Hi All,

My 2011/12 Focus MK2 has failed its MOT due to the Airbag light warning, apparently on the passenger side. This has been a problem for a good while and it only just got through the last MOT. The mechanic has quoted around £600 for the part plus the labour to fix it, but suggested I may want to approach a Car Electrician as that may be a cheaper solution. Can anyone comment on this - it feels to me like a risk as the electrician will charge and may not be able to fix the issue, leaving me with a larger bill.

Is the problem more likely to be electrical rather than mechanical?

Thanks for any help, much appreciated.

Andy

2 minutes ago, Shabangle said:

...The mechanic has quoted around £600 for the part plus the labour to fix it...

Exactly what part have you been quoted for?

Hi Stephen, unfortunately he didn't say, just that it's £430 for the part (inc VAT, new from Ford) and £120 for the labour - he said the roof would need to come off and didn't look that keen to do the job, and suggested I could try an electrician. 

5 minutes ago, Shabangle said:

Is the problem more likely to be electrical rather than mechanical?

Well normally I'd say most safety restraint warnings are 80% electrical and 20% mechanical but in your case it would be a pure guess with out knowing what part(s) we are talking about.

Just now, unofix said:

Well normally I'd say most safety restraint warnings are 80% electrical and 20% mechanical but in your case it would be a pure guess with out knowing what part(s) we are talking about.

Hi Unofix, thanks for the reply and that's still pretty useful - I can call him and find out. He even recommended an electrician but that guy's on holiday and the MOT is due in the next fortnight!

1 minute ago, Shabangle said:

he said the roof would need to come off and didn't look that keen to do the job

The fire brigade are very good at that, but the car will be totally scarp afterwards !!

Possibly think he means the head lining so that possibly means a problem with the side air curtain

1 minute ago, unofix said:

The fire brigade are very good at that, but the car will be totally scarp afterwards !!

I was wondering that too... the roof?? LOL

Yes the previous MOT mechanic tried for ages to get the light to come off and it only worked at the very last minute... no such luck this time so have to bite the bullet with the fix. The previous mechanic also had little interest in actually doing the job, saying "it's a right hassle", so I don't doubt this latest mechanic. But thanks for your ideas and I'll try to find out the part.

Get back to us when you know whats needed. We may be able to offer some help

2012 Focus is most likely to be a Mk3...  Originally thought Cabriolet with the roof comment but there wasn't a Mk3 Cabriolet.   

If you can find out what part is needed, you may be able to bypass it with a resistor just to get through MOT.  Not suggesting that as a permanent fix though.

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

If you can find out what part is needed, you may be able to bypass it with a resistor just to get through MOT.  Not suggesting that as a permanent fix though.

Doesn't the light need to come on for a few seconds, then extinguish? The only reason I know this is because I have a friend who is an electrician, his old Honda had a dodgy AirBag light, so he rigged it so that it initially came on with ignition, but a timer turned it off after 5 seconds. Of course, that was a 'temporary' fix to get it through MOT, but admittedly, that was 7 years ago - he still has the car with that temporary fix LOL

Just now, StephenFord said:

Doesn't the light need to come on for a few seconds, then extinguish? The only reason I know this is because I have a friend who is an electrician, his old Honda had a dodgy AirBag light, so he rigged it so that it initially came on with ignition, but a timer turned it off after 5v seconds. Of course, that was a 'temporary' fix to get it through MOT, but admittedly, that was 7 years ago - he still has the car with that temporary fix LOL

Yes, and that's exactly what a resistor will do.  As long as it's the same resistance as the component that it's replacing, the SRS self-test function at start-up will see that the system as all working correctly, so no warning light.