James Good Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 car passed its mot the other day with a few Advisories and i just wondered if i need to worry about any of them and would it be worth getting them fixed? thanks in advance front Registration plate deteriorated but not likely to be misread (0.1 (b)) oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i)) Nearside Rear Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (5.2.3 (d) (ii)) Offside Rear Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (5.2.3 (d) (ii)) Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Rear service brake fluctuating, but not excessively (1.2.1 (e)) Rear Sub-frame corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i)) Nearside Rear Subframe mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (5.3.6 (a) (i)) Offside Rear Subframe mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (5.3.6 (a) (i)) Nearside Rear Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i)) Offside Rear Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenFord Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Crikey, that's quite a list, surprised it was passed at all! Advisories are simply that, advice. If/when funds are available, you could work your way through them, but as it stands, your car is 100% legal. I'd prioritise the tires & brakes. The corrosion all sounds like surface rust, and a good wire brushing with a coat of satin black paint, and some Waxoyl should sort... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomsFocus Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Think I'd put the money towards upgrading before the next MOT rather than repairing those. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenFord Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 16 minutes ago, TomsFocus said: Think I'd put the money towards upgrading before the next MOT rather than repairing those. Spoken like a man with access to disposable income LOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Good Posted July 29 Author Share Posted July 29 well have been thinking for a while to get rid and get another one 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenFord Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 1 minute ago, James Good said: well have been thinking for a while to get rid and get another one I'm sure you'll be checking the ULEZ compatibility when you do... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Good Posted July 29 Author Share Posted July 29 3 minutes ago, StephenFord said: I'm sure you'll be checking the ULEZ compatibility when you do... yes defo sticking with ford so should be ok.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomsFocus Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 27 minutes ago, StephenFord said: Spoken like a man with access to disposable income LOL Spoken as someone who knows what 'subframe mounting corroded' really means. I wouldn't be going anywhere near that with a wire brush, especially on an old Ford. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenFord Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 2 minutes ago, TomsFocus said: Spoken as someone who knows what 'subframe mounting corroded' really means. As you know, I had my subframe replaced a while back, it's all doable... besides, much more 'green' to repair 🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazzman600 Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Tom. So just what car do you have? If you've been thinking of "getting rid" then obviously you don't give a rats ***** about it. So please don't sell it. Scrap it. Selling it on unless really really cheap would be taking the #iss. No need to wire brush anything. Scrape any loose rust and paint with Kurust. I've done that with most of my cars and it's quite therapeutic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hooded Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Some rust converter and black paint under the car and it’ll be ok for a few more years 😁 Change the tyres. Sorted 👍🏼 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rd457 Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 7 hours ago, James Good said: car passed its mot the other day with a few Advisories and i just wondered if i need to worry about any of them and would it be worth getting them fixed? thanks in advance front Registration plate deteriorated but not likely to be misread (0.1 (b)) Oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i)) Nearside Rear Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (5.2.3 (d) (ii)) Offside Rear Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (5.2.3 (d) (ii)) Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Rear Service brake fluctuating, but not excessively (1.2.1 (e)) Rear Sub-frame corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i)) Nearside Rear Subframe mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (5.3.6 (a) (i)) Offside Rear Subframe mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (5.3.6 (a) (i)) Nearside Rear Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i)) Offside Rear Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i)) I'd say that items 8 and 9 are probably the most concerning if you wish to keep the car, they refer to corrosion around the location where the rear subframe is attached to the frame of the car. If this gets bad enough and can't be repaired in a permissible way, your car is scrap. If you want to keep this car going for longer, you should make getting this addressed a priority. For items 7, 10 and 11, these aren't anywhere near as worrying as 8 & 9. You could try slapping a little rust converter paint type product on it to help keep these items going for longer. How much effort you should put into treating it needs to be balanced with how much it would cost to replace these components and how much more money you're willing to put into this car. Items 3 & 4 are obviously somewhat important to safety since your (rear) tyres are deteriorating, but since it's just an advisory, the damage must not be particularly serious currently. Item 6 could just be that your brake disc rotor is a little warped or something. Working brakes are obviously important, but this may not warrant urgent attention. Item 5 is just saying that your steering rack is somewhat worn. I'm not certain whether this is something that could simply be addressed via the preload adjuster screw, or whether you'd need a new rack. Item 2 isn't a big deal, oil leaks are common and this one is reportedly not excessive. Whether or not it's worth fixing is difficult to judge, not knowing where it's coming from, how small it actually is, etc. As for item 1, this doesn't matter at all. You have a legal requirement to have a plate and for it to be readable, the tester says it's still readable, so unless this changes significantly somehow, e.g. it falls off, then nothing to worry about. