MOT due

mrsspendalot

My car is due its MOT next week. We are expecting it to fail as by the look of things it needs a new tyre at the front and on the MOT advisory note from last year (before we bought it) it said that the front suspension bushes were deteriorating (but not enough to fail).

We have it booked in at a garage who does not do the actual MOT but will do the repairs. There is no local authority testing station near enough to us.

It is an M reg mondeo with 84000 on the clock and is in excellent condition.

Has anyone got any rough idea about what it would cost to have the suspension bushes done and a new tyre put on? Just want to make sure we have enough money set aside to cover it.

Thanks

Quinny_2

I see your in Yorkshire,same as me.

I use a garage in Leeds that just test,and do nothing else,much like the local authority garage.It means I have to travel from the Wakefield area to get it done,but as they have done my car for the last 3 years,it's worth doing.

But is it worth having a 13 year old car tested,and risk a huge bill if it fails?

If you can afford to,would it not be more beneficial to get a new car with one of these dealers that take anything in p/x,and put any money spent on a test and possible repairs to an old car,into a new car?

Ken.

mrsspendalot

Can't afford to take on any more outgoings at the moment, as you will guess from my signature we are trying to pay off our debts at the moment. We tried to get finance for a car last year with p/x with another banger we had, but the finance was 48.9% so we said no thanks and bought our beloved mondeo.

I know what you are saying about the repair bill though - I guess if it is ridiculous we will just buy another cheap run around to get by.

Thanks.

Stephen_Leak

I can't advise about the suspension bushes, but as for the tyre, try yell.com for local suppliers, then the online suppliers blackcircles.com and etyres.co.uk.

My P-reg (early Mk.2) Mondeo is coming up on 90,000 miles and should (touch wood) be good for a few more yet. Visit the Mondeo Enthusiasts Group for advice on DIY maintenance.

steveo3002

theres nothing to say the worn bushes wont pass for a few more years yet , they have to be very bad to fail, but they must note it down each year

manda1205

Quinny wrote: »

But is it worth having a 13 year old car tested,and risk a huge bill if it fails?

If you can afford to,would it not be more beneficial to get a new car with one of these dealers that take anything in p/x,and put any money spent on a test and possible repairs to an old car,into a new car?

Ken.

My 13 year old escorts just passed an mot, all it needed was a bulb and wiper blades.
For the past 3 mots the bloke who does it has told me the anti-roll bar bushes will need doing soon, but still they've not been done, and as theres no knocking my dad says they'll be ok.
Personally Id risk the mot. If you ring about you can get a tyre done cheap too, with a budget tyre.

mrsspendalot

Thanks for that - although knowing our luck they will need doing

mrsspendalot

How can you tell from driving the car whether there is an issue with the suspension then? I mean, when driving it it doesn't feel as though it is handling badly, but we feel every speed bump and hole in the road.

zappahey

Quinny wrote:

But is it worth having a 13 year old car tested,and risk a huge bill if it fails?

If you can afford to,would it not be more beneficial to get a new car with one of these dealers that take anything in p/x,and put any money spent on a test and possible repairs to an old car,into a new car?

Ken.

This doesn't make sense. She might as well get it checked out and decide what to do after she gets the results. She might be risking a big bill but there's a guaranteed big bill if she buys another car instead.

What might be better for next year would be to get it MOT'd a month early. If it fails you have some thinking time and if it passes you have a 13 month ticket.

manda1205

Im not 100% on this but I think you have to push down on the car eg if its the front suspension push down over the front wheels, if it makes a lot of noise ie rubbing/grinding noise then they need doing. I'll go ask my dad in a bit to double check though.

Also i feel every bump etc in my car, some cars have harder/softer suspension than others so thats not really a good way to tell.

manda1205

Right just asked my dad (hes a mechanic) he says forget pushing down on the wing, it needs to be over a pit to actually get a good look. He reckons if they are gone your looking at about £120/£140 tops. He says not a reason to get rid of the car. HTH good luck I'm sure it wont be too costly. Providing theres nothing else wrong.