MOT Failure - Price seems high??

[John20]

Thanks guys for all the comments. Yeah it is fair to say that I'm not mechanically minded in the sense of having never been under a car and replaced such and such...this is true. Sadly... lol. But, I'm trying to challenge myself because prices are getting unaffordable now with garages. I have my limits naturally... and I wouldn't try anything I feel would be too unsafe or risky...or that I might not be able to finish. For example, my rear right passenger door actuator recently broke. Having zero knowledge of what that even was when it first happened.... to going through all the steps, drilling out the rivets MB decided to put in there... all the wiring and god knows what... to getting the door actuator out and replaced, succesfully... it was certainly a challenge that having now completed, it is actually a really straight forward task that I'd absolutely do again if I had to.

But initially I was 100% thinking, there's no way I could do that!

I don't like the idea of anything under the car and this is borderline on that...but my biggest concern on this is like some have pointed out... if I can't get the arm down and the bush/cover off, or if I can't get it back in after it's done, I'm gonna be pretty screwed. So I'm very much thinking of finding a local garage or mobile mechanic, someone that isn't going to charge half my body organs to perhaps do this job for me! if I can watch, that'd be a bonus. But yeah I think that's the route I'm gonna take on this one because I don't have any jacks (which I would have to buy and the jack stands) I'm a bit uneasy with jacking the car up as it's got undertrays and dont wanna damage anything... so there's a lot of bits im concerned about on this job. So I think this one might be best for a garage but first I have to find someone willing to replace just the bush or if not, the arms but at a reasonable price!

 

[st13phil]

If the boot has split it is likely that there has been an ingress of dirt that will increase the wear rate of the joint.

^ This. Which, incidentally, is why the boot being split is an MOT failure.

If you're really skint / mean / just want an MOT pass to sell the car with, then replacing the rubber boots may be the better solution. Otherwise do the job properly by replacing the arms and then it's an area of the car you're unlikely to have to revisit for further maintenance for a considerable time.

 

[Chrishazle]

Class cars Sandwich are worth a look (www.classcarssandwich.co.uk), I used them a couple of times years ago on my S203 when they were in Wingham and was happy with their work and prices, good reports about them on Google Reviews.

 

[Delderek]

Have a word with Mercedes indi MBZ autos in Hersden. Very helpful people.

 

[KennyN]

So I'm very much thinking of finding a local garage or mobile mechanic, someone that isn't going to charge half my body organs to perhaps do this job for me!

As previously stated , the quote of £550 isn`t too bad ,decent parts will be £200+ and it will be a couple of hours work including adjusting the handbrake.

If you let the original garage do the work then it is a guaranteed MOT pass , use someone else and they "may" find another issue at re-test time.

You have a couple of options , faff around contacting other garages / mechanics and hope they can fit you in before the MOT runs out or pay the money at the original garage and get the car back with a full MOT.

K

 

[chic0821]

Just had a Google, (its not sore) Haynes manuals are not printed any more, but they do online manuals. Put in your reg & you can see if they do a manual for your car, then you can buy one if interested. Hope this helps

Haynes repair and workshop manuals | Print & Digital | DIY friendly

Haynes Manuals and AutoFix contain the most trusted repair and maintenance content for car, van, motorcycle, scooter and ATV, and the most advanced vehicle data available for DIY mechanics.

haynes.com

 

[StMarks]

I don't like the idea of anything under the car and this is borderline on that...but my biggest concern on this is like some have pointed out... if I can't get the arm down and the bush/cover off, or if I can't get it back in after it's done, I'm gonna be pretty screwed. So I'm very much thinking of finding a local garage or mobile mechanic, someone that isn't going to charge half my body organs to perhaps do this job for me! if I can watch, that'd be a bonus. But yeah I think that's the route I'm gonna take on this one because I don't have any jacks (which I would have to buy and the jack stands) I'm a bit uneasy with jacking the car up as it's got undertrays and dont wanna damage anything... so there's a lot of bits im concerned about on this job. So I think this one might be best for a garage but first I have to find someone willing to replace just the bush or if not, the arms but at a reasonable price!

If you would like to start down the road of DIY maintenance, probably the best route would be to have someone do this, and you assist (therby learn from doing so).
You have a starting price (quote), so perhaps go down the route of getting a price from a mobile mechanic (there are online companies who broker prices for them). They will bring all the necessary tools and skills, and you can enquire in advance if they will be happy to have you "assist" them.
Just a thought...

 

[ALFAitalia]

If the boot has split it is likely that there has been an ingress of dirt that will increase the wear rate of the joint.

Maybe.....but it depends how long its been split. One of mine was split, the other was close to it. There was no play in either so I cleaned out all the old grease and flushed it through with brake and clutch cleaner before repacking it with moly grease! If I could have felt any play or grittiness I would have replaced them. Maybe their lives will be shortened.....but I bet they last a few years yet. They certainly didn't need replacing though. Everything made of rubber on cars seems such low quality these days....no matter what you pay. Back in the day ball joints would be on the point of falling apart and the rubber boots would still be fine.

