MOT – Have I been Ripped Off?

Packing up for ECP – ie what is known as “own brand crap”. All I could see for the OPs part was Lemforder or cheap brands or unbranded stuff.

I want to see parts in either a genuine box or one from a reputable supplier – Lemforder, GKN, Hella etc and preferably the one who I know makes the part for the car manufacturer. Same with filters etc etc. Otherwise it’s like ordering a tool at Toolstation and a Silverline box arriving on the counter in front of you.

With regards to warranty what will it be on a suspension part changed by a garage? 1 year? A pattern part will last that long but then what happens in 18 months to 3 years when it goes again compared to 10 years for the original part fitted by the manufacturer?

I am agreeing with you…..

I’m just pointing out it’s not as simple as you make out to the layman to argue that point to someone that is paid to talk authoritivly on the subject.

was just clarifying 🙂

I thought when I wrote it I should say “or another decent brand”.

but my note at the end is a warning to anyone using the cheapest quote.

One reason for getting to know you local decent specialist is they will know where to get OEM parts cheaper and they will want you to come back as you feel like you have had service above and beyond what a modern dealer will provide but for a lot less. Odds are they will be more familiar with your car and how to fix common faults than the dealers too these days.

From my experience with BMWs and having looked at RealOEM for your car. What they did was okay.

You do replace the arm, not the joint when replacing worn or broken ball joints in BMWs. Generally, I’d replace both at the same time, but it’s not a requirement. The price of the part is expensive, IMO as I’d doubt that it’s a genuine BMW item and will have come from the local auto parts place.

Ultimately, you paid slightly over the odds for the convenience of using the Halfords, but weren’t ripped off in what they did. Now, whether that part actually needed replaced when it went in is another matter.

whether that part actually needed replaced when it went in is another matter.

Last time I had a spilt ball joint cover with no play in the ball joint it was an advisory not a fail. I had it changed anyway because it was going to give up the ghost sooner or later. I know mot’s have changed but did they give you a choice to not change it ?

“suspension joint dust cover:
severely deteriorated
Minor
missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc.
Major”

A split ball joint no longer prevents the ingress of dirt.

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

I’ve been stung. I replaced the bent rear axle on our civic with one from a breakers, I did the sensible (and very hard) job of replacing the main bushes before putting the new axle on the car. I bought them from ebay for £60. Removed the old ones which had a plastic shell surrounding the bush, and installed the new ones with a metal shell around the bush.

At that point I realised they were not OE bushes but had no choice as needed the car back on the road and I’d already destroyed the old ones, ever since it has suffered from a invasive droning noise as all the axle noise is transmitted back into the car. 10 months later and I’m summoning up the courage to pull it all off again, but I might treat myself to a bearing press as I needed a 4 foot bar on my huge vice to get the bushes in last time, with the other end of the axle balanced on a stool and appropriately sized lumps of wood.

@taxi25 no. It was a firm fail.

An advisory wouldn’t have resulted in this thread as I would have had time to do my own research while my car was still roadworthy.

So maybe check it (or get it checked) before putting through MOT?

Must say the MOT database is a good way of vetting which second hand cars haven’t been maintained.

but I might treat myself to a bearing press as I needed a 4 foot bar on my huge vice to get the bushes in last time,

If you have the space you won’t regret it.

I’ve always had access to one at work but decided I was doing enough to warrant my own

So maybe check it (or get it checked) before putting through MOT?

I’ve never done this, friends that have usually tell me how good their garage is and that their car ‘only’ needs £400 of work each year to get it through its MOT. I then convince them to go to a ‘Just MOTs’ place at 30 days before the MOT expires, and they are stunned that it passes and even more surprised when the tester tells them that the advisory for low tread is not a Fail, and perfectly legal to drive away and get the tyre changed next week as got a few thousand left on it.

Its a free or cheap retest and you’ve still got nearly a months MOT, so why invite a garage to price up some new discs, pads and a battery each year rather than seeing what actually fails. I always get any servicing done AFTER the MOT, they can pick up anything that is not checked by the MOT but its harder to sting you for unnecessary work.

Tbh the mot guidelines are so lax anyway it’s reasonably hard for anyone with ears and some rudimentary visual checks to be failing. It’s mostly ignorance that leads to fails and continued ignorance that leads to big bills.

“Oh that’s what the banging noise is”

Too many folk have the attitude that if it starts and moves it’ll be fine till MOT……

Even my wife knows when the car develops an issue these days. I’m proud as she was a staunch turn the radio up ignore it person 🙂

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

That’s not how it works in the rest of the retail world – big chains have economies of scale and are cheaper. Compare Asda to your village shop.

As for finding a trusted independent – that’s far easier to say than to do. I’ve never found an independent place that didn’t let me down one way or another. The only place that’s consistently left me feeling reassured and happy is Sinclair VW of Cardiff, the main dealer. They aren’t that expensive for servicing and stuff like tracking and cam belts, and they are always prepared to send a techie out to give me advice even if it enables me to have a crack myself and sometimes fix it which is what happened with the cam position sensor. They have a book to follow which entails removing the cam belt – but I managed to do it without.

@spooky_b329 a fail is now instant. You no longer have the balance of MOT available.

Must say the MOT database is a good way of vetting which second hand cars haven’t been maintained.

I recently had my car MOTd, but had asked them to change a front wheel bearing first as it was very rumbly. They changed it, but only after MOTing (and failing it), so now it shows up as a fail for a bearing followed by a pass on the same day.

A friend said it’s fairly common as it allows them to have a check for anything else that might fail before getting stuck into the planned job. If it passes despite the bearing then they don’t need to re-MOT it. If it fails on, e.g., brake discs then they can give you a price and get on with replacing them at the same time as doing the bearing rather than doing the work in the morning, then finding it fails the MOT in the afternoon and having to rush to get the other bit of work done in time to re-MOT it before the end of the day.

Still, the MOT history now looks like I was driving around on a knackered bearing, completely unaware, until it was discovered during the MOT. When actually it had only just gone, and it was making a noise but wasn’t rough or grinding when the wheel was turned by hand.

Not really bails.

Only an idiot would read that like that

How ever If it had failed on your bearing , brake pads and disks **** , 2 bald tires and no washer fluid that tells me the owner didn’t give the slightest shit about the car.

But I do always check the history. Speaks volumes

But I do always check the history. Speaks volumes

Oh yes, I’m not saying it doesn’t, and I look at it too, I think it’s really useful.

You’re right though, especially about the minor things, you could miss a recently split CV boot, especially if you park on the road so don’t ever see the grease spot underneath it. But if a car is failing on blown bulbs, knackered tyres and no washer fluid then that’s a real worry.

Amusingly, my car failed it’s last MoT with two broken rear springs and both lower front ball joints shot, none of which was visible (springs had both broken in the exact same place and must have gone together, as the two halves had bound together and just lowered the ride height), or had any effect on the handling!