MOT failure

[Gazza61]

My Ford Fiesta has just failed it's MOT. One of the things it failed on is "Rear axle bushes worn and require replacement".
Haven't heard of this before -is this something to do with the rear suspension ?. Can someone tell me if this is due to carrying excess weight in the back ? The car has done 52,000 miles by the way. Also how big a job is it for a mechanic ?

[rd14962]

Axle bushes generally wear out and on a Fiesta it should be a cheap enough job to have done, i wouldn't think more than £40 or £50.
I don't think carrying passengers in the back would cause this, so you can't use that as an excuse not to take the mother in law out!

[AlBags]

You need to know which bushes are referred to.
Sounds like a quote from the MOT fail sheet.
Didn't they tell you? They probably will if you ring and speak to the tester.

[Andyvon]

If you can't do it yourself then just ask the MoT testers to replace them Gazza. The rubber bushes are cheap and it shouldn't be much for labour. They'll replace the perished bushes and you'll have your MoT. If you can afford it and intend to keep the car then it might be an idea to change all the bushes at the same time as they will probably all be starting to go. You won't have the same thing next year then.