Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Rick]

took the modern(ish) Volvo to the MOT, but failed on a bottom balljoint. Now if this was a proper Volvo I'd just be able to buy a new joint, but the delights of modern-car ownership means I have to buy a complete bottom pan thing instead

GRRR

R
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[giggles]

Sorry to hear that.

Last year we took our 53 plate Fiat Stilo for it's first (and only) MOT and suprise suprise it failed on brakes, faulty headlamp and several bits and pieces. The small garage soon put the faults and passed it's retest. 6 months later the Stilo ended up rolling down an 8foot bank with husband inside after they skidded on some wet leaves on a nasty bend, but that's another story.

The Stilo was the first daily driver that we've had to have MOT'ed for nearly 12 years to be fair, as we've changed them before MOT time in the past.

It makes you wonder if modren cars are built to fail the MOT.

[Uncle Joe]

Its a front wheel driver, isnt it Rick? Did you know because of the stupid construction that the bottom ball joint (here at least) is 10x the price of the same part on an Amazon?

UJ

[Rick]

nothing would surprise me!!

R

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[Rick]

Well, since the MOT when the balljoint was replaced, the car felt mighty odd to drive, the steering wheel was about 50 degrees out and it felt as if on tip-toes, usually signs of the tracking being a mile out. With the wedding n stuff I left it alone, as I wasn't going to be using it much for a couple of weeks or so, but this week I booked it into a Tyre place to have the tracking properly looked at.

They lifted it up on the ramp, and to their surprise noticed that a n/s lower pan and balljoint had been fitted to the o/s of my car!!! I'd noticed that the wheel had a slightly odd angle to it anyway, but I hadn't clocked that the wheel was an inch or so too far back in the arch, so much that the tyre had been fouling on the arch liner at the back. No wonder the thing had driven like a pig! Took it back to the MOT garage, and spent a chilly couple of hours hanging around while they dashed around to source a correct part, and fit it to the car. I very rarely rely on garages to work on any car of mine, but more often than not there is a problem when I do let them near my motor.

I'm glad I caught this early, it could have caused no end of problems if left unchecked....

R
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[Uncle Joe]

Rick: Just out of curiousity, which model of Volvo is it?

[pigtin]

Know what you mean about garages: a couple of years ago my son took the company Omega down to the main Vauxhall agent to renew one of the lamps
There was some 'sucking of teeth' and he was told that it was a Xenon lamp: list price £136 plus fitting of £76. and he would be well advised to have both of the lamps changed while we were at it. My son asked why it cost so much in labour to change a lamp and was given some story about high voltages, having to drain the power and use a computer to do it.
Fortunately electronics is our business and my son smelled a rat. he asked for a written quote and was given one for the prices mentioned.
What did we do about the duff lamp? we took the car to a "backstreet" garage and the lamp (a premium make) was supplied and fitted for less than £10.
Needless to say, although our company had used Vauxhalls for twenty years and had been very happy with them, a total distrust of the main agent means we now use cars of far-eastern origin.
Don.

[Rick]

shocking isn't it! another local garage decided to replace both headlamps on erindoors' MX5 at MOT time without asking first (a year or so ago), fortunately they were cheap but all the same! they told us that the beam pattern was well out on those that were fitted, so they had to be changed. However they didn't bother to re-align them, and the beams were miles out causing all sorts of grief to other drivers. We took it back again, but even after that they weren't much cop.

My folks have had a few nightmares too with having work done by 'specialists' - mum's MG Metro came back from a garage with its new subframe held on by just two bolts, finger tight. Then there was dad's XJ6, which dumped all its auto transmission fluid while towing a caravan because the garage hadn't replaced a pipe underneath correctly. A few years back I got a local garage to do the head gasket on my 900 Turbo, they threw it back together re-using old manifold and turbo gaskets, so I ended up doing it myself.

Is it any wonder home tinkerers are wary of letting the 'professionals' loose at their cars??

RJ

UJ: its a V70
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[Uncle Joe]

Rick: Dont wish to worry you here, but there are actually 8 different bottom joints listed for the V70, four left, four right....

Just hope you have the correct ones....

[Rick]

Wouldnt surprise me as the V70 went through a few incarnations, it seems to drive ok now anyway. I wish mine was a few months older, as they still had nice simple throttle cables, not the silly bl**dy electronic thing on mine that occasionally throws its toys out of the pram

R
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[Uncle Joe]

I'm beginning to think that you share my opinions about newer Volvos....

[Rick]

welllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll sometimes I really quite like it (for a modern), very comfy, not too bad on fuel etc, other times it narks me a lot (eg needless complexity, as with all moderns not just Volvos). On balance the Merc estates I had previously were much more solid, and went better, plus the self-levelling rear suspension was a godsend if hoiking something about on a car trailer. If I could find a mint early 90s W124 series Merc estate again, I'd be tempted to switch back to the 3 pointed star.

E280 M-B 6 cyl 24 valve 2.8


300TE 6 cyl 12 valve 3.0


230TE 4 cyl - frugal but gutless


R
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[Uncle Joe]

I used to have high opinions of Mercs, but then I noticed that quality started to drop dramatically - I've seen a heck of a lot with blown engines here. IMHO, they just arent worth the money or the reputation nowadays.

Of new europeans, I really prefer VW's...

But if I wanted a car to last, I would look at something like a Ford Crown Vic....but then its american....

[Rick]

The E Class that came along after mine has a poor reputation build-quality wise, thats why I'd only consider another W124 (old shape). I've seen lots of the later cars with rusty arches and tailgates, plus the interiors aren't up to much either - shame really. I just wish Jag did an XJR Estate, that would do me fine

R
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[Uncle Joe]

Rick: I didnt realise you liked Estate cars....