Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ToxicPaddy

I just got my car back from the local mechanic who informed me that my shocks need replacing and the wishbones on my fronst suspension are bent.. he reckons I must have bottomed out at some stage and bent them.. dont even remember doing that but anyway, he says its gonna cost me approx €1000 to get 4 shocks and the wishbones replaced.. :eek: :eek:

Im driving a 97 mondeo.

Seems a bit excessive to me, but he's very good, very reasonably priced, and Ive never had any problems with him before. He said I should just scrap the car and get a new one. However I'm just not willing to spend this on the car, The NCT is due in a few weeks but I dont want to get rid of it yet.

Anyone any ideas if this price is right????

If I got the parts myself, was looking on ebay, and get someone to put them in, any ideas how much that would cost?

Any recommendations for a good but reasonable mechanic who will do this for me around Dublin????

Tox

greglo23

it will only cost you 49 euro for the NCT. if your shocks and wishbones need replacing it should show up during the test. just go ahead and do the test and see what happens.

ToxicPaddy

Yeah I suppose..

mike65

A grand sounds a bit heavy, shocks are proberly about 80 a corner from Quikfit type ops.

wishbone

Mike.

mondeoman

Don't buy pattern wishbones get the Ford ones.;)

ToxicPaddy

mondeoman wrote:

Don't buy pattern wishbones get the Ford ones.;)

Now where would I get some of them and are they a big job to fit?

QuickFit (FastFit as they are now called) are quoting me €500 for the 4 shocks.

So thinking if i can get the wish bones done, then I can work on the shocks a pair at a time..

Now, if I can buy the shocks myself and get someone to fit them, I reckon I can get it done for approx 500 max (I hope!!)

Need suggestions guys!!!

mike65

Any competent local garage with a spring compressor will do the shocks and wishbones. How bad does the car feel over the bumps? And which end lurches the most? As a rule the fronts go first if they are very bad they leak.

Mike.

John R

ToxicPaddy wrote:

Now where would I get some of them and are they a big job to fit?

QuickFit (FastFit as they are now called) are quoting me €500 for the 4 shocks.

So thinking if i can get the wish bones done, then I can work on the shocks a pair at a time..

Now, if I can buy the shocks myself and get someone to fit them, I reckon I can get it done for approx 500 max (I hope!!)

Need suggestions guys!!!

The best suggestion is to put it through the NCT, the re-test is only €27.50. There could be something else expensive needing doing as well so you may be stuck with having paid for one expensive repair and needing to to do another.

mondeoman

I.ve put 2 mondeos with over 100'000 miles on each through the NCT & both passed with flying colours on the suspension part of the test.
stick it through the test then you'll know for sure.

I've heard of loads storys about people havin to change their wishbones after 6000 miles when they used non ford ones,at the end of the day its up to you;)

maidhc

The suspensions have never been touched in my mondeo, and it passed the NCT every time, it has about 165 or so up. Funny when its first owner (my dad) went about trading it in back in 1997 against a passat the garage (O'learys Lissarda) said the suspensions were almost gone.

mondeoman

the main problems that mondeo rear suspensions give are anti roll bar bushes & drop links,a cheap fix for the DIY mechanic;)

maidhc

mondeoman wrote:

the main problems that mondeo rear suspensions give are anti roll bar bushes & drop links,a cheap fix for the DIY mechanic;)

They go very regularly actually! Bloodly roads.

JohnCleary

I did the front shocks on my own car. Simple task, just takes lots of time. Only special tool needed was a spring compressor... but be careful BOINGGGG!

ToxicPaddy

JohnCleary wrote:

I did the front shocks on my own car. Simple task, just takes lots of time. Only special tool needed was a spring compressor... but be careful BOINGGGG!

yeah I heard that alright.. Dunno if I'd go splashing out on a spring compressor though, would never use the thing after this and then I'd probably have to repair the roof of the garage too!!!

Definitely going with Ford wishbones, so thats one thing sorted. Saw them on ebay for sale Stg£40 and then postage is Stg£14. So thinking of getting them myself as I was quoted €150 for these plus labour to fit, bloody rip off artists

Wishbones

Now for shocks, have a quote for €500 to get all 4 replaced by Fast Fit, so lets see what I can get on ebay??

Any suggestions?

Tox

SouperComputer

TBH, unless the tyre wear is uneven or excessive, id chance it on the NCT first.

JohnCleary

BTW my spring compressors only cost me 15euro on eBay

mondeoman

OP make sure when the wishbones are been fitted that the treaded part of the 2 bolts is facing downwards & not the head of the bolt,this is VERY important my friend;) .
The Mondeo '97 suspension is 'McPearson' struts on each corner & are very reliable.If i was you id put it through the NCT first before i spent all that money.
I know the wishbones can be troublesome on a mondeo but the shocks are not to bad TBH:)

ToxicPaddy

Oh Im definitely putting it through the NCT first. But if they are gone, then they are gone.. so may aswell get them done and finished with as i was gonna keep the car for a few months more anyway and maybe donate it to the little bro.. arent I so good!!

Cool.. so now time to sit down and do the math.

Cheers for all the help guys.. much appreciated!!!

Tox

mondeoman

Let us know the NCT result for you shocks/wishbones please;)

setanta5

I've heard of this happening quite a bit with people getting their cars serviced for the NCT. Mechanics know that most punters don't really know that much about the NCT and how easy/hard it is to get a car to pass. Bent wishbones seems to be something they commonly say to get you to part with some cash and funnily enough, the last person i heard this from (Friend of mine) was also quoted "about 1000 euros" to replace two front wishbones and shocks. I got him ot put the car in for the test anyway and it failed in tyre tread. Oddly enough most people i've heard this story from are driving Fords (not saying its a ford dealer scam or anything) and i don't believe fords are so badly made as to have bendy wishbones.

But i would agree with everything you're being told here. Do nothing. Put it in the test. See what happens.

These guys doing pre-NCT tests are just scare mongering to seperate you from your cash.

As for the shocks, you should be able to tell yourself if they are sufficiently worn enough to fail the test on.

ToxicPaddy

setanta5 wrote:

I've heard of this happening quite a bit with people getting their cars serviced for the NCT. Mechanics know that most punters don't really know that much about the NCT and how easy/hard it is to get a car to pass. Bent wishbones seems to be something they commonly say to get you to part with some cash and funnily enough, the last person i heard this from (Friend of mine) was also quoted "about 1000 euros" to replace two front wishbones and shocks.

These guys doing pre-NCT tests are just scare mongering to seperate you from your cash.

Yeah I've heard of this too, but I dont think this guy is scare mongering to be honest, he had more work than he knows what to do and actually said to me that it wasnt worth doing and just to trade the car into some dealership somewhere and change it asap. Thats just the price he quoted me if I decided to get it done with him.