2004 Toyota Previa MOT fail - parts advice please!
Discussion
Hi,
I'm not that experienced with repairing cars, but have a I've a 2004 Previa 2.4l Petrol Automatic that's just failed its MOT and am being quoted £950 to get it back on the road.
The garage reckon it's about £450-£500 in labour and about the same in parts.
Here's what the MOT Failed on:
Repair Immediately (major defects)
I've Googled a few of the part names and checked eBay etc and
From the chat, I was quoted £24 for the Anti-roll bar, £145 for the shock absorber and £150 each for the rear axle bushes on account of them having to come from the manufacturer directly. The guy also stressed that they are the 'big bushes' (whatever that means)
I've had a quick Google of the part names mentioned and looked on eBay etc and from what I can tell, the Anti-roll bar price is fair, the shock absorber is a bit high, and the rear axle bushes exorbitant - however, as mentioned 'I'm not that experienced'. Of course I expect the garage to have a mark up and I don't doubt it's labour intensive, but I'm looking for some advice please on the parts I should buy and whether I should look around for a different quote on labour. My wife and I have used the garage for many years and have always felt we have had reasonable prices and service, but £950 is quite a hard sum to swallow without question.
If it helps, from the Engineplate it reads ACR 30R - MESDKW (could be MFSDKW).
on eBay I found a pair of front shock absorbers (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/173371382919) for £80 and when I look at bushes, the prices I see are way way lower than £150 each which makes me think I'm missing something here.
Any advice/help would be very welcome!
Thanks
I'm not that experienced with repairing cars, but have a I've a 2004 Previa 2.4l Petrol Automatic that's just failed its MOT and am being quoted £950 to get it back on the road.
The garage reckon it's about £450-£500 in labour and about the same in parts.
Here's what the MOT Failed on:
Repair Immediately (major defects)
- Anti-roll bar ball joint excessively worn Offside Front [5.3.4 (a) (i)]
- Axle swivel pins and bushes swivel pin and/or bush excessively worn Rear [5.1.2 (b) (i)]
- Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Offside Front [5.3.2 (b)]
I've Googled a few of the part names and checked eBay etc and
From the chat, I was quoted £24 for the Anti-roll bar, £145 for the shock absorber and £150 each for the rear axle bushes on account of them having to come from the manufacturer directly. The guy also stressed that they are the 'big bushes' (whatever that means)
I've had a quick Google of the part names mentioned and looked on eBay etc and from what I can tell, the Anti-roll bar price is fair, the shock absorber is a bit high, and the rear axle bushes exorbitant - however, as mentioned 'I'm not that experienced'. Of course I expect the garage to have a mark up and I don't doubt it's labour intensive, but I'm looking for some advice please on the parts I should buy and whether I should look around for a different quote on labour. My wife and I have used the garage for many years and have always felt we have had reasonable prices and service, but £950 is quite a hard sum to swallow without question.
If it helps, from the Engineplate it reads ACR 30R - MESDKW (could be MFSDKW).
on eBay I found a pair of front shock absorbers (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/173371382919) for £80 and when I look at bushes, the prices I see are way way lower than £150 each which makes me think I'm missing something here.
Any advice/help would be very welcome!
Thanks
If they're ordering the bushes direct from Toyota that would explain why they're so expensive.
If it's any consolation that could well be the right way to go - aftermarket bushes can be very hit and miss, perhaps they've found problems before.
They're definitely doing you a favour by accepting customer-sourced parts.
If it's any consolation that could well be the right way to go - aftermarket bushes can be very hit and miss, perhaps they've found problems before.
They're definitely doing you a favour by accepting customer-sourced parts.
Krikkit said:
If they're ordering the bushes direct from Toyota that would explain why they're so expensive.
If it's any consolation that could well be the right way to go - aftermarket bushes can be very hit and miss, perhaps they've found problems before.
They're definitely doing you a favour by accepting customer-sourced parts.
Yeah, as I say we've used them for years and most of the time pay for things without quibble. I didn't think it was unreasonable to ask if they'd fit parts I sourced due to costs and am happy to pay a small markup on parts, but £150 per 'bush' seemed really expensive (though I don't know a great deal about these things). Do you happen to know what he means by ' the big bushes' - are there several in the same area and I need a specific sized set or is he trying to help me get the right 'Toyota Previa Bushes' because front ones for example might be smaller?If it's any consolation that could well be the right way to go - aftermarket bushes can be very hit and miss, perhaps they've found problems before.
They're definitely doing you a favour by accepting customer-sourced parts.
I'm trying to keep costs down where I can so just after an idea as to whether I'm paying well over the odds for labour and any parts - and in particular if I can source aftermarket parts for the '£150 per bush' parts
I think it's good to try and save some money, but without knowing exactly which parts you need, there's a risk of ordering the wrong parts and it costing you more in time and money overall. If they are ordering fro mToyota, you could always ask them to source pattern parts instead from somewhere like https://www.eurocarparts.com/toyota-parts.html.
