59 replies to this topic

[Boycie]

If that quote is for both parts and labour, it's too cheap..

[charliedurrant]

That is an amazing price. I wound think properly shimming the joints would cost more..

[Remylebleu]

i told him what happend, what was damaged, what i thought needed doing, he qouted them parts to supply and fit £110 plus anything that was suspect i would be contacted and he would show me what else needs doing, then give me another price for that, the price is without vat though as he does that if you pay cash. i suppose ill find out when i get the bill

[Cosford Cowboy]

Ask him how he laps in the ball joints, that may get an interesting answer ?

[tiger99]

I have had 3 minis (sadly not right now, but am thinking about it again!), and each needed ball joints changed fairly soon. I did not lap the balls, and have never heard of anyone who did, but having shimmed them up carefully, with no tight spots, and greasing regularly, none of them needed changing again, in once case for 130,000 miles and 2 engines.

I would have thought that lapping would erode the hard layer on the surface and be detrimental to longevity. In any case, you would need to wobble it in all directions, not just spin it in a drill chuck, do do it properly. On the other hand, if you can't get the shimming quite right, it is legitimate to lap the flat face of the ball retainer nut on an oilstone, or abrasive paper on a flat surface such as a piece of glass, to make a very small adjustment. Had to do that once only, because I could not get the feel quite right, it was marginally too loose.

I am quite willing to be told that lapping the ball does provide some benefit, if there is proof, but otherwise I would be inclined not to bother. Or maybe you are joking about it? But does the garage know how to shim them safely? I think that the Metro sealed ball joints were introduced specifically to get around that problem. Same reason that it is now very difficult to buy things like caliper repair kits, and for some cars you get an entire hub, not just the bearing. Garages were messing up on all these things, and causing accidents.

But the Mini is a simple car by modern standards, and almost anyone with DIY instincts, patience, a good sense of feel, and the ability to carefully read the manual, ought to be able to learn to do most repairs. My 3 Minis rarely went near a garage, and when they did, they usually came out worse. Wide oversills, for instance, which is not what I asked for.

[Cosford Cowboy]

things have changed in the last 20 years, the quality of ball joint has deteriorated and definately requires a good lapping.

If you lapped them so much that you eroded the hardened layer, then 2 things spring to mind, 1) you have far too much time on your hands & 2) the depth of the hardened layer was not deep enough.

A drill chuck who said that ? I always use a bit of rubber hose on the end and yes yo udo have to do a figure of 8 sort of thing.

Edited by Cosford Cowboy, 17 November 2011 - 12:20 AM.

[Remylebleu]

i dont even know what lapping means, the bloke im taking it to changed the ball joints on my last mini and they were fine, so seen as he runs his own mini company and has been rebuilding minis for the last 10 years as a full time job......im assuming he knows what hes doing............but i like how people are assuming he wont do the job properly because the price is cheap.

[Boycie]

We're not assuming he won't do a good job because the price is so cheap... we're assuming he's working for free!!! The parts involved will come to a large chunk of what he's quoted- is his hourly rate £3ph?!
Those balljoints are really not ever lapped in by the general motor trade, in fact, most 'all-make' mechanics (under the age of 25) probably don't even know how to correctly fit and shim a Mini balljoint- they're just used to bolting on new parts and be done with it.
It's good that you're using a Mini specialist, one would hope they are capable of safely replacing the balljoints, which I'm sure they will be if you've successfully used them in the past.
We're not having a go- just want you to be back on the road safely. You did also ask whether we thought the quote of £110 was reasonable too, and we gave our opinions.
Good luck!

[Remylebleu]

Ask him how he laps in the ball joints, that may get an interesting answer ?

it was aimed at that comment

not you boycie, i just assumed everyone took their mini's to mini specialists as like you said about mechs under 25, they dont have the exp. just didnt like the way the thread was going with the sniping comments seen as i didnt actually say what garage i was using thats all, didnt think there was any need for it, theres 3 other people i speak to on here and they all use the garage and swear by the place....www.oldskoolminis.co.uk

and i do appreciate the help, as i dont know alot about minis, im 23 and been driving minis for 3 years, so the only things i know are the things that have gone wrong.....thankfully not alot!

[Boycie]

Don't worry about any comments!!! Everyone has an opinion and frequently express them over the internet !

I have heard much positive feedback about old school minis so think you should be fine, the quote does seem a little cheap but just see how it goes, I'm sure they will not let it out again unless it is safe- they may 'find' the odd thing while it's apart, which may bump the price up but it will be worth it when you're back on the road

[Remylebleu]

God invented humans

Internet invented Keyboard warriors

he said to me, that obviously other things could of and probably will of gone wrong (like i need a new tyre) which will result in 2 tyres lol so im expecting to pay £200

i just said to check the whole front end and make sure its all fine because there could of been other things wrong before this happens or things that are wearing out

it could be so cheap because he wont have to take anything apart.....i did all that for him hahaha

[Cosford Cowboy]

It wasnt a sniping comment, it was a comment based on experience.

[Cosford Cowboy]

Don't of course forget the old adage, "you get what you pay for"

[Remylebleu]

dropped the mini off this morning, the hub is f**ked aswell so thats going to be replaced, the owner was still adamant it was £110 plus £30 labour for removing my new bearings from the old hub and fitting them to the new hub

Don't of course forget the old adage, "you get what you pay for"

thats sniping....now your assuming the job wont be done properly because the price is cheap, youve just contradicted yourself.

[cooperrodeo]

God did not invent humans. Humans invented God.