MOT due

[Newbiee30]

Hi can anybody tell me the sort things that regularly need looking at on a E30 before taking my 318i for a MOT next month???

[maggspower]

hello there, best thing is to not let it fail on anything silly, like bulbs or washer fluid, so go through the car methodicaly. Check things like suspension bushes, dampers and springs. Steering for play and rack boots, rust is also something to bare in mind

Mot test are all to do with safty aspects, so aswell as the above seat belts, brake lines, pads, disks and performance, of the brakes that is, and make sure the hand brake will hold on a hill and is correctly adjusted.

Go to the test expecting to pass, as you now have to pay for a half retest, I've never understood people puting cars in that they know will fail:mad: as the test is in you best interest.

give the car a wash before you go, I reckon they go harder on a dirty one

good luck maggs

[Brianmoooore]

If an E30 is properly maintained, it should pass the MOT test year after year with no problems.
Rear steel brake lines rusty is a common failure, because a) eventually they will rust, and b) they are a pig to change.

[maggspower]

very true Brian, thats what my touring failed its last one on the long one from front to back, garage quoted £150 to fix, I smiled and as always i did it myself.

I later found that £150 would of been a bargain, one of the worst things i've done on a car, access is shall we say..........limited!!

Replaced in kunifer now should be ok for a while

[Newbiee30]

Thanks for the advice I know the front control bush look a little ropey they are not bad change, but I dont know what to look for on the rear suspension I have heard that certain parts can be expensive or hard to change!!


Also there is rust on the driverside rear wheel arch do you if that will be a failer too

[Morat]

The tricky bit on the rear is probably the rear subframe bushes which can be a git to get out. Not that I've done it myself - my local garage is well trained in the art now

[Newbiee30]

What sort of price do they charge to change them??

[maxfield]

Mine's due on Saturday, need 2 new rear tyres and a windscreen before then. Hopefully it should pass by then.

[harry_p]

rust, brakepipes / hoses and handbrake are probably the 3 main major mot fails on an e30, the rust and brakepipes are also the things you're less likely to know about in normal driving.

but yes, do a quick check of the simple obvious stuff before you go. nothing is more likely to make a tester give everything a thorough going over than knackered wipers and a couple of blown bulbs. a good pointer to how well the rest of the car has been looked after.

[Newbiee30]

The tricky bit on the rear is probably the rear subframe bushes which can be a git to get out. Not that I've done it myself - my local garage is well trained in the art now

How much did it cost to get bushes changed??

[grantfk10]

Mine's due on Saturday, need 2 new rear tyres and a windscreen before then. Hopefully it should pass by then.

hmm - wonder why it needs 2 new rear tyres

[Newbiee30]

Does anybody know of good and cheap BMW specialist in Bristol

[patch]

Tyres ,lights, rust ,and windscreen probably most common fails
suspension parts can be worn but must not be dangerous! movement should be "exessive"to fail
rust shuold fail if near a load bearing point like the seat belt mount or suspension( imagine an area like a football shape around each part )if its corroded it should fail

[StefanAnghel]

I need to do mine in the next week or so...
first thing was to change the rear springs (to short) back and shocks (leak)
I heard that if the headlamp adjuster doesn't work and have HIDs will fail
so I will put back the halogen bulbs and cover the light adjuster with some black tape
or should I remove the hole hydraulic system as the headlights have already the manual adjusters??
thanks guys!!
Should we do a sticky with the main thinks to check before MOT????

[Brianmoooore]

I heard that if the headlamp adjuster doesn't work and have HIDs will fail

You heard wrong!
The headlamps have to be correctly adjusted, just as they would with the original bulbs, but, as long as the HIDs focus properly and the beam cut off pattern is still correct, there is no difference in MOT requirements.

[daimlerman]

The tricky bit on the rear is probably the rear subframe bushes which can be a git to get out. Not that I've done it myself - my local garage is well trained in the art now

How much did it cost to get bushes changed??

I paid my local indipendant BMW specialist just over £100 per car.But I have heard of people being charged double that amount.

