Mud-club
Chat & Social => The Bar - General Chat => Topic started by: ian_s on September 22, 2008, 19:28:11
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i just put my 'normal car' in for an MOT today and it failed on a suspension bush
i've had it up on my ramps tonight and i cannot find any play in any of the bushes
i've used the biggest levers i can find in as many places as i can fit them, and the offending side moves no more than the other side which passed ok
what i want to do is take it to another MOT garage and get a second opinion as i think the garage i took it to just want money from me
but
will the computerised MOT system tell the second garage what it failed on?
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its a 2003 seat ibiza
stupidly i took it into the seat garage for its MOT
it also failed on its front brake pads being pretty much non existent, which is fair
the guy was shocked when i laughed at him for suggesting i should book the car in to get the work done
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no yellow marks on it
its going in to alans test centre once i have done the brakes
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One question, you say you "put it on ramps", but to check the bushes I would suggest the wheel and suspension needs to be free/uncompressed. Thats becuase the load from the car will make the bush "stick" so you wont move it with any amount of force. Also I also suggest both sides need to be jacked and free as your suspension set up could transfer load form one side to another, e.g anti roll or torsion bars.
Be careful if yo do this e.g. put it on stands as you will need a lot of force to test this effectively and you could pull the vehicle off the stands.
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One question, you say you "put it on ramps", but to check the bushes I would suggest the wheel and suspension needs to be free/uncompressed. Thats becuase the load from the car will make the bush "stick" so you wont move it with any amount of force. Also I also suggest both sides need to be jacked and free as your suspension set up could transfer load form one side to another, e.g anti roll or torsion bars.
Be careful if yo do this e.g. put it on stands as you will need a lot of force to test this effectively and you could pull the vehicle off the stands.
on VW's, Audi's, Seat's and Scoda's you will see the bushes are knackered on the front lower arms and you will be able to feel them with the vehicle flat on the ground or an a 4 poster ramp, i think it is Seat trying it on
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i've checked for movement with the weight of the car on the suspension and with the car up on axle stands
i've put big levers between the suspension arm and the sub frame and i can get no more movement on the offending side than on the supposedly OK side
today i've replaced the front disks and pads, so its off to an independant test centre tomorrow for a second opinion
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well today it passed without me changing the bush
i asked the MOT tester about it, (after i had the pass sheet) and he said he couldnt find any play in the bush
another test was 50 quid, getting the bushes done would have been about 130, as it would need a 4 wheel alignment adjustment afterwards which is 50 on its own
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Yeah, just report the dealer to VOSA before you forget.
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my m8 took his omega for mot a few years back and the mot station failded it due to the fact that the wish bone bushes would not past the next mot
They're not testing for it to pass a MoT test in a years time, merely its condition as presented on that day
so we took it to another mot station and they past with an advisory note
As they should
dont blame you I never use main dealers they always try it on
I'd have thought that the 'run of the mill' chain-garages (or back street garages) would hav been the ones to watch for failing a car, in order to get extra work from it :-k
Surely the main-dealers have enough on their plates charging the rates they do for servicing their products that are under warrenty, or having the service books fully stamped???
I'm lucky in a way (as are/were my collegues), as before it moved off-site*, Trust staff had access to the area WYMAS* garages.
I knew the guys who worked in there, their primary duty was to maintain/troubleshoot/service the Ambulances (both 'blue-light' & Out-Patient Transport), so any work carried out on staff cars was secondary.
Plus, they were 'firm but fair', as they were used to being very careful due to the nature of the vehicles they looked after.
Other advantages included;
Easy drop-off & pick up (I'd park in their yard, drop keys through letter-box, pick up during a lull in the department - or at home time.
Any problems, they'd ring & I'd be there in less than a minute to see what was wrong
Payment could be deferred til pay-day, if required
In the 11 years I've been there, & they've been testing my Landies (& our cars), they've never failed my Landies.
Yet
*Now it's a mile & half drive, or 10 minutes steady walk through the footpaths/fields from BTM Towers
**West Yorkshire Ambulance Service
*** Yorkshire Ambulance Service
And... in the event of a seriously contestable problem, we/I have another ace up our sleeves (besides VOSA)
One of our departments Consultants doubles up as the Medical Director for 'YAS', & is essentially one of their bosses ;)