Not an mx-5 question, but my son’s 2013 Ford Focus failed its MOT on front lower suspension arm ball joint dust cover. The Ford main dealership told him that on older cars you can replace the dust cover and most of the time they will stay on. However, on newer cars the dust cover is clipped onto the ball joint and if replaced will pop off again after a short period of time causing the same issue. To replace the dust cover effectively it will need to be replaced as a whole with the whole lower arm. Total cost for 2 arms (required) and wheel alignment £765. I was somewhat surprised that dust cover failure could lead to such a big expense. Comments welcomed!
On some models (likely not your son’s sadly) the ball joints are a separate part from the rest of the lower control arm. In these situations you can replace only the ball joints instead of the whole arm.
There is an argument to be had that if the ball joint is past its best maybe the bushings are not in the best of shape so might as well replace the whole arm (it is also easier/faster to do on some cars).
Recently I replaced the arms, outer tie rods, ARB bushings, ARB links, axels on our 2012 Honda Civic. All in parts were around the £700 mark in a mixture of OEM and aftermarket parts. I guess labor must be expensive, not been to a garage for other than tyre changes.
You can ask around for quotes, there might be a better deal somewhere.
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I’d take it somewhere other than a main agent to get a price. Probably not one of the big national companies though.
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Depending on the exact model and year, a ball joint wil only be £25.
A good selection of tools, a jack and stands, an hours work and a few wrapped knuckles plus expletives.
Or find a reputable back street garage, they’ll charge you about £50 to fit.
You can certainly do it for a lot less that £700
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Wow, that’s quite a costly repair for a dust cover issue! It’s frustrating when what seems like a minor part can lead to such significant expenses. It’s good to hear the dealership’s perspective on newer car designs, but it’s still a hefty bill to replace the entire lower arm. Have you considered getting a second opinion or looking into alternative repair options?
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I agree. It was a shock to me when I heard the news from my son. Unfortunately, I was on holiday in the Lake District when the car was in for its MoT, so I was limited in what I could do. Normally, I would have driven over to the garage and discussed the matter with them. I had to press the garage (via email) for information. It took 3 emails to learn the details from the customer adviser. It turned out that my son had already given his approval for the garage to proceed, so my hands were tied. Looking on the bright side, his car has 2 new lower arms with new bushes, which should mean he won’t have this particular issue ever again.
A small spilt in a rubber ends up costing the punter the best part of a thousand pounds to get through an MOT?
This is going to have to change.
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