MOT – Have I been Ripped Off?

On Saturday I took my car to a Halfords Autocentre (just don’t say anything, ok) for an MOT, which it failed.

The lower track control arm ball joint cover was split and I was told I would need a new complete track control arm. I asked if there were any alternatives and was told there weren’t.

I needed the car back as soon as possible so I told them to proceed but I have subsequently found out that both boots and ball joints are available for significantly less money. I certainly feel like I’ve been ripped off. Do I have any recourse?

Sounds like they should have replaced the ball joint?
How much did the repair cost?

£317 inc VAT

sounds like the lower balljoint. Sometimes they are riveted onto the arm itself, especially on a pattern part if it has already been done in the past but some OEM stuff is riveted too.

eg

Bolted: https://www.cartech-one.co.uk/en/product/3643695-bestprice-control-arm-front-lower-w-ball-joint?gclid=CjwKCAiA9qHhBRB2EiwA7poaeD_JogvpnpLr-6T0aIjwZCKe4cMSoUISYRu766iKSY1eqJBhbRUFzhoC7JUQAvD_BwE

Riveted: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PEUGEOT-306-Wishbone-Suspension-Arm-Front-Lower-Left-93-to-02-Track-Control-/232347661171

arm by itself with bushes: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Peugeot-306-2-0-ST-Febi-Front-Axle-Lower-Right-Track-Control-Arm-Wishbone-/361586826928

Replacement bushes: https://www.simplycarparts.co.uk/products/48619

Lower ball joint by itself: https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/352268240629?chn=ps

Most of the time it is cheaper to replace the whole arm rather than change the bushes when pricing up none-oem parts. My preference is to price up genuine/OEM or known high quality arms with bushes or the bushes themselves and then decide. I refuse to fit any cheap pattern parts as they simply do not last. My labour is “free” but these days I don’t have much free time unlike when I was a student and chose parts mainly on price.

and I would certainly only change the ball joint itself and use a genuine or OEM part.

They didn’t offer that as an option.

Having said that, GFS don’t seem to offer it as a part for my car but I’ve found them elsewhere. They only offer the complete arm.

It’s an F11 BMW 5 series, if that makes any difference.

Ball joint; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FBJ5699-FIRST-LINE-BALL-JOINT-LOWER-LEFT-or-RIGHT-fits-BMW-5-Series-F10-F07/153273868801?

just had a quick look and the lower one looks like an all in one unit.

The upper arm has a separate ball joint.

just saw your link – does indeed look changeable then and not pressed in.

But I wouldnt buy a £16 ball joint.

edit: are you sure that posting is not for one of the rear (front) ones as the front control arm on the rear looks to have a screw in balljoint.

this is one you are not replacing by itself: https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-393262-bmw-lemfoerder-wishbone-l/

My car has non-replaceable lower arm ball joints, you can get the ball joint alone but no chain garage would fit it, requires a fair amount of labour and I imagine exposure to risk/warranty issues.

link here shows all the front suspension parts

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOR-BMW-5-6-7-F10-F11-F12-F13-F18-FRONT-SUSPENSION-WISHBONE-ARMS-LINKS-ROD-ENDS-/162562513756

From the top down you have the lower front arm. Then the lower rear arm with a mount for the strut. Then you have the wishbone shaped upper arms with the separate 3 bolt ball joints, then the ARB drop links (long and slender) and then the track rods.

Here is an example of the upper wishbone without a removable ball joint: https://www.scbvehicledismantlers.co.uk/parts-breaking/details/BMW-5-Series-2013-To-2016-Suspension-Arm-Front-Upper-Wishbone-RH/-/370/

It could possibly be the case that all the replacable ball joints you are seeing are for none-genuine, ie pattern part, control arms.

just to be clear when I say replaceable I mean easily – ie designed to be easily removed. eg the peugeot one above with 3 torx bolts or the cheap BMW one in the group.

It may be possible to change the other type but not without special tools or some more involved labour than you want to be paying for.

Allowing bits to bolt in/bolt out increases manufacturing cost and can also lead to poor alignment hence why the genuine ones are designed to be swapped out. You also then get a nice new arm in case it has been damaged slightly to an extent that would not be easily noticeable and a whole mass produced part is cheaper than labour to strip and rebuild one.

With cars an expensive part often comes with cheap labour that fixes other components too or a cheap part with loads of labour with other bits still left to fail.

Get a pre inspection at a local independant and walk round with them when car is on the ramp. Youll get familiar with its condition and can then get parts in advance of failure.

Was the £300 the full bill including the MOT/labour or just for that one part?

The £317 was for the part, labour and VAT.

Doesn’t sound horrendous to me. Have you ring around for other quotes?

Average labour charge in the UK is £85 an hour so it depends on how long it took to fit really.

I’d bo crawling around underneath to check the whole arm is new

I’ve already checked and it is.

IF GFS don’t offer a separate part it’s unlikely that Halfords will use a Motor Factor that does.

You needed a part quickly, not waiting for some Ebay ‘shop’ to finish their Christmas dinner and go out in the garage and box up a ball joint and head to the post office so a slight premium was to be expected?

Also, for what’s a £120 part on a big heavy car it’s probably worth getting a complete unit fitted with (I assume) new rubbers etc where it attaches to the car.

My advice would be, don’t buy car parts from ebay or use it as a cost comparison.