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomsFocus Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 13 hours ago, tazzman600 said: Tom. So just what car do you have? If you've been thinking of "getting rid" then obviously you don't give a rats ***** about it. So please don't sell it. Scrap it. Selling it on unless really really cheap would be taking the #iss. No need to wire brush anything. Scrape any loose rust and paint with Kurust. I've done that with most of my cars and it's quite therapeutic. This isn't my thread. But as you asked, I've bought & sold 60+ cars over the years...some complete dogs, some that weren't so bad. I've also helped out many other people with repairs, generally offering my own labour for free. I've had a lot of experience in working out what can be fixed cheaply on a driveway and what's beyond financial viability. There are hundreds of pounds to be spent on the OP's car (2002 MK1 Focus) if all the advisories are to be fixed and it's simply not worth it with garage labour rates. It could be sold on to someone who can complete the work themselves perfectly legitimately. As Lyndon has confirmed, the subframe mounting is actually part of the chassis - once you start poking that, you'll often find a large hole starts to appear. That then has to be welded (higher labour costs than a general fitter) and it has to be done with enough skill to ensure that the mounting is at least as structurally sound as it was when it left the factory. I can't weld, and I don't know of any welders I'd trust with that job. That's how I came to the conclusion that it would be better to upgrade than repair in this case. My current car is a 2012 Golf, bought 5 years ago, high mileage, cat N write off. Needed something very smooth riding but also super cheap to run (55+ mpg and £30 tax) and I certainly couldn't afford garage labour costs to have anything repaired on it! I have specifically only spent the bare minimum to keep it going since purchase - that's one tyre, one wiper blade and a couple of oil changes using the suction method. I did have to replace a rear caliper last year after it failed MOT, due to being sat unused through lockdowns. Couldn't find any garage to collect the car (including the one I'd been loyal to with MOTs) and couldn't find a mobile mechanic to repair it at a reasonable price so the car ended up unused until I was well enough to repair it myself. It's also been hit again since the write off, so the bodywork looks scruffy on one side, plus one of the previous cat N repair panels was cheap and has surface rusted badly, and the paint was not done well so it's peppered with large flaky stone chips. It's not worth repairing. I get a bit fed up of some members claiming a low income in every other thread when they can seemingly afford to run a 35mpg petrol and pay garage labour to have major components replaced every other month. I spent most of my driving career unable to afford less than 50mpg and never being able to afford garage labour, and that was before covid and COL crisis. Yes, I do now have some disposable income, but that's mainly because I can no longer drive, so a moot point really. People are not all in the same situation. I do try to base any advice I offer on the overall circumstances of the OP, which can be difficult with minimal information. In this case, I have made the assumption that the OP will not be fixing the car themselves and that the car in question will be of fairly low value. If any information is provided contrary to that, I will be happy to roughly price up each job needed. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Good Posted July 30 Author Share Posted July 30 10 minutes ago, TomsFocus said: This isn't my thread. But as you asked, I've bought & sold 60+ cars over the years...some complete dogs, some that weren't so bad. I've also helped out many other people with repairs, generally offering my own labour for free. I've had a lot of experience in working out what can be fixed cheaply on a driveway and what's beyond financial viability. There are hundreds of pounds to be spent on the OP's car (2002 MK1 Focus) if all the advisories are to be fixed and it's simply not worth it with garage labour rates. It could be sold on to someone who can complete the work themselves perfectly legitimately. As Lyndon has confirmed, the subframe mounting is actually part of the chassis - once you start poking that, you'll often find a large hole starts to appear. That then has to be welded (higher labour costs than a general fitter) and it has to be done with enough skill to ensure that the mounting is at least as structurally sound as it was when it left the factory. I can't weld, and I don't know of any welders I'd trust with that job. That's how I came to the conclusion that it would be better to upgrade than repair in this case. My current car is a 2012 Golf, bought 5 years ago, high mileage, cat N write off. Needed something very smooth riding but also super cheap to run (55+ mpg and £30 tax) and I certainly couldn't afford garage labour costs to have anything repaired on it! I have specifically only spent the bare minimum to