Suspension repairs

A question about : Suspension repairs

Hi,

I put my car in for its first MOT this morning. It is a 2011 Renault Twingo Silverstone, done 12000 miles and in very good condition - had it serviced every year since i've had it and never had to do any repairs - hence why I need some advice about cost of getting it fixed.

The mechanic at the test centre rang to say it had failed the MOT due to suspension problems.
This is what it says on the document:
Nearside front lower suspension arm has excessive play in a ball joint
Offside front lower suspension arm ball joint dust cover excessively damaged so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt.

Now, they have given me a quote of Ј370 to fix it. Having never had to pay for repairs before and having no idea if they are trying to rip me off, I'm not sure about what to do.

Is this a fair price or should I ring around to see if I can get it cheaper? Hoping someone can advise me as it is a lot of money and, as a female with limited knowledge of car problems, I don't want to be seen as an easy target.

Thanks in advance for any help

Best answers:

• Where was the MOT done? If it was an independent garage you use to service the car, and not an outfit like Kwikfit /Halfords etc........
  Seems a bit pricey to me, but suspension arms can sometimes be a !!!!!! labour wise. I would get a few prices from reasonable independents, and also phone main dealer to get their own probably crazy high price so you can compare.
• Thanks. It was done at the independent garage where I normally get it serviced. I've just rang another local mechanic who has given me a quote of Ј220 and agreed that the first price was too much. Guess it definitely pays to ring around!
• Have either of them specified the brand of the parts to be used? Genuine Renault will be a LOT more expensive than an eBay-special unbranded which might last a year or two at most.
• Offside suspension arm on my Seat Ibiza had excessive movement and was replaced at MOT in Jan 2013. Cost Ј150 including Seat part, labour and VAT (was a local, tiny Renault specialist garage who did it).
• Since the vehicle is out of warranty, there's no real necessity to use Renault branded parts. OEM parts should be perfectly adequate, and will be identical apart from the markings and packaging.
  However, on such a low mileage vehicle, I'd first be going back to Renault UK or the supplying dealer and asking for (at the least) a contribution to the repair cost-a ball joint should not be failing at 12K. That's just one year for the average driver. If you'd done normal mileage then this would presumably be a warranty repair, unless the damage is related to driving style etc.
  What's to lose?
• Balljoints under Ј25 for a good non OEM brand.
  A complete QH or Delphi bottom arm complete with balljoint is under Ј30.
  So yes Ј300+ is very expensive. For one i would expect Ј150 max.
• im pretty sure that you can change just the ball joints on these renault twingo cars, the reason is im pretty sure my first job on monday is an 08 twingo, ball joint just to excessive play.
  if that is the case then you should be looking at Ј150 - Ј160 with lemforder joints & tracking for both sides.
  when looking for quotes cheaper may sound better but usually cheap aftermarket parts of poor quality are used & don't last
• if you can just fit a balljoint then make sure they come from a proper factors rather than white box rubbish
  if arm has to come off then unfortunately reenolts tend to like to not play ball and decaptivate their captivated nuts and low mileage often doesnt help,maybe this is why quote is high or of course they might be lifting your leg
  is garage a member of foxy lady?
  waste of time looking for goodwill from dealer as routine servicing should pull up splitting balljoint covers before water ingress would cause failure of joint
• Hopefully the lower arm and subframe is designed differently to the Clio mk3.
  As on the Clio you have to drop the subframe to get the lower arm off.
  Bought the lower arms when EuroCarParts had a sale so figured why not put them in stock. Car has an occasional clunk from front but still passes MOT every year.
  2yrs later still waiting for the clutch to need replacing so I can do both jobs at the same time.
  But 12k miles seems a very low mileage for these kind of parts to need done.
  I would consider taking it for another MOT or have a friend take a look. Not unheard for a garage to make up work.
  Electrical and trim problems aside Renault cars are no less robust than most other cars.
• In that case I can't see the original arms having substantial wear at 12k.
  It is a robust arm. And not cheap to buy either.
  The annoying thing is you can see the bolt but you can't get a spanner on it.
  Really annoying as lower arms should be a simple job.
  On the rare occasion I have had them changed it was amazing how much wear would still happily pass an MOT.
• Thank you to everyone for your advice - it is much appreciated! My friend's dad who is a mechanic has offered to repair it. After searching online it seems this is quite a common problem with Renault and the model in particular, and not something that should be happening after just 12000 miles!