Would you have been asking this question if it was a local garage rather than Halfords?
Not all the big chains are bad. I’ve got a Kwik Fit near me whose staff are brilliant, they’ve done stuff for free or very cheap and their servicing/MOT stuff is well priced and very thorough.

Yes. I said who it was at the start as it was an answer to a question that would have been asked at some point.

That is a reasonable cost for what you have had done. Its a 5 series, parts cost more. If you want a laugh ring up BMW for a quote.

I used to buy ebay ball joints for my Range Rover – I went through a lot of them!! They were universally sh*te. But I did get very good at changing ball joints and have an impressive collection of heavy duty splitters – funnily enough not something I’ve had to do since selling the Rangie!😂

Have I been Ripped Off?
No.
You’ve had Halfords get your car through an MOT. Sounds like you got off quite lightly.

£317 all in to be fair sounds about the ballpark. You could get it slightly less but you would be leaving it with a hack cowboy. People don’t seem to understand that when you go up the brand prestige in cars , parts and labour also go up. Had BMW carried out the work you would have probably been looking at £800.

I’m not disputing the cost of what I had done but I am questioning the necessity of it if a cheaper alternative was available.

I am well aware that premium products attract premium prices, but I wouldn’t take a Ford or Renault to a main dealer and expect low prices either.

Find a local independent garage and form a relationship with them, don’t use national chains. They’ve lots of overheads to cover in their profits, and probably incentives to staff for upselling work. The parts may not be genuine and will be charged at full £ for the quality.

Do a bit of homework. I have two motors of the same brand and via the internet discovered a official dealer who will mail order genuine parts at a discount to club members. The club was free to join and I take no part in it. Means to an end. I either fit the parts myself or take them to a local mechanic who is happy to charge an hourly rate.

The time for asking was before they did the work surely. Take it as a lesson and next time take 10 minutes to pop outside and make a coupke of phone calls before telling them to fix it.

I did ask…

I asked if there were any alternatives and was told there weren’t.

I also did some googling before I agreed to the work but GSF only list the complete arm.

Just because it’s available on eBay doesn’t mean it’s replaceable

If none of the reputable retails are selling it individual then chances are it’s not designed to be replaced.

That doesn’t stop cowboys selling them and doing it.

I have a van with riveted in lower ball joints…..
The arms 250 quid.

The service manual states these are non replCable and are not designed to be removed .

Without fail there are people reporting they have replaced them using eBay specials pressed in with a 50t press and lots of heat.

Now as one of the main contact points holding your front wheel in place do you really trust something is supposed to a one time fit that been heated up to expand it and forced out and in potentially causing damage /stretching /deformation on the way in.

Equally I’m.not surprised a garage wouldn’t take on a job like that if it’s not designed to be replaced …….insurance minefield if it let’s go.

The other thing is comparing online prices is not the same as a garage buying one same day delivered from a local parts stockist or BMW themselves.

I normally stick to Lemforder (for suspension) but always check the dealer genuine price too. Online discount places sell the BMW lower arms for £60-100 but they are the big German online places that will take a week to get it out to you. I buy all my servicing parts in “bulk” – ie 3 or 4 sets of filters to last me a couple of years and buy oil for the landy from ECP when on offer and for the Merc direct from a dealer up north (20L for £55 shipped).

If I can I change stuff when I notice they are getting tired but for things that go and need doing asap for safety/MOT then you have no choice but to go local.

How much was the arm on your reciept?

The arm was £217, give or take a few pence.

In that case the labour is about right.

The arm is expensive but sounds like direct from a dealer or just looked at GSF and crikey they are expensive but I guess it’s the same as ECP in that they have a perpetual sale so price up the parts so they look like a bargain when you get the discount added on.

For £217 I’d want genuine or Lemforder. No own brand crap.

just applied the “discount” to the GSF one and it’s £85 for the front one. £217 does seem about £100 over priced…but as I said if they got it direct from a dealer then probably about right.

Expensive car in expensive to run shocker…

“For £217 I’d want genuine or Lemforder. No own brand crap.”

Or any of the other perfectly good brands out there – but then this is why garages are garages and should be fitting what they are happy to honour warrenty on as the general public generally hasn’t a clue on what’s good and what’s bad -eg someone was on here saying they would never fit a dayco timing belt as they had never heard of them.

Unfortunately people pigeon hole brands with good and bad with no real reasoning largely.

Likewise some of the highly thought off brands such as lemforder have been packing stuff up for ecp that is not their good stuff to allow them to be competitively priced …… Bit like when you go to curries and buy the telly that’s one digit different in the model code so it looks like your getting the same telly then you find its not the same spec.

With the exception of eichler asking me to fit eichler components is likely to end with offence being caused.

Find a local independent garage and form a relationship with them, don’t use national chains.

This basically. A good, trustworthy local – or an independent one-make specialist – who are happy to explain and discuss stuff without patronising you is worth its weight in crankshafts. I’ve been using the same family-run garage since the early 90s – I kind of inherited them through my then gf – and trust them not mess me about and not to patronise me.

They’re happy to fit parts I’ve sourced, mostly upgraded ones, where it makes sense or simply order in VW or OEM quality stuff for me. I don’t have anything against Halfords, but big chains just tend to be less flexible ime. My guys stored a complete engine for me for five years, a tuned one, without charge. You don’t get that sort of service from big chains.