keep it going since purchase - that's one tyre, one wiper blade and a couple of oil changes using the suction method. I did have to replace a rear caliper last year after it failed MOT, due to being sat unused through lockdowns. Couldn't find any garage to collect the car (including the one I'd been loyal to with MOTs) and couldn't find a mobile mechanic to repair it at a reasonable price so the car ended up unused until I was well enough to repair it myself. It's also been hit again since the write off, so the bodywork looks scruffy on one side, plus one of the previous cat N repair panels was cheap and has surface rusted badly, and the paint was not done well so it's peppered with large flaky stone chips. It's not worth repairing. I get a bit fed up of some members claiming a low income in every other thread when they can seemingly afford to run a 35mpg petrol and pay garage labour to have major components replaced every other month. I spent most of my driving career unable to afford less than 50mpg and never being able to afford garage labour, and that was before covid and COL crisis. Yes, I do now have some disposable income, but that's mainly because I can no longer drive, so a moot point really. People are not all in the same situation. I do try to base any advice I offer on the overall circumstances of the OP, which can be difficult with minimal information. In this case, I have made the assumption that the OP will not be fixing the car themselves and that the car in question will be of fairly low value. If any information is provided contrary to that, I will be happy to roughly price up each job needed. i payed £1000 for the car 7 years ago mot's have all been ok until this one the front brakes pads and disks were replaced sept 22 rear bearings replaced in 2017 and i replaced the radio twice i think ive been quite lucky with my car..... i don't really wanna get rid but am worried it will cost me a small fortune to get the repairs done as i don't have a lot of funds available i appreciate everyone's input it helps me a lot i need to work out what I'm gonna do next 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hooded Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 The second hand car market is quite expensive at the moment, cars that were 1k about 3 years ago are almost 2k now. I still think the cheapest option for the OP is to drive it until it fails on something uneconomical to repair. It’s just passed the MOT, so get underneath it ... slap a decent rust converter all over the corrosion that’s currently not excessive and paint over that black... It’ll probably pass the next couple of MOT’s. If the oil leaks only very slight, depending on where it’s leaking from it’s probably best to leave it and just keep an eye on it rather than spend lots of money. A lot of old beaters can be run for years with slight oil leaks. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazzman600 Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 My bad Tom. My post wasn't directed at you. I got the name wrong. My post was actually for the OP's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomsFocus Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 3 hours ago, tazzman600 said: My bad Tom. My post wasn't directed at you. I got the name wrong. My post was actually for the OP's. Fair point. But you still suggested it must a complete shi**er and would be morally wrong to sell, which I strongly disagree with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevesixty7 Posted August 13 Share Posted August 13 Just had my rear subframe replaced and suspension arms etc, all in £800. I came close to selling it, but we love the car, it's nice and clean and only has 61k on the clock, petrol. I don't know why some rot earlier than others when they have never lived by the coast, but I wanted to save this car because it's a lovely daily driver. The car does sit a bit higher than it used to at the rear, but it should settle. Mot will be booked later this month, shouldn't/ better be no issues 😃 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevesixty7 Posted August 13 Share Posted August 13 Edited Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenFord Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 10 hours ago, Stevesixty7 said: Just had my rear subframe replaced ... We've all been there LOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevesixty7 Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 You got that done at a great price mate. I had mine replaced because at the last MOT he said that he was close to failing it, so I knew I had to get it done. All the rear suspension arms needed doing as well. I sourced the subframe from eBay for £205 brand new, and the garage bought a kit for the arms etc as it worked out cheaper than buying them individually. I was also informed that my hand brake cable was frayed, so might as well do that as well. Took a while for the garage to receive the suspension kit due to an issue, so I took the car back for a few days until he told me he'd got the arms etc. The cable snapped on me not long after having the car back when I parked in my drive lol. Anyway, it finally all got done, and he had to cut most of the bolts off as they were seized, and I saw all the stuff he took off, and it was a rusty mess, but the rear end is pretty much all new now, and looks lovely, but yeah, £800 all in, and the car has been saved. Pricey, but worth it to me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevesixty7 Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 Just a quick update. The car passed its MOT a few days ago without a single advisory, so it was worth it to us. This car should be good for several years yet. If we'd have given up on it and sold it, it would probably have been broken up or scrapped, which would have been a travesty. It's a great car with low milage for its age. We are happy to have saved it. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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