MOT Failure: garage quoting unnessessary work?

csh_2

Hello, stupid car failed its MOT yetserday on 'front suspension arm ball joint dust cover excessively deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt'
So basically a wee bit of rubber thing?
The garage said they would only replace the whole ball joint but I've seen you can buy the dust boots for £2ish so reluctant to pay for parts/labour if I don't have too.
Can the dust cover be replaced on its own, is it DIYable for a reasonably competent person? Any special tools required? Am I looking at the right thing?! (ROTFL)


Thanks in advance

vax2002

How much to do the ball joint ?
Should be around £35 + 1 hour labour.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

vax2002 wrote: »

How much to do the ball joint ?
Should be around £35 + 1 hour labour.

how can you estimate such work when you dont know vehicle details.

csh_2

They never gave me a price just said book it in and he'd order the part.

Do the two go hand in hand tho or can DH just replace the rubber?

£35 + 1 hour labour is about £35 + 1 hour labour more than I can afford at the moment

Car is a BMW 3 series

mcjordi

you could replace the boot but how long has it been letting in water/dirt etc as it will of damaged the ball joint. and a bet you would damage the ball joint further removing it from the hub to get the new dust cover on so it makes sense to replace the whole thing..

LandyAndy

mcjordi wrote: »

you could replace the boot but how long has it been letting in water/dirt etc as it will of damaged the ball joint. and a bet you would damage the ball joint further removing it from the hub to get the new dust cover on so it makes sense to replace the whole thing..

I'm with this. Anything else is just storing up trouble and added expense and maybe not even storing it up for long.

bazster

Garages always quote unnecessary work. I tried a variety of local garages for MOT's, and I'd never get away with less than £200-a-time, but since I've been taking our cars to Royton's (near Welwyn, only do MOT's, not repairs) I've had 5 MOT's and only one failure (a broken front spring, obvious and indisputable!)

fivetide

mcjordi wrote: »

you could replace the boot but how long has it been letting in water/dirt etc as it will of damaged the ball joint. and a bet you would damage the ball joint further removing it from the hub to get the new dust cover on so it makes sense to replace the whole thing..

This. The cost is going to be the labour more than anything and if you are paying for them to take it apart anyway you may as well have it all replaced rather than pay them to do the same job again next year.

If it is an E46 model, I think they tend to like a front suspension arm or two as it is.

5t.

Foxy-Stoat_3

I bought a lower arm complete for around £40 and fitted it in an hour on my old E36.

[STRIKE]If you cannot afford to up keep your BMW I suggest buying a cheaper car![/STRIKE]

If you cannot afford to spend £80 on your car, buy a push bike !

Apologies, I have edited my reply.

csh_2

Thanks for your unnessessary arsey reply. I've just lost my job :)All my savings that were to hand have been used up and my other cash is tied up.

Presumably it would cost around about the same whatever car we had so not sure why you had to make such a dickish comment.

alhermette

The rubber boot thing is a new part of the MOT introduced this year. Last year a split boot wasn't even an advisory, now it's a failure. Way too much of a big brother attitude. Sure a split dust cover will cause the joint to wear and eventually it will fail - but not for a long time. Forcing people to change them as soon as there is a split is not reasonable in my opinion. What makes matters worse is that plenty of manufacturers now do not supply ball joints they will only supply the whole suspension arm assembly which just increases the cost further.
I want to be informed about items that need attention so that I can make a decision about when and how to repair it coupled with the advice of my mechanic. I only want to be forced to repair things if they pose an immediate safety risk.