 

[chic0821]

Back in the day ball joints

Ball joints were always a good fail on the MOT in days gone bye, regardless if they were bad or not as it was not worth taking the car away to DIY, then re mot. Easy earner for the garage

 

[ALFAitalia]

.....true....but it was the joints themselves rather that just the poor quality rubber boots surrounding them!

 

[John20]

As previously stated , the quote of £550 isn`t too bad ,decent parts will be £200+ and it will be a couple of hours work including adjusting the handbrake.

If you let the original garage do the work then it is a guaranteed MOT pass , use someone else and they "may" find another issue at re-test time.

You have a couple of options , faff around contacting other garages / mechanics and hope they can fit you in before the MOT runs out or pay the money at the original garage and get the car back with a full MOT.

K

Well this is the problem isnt' it really. Due to Mercedes recall being last minute right before my MOT was due and them taking 7+ weeks for the part... which a recall would fail MOT I had to get that done first and it meant it left me with about 10 day window to get MOT done. Due to other unexpected issues... the MOT was eventually carried out like 2 days before it ran out and so right now, today is the last day of MOT and on the 30th June, the last day of tax... so all the garages I'm speaking to, can't fit me in until for 2 weeks. So it's looking very likely I'm gonna have to stick with the original garage at this point. I would always bring the car back to this garage for the retest because they can't fail it on anything else since they've already checked everything else... so I'd take it back to them for that part. Bit awkward but gotter be done.

 

[TC350]

My 2012 W204 C350 is with my Mercedes dealership for a B service and MoT at the moment. I had a call earlier to say that the near side ball joint needs replacing. They sent me an inspection video that included showing the vertical movement in the ball joint. They didn’t comment about it, but the tyre on that wheel has more uneven wear than the other tyres, which I suspect could be down to the failing ball joint.

I agreed to their quote of £390. It sounded a lot at first, but thinking about it it was the first repair that the car has needed in its life. Works out at £2.60 per month - not so bad after all.

As an aside, they had to call me even earlier to say (claim) that Mercedes had sent the wrong service kit and it was missing some essential items. They couldn’t get the missing parts until tomorrow morning. At least they’ve left me with the brand new A180 they’d loaned me for no charge. It’s not bad, but I’ll still be pleased to be back in my old C-class.

 

[John20]

My 2012 W204 C350 is with my Mercedes dealership for a B service and MoT at the moment. I had a call earlier to say that the near side ball joint needs replacing. They sent me an inspection video that included showing the vertical movement in the ball joint. They didn’t comment about it, but the tyre on that wheel has more uneven wear than the other tyres, which I suspect could be down to the failing ball joint.

I agreed to their quote of £390. It sounded a lot at first, but thinking about it it was the first repair that the car has needed in its life. Works out at £2.60 per month - not so bad after all.

As an aside, they had to call me even earlier to say (claim) that Mercedes had sent the wrong service kit and it was missing some essential items. They couldn’t get the missing parts until tomorrow morning. At least they’ve left me with the brand new A180 they’d loaned me for no charge. It’s not bad, but I’ll still be pleased to be back in my old C-class.

Ahh right so I guess it's about £800 for both sides I suppose. I'm half tempted to just take mine back to the original garage. I mean, I'm getting quotes so far at the £400 or above mark so its not far off the original 550 and this includes the handbrake issue and like someone said, it's a certain pass on MOT then. Gosh just seems like a lotta money in a very challenging time!

 

[OneForTheRoad]

Ahh right so I guess it's about £800 for both sides I suppose. I'm half tempted to just take mine back to the original garage. I mean, I'm getting quotes so far at the £400 or above mark so its not far off the original 550 and this includes the handbrake issue and like someone said, it's a certain pass on MOT then. Gosh just seems like a lotta money in a very challenging time!

I had a quick look and without your reg number to be certain your front arms by lemforder are around £90/£95 each . So £180 say plus labour. Cheapest arms are by ridex and £35 each .

 

[KennyN]

Gosh just seems like a lotta money in a very challenging time!

What some seem to forget is that it is a challenging time for the garages / mechanics and associated satellite businesses also , they are probably getting squeezed from more sides than the average member of the public.

When the utility prices went mental a few years ago, at work, our monthly electric bill has increased from £70k -> £200k , we are being held to ransom with the suppliers of our raw materials as we now have a very limited market of suppliers and they are calling the shots regarding their pricing , we have to increase the price of our product but not too much or we will loose customers and if we dont we will cease to exist.

Being a miserable tight Scot i wouldn`t feel i had been ripped off paying the price you have been quoted , providing they are using decent replacement parts.

K

 

[DSM10000]

What some seem to forget is that it is a challenging time for the garages / mechanics and associated satellite businesses also , they are probably getting squeezed from more sides than the average member of the public.

When the utility prices went mental a few years ago, at work, our monthly electric bill has increased from £70k -> £200k , we are being held to ransom with the suppliers of our raw materials as we now have a very limited market of suppliers and they are calling the shots regarding their pricing , we have to increase the price of our product but not too much or we will loose customers and if we dont we will cease to exist.