[Newbiee30]

Thank you Daimlerman is there any signs to look out for as my 318 tends to cluck sometimes on pull away and feels as though the rear axle is rocking:?:

[Newbiee30]

Went for the MOT and it failed on:

Both front wishbones and rear mounting bush

Rear axle beam bushes

are these easy things to change as they have quoted £180+Vat to do them

[stonesie]

Not a bad quote that. My wishbones were £50 each and rear bushes for them a bit over £25 the pair from BMW (bushes are less from the genuine parts section on here) so that was £125 to DIY just the front end.

I would ask how much it will be if you supply your own parts because with a quote like that it sounds like he will be using the lower quality parts, which usually don't last that long.

[Brianmoooore]

Rear beam bushes can be one of the worst jobs to do on an E30, if the old ones are solidly seized in place, and they often are!
Buy genuine BMW beam bushes from the zones 'genuine parts dept', and get yourself a pair of E30 M3 rear bushes for the front wishbones as well (note: these are priced as a pair).
Get a pair of 'best quality' wishbones from GSF/Eurocarparts, and you shouldn't have any trouble with these parts for many years.

[daimlerman]

Front wishbones and bushes are an easy DiY job,the difficult bit is the inner ball joint,you need one of those 'orrible 'tuning fork' style splitters.Wishbone bushes are straightforward,I have heard that M3 types are difficult to fit to the wishbone,I have polybushes on both my cars that were very easy to fit,just check twice and then again that you have the correct bush for the side of the car you are working on.The eccentric polybushes are 'handed',my set was marked for the 'Irish' market....rear beam bushes I would let the experts do,and smile through clenched teeth when you pay.As Brian has said,they seize onto the mount,the real DiY snag is safely supporting the rear of the car whilst you belt seven bells out of them.. look on the positive side,the tester OK'ed the rear brake pipes...

[Brianmoooore]

If anything, I find the M3 bushes easier to fit than the ordinary ones, since the force you're applying to the outer of the bush, via the lollipop, is transferred more towards sliding the bush on the pin, rather than wasted in twisting up rubber.
Inner ball joints are only difficult if you want to reuse them. Fork splitters are cheap, and one good whack will split the taper.
As for poly bushes - see 'Saxo', 'Corsa' or 'Nova'!!
Worth checking the rear brake pipes for any developing corrosion, as you'll never get a better chance to change them than when the beam is off.

[Newbiee30]

I have ball joint splitter does the wishbone come with new balljoints ?

How do you get the front wishbone bushes out, I have read that they need pressing out I dont have a workshop I was going to do it on my driveway (weather permiting)

[Brianmoooore]

The wishbones come complete with new ball joints, but without the rubber bush.
If the old bushes are badly worn, you should be able to rip the lollipop off complete with the outer part of the bush. Otherwise take the wishbone off complete with bush and seperate the two halves by destroying the rubber by any means you can. I use two hole saws; one that just fits inside the outer steel ring, and one that just fits over the inner steel ring.
Mount the lollipop in a vice and use a hacksaw (threaded through the centre) to nearly cut through the outer ring. Just before you cut right through it will collapse slightly, and can be pushed out.
Attack the inner ring with an angle grinder, then it too can easily be pulled off. There's a layer of rubber between the inner ring and the wishbone pin, so you won't hurt the pin.
Clean up the lollipop and pin with emery cloth.

Just remembered, you are fitting new wishbones, so ignore the second half of that!

[StefanAnghel]

Just failed my MOT because...

1-headlamps aim to low---Fixed
2-nearside front suspension has excessive play in a lower suspension ball joint
3-fuel tank leak--cause is full full (next time I'll go for Mot on the red)
4-exhaust emission CO2 content excessive
5-O/S rear parking brake recording little or no effort---Fixed

Car is 316i 1991 M40 engine

help and advices need it

Thanks in advance!!

[Morat]

The tricky bit on the rear is probably the rear subframe bushes which can be a git to get out. Not that I've done it myself - my local garage is well trained in the art now

How much did it cost to get bushes changed??

I paid my local indipendant BMW specialist just over £100 per car.But I have heard of people being charged double that amount.

Sorry for the slow reply. I don't really have an answer because the bill has always been for more than just the rear bushes. I'd say I'm paying more than £100 though.. more like £200 but he does use genuine parts for replacements. I reckon that most cheap quotes are from places that don't realise what they're letting themselves in for ;)