Failed my first MOT

[bobpies]

Ugh

So my car has been making 2 different noises

a knocking in the rear passenger side - noticible when going over potholes.
and a creaking noise - same side.

this has been for.... probably at least 18 months. Have been unable to trace down whats causing it.

Had it into ford whilst under warranty for them to check when it was in for its last service - they couldn't identify anything wrong.

Took it to a garage - they stripped the whole backside down - brakes off - tightened the drive shaft nut re assembled everything - tightened it all up - this eliminated the creaking noise for about an hour - everything else remained the same.

Took it to another garage - they said the drive shaft nut was super loose (i provided them with a new one but they were too scared of stripping the thread when trying to loosen it) - they did however tighten it and that seems to have successfully eliminated the creaking noise, so i can confirm that is from the drive shaft nut.

The knocking noise - still ever present - i asked the same garage to slacken and re tighten all the bushings - which they did - still no joy

Took it to yet another garage (for its service before the first MOT) - i had a thought that it might be the shocks - so asked them to flip the shocks in the rear to see if the knocking moved - and for them to have a hunt around in there to see if they could see anything wrong. - They said no problems with shocks and everything else looks good.

knocking noise still there.

Took it for its MOT - failed - broken passenger side rear spring.

How the hell - were Ford and 3 other garages unable to see that!!

Sponsored

 

[Kristian87]

That's terrible! How frustrating...but on the positive side, it's diagnosed now and is fixable. I know how mad the fear of the unknown can drive you!

How broken are we talking? Was it snapped? Surely must have been at one end if no one spotted it?

 

[Supersolo]

@bobpies

You don't seem to be having much luck lately.

Sorry about the MoT failure and the spring, hope you get it sorted soon.

 

[bobpies]

That's terrible! How frustrating...but on the positive side, it's diagnosed now and is fixable. I know how mad the fear of the unknown can drive you!

How broken are we talking? Was it snapped? Surely must have been at one end if no one spotted it?

gets better

i just jacked it up to snap a pic to send to eibach to see if i could see it or not

here is was the ford service department and 3 garages managed to miss when i told them there was a clunking when i went over pot holes.

 

[Kristian87]

Shocking. For what it's worth, a strongly worded email for Ford HQ might be worth your time. They have been known to offer £150 in vouchers for less terrible offences.

Doesn't have to be used for their services either, I spent mine on parts (upper grille and hood struts). Or you could get a new set of springs for that!

 

[raptor17GT]

that sounds like refund time from the other garages not to mention the right for you to stand outside of them and hurl abuse at them. Maybe they should be going on a trip to Barnard Castle ?

On the plus side, glad you have got it sorted though the possible stripped threads doesn't sound so good..

 

[hinch]

Shocking. For what it's worth, a strongly worded email for Ford HQ might be worth your time. They have been known to offer £150 in vouchers for less terrible offences.

Doesn't have to be used for their services either, I spent mine on parts (upper grille and hood struts). Or you could get a new set of springs for that!

they have also been known to offer zero to people that they've ran up an expenses bill of 12k for so you know maybe just buy some springs and fuck ford off totally

 

[Kristian87]

they have also been known to offer zero to people that they've ran up an expenses bill of 12k for so you know maybe just buy some springs and fuck ford off totally

Oh I agree. Had to really work to get anything out of them, more hassle than it's worth for most folks. But as I say, I've heard of them offering vouchers for much less.

 

[Harebear72]

are they standard springs or aftermarket ??

If standard I have a set in the garage that you can have but you would have to arrange to collect.

 

[V8_MOTOR]

I strongly believe in building relationships. Some of the best relationships I have built have come through just being calm and letting the people sort things out. I wasn't always like this!

Just send a polite email to Ford UK explaining the situation. I'm sure they will be more than helpful.

Eibach I think offer long warranty. 5 years so just get a replacement set of rears and ask Ford UK to fit it free of charge and and just be like can I also have some vouchers for the hassle and they will sort it out.

Kristian knows my style of dealing with people and he knows the benefits I get because of it. I have such a good relationship with the guys at Nottingham Dealership. The front bumper on mine was drilled when I had asked it not to be done via email etc. They had sent the right emails but I had already told them it wasn't a big deal. Take your time, let's get it fixed right and I'll still take the car today. A few months later. New bumper painted better than the factory one.

That was not the reaction of another customer they had accidently done the same thing to at the PDI location which isn't the dealership.

They expect you to be annoyed. Do better. We are all adults here.

 

[bobpies]

are they standard springs or aftermarket ??

If standard I have a set in the garage that you can have but you would have to arrange to collect.

thank you, but they aren’t the standard unfortunately

 

[hinch]

I strongly believe in building relationships. Some of the best relationships I have built have come through just being calm and letting the people sort things out. I wasn't always like this!

Just send a polite email to Ford UK explaining the situation. I'm sure they will be more than helpful.

Eibach I think offer long warranty. 5 years so just get a replacement set of rears and ask Ford UK to fit it free of charge and and just be like can I also have some vouchers for the hassle and they will sort it out.

Kristian knows my style of dealing with people and he knows the benefits I get because of it. I have such a good relationship with the guys at Nottingham Dealership. The front bumper on mine was drilled when I had asked it not to be done via email etc. They had sent the right emails but I had already told them it wasn't a big deal. Take your time, let's get it fixed right and I'll still take the car today. A few months later. New bumper painted better than the factory one.

That was not the reaction of another customer they had accidently done the same thing to at the PDI location which isn't the dealership.

They expect you to be annoyed. Do better. We are all adults here.

oh forever the optimist that simply won't work with ford they ignore you if you don't threaten legal action

 

[Gregs24]

oh forever the optimist that simply won't work with ford they ignore you if you don't threaten legal action

There are times for both approaches. If you always wade in don't expect to get much in the way of goodwill. As a business owner, all guns blazing from the start just pisses people off. Everybody makes mistakes ...

Incidentally that broken spring would not be visible from underneath on a ramp I suspect - not an excuse but maybe a reason ?

 

[V8_MOTOR]

oh forever the optimist that simply won't work with ford they ignore you if you don't threaten legal action

l have never had to do that.

oh forever the optimist that simply won't work with ford they ignore you if you don't threaten legal action

I have never had that experience with them. In fact they gave me vouchers when I didn't even think I deserved them.

 

[Bullitt66]

Incidentally that broken spring would not be visible from underneath on a ramp I suspect - not an excuse but maybe a reason ?

I do think that a lot of garages will follow your instructions to the letter. If you ask them to check a bush, they will do just that. Swap a shock, they will do just that.

it could be that it was identified but poor communication stopped the passing of technicians feedback back to the customer via reception. They’re busy especially if you’re collecting your car at close of business.
it could be poor technicians knowledge/ability/attitude.
having worked in a dealer, I’ve certainly experienced all these issues.
It might also be down to previous customers raging that their bill is higher than the quote and they won’t pay the difference. Once bitten...

who knows.. but my point is not all garages diagnose - some just do the bare minimum.

From my experience you need to find a garage that you can trust and that knows what they’re talking about. These sadly seem thin on the ground. Certainly my local Ford dealer doesn’t fit this category.

Definitely worth complaining though...

Sponsored