1.5hrs is £90+vat at my local Citroen Indy. However, last time I did a bearing on a ZX, I removed the hub and took it, with a new bearing, to the nearest backstreet garage and he fitted it for £15 cash. This was 5 years ago mind, but I'm sure they'd all like to make a quick few bob without bothering the tax manRichardW wrote:My local garage only charged 1.5 hours labour to change the FWB on our Picasso - not worth getting the tools out at that rate!
The MA gearbox fitted to the 1.4 has a habit of lunching its final drive, so 2nd hand units are sought after. Having said that, this doesn't sound like a box failure to me - I'd be looking for a broken / worn engine mount (does the engine rock back and fore when revved?), or a broken pivot on the linkage somewhere.
As for the ZX box, I had a problem with a 1.4 (I had two TDs and a 1.4). It started jumping out of 5th on the motorway one day, and within 50 miles, it got stuck between gears and I coasted over to the hard shoulder. AA man said it was goosed, so I gave it to my brother. He rived at the gearlever and drove it around for months with only 4 gears, until it died completely. I'd only paid £150 for it, so it wasn't a great loss.