MOT Fail! Lower Suspension Arm Bushings

[Rolfe]

I would hope so, but I'm glad I had checked.

 

[salty]

I would hope so, but I'm glad I had checked.

Definitely.

 

[mg4mc]

Mine just passed its first MOT today - no issues, but only 20,000 (exactly!) miles on it.

 

[siteguru]

.. which is about 6k more miles than mine.

 

[WigglePig]

Ok, maybe I don't understand what "debonding" is then. Mine was listed as "bush excessively worn". Possibly that's just the available MOT category they can use?

Worn bushes will usually show surface wear or splitting/cracking to the rubber part itself but should not be coming away from the (usually metal) casement. If the rubber part shows signs of coming away from the metal casement then that is debonding. Even at high mileage the rubber should not come away from the casement.

 

[tsedge]

Worn bushes will usually show surface wear or splitting/cracking to the rubber part itself but should not be coming away from the (usually metal) casement. If the rubber part shows signs of coming away from the metal casement then that is debonding. Even at high mileage the rubber should not come away from the casement.

Ok, that's helpful, thank you.

What causes the debonding then?

 

[Lovemyev]

When speaking to the guy at our local independent MOT station last year, he made it perfectly clear that MOT testers communicate with each other on a regular basis.
Probably via an official closed off forum, a bit similar to this I guess.
Here they can chat and exchange information and issues that they come across on a day to day basis etc.
Once they start to pick up on a common problem occurring on a certain makes / models, the word travels fast.
A close long term friend of mine, recently retired after owning his own garage / MOT station for many years, once told me that as soon as a car presents for an MOT he already knows which items to pay close attention too.
He then started to reel off certain makes and models and what they usually fail on !.
Years ago my daughter bought a Ford KA ( yeah I know ).
First MOT both top suspension strut bushes needed replacing, the rubber bonded coating that is attached to the steel bush, starts to peel back from the steel housing and they fail it.
He told me it was likely to fail, as he put the car up on the ramp.
“They only last about two to three years here said, be prepared to replace them regularly” and I did !.
It was not a massive job, couple of hours I guess ?.
Did not matter if you used the OEM or aftermarket parts, the MOT guys were all over it !.
I would replace them before taking it for the MOT and throw the old ones in the boot as evidence.
It just saved time in the long run !.
The newer Ford KA and Fiat 500 are the same car, but with a different body shell really.
Common failure point here, lower suspension arms are a regular failure point.
The whole front bumper cover and chassis extension arms etc have be removed, just to gain access to one bolt that has to removed as part of the process, poor design !.
The list goes on and on unfortunately.

 

[dawson2099]

My MOT yesterday had an advisory on the front suspension - NS front bush starting to debond - no excessive movement - 36 months anniversary in 2 weeks! Probably not going to get this covered by warranty but I will call and ask.

 

[Rolfe]

Add that to the MOT thread.

Thread 'First MOT, phase one MG4s'

Monday at 4:31 PM

What it says on the tin. The phase one cars are going through their first MOTs now and a couple of people have had problems. This is to try to gauge how common these actually are, maybe get people thinking about a pre-MOT check before something suddenly rears its head five minutes before that particular warranty runs out. Please say whether your car is an SE SR, an SE LR or a Trophy in your comment.

If you have had any advisories please say what these were, also if your car has failed on something other than the suspension issue.

ETA: It would also be helpful if people could state their...

• Rolfe
• mg4 mot phase one se lr se sr suspension issue trophy warranty
• Replies: 24
• Forum: MG4 EV (2022 to 2025) Forum

• 

 

[OriginalBigAl]

My MOT yesterday had an advisory on the front suspension - NS front bush starting to debond - no excessive movement - 36 months anniversary in 2 weeks! Probably not going to get this covered by warranty but I will call and ask.

The horrors of an advisory notice ! You know it will need doing in the future, you can guess that within the warranty period the dealer will say " well its not failed " so hard cheese. Its on the official record so will knock back any trade in value unless you pay t have it done , a private buyer will surely pick it up as a bargaining chip. Much better to have it failed and then pass it back to the dealer.

