Suspensions Problems

[Froggett]

I had a couple of advisories on my recent MOT which I would like fixed as follows:

Suspension arm ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Offside Front.
Suspension arm pin or bush worn on Offside Rear Lower.

I booked it in with Halfords to check out but they say they cannot get the parts from their normal supplier; only from Lexus at extortionate prices.
I've heard some say about Auto Doc but Halfords will not use them because of Guarantee issues.

Is there anyone in Berkshire UK that can do this at a sensible cost?

[Malc1]

Use your usual Indy service and MOT mechanic maybe ? 
 

the dust cover is probably about £40/50 fitted and he should be able to get the suspension bush from his usual Motor Factor supplier ( if it really needs doing even ! ) 

Hope this helps 

Malc 

[cdmaskell]

Wait for your next MOT.  Nothing serious on those advisors. My Old Accord had the same with dust covers 8 years ago and they are still showing the same now.  At what degree is the pin worn?  If serious it should have failed.

[Malc1]

Ray hi …… the Dust Cover is comparatively  tiny cost and saves all that road crap from entering the unit it protects ……. potentially causing premature wear and unnecessary bigger cost going forward 

Its always your choice how you spend your ££££  

Malc 

[cdmaskell]

6 minutes ago, Malc1 said:

Ray hi …… the Dust Cover is comparatively  tiny cost and saves all that road crap from entering the unit it protects ……. potentially causing premature wear and unnecessary bigger cost going forward 

Its always your choice how you spend your ££££  

Malc 

If the dust cover was deteriorated to such an extent to to allow ingress of dirt and moisture it should be deemed a fail.  

[Malc1]

But for such a probable quite inexpensive fix , the Dust Cover …….. I’d like it done on mine ( I did actually at my last MOT Advisory ) to ensure no road crap got into the unit being protected and cause issues ……. maybe I’m a little OCD with some preventative maintenance tho’ 🤔

Malc

[Froggett]

On 2/12/2024 at 3:41 PM, Malc1 said:

Use your usual Indy service and MOT mechanic maybe ? 
 

the dust cover is probably about £40/50 fitted and he should be able to get the suspension bush from his usual Motor Factor supplier ( if it really needs doing even ! ) 

Hope this helps 

Malc 

The quote from my Lexus garage was £206!

[Malc1]

19 minutes ago, Froggett said:

The quote from my Lexus garage was £206!

Then get your Indy or other local busy competent reliable garage to replace the Dust Cover …….. they often come in a general size to fit many marques and then trimmed/ sorted to fit ….. 20/30 mins labour maybe 

The day of the Main Dealer fixed product to fit that specific unit has long passed 🤔

Malc

[LenT]

On 2/12/2024 at 4:55 PM, cdmaskell said:

If the dust cover was deteriorated to such an extent to to allow ingress of dirt and moisture it should be deemed a fail.  

Undoubtedly so,  Colin.  But of course there’s this grey area where the tester doesn’t yet think the joint is at risk, but there may be some rubber cracking or oil leaking that suggests it might soon be.

My previous MOT included an advisory on a suspension rubber cover, but my recent MOT didn’t!  Now what am I to make of that?

It could be that the cover had cleaned up and looked better, or the same tester had had a slightly different subjective reaction.  After all, although the MOT specs for testers are very detailed, ultimately it all comes down to an individual’s interpretation.

 

[Froggett]

That's exactly happened to me over the past four years.  It all depends on each individual tester's opinion which, as we've seen can be different every time.

[LenT]

44 minutes ago, Malc1 said:

The day of the Main Dealer fixed product to fit that specific unit has long passed 🤔

You’re quite right, Malcolm.  And many owners may well find it suits themselves better not to pay Main Dealer labour rates for what are really generic motor trade jobs these days.

Since we lost our local Suzuki Dealer due to loss of business through Covid restrictions,  MrsT’s SX4 gets looked after by a very good local garage.  The Lexus, however, is a different story!

[cdmaskell]

On 2/12/2024 at 3:48 PM, cdmaskell said:

Wait for your next MOT.  Nothing serious on those advisors. My Old Accord had the same with dust covers 8 years ago and they are still showing the same now.  At what degree is the pin worn?  If serious it should have failed.

The rubber components on Japanese vehicles are of a much higher quality than their counterparts.  They crack, yes, but rarely allow lubricants to escape.  Take that horrid c/v joint boot.  The Jap ones would crack but rarely fail. The MOT test parameters have certainly changed, putting undue stress onto the Inspector. As a retired MOD senior inspector on car/ HGV’s.  The inspector now has to cover his ar -e.  The day of simply fail or pass have gone. One what rattles me is “worn and “wear” there is a very distinct difference.