Can anyone explain where these parts are ? and are these prices ok

[deanos]

Ok so i have had a service and been advised the following work is required soon, firstly does the price seem reasonable, and secondly im not exactly sure what bits that are replacing

Steering Arm, Front , Worn, Play in both front inner rack ends £73.95 (price is to change both sides)

Suspension Arms, Rear, Worn , Play in both front inner rack ends, Play in both rear hub tie bars £81.71 (price is to change both sides)

[vxpenfold]

tbh the prices seem pretty fair, the first one parts are likely to be between £30-40 for both sides and is worth atleast an hours labour i would say so not bad there,

if the bottom one is for the upper rear track control arms ( also known as c arms or banana arms) then again not a bad price, parts about likely to be atleast £40 and its not the world nicest job to do

the first part is the think that looks like a drum stick that screws into the steering rack and onto which the track rod ends screw ( proper name is a track rod but often called tie rods or rack ends to avoid confusion with track rod ends, even motor factors confuse the 2 and they do it regularly, trust me) it is a very very common part to wear on the vectras.

the second one has been worded a bit wafty but i think they are talking about the the upper rear track control arms, the name says it all really, one of the main suspension arms that supports the rear hub, again a very very common wear point on the vectras. you may have been getting a knock from the rear and a slight unsteady feeling in the rear end

[deanos]

ahh cool, thanks for the info, will get it booked in, MOT is due in August and i presume it may fail on those bits so might as well get it done now

[vxpenfold]

i have seen alot more charged for those jobs and there should only be a couple hours labour on that which i would say is very conservative, my place would probably charge 3 hours for that which even at our deal rate of £50 an hour is nigh on what they have quoted, just make sure that the price for the track rods includes a tracking check and adjust afterwards

[deanos]

I will check on the tracking , sending them an email now

Oh also forgot they mentioned brake fluid needs changing £30 due to poor condition

[vxpenfold]

with a brake fluid change make sure they actually do it properly, ive seen, at vx, someone just use a sucker thing to remove the old fluid from the reservoir, top it up and then wet around the bleed nipples to make it look like its been done!!!! the actual stuff that is in the circuit that you rely on was still crap. and this was the normal procedure!!! i got treated like a idiot for suggesting it may be a good idea to do it properly !!!!! but it is worth doing if it hasnt been done in the last couple years or its looking dark as it can not only induce early brake fade but also corrosion of brake system components