CV Joints

[Ivano]

Does anybody know if CV Joints are expensive to replace and if so how much??

Has anyone had to replace CV Joints on their cars outside warranty??? I think my KW Coilovers have destroyed them as i am getting all kinds of bad noises coming from the front ie crashing and the steering feels loose.. I am going to book in to Dealership to be looked at but i am very very worried

The last time the car was in at dealership they reckoned that one of my Ball Joints had movement in it and they would not cover under warranty because i had Aftermarket Suspension and it would cost me £139 + VAT

I am worried that if it is CV related i am going to be hit with a huge bill.. and i will learn a lesson as to WHY NOT MODIFY WITHIN WARRANTY....

I may even go down the JCW Suspension route now and get rid of the Coilovers... as i no longer have my OEM Sports Suspension as binned it as was cluttering up garage.

Has anyone had fitted JCW Suspension fitted at a later date as this will prob cost alot for Labour i would imagine?. MINI Recommend 5 hours fitting plus a KDS. What is the average dealership labour charge?? Does anyone know. I have phoned a couple of dealerships for a labour fee and surprise surprise nobody calls me back...

Any help on the above would be much appreciated..

[Sweeney]

If its standard mini suspension or mini fitted jcw suspension, go to a dealer who don't know about the coilovers and claim warranty... Im assuming its still within the warranty period?

[Ivano]

I was thinking about that. Going back to standard by replacing the Coilovers with the JCW Suspension first and if i still encounter a problem with noises/loose steering put the car back in to another dealership (as you said Sweeney) and then they may replace anything under warranty due to the fact that JCW items will then be fitted.. It is a bit sneaky i suppose.

Any idea on 5 hour labour costs at dealerships??

[Sweeney]

Sneaky? pah! lol

Erm theres no set going rate, each dealer charges what they want, expect something along the lines of £40~60 an hour, perhaps more? I checked all my previous invoices and it's not itemised...

Is the car still within its 3 year warranty period?

[Ivano]

Yeah Warranty runs out November of this year

[Sweeney]

Phone up a dealer, who doesn't know about your suspension mods and tell them whats happening... Providing it still happens with MINI suspension on it. Ask them if you can book it in for warranty inspection/replacement

And that should be that, although chances are they won't find the faults anyway lol

[KenL]

Yeah Warranty runs out November of this year

Have you tried speaking to whoever fitted your current suspension?

Perhaps they are responsible for your problems?

[Sweeney]

Think it was himself?

[Ivano]

It was LOHEN who fitted it last year... And they are over 4 hours drive away so that is no good..

One of the disadvantages of travelling so far to have work done on the car i guess

[KenL]

It was LOHEN who fitted it last year... And they are over 4 hours drive away so that is no good..

One of the disadvantages of travelling so far to have work done on the car i guess

You could always phone and ask for their advice.

[fireman01]

hi m8,if you take the car to a big car park,turn full lock and try acclerating,doesnt need to be to much speed,does the cv make a clicking noise,try it both ways,if you get the clicking this is usually a cv joint,bangs and rattles are usually bushes balljoints etc,possible wheel bearing,hope this helps

[stoney]

why not just put in 2 the dealer and see what they say !!!!

[stoney]

also have you checked your wheels are on right this can make a knocking nosie if they are loose

[Ivano]

I am going to book in tomorrow... Hope they show a bit of interest as they don't tend to be that helpful when they notice Mods and are quite happy just to put it all down to Aftermarket Suspension...

It could be that the Ball Joints have got worse since last time in at dealership as they said there was slight movement on the near side ball joint about a month ago when i first reported the problem but it was not significant enough to replace.

It would cost £139 + VAT to replace they said as would not cover me under warranty... No Surprises

Hopefully it is just this and not more serious. As Fireman1 said cv joints click when they broken.

The clunking from steering is probably down the fairly common steering column failure so i will get them to look at also....

Fingers crossed :rolleyes:

[Sweeney]

If its the same dealer that knows about your coilovers etc then prepare to be humped :o