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I have just had the universal joint replaced on my Subaru forester after the car developed a serious shake at about 80k's. Shaft had to be sent to engineers to machine out old joint. i.e very expensive! Mechanic said the old joint was very bad. However replacing it seems to have had no effect. Car still shakes just as bad. I am not going to pay yet but I am worried that they are going to tell me that the shaft itself is bent or there is some other fault. How likely is this to be the case, can I have this checked by AA?

You don’t say which universal was replaced so I am assuming it was one of the front outer joints.

Often a shake or harsh vibration at a reasonable speed like you are describing, is caused by wear, sticking or seizing-up of one of the inner sliding joints (one on each front driveshaft).

These joints are designed to slide as the suspension moves and any binding can cause a shudder or vibration to be felt through the whole car.

I think you need to go back to your garage and discuss the best way forward as the first step.

If you want a second opinion you may be better to visit your local Subaru dealer and ask them to take a test drive with you to experience the shake.

In the meantime I would be very reluctant to pay the garage any money for the work carried out to date at this stage.