Ball joints and track rod joints new MOT regs

[alan_thomas]

From January 2012 a split boot will mean an MOT failure in the UK.
This new reg caught me out when I took my Merc SLK for its MOT last week. The centre joint on the steering tiebar had a split in the boot, no wear only a split boot - so the MOT tester failed it. The part is not available from 'Eurospares' or 'German and Swedish' or any other parts supplier so I had to go to the main dealer - £320 inc VAT! - think again.
I found these guys

www.balljointboots.co.uk

bought a trade pack of 20 (mixed 4 diff sizes) for under £20, delivered next day.

Fitted boot and bingo MOT pass and £300 still in my pocket! plus lots of spare boots for the Stag / friends etc

Worth remembering as their site has all the sizes.

- Alan

[dasadrew]

What a fantastic site Alan! Thanks! Over here we have a rodent called a Marder which sharpens its teeth on vehicle rubber parts (coolant hoses, spark plug cables, steering rack gaiters and..... balljoint boots!!)

Drew

[jakesmig]

What a fantastic site Alan! Thanks! Over here we have a rodent called a Marder which sharpens its teeth on vehicle rubber parts (coolant hoses, spark plug cables, steering rack gaiters and..... balljoint boots!!)

Drew

I thought a Marder was a german tank!

[dasadrew]

I thought a Marder was a german tank!

You're not wrong - they're all named after animals! Leopard, Weasel, Marder etc.

mardkabel.jpg

[marshman]

From January 2012 a split boot will mean an MOT failure in the UK.
This new reg caught me out when I took my Merc SLK for its MOT last week. The centre joint on the steering tiebar had a split in the boot, no wear only a split boot - so the MOT tester failed it. The part is not available from 'Eurospares' or 'German and Swedish' or any other parts supplier so I had to go to the main dealer - £320 inc VAT! - think again.
I found these guys

www.balljointboots.co.uk

bought a trade pack of 20 (mixed 4 diff sizes) for under £20, delivered next day.

Fitted boot and bingo MOT pass and £300 still in my pocket! plus lots of spare boots for the Stag / friends etc

Worth remembering as their site has all the sizes.

- Alan

Thanks Alan - good prices on the trade pack - just bought one myself.

Roger

[Danny]

Alan,

Thanks for the info - just bought myself a mixed pack.

Danny

[WealdenManinKent]

What a fantastic site Alan! Thanks! Over here we have a rodent called a Marder which sharpens its teeth on vehicle rubber parts (coolant hoses, spark plug cables, steering rack gaiters and..... balljoint boots!!)

Drew

Shoot the Marder lol

[dasadrew]

Shoot the Marder lol

Protected species .......... probably at the behest of the manufacturers of rubber vehicle components!

[Princejohny]

You're not wrong - they're all named after animals! Leopard, Weasel, Marder etc.

Thanks for the animal info Drew. I used to convert and scratchbuild Airfix models in my teens. A few still survive. I found a German Hummel SPG and you're right. It means Bumble Bee!

Only had these remaining models to hand because I couldn't resist buying an Airfix kit from a closing down model shop, last week. Haven't made one for 35 years...
Johny
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[dasadrew]

Amazing Johny! We share an identical past interest! In fact, one of my first "conversions" of an Airfix kit which I did as a lad using the Airfix Magazine was that of a T-34 to an SU-85 like in your pic I think. I went on to do modelmaking professionally, but about 10 years ago I threw in the towel to do 1:1 scale hobbies. Wrote a big article for the now defunct Scale Models magazine too!

[Princejohny]

Amazing Johny! We share an identical past interest! In fact, one of my first "conversions" of an Airfix kit which I did as a lad using the Airfix Magazine was that of a T-34 to an SU-85 like in your pic I think. I went on to do modelmaking professionally, but about 10 years ago I threw in the towel to do 1:1 scale hobbies. Wrote a big article for the now defunct Scale Models magazine too!

The Soviet SPG was actually my first conversion, Drew. I didn't have any fancy plasticard, just left over balsa wood from Keilkraft glider kits. My favourite is the Panther converted into a recovery vehicle in the second pic. Saw it first as 1/35 diarama in Military Modelling and decided to make my own in 1/72.
I had a 3x6 foot model terrain in my bedroom complete with bombed out houses etc. I really wanted to do model making having seen some of the stuff done for Sci Fi films but dad said I had to go to Uni...

[dasadrew]

.....I really wanted to do model making having seen some of the stuff done for Sci Fi films .........

Yeah, as I recall, I was too drunk for modelmaking during my Uni years!

Film Studio stuff would break your heart. I spent a couple of months after work hours in the Bavaria Film Studios doing a robot for the film "Enemy Mine". The scene where my robot would have appeared was scrubbed from the storyboard, but they needed technological "junk" for another scene, so it got mangled in the interests of the film

Good thing about the work was the money and you could walk around the film sets as you got a security pass.

[Princejohny]

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I thought a Marder was a german tank!

Knew I made a Marder at one point. I sold it to my mate who still has it 30 odd years later. Scale 1/35 and made mainly of cardboard.
Johny

[keeny]

Thanks for the info Alan great find
Keeny