MOT repair advice c220 coupe

[Bobby32]

Im looking at buying a 2005 c220 coupe, checking the history the last 3 mots all failed with the same thing, obviously it was fixed but reoccurred each year, just wondering on potential cost of repair if it does fail the same again.

• Nearside Front Track rod end ball joint has excessive play (2.2.B.1f)
• Offside Front Track rod end ball joint has excessive play (2.2.B.1f)

Any advice would be great thanks.

 

[kianok]

Very odd.

Walk away and find another.

 

[clk320x]

Around £40 in parts for the track rods (TRW)

Seems very odd they fail each year?!

 

[Petrol Pete]

Hardly a track day or off road car, so what is going on here ? last owner lived on most potholed road in the whole of the UK ?? Strange

 

[alabbasi]

There's a lot of sh*t being made and packed as Mercedes replacement suspension parts. They're probably using URO parts or something other sub standard part. Replace with Lemforder and don't worry about it for 70k miles.

 

[Bobby32]

There's a lot of sh*t being made and packed as Mercedes replacement suspension parts. They're probably using URO parts or something other sub standard part. Replace with Lemforder and don't worry about it for 70k miles.

So you think it either wasnt repaired correctly or used cheap parts?

 

[Bobby32]

Around £40 in parts for the track rods (TRW)

Seems very odd they fail each year?!

Is it replacement parts or something that can be repaired?

 

[clk320x]

Edit

 

[clk320x]

Is it replacement parts or something that can be repaired?

New track rod ends, £40 for the pair for TRW/Lemforder.

 

[kianok]

Even using poor quality parts you’d expect them to last longer than a year.

 

[wu56Shoozz]

Around £40 in parts for the track rods (TRW)

Seems very odd they fail each year?!

45k Sachs.. that's all I'll say

 

[exvolvoman]

Use this as a negotiation on the price, new track rod ends and wheel alignment not too expensive.
Use good quality parts...may just be that cheapo ones were fitted previously. Any receipts with car?
As others say, seems odd that it failed 3 times on the same thing, are tyres correct size?

 

[alabbasi]

So you think it either wasnt repaired correctly or used cheap parts?

Probably the parts, it's hard to imagine how incorrect installation would create excessive play in a ball joint. It's important to understand however that as many of the aftermarket vendors are moving their operations off shore, more and more are producing or repacking sub standard parts. This includes Febi and TRW which once made high quality parts but are no longer doing so. You have to closely scrutinize the country of origin before deciding on whether to use.

I would not consider putting anything made by Meyle, URO and FCQ unless i'm replacing something minor like an antenna mast.

Lemforder seems to continue building quality parts in an effort to hold on to their reputation.

 

[clk320x]

Lemforder seems to continue building quality parts in an effort to hold on to their reputation.

Lemforder and TRW are both owned by ZF? So the parts are identical arnt they?

 

[clk320x]

Can we have the reg so we can look up MOT? I’m struggling to get my head around how it’s failed on the same thing 3 years in a row

 

[alabbasi]

Lemforder and TRW are both owned by ZF? So the parts are identical arnt they?

Not in my experience. The TRW stuff is a mix of German and Chinese parts. The German parts are pretty decent but I've had issues with the Chinese parts.

 

[clk320x]

Not in my experience. The TRW stuff is a mix of German and Chinese parts. The German parts are pretty decent but I've had issues with the Chinese parts.

Damn!

 

[wu56Shoozz]

Damn!

 

[clk320x]

Looks like I’ll pick them up from the main dealer

 

[wu56Shoozz]

Oooohhh.... you've got something in your "Eye" Abs...I can see it from here (As yer pants are gently pulled down by the stealers...)