Linkage ball joint dust cover insecure on the Audi A3
Linkage ball joint dust cover insecure on the Audi A3 is recorded on 21,311 tests — 1.5% of all its MOT tests, against 0.6% across every car in the data. That is 2.5× the national share.
Is this unusual for this model?
| Compared with | What it says |
|---|---|
| Every car in the data | 0.6% of tests record it — this model is 2.5× that share |
| The 233 models compared | 38 of 233, highest first |
| The model's own record | 1,454,375 tests · every year of the A3 → |
A share of tests is not a probability for your car: it counts every Audi A3 tested, whatever its mileage, service history and use. The like-for-like comparison on the model page is the fairer number.
Year by year
In 2000, 0.3% of this model's tests recorded it; in 2014, 0.3%. The share has barely moved over that time. Worst year 2006 at 1.8%; best 2002 at 0.3%.
| Year | Failures recorded | Tests | Share of tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6 | 2,129 | 0.3% |
| 2001 | 15 | 3,331 | 0.5% |
| 2002 | 13 | 4,763 | 0.3% |
| 2003 | 71 | 6,262 | 1.1% |
| 2004 | 393 | 27,610 | 1.4% |
| 2005 | 841 | 62,078 | 1.4% |
| 2006 | 1,632 | 93,164 | 1.8% |
| 2007 | 1,970 | 112,766 | 1.8% |
| 2008 | 2,441 | 144,392 | 1.7% |
| 2009 | 2,831 | 169,788 | 1.7% |
| 2010 | 2,937 | 189,046 | 1.6% |
| 2011 | 2,722 | 161,722 | 1.7% |
| 2012 | 2,222 | 190,512 | 1.2% |
| 2013 | 1,364 | 194,258 | 0.7% |
| 2014 | 937 | 267,958 | 0.3% |
Years with fewer than 0.2% of tests recording the item are left out: a year with two failures in 400 tests is noise, and this table is not here to make noise look like a trend.
What it costs
A typical UK repair for this item is £18–£45 fitted. It is a job a careful owner can do at home. What the part is, and what to buy →
Prices are typical UK supply-and-fitting estimates, not quotes. What happens if it fails covers the retest rules.
Where this sits
- Linkage ball joint dust cover insecure: every model, every year → — the item's own page, with the part guide.
- Audi A3 MOT pass rate by year → — the model's whole record, and what else it fails on.
- Every Audi model →