Hi. I’m new so Hi everyone and I’d be very grateful for your help. I have the possibility of buying a 2021 1.0 MHEV. There has obviously been front end damage as bonnet resprayed, new bumper and drivers wing etc but it’s been MOT’d since with no advisories and drives really straight. However I noticed a crack in paintwork of the front subframe extension bar? Think that’s what it’s called? I think it’s probably a welded repair. I’m attaching photos showing before after a quick rub with wet and dry. The crack is just below the rubber hose. I’m hoping this is a correct and safe repair. Any thoughts please?  

So that is part of the crash structure, and it looks like a bodge has been done to fix it, personally I wouldn't buy the car unless the front legs of the frame rail which is what is pictured are replaced as they won't deform as designed in a crash now.

Walk away!!

Do you always carry wet and dry paper to car viewings?  Did the seller allow you to do that?  

Tbh it depends what you want a car for.  I do own a cat N car with a couple of dodgy repair points, and possibly some hidden issues as well.  I didn't buy it intending to crash it though.  I don't have kids to put in a car.  So I wasn't too fussed about it.  The car was cheap and local, and about the only thing that fitted my requirements at the time.

Obviously if you can afford a non-crashed version of this car then buy that instead.  But if this one is super cheap then it might be worth the risk.

44 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Do you always carry wet and dry paper to car viewings?  Did the seller allow you to do that?  

Tbh it depends what you want a car for.  I do own a cat N car with a couple of dodgy repair points, and possibly some hidden issues as well.  I didn't buy it intending to crash it though.  I don't have kids to put in a car.  So I wasn't too fussed about it.  The car was cheap and local, and about the only thing that fitted my requirements at the time.

Obviously if you can afford a non-crashed version of this car then buy that instead.  But if this one is super cheap then it might be worth the risk.

I see your point however, this would be classed as a cat s as a part of the crash structure was damaged cat n is like plastic bumper damage or non structural parts, s is structural. Id only ever buy a cat s if I saw very good evidence and had a copy of said evidence that it had been repaired properly and professionally. This is due to me wanting to remove one of the potential levers for an insurance company to be able to pull to avoid paying out a claim in the event I had to claim in the future, this is the same as if I brought a cat n. In this case I'd 100% say avoid unless they are willing to replace both front chassis legs, ford do provide replacement chassis legs strut tower forward for this reason, if the damage extends past the strut tower, the car should have been categorised as an unrepairable write off and as such scrapped.

4 minutes ago, Neb_engineer said:

I see your point however, this would be classed as a cat s as a part of the crash structure was damaged cat n is like plastic bumper damage or non structural parts, s is structural. Id only ever buy a cat s if I saw very good evidence and had a copy of said evidence that it had been repaired properly and professionally. This is due to me wanting to remove one of the potential levers for an insurance company to be able to pull to avoid paying out a claim in the event I had to claim in the future, this is the same as if I brought a cat n. In this case I'd 100% say avoid unless they are willing to replace both front chassis legs, ford do provide replacement chassis legs strut tower forward for this reason, if the damage extends past the strut tower, the car should have been categorised as an unrepairable write off and as such scrapped.

The cat status is only a quick visual check.  It's no more reliable than an MOT test in my experience.  I have bought other write-offs in the past to strip for parts.  I didn't always agree with the assessors results on those.  One of which had a completely crushed rear end/quarter with boot floor bent but still only cat N.

I'm also well aware of just how many cars go completely unrecorded and get repaired outside of insurance.  (Having repaired a few myself).  

Ultimately, I don't believe any non-categorised car hasn't been crashed at some point.  We never really know the past of a used car.  The only difference to me is that cars with a cat status have lost some monetary value.

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

The cat status is only a quick visual check.  It's no more reliable than an MOT test in my experience.  I have bought other write-offs in the past to strip for parts.  I didn't always agree with the assessors results on those.  One of which had a completely crushed rear end/quarter with boot floor bent but still only cat N.

I'm also well aware of just how many cars go completely unrecorded and get repaired outside of insurance.  (Having repaired a few myself).  

Ultimately, I don't believe any non-categorised car hasn't been crashed at some point.  We never really know the past of a used car.  The only difference to me is that cars with a cat status have lost some monetary value.

That and in my experience from family members insurance is more likely to put up a fight for paying claims.

46 minutes ago, Neb_engineer said:

That and in my experience from family members insurance is more likely to put up a fight for paying claims.

As I said earlier, I don't buy a car intending to crash it.

I never have used car insurance so far and probably never will.  The only reason I buy it is because it's a legal requirement.

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

As I said earlier, I don't buy a car intending to crash it.

I never have used car insurance so far and probably never will.  The only reason I buy it is because it's a legal requirement.

Realistically no-one buys a car intending to crash. But your own intentions are only as good as a boy racer in a rubbish 1.2 Corsa is at being able to remember to brake before hitting your backside...

Thank you so much TomsFocus and Neb engineer for your replies. I have the car to test for a week or two from a friend who said I could wet/dry that area 😀. I’ve since had a pre MOT on it by an MOT tester friend (with over 30 years experience) who has checked weld and rest of chassis etc it’s all sound and would get a ticket so I’m happy with that. Next question (if you guys don’t mind), is there anyway of trying to establish if the wet belt on the oil pump has been done previously? Would there be any tell-tell signs by a visual inspection on the engine etc? The car is cheap (£3k) so can take a bit of gamble but that’s still a fair bit of cash for me! Thanks again for any help

There aren't really any reliable signs to show the oil pump belt had been done.  You could look for broken cable clips and tool marks on sump bolts but that's not really reliable.  It's a fairly safe bet that the oil pump belt won't have been done on a 2021 car though.

If it's manual then it should be alright for up to around 8 years.  If it's automatic then it's not even worth considering.

Virtually zero chance that anyone would have changed the oil pump belt at only 4 years, when the Ford recommended interval is 10 years max.

As Tom mentions,  change at 8 years would be prudent, though. Be aware it's an expensive job if you're intending to keep it that long.