car just failed its mot

[andy 1]

my car just failed its mot,its got something called excessive steering end float.
does anybody know what this means and can it be adjusted or will it mean new parts.
the car is a 1994 ford escort.
the reason i ask is because i don't want to be ripped off by the local garages for new parts if it can be adjusted.

i only want it to last 6 months then i will get another better car(i will be 25 yrs old then and the insurance will be cheaper).

thanks
andy

[paulyoung666]

it could be something as simple as a track rod end that is worn or it could be the steering rack itself , both are reasonably easy to fix , i suspect it is something that is non adjustable so would require new parts although not expensive ones at that :) , tbh without looking at the car it would be damned near impossible to diagnose it here , sorry :(


edit :- i dont suppose you are in the north east are you ????

[Scarlett]

Personally I'd have asked what exactly was wrong and for an approx quote on the repairs.

'excessive steering end float' sounds a lot like the machanic in the egg adverts. Fine, it failed for that but what is it going to cost me and what do I need ?

My local Garage* are great at being honest and if they can't say outright its X part then they'll generally put me in the ballpark i.e. it might just be c part which is £50 part + labour but it might be that once we get it open its also V and B parts as well and then your looking at £200 + VAT.

You should be able to go back to the garage in question and ask what needs doing to get it past its test. (I'm surprised they didn't already quote you this in an attempt to get more business)

Scarlett.

* Actually my local Grage are Exceptional. They've always presented me with the facts and left it up to me. If I ask then they'll venture an opinion but ONLY if I've asked for it. Unfourtunatly unless your near St Neots, then they're name won't do you much good. (PM me if you want it thou)

[paulyoung666]

thinking on , three things to check , are you ready !!!!!!!!! , you are going to need two people for this , put the car on full lock , have a look at where the arm that does the steering attaches to the suspension upright , if you wiggle the steering wheel can you see any play at the attachment point ??? , if you can then you have a knackered track rod end , easy and cheap to fix , if you cannot then it is going to be a problem with the steering rack or coloumn , next , if you can see the steering rack , do the wiggle thing again and look at each end of the steering rack and see if you can see any obvious free play there , thirdly , you may need to remove some internal trim to expose the steering coloumn inside the car , there should be a joint either inside the car or before the rack in the engine compartment , do the wiggle thing again and see if you can see any free play there , i would be surprised if this is going to cost you more than £100 to fix as long as you are prepared to get your hands dirty or get a mate to give you a hand ;) :D :D :D

[ZrByte]

Personally I'd have asked what exactly was wrong and for an approx quote on the repairs.

'excessive steering end float' sounds a lot like the machanic in the egg adverts. Fine, it failed for that but what is it going to cost me and what do I need ?

My local Garage* are great at being honest and if they can't say outright its X part then they'll generally put me in the ballpark i.e. it might just be c part which is £50 part + labour but it might be that once we get it open its also V and B parts as well and then your looking at £200 + VAT.

You should be able to go back to the garage in question and ask what needs doing to get it past its test. (I'm surprised they didn't already quote you this in an attempt to get more business)

Scarlett.

* Actually my local Grage are Exceptional. They've always presented me with the facts and left it up to me. If I ask then they'll venture an opinion but ONLY if I've asked for it. Unfourtunatly unless your near St Neots, then they're name won't do you much good. (PM me if you want it thou)

Not all MOT centers are Garrages aswel, the one I took mine to didnt have thier own garrage. Though, they where able to tell me how to fix the car (Mostly) and when they couldnt help me through the emissions failure they reccomended a good cheap garrage around the corner, wich ironicly also offers MOT's so they must be really confident about thier own MOT center to be willing to send me over to the other garrage.

[greencreeper]

Did a Google and there's this:

http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_210.htm


3. Pull and push the steering wheel in line with the column. Check for any movement at the centre of the steering wheel.

Note: Certain types of steering column (eg those fitted with universal joints or flexible couplings) may show some movement which is not due to excessive wear or deterioration.


3. Excessive steering shaft end float.


I think it means your steering wheel is loose, but I'm not sure :erm:

[Maggy]

Did a Google and there's this:

http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_210.htm




I think it means your steering wheel is loose, but I'm not sure :erm:

Why the hell can't they just say so? What's wrong with simple English?

[greencreeper]

Why the hell can't they just say so? What's wrong with simple English?
If experts used simple english, then they wouldn't look so expert and there'd be less need for them :)

[andy 1]

thanks for the reply's
i took it round my local dealers and for this and a couple of other repairs they are going to charge me approx 500 quid.they said it needs a new steering column.
the steering rack was replaced last year that cost 300 quid.
i think it time to get rid of the car its starting to cost a lot of money and its time for a change.

regards
andy

[paulyoung666]

i reckon you are right , mind you what else needs doing to justify the price , that is shocking :Yikes: :Yikes: :Yikes:


edit :- was it a main dealer you took it to ???????

