ABS sensor price query (non VAG).

[Mr Sands 0]

Evening all,

 

Just thought I'd run this question past all the knowledgeable sorts on here, even if it is for the missus' cheap and cheerful Perodua Myvi (yes, I know).

 

ABS light started coming on intermittently in all the snow. I said to her that it'd almost certainly be a sensor, quite possibly just gunked up and needing a clean etc. It went out to the "dealership" to get hooked up for diagnosis. I say dealership; I mean the tinpot garage that majors in minibus hire and just so happens to be the local agent for selling and servicing imported Malaysian wattle and daub mobiles. Still, you'd struggle to find any similarly spec'd brand new cars for anything like the price, so it's a case of beggars can't be choosers.

 

Anyhow, the team there eventually scanned it and diagnosed an ABS sensor being knackered. Cue a wait for the part, a journey out there to drop the car off and a return the following day to find they'd done nothing to the car as they'd "ordered the wrong part". If a phrase about a drinking session in a brewery springs to mind, you're halfway to how inept these people are. However, you try finding Perodua parts elsewhere...

 

Anyway, to cut a long story short, today we get home to an answer phone message letting us know that ordering the correct ABS sensor will now jack the price from a predicted £60 (a pretty fair ballpark figure to my mind) to £180 (seems rather steep).

 

Thought I'd ask people their thoughts on this. I know the price of ABS sensors depends on manufacturers and can vary enormously but this still seemed on the high side to say the least. I wouldn't necessarily have queried this but this bunch of clowns have messed the gf around so much that I listened in via the speakerphone and don't want the gf to pay them a penny more until I've at least investigated possible prices. I got her to ask the front of house woman to call back tomorrow after getting the part no. from the mechanics, to see if I could source it more cheaply/see if the Daihatsu Sirion part is interchangeable (same car effectively).

 

You'll see why I'm querying this one when I tell you that I had a hard time keeping silent on the speakerphone when the silly bint front of house was telling the gf "If it were me, I'd just leave it". When the gf, briefed by me about ABS issues told the woman that the light would be an MOT failure, the woman proceeded to tell Sally that this wouldn't in fact be the case, if the brakes worked fine. Not only that but their minibuses often have this problem but pass fine. Given that she was talking about "taking the bulb out" and she works for them, it gives you some idea of the organisation here.

 

This is the place by the way that recently gave the gf's three year old Myvi its first M.O.T.! :pale:

 

So over to anyone who might happen to have any kind of contact with a Perodua parts catalogue (talk about longshots!) or an opinion about the price this tinpot place is proposing for the sensor: par for the course or taking the mick?

 

Thanks in advance of any sage counsel!

 

Ed.

[rsgntx 0]

which sensor are you talking about? there is more than one in the ABS system!

[Mr Sands 0]

Good point! :D

 

Based on what they've said so far, it's a sensor at the wheels but whether front or back, near or off side I don't know.

 

Was just looking to see what people reckoned about an average top whack price for any of those (if such a thing exists)?

 

I know it's all quite vague at the moment but bear in mind the vagueness I'm trying to interpret at the feckless dealership end of things. As yet I've never seen a mechanic out there, much less talked to one.

[rsgntx 0]

well sounds as if you need to find a new place to take your car!! let us know which one of the sensors has gone and i think you'll get a good response on what your options are...

[Mr Sands 0]

Cheers chap. What would I do without the forum for a bit of common sense? :notworthy:

 

I did join the Perodua Myvi owners forum in search of help...it's all written by Malaysians in spam like English. I had a wonderfully entertaining half an hour there. I left more confused about the car mind.

 

Oh, and well ahead of you on the somewhere new to take the car bit. From now on, it's always going to my friendly local village mechanic, a real diamond who did whatever I needed until DG opened up.

[rsgntx 0]

:thumb right: my vote goes with DG too :thumbleft:

[dr_mat 0]

I would say that VW would happily charge you £145 plus VAT for a rear ABS sensor for a VW Corrado, so there's your £180 right there.

Plus it's a question of labour. I don't know what their labour rates are like but I doubt it's less than £75 an hour (again plus VAT). Count an hour to refit a fiddly sensor and ..

[Mr Sands 0]

Thanks dr_mat, that's really helpful.

 

I should have said that this is exclusive of any labour, merely the cost of the part only.

 

I did think that £180 wasn't out of the question but just seemed to be on the high side, especially since a part of me presumed that Perodua (as a budget make) wouldn't be in a position to offer prices as high as VW.

 

Guess one should never be surprised at parts prices, whoever the company is!

[Mark_Storm 0]

Just had to replace both rear abs sensors which should have been £82+VAT each from an independent VW garage. Got them from GPC for £20 each. £180 sounds extortionate, especially for a budget brand part!