Chris
Chris
ScoobyChris said:
I think it's good to try and save some money, but without knowing exactly which parts you need, there's a risk of ordering the wrong parts and it costing you more in time and money overall. If they are ordering fro mToyota, you could always ask them to source pattern parts instead from somewhere like https://www.eurocarparts.com/toyota-parts.html.
Chris
Fair comment, but based on the MOT failure reason and the feedback from the garage mentioned above, does £300 for a pair of rear bushes sound about right, too high, quite low? And by what margins? I mean if a few days of hunting around websites online will save me £10 per rear bush then I won't bother and if the advice is 'you can get some for £20 but they'll likely fail in 6months and you'll be paying the labour twice - again I won't bother.Chris
When you say without knowing exactly which parts I need - is there any ambiguity in the MOT failure that I should query with the garage? To me it seems that if I buy replacement shock absorbers that are the right part for my car that it should be all that's needed for that particular issue. With the rear bush - that was kind of my question - are there only a pair of bushes or are there multiple sets and I need to be more specific/granular?
Not based on your vehicle but an observation from personal experience & that of others.
As far as suspension bushes are concerned some pattern parts are very good, some are awful in longevity, fit & comfort & you decide that you need to have the job done all over again with what you now know you should have used in the first place.
Can be pot luck & you're more likely to get an opinion from a make/model specific owner's forum as to which to avoid.
Genuine are designed for the car & by buying from the franchised dealer/supplier you should be getting the latest evolution of the part as there may have been changes to address found problems.
On the other hand it's a 16 year old car so how much money do you want to throw at it & what are you happy to put up with?
As far as suspension bushes are concerned some pattern parts are very good, some are awful in longevity, fit & comfort & you decide that you need to have the job done all over again with what you now know you should have used in the first place.
Can be pot luck & you're more likely to get an opinion from a make/model specific owner's forum as to which to avoid.
Genuine are designed for the car & by buying from the franchised dealer/supplier you should be getting the latest evolution of the part as there may have been changes to address found problems.
On the other hand it's a 16 year old car so how much money do you want to throw at it & what are you happy to put up with?
Edited by paintman on Wednesday 23 September 16:06
What happens if you buy the wrong parts, they don't fit, or they turn up damaged, & he doesn't realise 'til the car is in pieces?
If you don't know what you're looking at, it's better to let them get on with it. In case something goes awry, it's on them, they can't blame the parts you've supplied.
I tend to supply my own parts if it's something I can't DIY, but if it's something labour critical (timing belt/chain, etc) I'll let him use whatever he wants, that way if it goes wrong on the way home, he can't blame my shoddy ebay parts.
If you don't know what you're looking at, it's better to let them get on with it. In case something goes awry, it's on them, they can't blame the parts you've supplied.
I tend to supply my own parts if it's something I can't DIY, but if it's something labour critical (timing belt/chain, etc) I'll let him use whatever he wants, that way if it goes wrong on the way home, he can't blame my shoddy ebay parts.
I had a quick look at euro car parts and they don’t list suspension bushes for your car. So the main dealer may be your only option.
Did you ask your garage about pattern parts for the bushes? I would have thought they could ask their usual suppliers to see if any cheaper ones are available but I suspect that as they quoted for main dealer ones then that may be all they can source.
Did you ask your garage about pattern parts for the bushes? I would have thought they could ask their usual suppliers to see if any cheaper ones are available but I suspect that as they quoted for main dealer ones then that may be all they can source.
paintman said:
Not based on your vehicle but an observation from personal experience & that of others.
As far as suspension bushes are concerned some pattern parts are very good, some are awful in longevity, fit & comfort & you decide that you need to have the job done all over again with what you now know you should have used in the first place.
Can be pot luck & you're more likely to get an opinion from a make/model specific owner's forum as to which to avoid.
Genuine are designed for the car & by buying from the franchised dealer/supplier you should be getting the latest evolution of the part as there may have been changes to address found problems.
On the other hand it's a 16 year old car so how much money do you want to throw at it & what are you happy to put up with?
Thanks for the reply. As you say it's a 16yr old car. We don't want to get rid of it yet but maybe in 2-3yrs. Previa's are very heavy cars and known to go through suspension parts on a regular basis so it's not a complete shock that these parts need replacing.As far as suspension bushes are concerned some pattern parts are very good, some are awful in longevity, fit & comfort & you decide that you need to have the job done all over again with what you now know you should have used in the first place.
Can be pot luck & you're more likely to get an opinion from a make/model specific owner's forum as to which to avoid.
Genuine are designed for the car & by buying from the franchised dealer/supplier you should be getting the latest evolution of the part as there may have been changes to address found problems.
On the other hand it's a 16 year old car so how much money do you want to throw at it & what are you happy to put up with?
Edited by paintman on Wednesday 23 September 16:06
If we have to spend £950 then through gritted teeth - so be it. However as you say there are likely some parts that are good and others that are awful so I was hoping for some specific pointers - also in terms of costs, if it turns out that I'd be looking to save £20 on £300 then I wouldn't bother. If however I could get an aftermarket part for £30 instead of £150 I wouldn't even mind buying 2 or 3 different ones and taking pot luck as it's still a good deal less than £300 (I doubt it, but you never know).