[Scarlett]

Not all MOT centers are Garrages aswel, the one I took mine to didnt have thier own garrage. Though, they where able to tell me how to fix the car (Mostly) and when they couldnt help me through the emissions failure they reccomended a good cheap garrage around the corner, wich ironicly also offers MOT's so they must be really confident about thier own MOT center to be willing to send me over to the other garrage.

Even so, yours did provide what the sort of service that I'd expect to receive where ever I took the car for an MOT (regardless of if it was a garage or not).

I'd say that the MOT centre that Andy went to was a bit naff just using the technical terms ratehr than taking 5 minutes to explain what might be the fault.
__________________

i reckon you are right , mind you what else needs doing to justify the price , that is shocking :Yikes: :Yikes: :Yikes:


edit :- was it a main dealer you took it to ???????


If it's the steering column thats at fault then that could easily be an expensive job due to the time taken to dig the d*mn thing out and then to replace it.

The steering column might only cost £25 + VAT but if it's going to take 5 hours to into it and remove the old one before you even think about fitting the new one then you can see the labour charge racking up.

[paulyoung666]

If it's the steering column thats at fault then that could easily be an expensive job due to the time taken to dig the d*mn thing out and then to replace it.

The steering column might only cost £25 + VAT but if it's going to take 5 hours to into it and remove the old one before you even think about fitting the new one then you can see the labour charge racking up.



true enough , just shows how the main dealers rip people off :mad: :mad: :mad:

[Steve H]

Just had my Steering rack changed on a 93 Escort... 70 quid inc labour - that was with a mate of a mate though. Your looking close to a ton for both parts and labour. Racks cost about £40inc.

[andy 1]

yes it was a main dealer i went to.i had the mot done at a place where they don't do repairs themselves thought that way i would get an honest mot done.
the other couple of repairs needed where a cracked exhaust although you couldn't hear it blowing.
and he said it needed new brake pipes the full length of the car due to corrosion.
fords estimate for all the jobs 500 quid.
when he said 500 i thought he was mick bustin from max and paddy
remember 500 or its going nowhere lol

andy

[paulyoung666]

yes it was a main dealer i went to.i had the mot done at a place where they don't do repairs themselves thought that way i would get an honest mot done.
the other couple of repairs needed where a cracked exhaust although you couldn't hear it blowing.
and he said it needed new brake pipes the full length of the car due to corrosion.
fords estimate for all the jobs 500 quid.
when he said 500 i thought he was mick bustin from max and paddy
remember 500 or its going nowhere lol

andy


cracked exhaust , bandage repair will get it passed if it is not blowing :) , brake pipes , £30 tops i reckon , a motor factor will make them up for you , steering colomn £50 i reckon from a breakers yard , it just depends if you want to get your hands dirty ;)

[AndrewJ]

[Admin Edit(Paul M):-Image Removed. If you want to post an image then please size it sensibly.]

Have pleasure knowing it could be worse. :D

BTW if you do sell that Escort let us know how much for could use a first car which is good on insurance for a 21yr old new driver.

[Paul K]

Have pleasure knowing it could be worse. :D

BTW if you do sell that Escort let us know how much for could use a first car which is good on insurance for a 21yr old new driver.
Nice picture ;) By the way there is a piece of software called irfanview that can resize that very easily for free :erm:

[paulyoung666]

Nice picture ;) By the way there is a piece of software called irfanview that can resize that very easily for free :erm:


is there a chance a passing mod could resize the picture , it is just a little bit too big :Yikes: :Yikes: :Yikes:

[Paul]

is there a chance a passing mod could resize the picture , it is just a little bit too big :Yikes: :Yikes: :Yikes:Nope, but I can remove it.

[paulyoung666]

Nope, but I can remove it.


nicely :D :D :D

[AndrewJ]

sorry about the size i did change it while posting..and it looked alot smaller, aint sure about the size will make it a attachment.

[Chris]

Nope, but I can remove it.

I thought my <edit> comments were far more nicely written. :p:

I love it when my moderation gets moderated :cry: ;) :D

[dilli-theclaw]

Have pleasure knowing it could be worse. :D


It certainly could....

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/showthread.php?t=15845

Remember this :)

[Paul K]

sorry about the size i did change it while posting..and it looked alot smaller, aint sure about the size will make it a attachment.
As a rule of thumb I generally let irfanview take the image to below 800x600 so that it doesn't mean that people have to scroll ;) Attachments are useful for when you want the full impact of the picture but normally I would keep it around 400x300, you can always preview it and then resize it if needed.