MOT Fail :-( track rod ball joint cover deteriorated etc

[rhino-wayne]

Hi folks, my dearest Bongo failed it's MOT today....ADs can do the works for £530 (eek ..)

Before trolling the forum & members fact sheets, I was Just wondering how "easy" is it to do the following works & if any one can provide hints/tips/links/photos/ share their experience or should I just stick with ADS
Ideally I'd like to do as much DIY as possible (one of the main reasons of buying a Bongo).......

My baby failed on:

x2 Track rod end ball joint dust cover excessively deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt.
x2 front suspension arm ball joint dust cover excessively " " " " " " " " " " ".
Nearside front anti-roll bar has excessive play in a ball joint.
Rear brake pads need replacing
parking brake lever has no reserve travel

thx in advance folks

Wayne

[mikexgough]

This may help..... from a Jap owner

[mentaliss]

Hi folks, my dearest Bongo failed it's MOT today....ADs can do the works for £530 (eek ..)

Before trolling the forum & members fact sheets, I was Just wondering how "easy" is it to do the following works & if any one can provide hints/tips/links/photos/ share their experience or should I just stick with ADS
Ideally I'd like to do as much DIY as possible (one of the main reasons of buying a Bongo).......

My baby failed on:

x2 Track rod end ball joint dust cover excessively deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt.
x2 front suspension arm ball joint dust cover excessively " " " " " " " " " " ".
Nearside front anti-roll bar has excessive play in a ball joint.
Rear brake pads need replacing
parking brake lever has no reserve travel

thx in advance folks

Wayne

I had an 'advisory' as same as you for track rod end dust covers, Mazda quoted £8.00 each for the dust covers. The lower wishbone ball joint...wait for it, Mazda don't supply just the ball joint ..got to buy the whole wishbone!

[mikexgough]

I had an 'advisory' as same as you for track rod end dust covers, Mazda quoted £8.00 each for the dust covers. The lower wishbone ball joint...wait for it, Mazda don't supply just the ball joint ..got to buy the whole wishbone!

Correct..... although OHNO 5925 do the lower wishbone ball joint covers now, they started doing them in May 2012.... Obviously... a cover will suffice if and I say IF the joint is okay and the cover is caught early enough so as not to have allowed water/dirt ingress into the joint..... if the grease is washed out and dirt gets in the joint, then it's game over....new joint.
I have seen some wishbones sans joint.... and I see some joints on evilbay.... how compatible they are they jury is out.... Looking at the wishbones... they are decent enough to press out old joint and in with a new one...plus replace the bushes too.

[mentaliss]

I had an 'advisory' as same as you for track rod end dust covers, Mazda quoted £8.00 each for the dust covers. The lower wishbone ball joint...wait for it, Mazda don't supply just the ball joint ..got to buy the whole wishbone!

Correct..... although OHNO 5925 do the lower wishbone ball joint covers now, they started doing them in May 2012.... Obviously... a cover will suffice if and I say IF the joint is okay and the cover is caught early enough so as not to have allowed water/dirt ingress into the joint..... if the grease is washed out and dirt gets in the joint, then it's game over....new joint.
I have seen some wishbones sans joint.... and I see some joints on evilbay.... how compatible they are they jury is out.... Looking at the wishbones... they are decent enough to press out old joint and in with a new one...plus replace the bushes too.

OK mike, sorry for my ignorance OHNO 5925????? I need to sort this now as I don't want the added expense of changing main parts, frustrating though isn't it, that Bongos need these replacements after ten years and retrospective LOW mileage's, my other cars are roughly the same age as my bongo but their UK build (when we could manufacture our OWN product) , never had to change any joints, brings me back down to earth as to what the truth of the bongo is, over rated!

[321Away]

All of those bits are diy'able, the hardest will be the lower ball joint, especially if you go down the replacing the just ball joint not the whole lower arm, the rest are no bother at all, rear pads and parking (hand brake) can be done at the same time, at the front drop links and track rod ends. The price you've been quoted is quite steep, assumedly the're using all original Mazda parts, which if you do it yourself and by using a few after market brands you'll slash that price hugely depending on which route you follow with the lower/ball joint

Julian

[rhino-wayne]

Hi folks, thanks to you all for your input.

I'll start with the easier stuff and see how I get on...& then take back to ADS if there are any left overs!

Time to order some parts...

[mikexgough]

OHNO 5925 is the company name for a producer of ball joint and track rod end covers.... they now (just)do them for the Bongo's lower ball joint....
As for Bongo's needing joints and or wishbones..... they are not alone since the new MOT regs for 2012..... 90% of failures now are ball joint covers/ball joints/Track rod ends when before they used to advise....
There are cars out there 3 years old failing so the Bongo is no more bother than any other vehicle.... if you have an MX 5 or Citroen/Peugeot et al you can get away with just bolting on a new joint rather than changing the whole wishbone... but still they are making cars with wishbones and pressed in joints.... So don't be surprised if you visit the MOT shop and find a perished or split ball joint cover on one of your other cars and that equals a fail

One other thing to remember with Ball joint/drop link covers which are "set" in one position for lengths of time....they deteriorate and where the compression spots are will perish then split....


OK mike, sorry for my ignorance OHNO 5925????? I need to sort this now as I don't want the added expense of changing main parts, frustrating though isn't it, that Bongos need these replacements after ten years and retrospective LOW mileage's, my other cars are roughly the same age as my bongo but their UK build (when we could manufacture our OWN product) , never had to change any joints, brings me back down to earth as to what the truth of the bongo is, over rated![/quote]

[Northern Bongolow]

ian has all the info you may need regarding the quality of the parts available to replace the front end components.
lets just say you deffo do get what you pay for in this instance.

i will bring the cut up components to the bash if anyone wants to look.

[Simon B]

I'm just back from my local garage with my Bongo to have a knock at the front investigated.
Turns out the front drop links I had fitted in January for the MOT have failed already And the OSF ball joint boot fitted at the same time is perishing too.

I bought the parts and the garage fitted them should I be contacting the supplier for a refund?

Also on the list of things to do - NSF ball joint boot split, NSF CV boot split and NSF steering rack boot split.


So which of the above parts are available as genuine Mazda parts? And if not who supplies the best non-Mazda bits????

[rhino-wayne]

I'm just back from my local garage with my Bongo to have a knock at the front investigated.
Turns out the front drop links I had fitted in January for the MOT have failed already And the OSF ball joint boot fitted at the same time is perishing too.

I bought the parts and the garage fitted them should I be contacting the supplier for a refund?

Also on the list of things to do - NSF ball joint boot split, NSF CV boot split and NSF steering rack boot split.


So which of the above parts are available as genuine Mazda parts? And if not who supplies the best non-Mazda bits????

Where did you buy the parts?

[Simon B]

Auto Jap Spares/Mazda Bongo Shop

[rhino-wayne]

found these rubber boots/covers on feebay....anyone replaced just the covers?? assuming the joint was oK?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ball-Joint-Bo ... 1004wt_952

[teenmal]

found these rubber boots/covers on feebay....anyone replaced just the covers?? assuming the joint was oK?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ball-Joint-Bo ... 1004wt_952

Some here also.

http://www.rhinorubber.co.uk/LBJC.html

[mikexgough]

I tried some as I stock 'em..... no where near a fit.... like the Rhino ones.... no where near...
I also got some other samples....close in centre hole and large hole BUT the lip inside the large hole is too big for the Mazda joint to seal correctly.....

found these rubber boots/covers on feebay....anyone replaced just the covers?? assuming the joint was oK?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ball-Joint-Bo ... 1004wt_952