What does it mean? Dust covers

oceanman

car failed nct yesterday, it said on the report : dust covers missing/severely deteriorated: offside front outer. anyone know what these dust covers are?
thanks.

dar_cool

Post up the report. Could be dust covers off front shocks

CalamariFritti

Typically covers for suspension bits or wheel bearings. It prevents dirt getting into the wheel bearings or other bits where dirt would cause damage. Usually the covers are cheap enough. What is potentially expensive is getting them into place. Depending on what it is a lot may have to come off for it. Someone will have to take a look. May not be bad at all.

CJhaughey

I'd take a guess and say the rubber covers on either ball joints or droplinks.
The slightest crack in them and they are failing them.
There may be no play in them but that doesn't matter.
On the bright side you can get just the rubber boots in a big kit with split rings and just replace the boot if the balljoint or droplink has no play in it.
Its all to do with how new the cars are now, and the NCT is struggling to fail and have retests on a lot of cars so they make it harder to pass thereby ensuring themselves a nice income stream from retests.

mullingar

I'd say it's the brake disc dust cover they are referring too.

CJhaughey

Thats another good guess, OP any way you can show us the fail cert and which car its from?

oceanman

OSI wrote: »

The NCTS Manual refers to Dust Covers under, Front Suspension, Driveshaft/Transmission and Brakes sections, so you'll need to be more specific on what the sheet actually says.

hi, I cant post the report at the moment but its a 05 seat Cordoba. sheet says,
front suspension 46.......anti roll bar bushes and links.....dust covers missing/severely deteriorated.

if that's any help.

CJhaughey

That refers to the rubber covers for the droplinks.
Like I said they are available as refittable items which are cheap or you could just fit new ones which would be more expensive but less labour.
Once they are removed the dust covers don't take long to refit.

Kenny Logins

Poke your head under and look for yellow markers.

rex-x

2 new droplinks, job done! once the dust cover is even slightly compromised its not worth keeping the part

CJhaughey

rex-x wrote: »

2 new droplinks, job done! once the dust cover is even slightly compromised its not worth keeping the part

Depends on how much the links in question are to replace, genuine Honda ones are steep! Not sure how much Seat charge for them.
What puzzles me is that very few of them have grease nipples , if they are greased they last much longer.