Hi.

 

At my last MOT I got the following two advisories for my standard Skoda Superb 1.6 MK2 estate:

Offside Front Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint has slight play

Offside Rear Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint has slight play

 

My car makes a slight knocking noise when going over bumpy surfaces.

I live in Nottinghamshire. I've driven the car a bit since the advisories but probably no more than 500 miles.

 

Approximately how much would it cost me at an accredited independent garage to get the two advisories repaired and stop the knocking noise? (Assuming the knocking is due to the advisories.)

Do the whole Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints need replacing or would just the bushes need replacing?

 

I fit Meyle HD now because they come with a 4 year g/tee

Enter JANSALE15 and you'll get them for £25.46 delivered


It would only take a garage about 30 mins to fit both but be prepared to pay for a hours labour

Edited 10 January, 20224 yr by DEL80Y

Hi DEL80Y,

Thanks for the reply.

I'm a little reluctant to buy parts online then bring them to the accredited repair centre because I was sent the wrong suspension part a few months ago by a (reputable) seller on eBay UK. (They were called Parts In Motion/CarPartsInMotion.)

Yip had a few problems with them as well

Even try and get garage to supply Meyle  most parts suppliers can get them.

It was just to give you and idea of price👍

I fitted the cheapest Ebay ones, they were about £9 a pair delivered, I was not expecting much from them after reading all the comments about cheap ones and to go for Mayle etc.

 

I have done about 20Kmiles on them since so when I fitted new suspension struts recently I bought another pair of them, I didn't need them, the original cheapies were still fine and still enough stiffness in the joint that I could undo both of them with the spanner only not needing to lock the shaft with a hex adaptor socket.

 

Fitting less than 5 minutes per side, a little longer if removing old seized ones.

1 hour ago, J.R. said:

I fitted the cheapest Ebay ones, they were about £9 a pair delivered, I was not expecting much from them after reading all the comments about cheap ones and to go for Mayle etc.

 

I have done about 20Kmiles on them since so when I fitted new suspension struts recently I bought another pair of them, I didn't need them, the original cheapies were still fine and still enough stiffness in the joint that I could undo both of them with the spanner only not needing to lock the shaft with a hex adaptor socket.

 

Fitting less than 5 minutes per side, a little longer if removing old seized ones.

I'd like to order my own parts separately, however the experience of being sent the wrong suspension part the last time I did this puts me off doing it again a bit.

I have this vision of taking the parts I've purchased to the garage, the technicians taking the car apart, finding the parts are the wrong size, but obviously charging me money for the labour.

 

Was thinking of asking the garage to use MOOG parts as they're not overly expensive and are fairly easy to get.

I'm still not entirely sure whether the advisories can be rectified simply by replacing the bushes.

 

it's not particularly practical for me to do my own repairs as I don't have my own private garage or driveway.

 

Edited 10 January, 20224 yr by 2006edr

"I'm still not entirely sure whether the advisories can be rectified simply by replacing the bushes."

What do you mean about "the bushes"  

There is no "bush" on the front drop links only 2 ball joints

I reread your post and never noticed it was the rears as well.

The rears have a bush but it never goes it always the ball 

Bushes on an Anti roll bar are where it connects to vehicle subframe and are not mentioned on your failure 

You really cant go wrong ordering these as there is only 1 part for front and 1 part for rear

3 hours ago, DEL80Y said:

"I'm still not entirely sure whether the advisories can be rectified simply by replacing the bushes."

What do you mean about "the bushes"  

There is no "bush" on the front drop links only 2 ball joints

I reread your post and never noticed it was the rears as well.

The rears have a bush but it never goes it always the ball 

Bushes on an Anti roll bar are where it connects to vehicle subframe and are not mentioned on your failure 

You really cant go wrong ordering these as there is only 1 part for front and 1 part for rear

 

Thanks for the comments.

 

I contacted 4 garages about doing the replacement for the two anti-roll bar linkage ball joints, (Halfords and three independents.)

 

The quotes, (for everything, including VAT) ranged from £105 in total to about £173 in total - the quotes are based on the garage obtaining the parts.

 

Hopefully the replacement parts will make the slight clunking noise over bumpy roads stop as well.

 

Edited 11 January, 20224 yr by 2006edr

36 minutes ago, 2006edr said:

 

Thanks for the comments.

