Hello,

           My nephew has a 2003  Octavia Ambiente hatchback Mark one. 1.6 petrol, 101000 miles. When it went in for Mot this month it passed but the mechanic said the bushes front and rear  were worn and wouldnt pass another MOT.  What sort of cost for the parts is he looking at? Also, is it a labour intensive job? He cannot do the job himself, he has a good independent who does all his servicing and repair work. The car is only worth about £200 and he is wondering whether he should bite the bullet and let the car go and buy a Mark 2 Octavia, 2006/7. The cam belt and the water pump are due for renewal in January 2020, they arent cheap jobs and he is  concerned he could be throwing more money into keeping it going. He has a young family and is concerned that bush failure will mean the car will have severe roadholding problems which he obviously doesnt want with young children in the car.

 

               Hope Briskoda readers will have some advice and some words of wisdom for him

Hi Hetty,

 

Which bushes did the mot tester say are done - roll bar, console, wishbone?

Non are particularly expensive (quite cheap) to get and can be changed pretty easily, so shouldnt cost much in labour if he has a decent mechanic. 

Honestly if he is only going to change up to a slightly newer mk2, hed be aswell off keeping the mk1 going..

@hetty1 - Well, in the first place "advisories" are a specific tester's opinion. I have had an advisory for $part in MoT1, and none in MoT2, without the part being replaced in the interim.

 

I'd budget about £400 for a cambelt kit and water pump using genuine parts.