at all, no airbag visible, they may believe its say an L spec model which didn't have an airbag.

Not sure you'd get away with it on a 9n.

Modern cars are designed to fold up around the passengers for safety, working with the airbags to protect you, if you have a crash your modern cars likely to be pretty fucked anyway

Yer mines a 9n just with some diffirent seats in it but has origional steering wheel, old seats did have air bags so would you recommend resistors so I can get the light to come on then go off when I start it ??

yeah should be ok?

its all ok getting around the mot with resistors,its insurance thats the problem because as said it will be void once they have found the missing safety features

not criticising just sharing cymro in his concerns