 

I contacted 4 garages about doing the replacement for the two anti-roll bar linkage ball joints, (Halfords and three independents.)

 

The quotes, (for everything, including VAT) ranged from £105 in total to about £173 in total - the quotes are based on the garage obtaining the parts.

 

Hopefully the replacement parts will make the slight clunking noise over bumpy roads stop as well.

 

That some price just for 2

You would really be better getting all 4 done

If 2 have play the other 2 wont be far behind and sods law they will start rattling in a couple of weeks

Cheaper in labour to get them all done as they are doing the worn side anyway

Moog rears £30 with new bolts

This style of anti roll bar drop links wear out for a pass time, they have a fairly hard life when you think of the force that's being constantly applied through them. They are common across the VW, Skoda range. My sons both owned Seat Ibizas and we had to change them on both vehicles.

 

While working on my MK2 Superb front suspension I've noticed some slight play in the ball joint on one of my drop links so will change both of them and have ordered 2 online for £13.25. They are the same as fitted to the Octavia & Yeti.

 

Checking the online MOT history of my car I can see that there have been several advisories over the years for worn drop links. Not surprising really as the car has done 180,000 🙂

On 11/01/2022 at 16:31, 2006edr said:

 

Thanks for the comments.

 

I contacted 4 garages about doing the replacement for the two anti-roll bar linkage ball joints, (Halfords and three independents.)

 

The quotes, (for everything, including VAT) ranged from £105 in total to about £173 in total - the quotes are based on the garage obtaining the parts.

 

Hopefully the replacement parts will make the slight clunking noise over bumpy roads stop as well.

 

 

Wow I wish I could get paid that much for undoing 4 nuts and replacing 2 drop links and fitting four new nyloc nuts!  Okay the garages have to make a living but having a lift you wouldn't even have to take the front wheels off it probably wouldn't even take half an hour to change the drop links. Okay by the time they've driven the car in and out of the workshop and doing the paperwork I would think an hours labour and the cost of parts wouldn't be unreasonable. £173 seems a bit steep to me though maybe that's the difference between OEM and pattern parts?  I personally don't have an issue with using pattern parts and quite often OEM and pattern parts are made by the same manufacturer they just aren't allowed to use OEM logos or part numbers.

7 minutes ago, Derbyshirebod said:

 

Wow I wish I could get paid that much for undoing 4 nuts and replacing 2 drop links and fitting four new nyloc nuts!  Okay the garages have to make a living but having a lift you wouldn't even have to take the front wheels off it probably wouldn't even take half an hour to change the drop links. Okay by the time they've driven the car in and out of the workshop and doing the paperwork I would think an hours labour and the cost of parts wouldn't be unreasonable. £173 seems a bit steep to me though maybe that's the difference between OEM and pattern parts?  I personally don't have an issue with using pattern parts and quite often OEM and pattern parts are made by the same manufacturer they just aren't allowed to use OEM logos or part numbers.

In your view is it reasonable for a customer to ask an accredited independent garage to order in the parts the customer chooses?

I've not had my own car that much over the years, meaning dealing with professional garage services is a bit of a learning curve for me at the moment.

Edited 12 January, 20224 yr by 2006edr

40 minutes ago, 2006edr said:

In your view is it reasonable for a customer to ask an accredited independent garage to order in the parts the customer chooses?

I've not had my own car that much over the years, meaning dealing with professional garage services is a bit of a learning curve for me at the moment.

I suppose it's not an unreasonable request though if it means a garage ordering parts from a supplier they don't use they might think you're being a PITA. So I guess the other option is would they mind fitting customer sourced parts? Though again then some garages then might start arguing about warranty if a part fails and they havent supplied it?

 

I'm a tight arse and always do my own repairs and will continue to do so till I'm too old to crawl round the floor fixing cars, by which time I'll probably be no longer driving :-)

47 minutes ago, Derbyshirebod said:

I suppose it's not an unreasonable request though if it means a garage ordering parts from a supplier they don't use they might think you're being a PITA. So I guess the other option is would they mind fitting customer sourced parts? Though again then some garages then might start arguing about warranty if a part fails and they havent supplied it?

