MOT Advisories

[bathtub tom]

45 minutes ago, Stivino said:

Some MK3 Cortinas had a pump button on the floor.  There was a ring around it that acted an intermittent switch for the wipers.

I had one of them on a GT.

A trick in my 100E was to reach under the dash and pull the vacuum pipe off on the overrun to de-compress the cabin. Hear the passengers yell as their ears popped!

[venomx]

Getting the arm pin/bush replaced soon 😀

[Dougie150]

Had the lower arms replaced on my Yaris in the last 12 months and the inner rod ends sometime in the previous year. Certainly noticed an improvement in handling afterwards as it had gone a bit “wooly” when cornering as they’d worn.

Also had both front springs replaced in the last year after they each failed. Remember my mechanic saying he couldn’t see a cause of the failure, which he usually does. Car is on 155,000 miles so not too bad having these bits of wear and tear. Cheaper repairing than changing the car.

[venomx]

On 10/10/2021 at 4:15 PM, flash22 said:

It’s the rubber busher in the lower arm - it dampens the forces from the suspension

The rubber degrades over time and with use

 

 

When getting the lower arm replaced, would it usually come with the rubber bushing ?

 

Also. Where in relation to the springs are the lower arms located ?

[flash22]

way back when you would just replace the bushes

the lower arms (aka control arm) come complete with the lower ball joint, the front suspension is known as a McPherson strut

 

[venomx]

13 hours ago, flash22 said:

way back when you would just replace the bushes

the lower arms (aka control arm) come complete with the lower ball joint, the front suspension is known as a McPherson strut

 

I understand now, thanks !

Am I right in saying, when you get the car MOT'd - They can only briefly inspect the front springs ? I'd assume they don't go to the bother of taking the wheels off and disconnecting the whole thing to inspect it ?

 

Also what are the signs of a bad bushing and arm ? I heard it can affect steering and vibrations ?

[flash22]

The arms rarely go bad, the rubber cracks with age and wear, in the worst case it rips away, and the ball joints fail

Mot wise the wheels stay on its manly visual inspection, if they suspect a bushing they will use a leaver and check for play

 

replacing the whole arm is cheaper and takes less time than having to change the bushings