 

[gary333]

My MOT yesterday had an advisory on the front suspension - NS front bush starting to debond - no excessive movement - 36 months anniversary in 2 weeks! Probably not going to get this covered by warranty but I will call and ask.

Try and get in as quick as you can as the warranty requires the parts to be identified and fix performed before expiry date.

Although, i'd be arguing that 3 years should be 3 years to be raised, the turnaround time of the dealers is terrible so why should consumer lose out.

 

[tsedge]

My MOT yesterday had an advisory on the front suspension - NS front bush starting to debond - no excessive movement - 36 months anniversary in 2 weeks! Probably not going to get this covered by warranty but I will call and ask.

Worth trying, they are covered up to 36 months and 45,000 miles. It will fail next year for sure.

I got both mine done under warranty even though one was just an advisory, but I had to make a big fuss.

 

[tsedge]

Following up, I have now heard back from MG customer services and I'm impressed.

They have authorised a compensation payment (I won't disclose the amount) for the issues I have suffered - note there were six different issues I have had over my time with the car, this isn't just for the lower arms issue.

I am satisfied.

Combining this with:

• Ratings for dealers now directly affect their bonuses and low scores get investigated by MG UK.
• The new UK guaranteed like-for-like unlimited time courtesy car if your MG is recovered by the AA and off the road for repairs.
• Other customer services improvements we should hear about soon (look for announcements in the press).

I am now having to revise my view about MG aftersales. It is clear that they are now investing in improving the experience.

Problems remain with overloaded dealers and some bad ones but I think they are serious about turning around their image and offering a better service than premium marques, in time.... it isn't here yet.

 

[jamakr4]

Following up, I have now heard back from MG customer services and I'm impressed.

They have authorised a compensation payment (I won't disclose the amount) for the issues I have suffered. I am satisfied.

Combining this with:

• Ratings for dealers now directly affect their bonuses and low scores get investigated by MG UK.
• The new UK guaranteed like-for-like unlimited time courtesy car if your MG is recovered by the AA and off the road for repairs.
• Other customer services improvements we should hear about soon (look for announcements in the press).

I am now having to revise my view about MG aftersales. It is clear that they are now investing in improving the experience.

Problems remain with overloaded dealers and some bad ones but I think they are serious about turning around their image and offering a better service than premium marques, in time.... it isn't here yet.

Hopefully in Germany as well

 

[tsedge]

Hopefully in Germany as well

That will be up to MG Germany or whoever is the local agent?

 

[Matt x power]

My MOT yesterday had an advisory on the front suspension - NS front bush starting to debond - no excessive movement - 36 months anniversary in 2 weeks! Probably not going to get this covered by warranty but I will call and ask.

That should be fixed under warranty no ifs or buts

 

[jamakr4]

That will be up to MG Germany or whoever is the local agent?

Service is rock bottom here (aside from some dealers that are actually very good). My experience is 3/4 that I tried were total trash - Going to try number 5 in September.

But to be fair Mercedes wasn't really better - 2/2 were trash as well.. I think this is a general problem over here where I live with stealer/dealerships

 

[tsedge]

Yes, lots of horror stories from BMW and Mercedes dealerships over here too. It seems premium isn't always premium service.

 

[MG Clive]

Following up, I have now heard back from MG customer services and I'm impressed.

They have authorised a compensation payment (I won't disclose the amount) for the issues I have suffered - note there were six different issues I have had over my time with the car, this isn't just for the lower arms issue.

I am satisfied.

Combining this with:

• Ratings for dealers now directly affect their bonuses and low scores get investigated by MG UK.
• The new UK guaranteed like-for-like unlimited time courtesy car if your MG is recovered by the AA and off the road for repairs.
• Other customer services improvements we should hear about soon (look for announcements in the press).

I am now having to revise my view about MG aftersales. It is clear that they are now investing in improving the experience.

Problems remain with overloaded dealers and some bad ones but I think they are serious about turning around their image and offering a better service than premium marques, in time.... it isn't here yet.

Great news @tsedge, so has the decision now changed to Megane / Born / Urban.

 

[salty]

Great news @tsedge, so has the decision now changed to Megane / Born / Urban.

If he's seen Miles's video. Could be Urban.
Although perhaps a tad expensive, but would be Brand new.