 

I'm a tight arse and always do my own repairs and will continue to do so till I'm too old to crawl round the floor fixing cars, by which time I'll probably be no longer driving :-)

I'm not that far from you, I'm in Nottinghamshire. 

I probably would do more of my own repairs if I had private facilities.

I have to park my car in a busy car park and no-one else in the apartment block around me does their own repairs. (Apart from maybe changing an air filter or something similar.)

Edited 12 January, 20224 yr by 2006edr

8 minutes ago, 2006edr said:

I'm not that far from you, I'm in Nottinghamshire. 

I probably would do more of my own repairs if I had private facilities.

I have to park my car in a busy car park and no-one else in the apartment block around me does their own repairs. (Apart from maybe changing an air filter or something similar.)

I'd have been happy to help but I'm looking to move shortly.

On 11/01/2022 at 16:31, 2006edr said:

 

Thanks for the comments.

 

I contacted 4 garages about doing the replacement for the two anti-roll bar linkage ball joints, (Halfords and three independents.)

 

The quotes, (for everything, including VAT) ranged from £105 in total to about £173 in total - the quotes are based on the garage obtaining the parts.

 

Hopefully the replacement parts will make the slight clunking noise over bumpy roads stop as well.

 

 

That doesn't seem too bad for a bigger garage to do it. Bear in mind that 20% of that's going straight to the Downing Street drinks cabinet, and garages will use their normal parts supplier and mark the part up (because they're a business and they sell stuff) rather than spending an hour on ebay to find the cheapest and sell them on at cost. 

 

Most of on here would get the bits and use tools we already own to do a pair on the driveway for £20, but not everyone works that way. 

 

It's not a complicated job at all. Maybe see if there's a mobile mechanic by you, or a back street garage?

 

Or if you fancied having a go by yourself, it should be easy enough with a trolley jack, an axle stand, a hacksaw and a few spanners (normally easier to cut the old ones off than try to undo them). 

Edited 13 January, 20224 yr by StevesTruck

7 hours ago, StevesTruck said:

 

 

Or if you fancied having a go by yourself, it should be easy enough with a trolley jack, an axle stand, a hacksaw and a few spanners (normally easier to cut the old ones off than try to undo them). 

I use my Drop Link Nut Removal Tool
 

You can do, but if you've managed to back the nut off half a turn, you can get a hacksaw straight on the thread, so it doesn't take much effort at all to saw through them. My point is it's not a job that needs any serious tools. 

Hi.

I took the car in to the accredited independent garage today for the new anti-roll bar linkage ball joints to be replaced.

 

I was originally quoted £105 in total to replace two of these by this garage. (One at the front and one at the rear.) This was a reputable garage. I tried at least three garages for the quotes.

The technician inspected the old drop links and told me there were three that needed replacing. The technician said the other drop link was fairly new.

I paid £144 in total for the three 'drop links', (hope this is the correct word?) to be replaced.

I mentioned to the technicians that it might be better to replace all of the drop links, (even if they're not currently causing problems,) but they insisted this wasn't necessary.

One of the drop links on my car was so old it separated into two pieces when being removed.

 

The garage used MOOG parts.

 

I was charged £62.50 for labour, (1.25 hours) - excluding VAT and £57.50 excluding VAT for the three linkage ball joints.

 

The clunking noise when I go over bumps has gone. 

 

 

 

 

Thats a better price for all 3 👍

I've just changed both drop links on the front of my car. One joint had play in it. Bought them online £13.25 delivered. 

 

I've got a rotary wire brush attachment for my 4.5" grinder which I quickly cleaned the threads up with. Initially they were very tight to undo. The centre of the threads on one set had a hexagon socket for an allen key and the other set a torx socket for a  torx key  to stop the thread rotating as you undo the nut. A squirt of WD40 and they all came undo easily.

I was checking my MOT history and there was an advisory on the 2021 MOT "Offside Rear Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint has slight play" and going right back to 2017 except for 2018 there were futher advisories for play in both nearside & offside rear anti dive linkage ball joints. For the sakes of £13.95  I decided to change both.

 

Anti-dive linkage? - No way!

Slightly off-topic here, but clunking from the front could also be worn dampers.

2 hours ago, J.R. said:

Anti-dive linkage? - No way!

J.R not sure what you mean 🤔