By way of analogy, I could buy a mug for tea at Starbucks/Costa for £18.99, I could buy one from Tesco for £2.50, or the pound store for £1. The Tesco one might have a different handle and be perfectly adequate but only 85% as comfortable to hold whereas the pound store one might last 3 hand washes and the handle falls off. The Starbucks mug might be the perfect fit, but is substantially more and in essence doesn't do much more than the Tesco version.
I think if the car was 2yrs old and I was looking to keep it on the road for 5yrs+ I might be looking at franchise parts all the way, but I'm trying to balance keeping costs down on a car that is what we need right now but in 2yrs will likely be replaced. If I could get aftermarket cheaper parts fitted that would most likely last 2-3yrs, then i'd snap them up. Like you say some aftermarket parts might be terrible and I don't fancy paying labour costs for the same issue/part several times in the next 2yrs
Dave. said:
What happens if you buy the wrong parts, they don't fit, or they turn up damaged, & he doesn't realise 'til the car is in pieces?
If you don't know what you're looking at, it's better to let them get on with it. In case something goes awry, it's on them, they can't blame the parts you've supplied.
I tend to supply my own parts if it's something I can't DIY, but if it's something labour critical (timing belt/chain, etc) I'll let him use whatever he wants, that way if it goes wrong on the way home, he can't blame my shoddy ebay parts.
Yeah, very valid points there.... haha. I guess so far nobody is saying '£300 for a pair of bushes!!! you're mental!' so perhaps although it's a bit pricey, it's worth paying in the long run for the reasons you mention. If I could buy aftermarket parts for £30 instead of £300 I'd probably buy 2 or 3 and take them with me as it's still cheaper and that way the likelihood is one of the parts should be fine (basing this on sites where you put your car reg in and it tells you parts that fit your specific vehicle) If you don't know what you're looking at, it's better to let them get on with it. In case something goes awry, it's on them, they can't blame the parts you've supplied.
I tend to supply my own parts if it's something I can't DIY, but if it's something labour critical (timing belt/chain, etc) I'll let him use whatever he wants, that way if it goes wrong on the way home, he can't blame my shoddy ebay parts.
Hi Everyone - OP here,
I thought I'd come back and give an update.
Thanks everyone for the advice, support, and help,
In the end, I managed to run-out the 14-day re-MOT period, faffing around trying to work out if I can save money on the £950+ quote I'd been given.
If I was looking at only saving £50, then I may as well not bother - I wanted to see if I could make a reasonable dent in the price.
As it turns out, I rung around several garages. Many refused to quote for the work on the basis that they'd need a specialist tool to remove/reinsert the large rear bushes, a few said they wouldn't be beaten on price, but wouldn't commit any further, and most of them said 'bring it in before we can quote. A couple of places I seemed to be speaking with some real 'old hands' who looked up the MOT fail on the DVLA site, and reckoned that this is bread-and-butter stuff and should easily come in under £500 including a new MOT. I took a chance on one of the quotes (the garage is part of the 'Good Garage Scheme' if that means of worth?), and sure enough - they managed to do all the work, for the price quoted (ish) and even showed me the parts that they replaced (in fact, they showed me before they replaced them roughly what it was I was getting done).
I was well impressed and in the end paid around £550 all in. Time will tell if the parts stand up top wear and tear and the workmanship is of decent quality, but the general feeling I got was that it wasn't their first rodeo and they whipped through the work with a couple of experienced guys and the right tools.
So all in all, I saved at least £400 - and didn't need to buy (the wrong) parts myself!
Thanks again everyone who contributed to this post
I thought I'd come back and give an update.
Thanks everyone for the advice, support, and help,
In the end, I managed to run-out the 14-day re-MOT period, faffing around trying to work out if I can save money on the £950+ quote I'd been given.
If I was looking at only saving £50, then I may as well not bother - I wanted to see if I could make a reasonable dent in the price.
As it turns out, I rung around several garages. Many refused to quote for the work on the basis that they'd need a specialist tool to remove/reinsert the large rear bushes, a few said they wouldn't be beaten on price, but wouldn't commit any further, and most of them said 'bring it in before we can quote. A couple of places I seemed to be speaking with some real 'old hands' who looked up the MOT fail on the DVLA site, and reckoned that this is bread-and-butter stuff and should easily come in under £500 including a new MOT. I took a chance on one of the quotes (the garage is part of the 'Good Garage Scheme' if that means of worth?), and sure enough - they managed to do all the work, for the price quoted (ish) and even showed me the parts that they replaced (in fact, they showed me before they replaced them roughly what it was I was getting done).
I was well impressed and in the end paid around £550 all in. Time will tell if the parts stand up top wear and tear and the workmanship is of decent quality, but the general feeling I got was that it wasn't their first rodeo and they whipped through the work with a couple of experienced guys and the right tools.
So all in all, I saved at least £400 - and didn't need to buy (the wrong) parts myself!
Thanks again everyone who contributed to this post
Gassing Station | Home Mechanics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff