Does this sound reasonable?

W

willt

Member
Hi all,

My 04 z4 passed its MOT last week but with eight advisories:

001 Nearside front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened [3.5.1i]
002 Offside front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened [3.5.1i]
003 Offside rear brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened [3.5.1i]
004 Nearside rear brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened [3.5.1i]
005 Nearside front Suspension arm has slight play in a ball joint [2.4.G.2]
006 Offside front Suspension arm has slight play in a ball joint [2.4.G.2]
007 Nearside front Suspension arm has slight play in a track control arm inner bush [2.5.B.2b]
008 Offside front Suspension arm has slight play in a track control arm inner bush [2.5.B.2b]

My local indie (in central London) has quoted £1,070 (£730 parts and £340 labour) for fixing the above (four new brake disks, two new wishbones/bushes) and says that, until the wishbones/bushes are repaired, the car is unsafe.

If that's what it costs then so be it - but could you give me your thoughts on the reasonableness of the quote?

Many thanks in advance. :)
 
If the car was unsafe to drive it would not have passed MOT..

MOT testers now love to write a list in the advisory box.. It shows they are paying attention.

Was any of these points picked up on last time it had a service ?

You dont say what model you have so could be different prices for different parts... I dare say you will be having pads and warning wires fitted too ?
 
No - in fact when it was serviced in January this year they noted a rear shock absorber, which didn't show up on the MOT. Would it have done, if there was a problem?

Sorry - I should have said that it's an e85 2.2i automatic. The indie didn't make clear that the price included new pads and warning wires - the rear pads were changed in January at the service (around 2000 miles ago) and the disks weren't mentioned at that service...
 
willt said:
Hi all,

My 04 z4 passed its MOT last week but with eight advisories:

001 Nearside front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened [3.5.1i]
002 Offside front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened [3.5.1i]
003 Offside rear brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened [3.5.1i]
004 Nearside rear brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened [3.5.1i]
005 Nearside front Suspension arm has slight play in a ball joint [2.4.G.2]
006 Offside front Suspension arm has slight play in a ball joint [2.4.G.2]
007 Nearside front Suspension arm has slight play in a track control arm inner bush [2.5.B.2b]
008 Offside front Suspension arm has slight play in a track control arm inner bush [2.5.B.2b]

My local indie (in central London) has quoted £1,070 (£730 parts and £340 labour) for fixing the above (four new brake disks, two new wishbones/bushes) and says that, until the wishbones/bushes are repaired, the car is unsafe.

If that's what it costs then so be it - but could you give me your thoughts on the reasonableness of the quote?

Many thanks in advance. :)
Click to expand...

Sounds & looks like the garage is having your pants down :wink:
A full set of Mtec discs+pads for non M E85/E86 around £250 ?? New front control arms approx £100 a pair ?
£250/£300 labour ?
Take your car elsewhere for appraisal & quote :thumbsup:
 
willt said:
No - in fact when it was serviced in January this year they noted a rear shock absorber, which didn't show up on the MOT. Would it have done, if there was a problem?
Click to expand...

Yes it would have been found on the MOT if it was a problem, that quote seems rediculously expensive.........unless you have an "M"......I would expect change from £500
 
OK thanks, all. :thumbsup: That's very helpful - I'm concerned as we're due to drive down to the South of France, spending a fortnight driving around, and don't want something to go wrong before/during that trip. :thumbsdown:

Can anyone recommend an alternative indie in central London (SE1)? :)
 
mr wilks said:
willt said:
Hi all,

My 04 z4 passed its MOT last week but with eight advisories:

001 Nearside front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened [3.5.1i]
002 Offside front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened [3.5.1i]
003 Offside rear brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened [3.5.1i]
004 Nearside rear brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened [3.5.1i]
005 Nearside front Suspension arm has slight play in a ball joint [2.4.G.2]
006 Offside front Suspension arm has slight play in a ball joint [2.4.G.2]
007 Nearside front Suspension arm has slight play in a track control arm inner bush [2.5.B.2b]
008 Offside front Suspension arm has slight play in a track control arm inner bush [2.5.B.2b]

My local indie (in central London) has quoted £1,070 (£730 parts and £340 labour) for fixing the above (four new brake disks, two new wishbones/bushes) and says that, until the wishbones/bushes are repaired, the car is unsafe.

If that's what it costs then so be it - but could you give me your thoughts on the reasonableness of the quote?

Many thanks in advance. :)
Click to expand...

Sounds & looks like the garage is having your pants down :wink:
A full set of Mtec discs+pads for non M E85/E86 around £250 ?? New front control arms approx £100 a pair ?
£250/£300 labour ?
Take your car elsewhere for appraisal & quote :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

+1, I've just bought MTEC rear disks & pads for less than a ton.
 
Quite honestly,i probably wouldnt bother..

If nothing significant was picked up on service and you havent done 10,000 miles since then it just sounds like a (typical) over zealous MOT tester..
 
Thanks, all. Very helpful indeed - you may have saved me some cash here!

So to confirm, new sets of brakes, front and back, should be around £200, and control arms, £200, with some labour on top?

Will
 
Z4M-2006 said:
Quite honestly,i probably wouldnt bother........
Click to expand...

+1 :thumbsup:

The advisory system is a complete lottery, from the description given by the tester he's described a typical brake/suspension on a used car! The parts are part-worn but perfectly serviceable and safe, flagged up for possible replacement in the future. Unless you are aware of any issues with the way it drives I wouldn't waste money replacing serviceable parts.
 
Set of Mtec discs was £160 with coating for my 3.0si (so the 2.2 should be cheaper?) - Pads can be had for £50 from ECP.
New set of Meyle HD wishbones and lollipops can be had on ebay for £200. You don't need an indy to do any of that work, just a mechanic you trust (or DIY).

If you don't have any issues with braking or handling then factor in the parts and get the best deal on prices while you have some time - the slight play wouldn't concern me too much but it may be worth having the pad and disc thickness checked to see if it's worth changing before a long trip.
 
I got 4 of the same advisories regarding worn brakes. This was with brand new Mtec discs and pads fitted only a few thousand miles ago!

The reason was because the tester could not see the inner face of all 4 discs due to the shrouds fitted, and so he had to put advisories!

Ridiculous really...
 
Some of these muppets even put advisories for factory fitted undershields. It's an arse covering excersise. The problem is, if selling the car and a prospective buyer see's the advisory list, they get in a complete tiz and want everything sorted prior to purchase :roll:
 
Thanks again for the very helpful responses. I'm getting a second opinion and will let you know what they say. :thumbsup:
 
Denis O said:
Some of these muppets even put advisories for factory fitted undershields. It's an arse covering excersise. The problem is, if selling the car and a prospective buyer see's the advisory list, they get in a complete tiz and want everything sorted prior to purchase :roll:
Click to expand...
Both my Z and MR2 have advisories about the under shields blocking the view of the under side of the car :headbang:
 
The quote came through for parts as below. Looks high to me!

2 front brake Discs ……………………………£ 98.28
2 Rear brake Discs ……………………………£ 105.60
N/S/F lower wishbone arm ball joint …………£189.85
O/S/F Lower wishbone arm ball joint …………£191.40
N/S/R wishbone arm bushes …………………… £ 73.20
O/S/R wishbone arm bushes ………………………£ 73.20
On total the part cost ………………………………£ 731.53
 
Mtec brake discs <£160 with coating. BOTH front wishbones including arm bushings £200 for Meyle HD. Where was that quote from?
 
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