Being a miserable tight Scot i wouldn`t feel i had been ripped off paying the price you have been quoted , providing they are using decent replacement parts.

K

Well said!

 

[Petrol Pete]

OP . By your own admission you do not have the tools to do the job and you have some reservations regarding your mechanical skill level. If you are thinking about doing more DIY work on the car going forward then maybe it is time to start buying the basics, trolley jack, stands, splitter, torque wrenches ... the list goes on and on......

Just starting this job is a one way street because if using a splitting fork the rubber seal will be completely destroyed. I have done this job a number of times on a 203 (and other makes) you do not say which of the 4 seals are split .

If it the one on the upper aluminium arm the hub has to be disconnected from the strut to get it out.

To the eagle eyed YES I know the steering rack is disconnected ! I was replacing the inner steering links, picture just shows OP position of upper arm.

I had slight wear on the ball joints and despite the rubber seals seemingly to be in decent nick (until I mullered them with the joint splitting tool) I found them to be dry and in poor condition. They were FEBI that were fitted at a time I couldnt get Lemforder in time as I needed the car on the road. All of the new ones are Lemforder.

OP , the parking brake, where do I start ? It's an abomination of a design . It has been know for MOT testers with short legs , with the drivers seat too far back , to not press the pedal down far enough (5 clicks max) BUT If it is faulty it's a pain in the butt job to overhaul , but not too much of a mission to adjust . Star wheels through tiny hole in the rear drum/disc and cable splitter underneath the rear seat . No adjustment in the foot pedal area.

Let us know if you need more advice

 

[John20]

OP . By your own admission you do not have the tools to do the job and you have some reservations regarding your mechanical skill level. If you are thinking about doing more DIY work on the car going forward then maybe it is time to start buying the basics, trolley jack, stands, splitter, torque wrenches ... the list goes on and on......

Just starting this job is a one way street because if using a splitting fork the rubber seal will be completely destroyed. I have done this job a number of times on a 203 (and other makes) you do not say which of the 4 seals are split .

If it the one on the upper aluminium arm the hub has to be disconnected from the strut to get it out.

View attachment 158463 View attachment 158464 To the eagle eyed YES I know the steering rack is disconnected ! I was replacing the inner steering links, picture just shows OP position of upper arm.

I had slight wear on the ball joints and despite the rubber seals seemingly to be in decent nick (until I mullered them with the joint splitting tool) I found them to be dry and in poor condition. They were FEBI that were fitted at a time I couldnt get Lemforder in time as I needed the car on the road. All of the new ones are Lemforder.

View attachment 158465 OP , the parking brake, where do I start ? It's an abomination of a design . It has been know for MOT testers with short legs , with the drivers seat too far back , to not press the pedal down far enough (5 clicks max) BUT If it is faulty it's a pain in the butt job to overhaul , but not too much of a mission to adjust . Star wheels through tiny hole in the rear drum/disc and cable splitter underneath the rear seat . No adjustment in the foot pedal area.

View attachment 158466 View attachment 158467 Let us know if you need more advice

Thanks for the detailed response the images are really helpfull. I have decided this job is best for the mechanics just as I have no problem buying the tools and equipment needed like I did when Ihad to replace the door actuator but I feel this one is best for mechanics. At least for now! I have no place to really store jacks besides inside theboot and I'd rather not do that... so I think i'm gonna just let the mechanics do this one. Even if I get the tools (I'm always nervous about any job I do whether I can do it or not is another question) but for this one I've decided to leave for mechanics.

I thought I had said which one was faulty which is in the MOT report, it's the front lower suspension arm rear. So there's two lower ones (from what I've been seeing) and for me, it's the rear one that's got the problem. I've found a bloke that can do it for me , I just buy the parts and he will fit it, for £50 each side. So now I'm thinking what brands are good.... GSF seems to only have two one is Delphi Technologies and the other is Drive Tec....?

 

[OneForTheRoad]

Thanks for the detailed response the images are really helpfull. I have decided this job is best for the mechanics just as I have no problem buying the tools and equipment needed like I did when Ihad to replace the door actuator but I feel this one is best for mechanics. At least for now! I have no place to really store jacks besides inside theboot and I'd rather not do that... so I think i'm gonna just let the mechanics do this one. Even if I get the tools (I'm always nervous about any job I do whether I can do it or not is another question) but for this one I've decided to leave for mechanics.

I thought I had said which one was faulty which is in the MOT report, it's the front lower suspension arm rear. So there's two lower ones (from what I've been seeing) and for me, it's the rear one that's got the problem. I've found a bloke that can do it for me , I just buy the parts and he will fit it, for £50 each side. So now I'm thinking what brands are good.... GSF seems to only have two one is Delphi Technologies and the other is Drive Tec....?

Try ecp or carparts4less or partsinmotion or autodoc . Drivetec is gsf own brand afaik ?

 

[John20]

Try ecp or autodoc . Drivetec is gsf own brand afaik ?

Yeah I've just read that Drivetec is GSF's own brand apparently, is gsf a bad brand?