Oh and I am having it fixed again at the new garage for the grand sum of £100 + cost of CV boot which is only a few quid
This is a very strange story so bear with me, I had my campervan MOTed last year at a garage I thought was pretty reputable, it passed with one advisory, the CV boot rubber, well I did think the drive shaft was on its way out because it was clicking on full lock, so I asked them to replace the shaft whilst doing the boot, I know the driveshaft comes with a new boot already fixed, so roll on this year's MOT and we booked it in, the fella who took the call didn't seem to want to get it in, in a hurry and said they were busy for 3 weeks, I said that was fine and booked it in.
Roll on to yesterday when it was due in for its MOT and we managed to get caught in some roadworks, we walked into the garage at 13:03 and the old guy doing the MOT simply said, too late you have missed your slot? no explanation no other slot offered, he just asked us to leave, I did ask why as 3 minutes due to roadworks was a bit of a lame excuse, anyway onto this year's MOT and lo and behold we have an advisory, the exact same CV boot we paid over £300 to have repaired at its last MOT I am not a mechanic but I do think a CV boot should last a bit longer than 12 months or 5k miles, I am now thinking these cowboys have had my pants down and used second hand parts, not new as on the invoice.
Last edited by Dangermouse64; 29th September 2022 at 18:38.
Oh and I am having it fixed again at the new garage for the grand sum of £100 + cost of CV boot which is only a few quid
Yes it doesn't look good. I dont know what car you have but £300 fitted for a new drive shaft seems quite cheap for a new part too.
If it had been fitted then the new boot wouldn't perish that quickly so I'd ask what's wrong with it.
Are you sure it's not the other side this time? Also did the clicking noise go after the first repair?
Edit to add the first bill seems more like driveshaft replacement due to inner boot failure and the second just the outer CV boot.
Its always hard to comment on costs though without knowing the car and the garage used as labour costs can vary massively.
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Last edited by Rob s; 29th September 2022 at 18:45.
It’s always a good idea to go to a place that only does MOTs.
That way, they’ve no interest in making things up.
Don’t forget that a shaft has an inner and outer boot, could it have been an inner one last year and outer this year?
Edit…2021 states that its just a boot, this year it clearly says outer
It would seem even in this day and age there are dodgy MOT stations and dealers, I bought a car with 13 months MOT last year and as I got to know the car and spend more and more money on it I knew that MOT wise I had been screwed and I am still paying for it, old cars and dodgy dealers what a pain.
The new garage should easily be able to tell you if the driveshaft has been replaced in the last year. As Franky said you can see it looks newer, the boots would look much newer. You should be able to see by having a look yourself but easier on their ramp. If it has then first garage are in the clear and just lacking customer service for the MOT.
The only other thought if its not referring to a different boot is you've been unlucky and damaged the new one. Its a camper van, are you going over rough terrain sometimes?
Have you thought the 2nd garage could have looked at the history- and thought maybe you ignored the advisory last year and duplicated it ?
I took my Vivaro to a main dealer after being advised the front drop links needed replacing . Went back 8 months later for its MOT , lo and behold the front drop links are worn and need replacing .
When I queried it pointing to the invoice , the service manager got in touch saying there was a misunderstanding, drop links are fine etc etc .
I’m still not sure if it was a con or incompetence.
Maybe it isn’t confined to small garages .
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-mot/
IG10 or RM10 For us
I think I am going to have a look under the van today and see if the o/s looks cleaner/newer than the n/s it may be right and just bad luck.