Sold 1993 Vauxhall Astra 1.7D estate - mot fail

[stripped fred]

Took this in for an mot today and it failed on welding and some flexi hoses. Reg is K228 FNH if you want to check. It's a spare car for me but i don't really need it anymore, not enough to spend a lot on it. It's a shame in some ways as it drives really well and has been looked after. I have quite a bit of service history with it and I've done a few jobs myself including new glow plugs (made no difference), thermostat, oil and filter changes. Has done me well for moving stuff and tip runs.

 

Previously giffer owned, called Dennis (the car not the giffer)

4 good tyres + GM wheel trims

Towbar

Glow plugs need a few goes but starts and drives well

Good GM (not isuzu) na diesel engine 177k

Suspension and steering fine

Good clutch

2 keys

Handbook

Sunroof - seized

Front elec windows

Central locking

Headlining secured with drawing pins

Boot floor rusty and secured by pop studs

3/4 tank diesel (bad planning there!)

 

If anyone wants it for scrap value, as a spares car or if you're handy with a welder and fancy a project then let me know. Located in Ashby, Leics (at my parents). Don't all come running at once!

[sierraman]

Would the corrosion in the rear arches patch or does it need the mounts for the seatbelts remaking?

 

If you can DIY it you could have it on the road for less than a hundred then.

[Cavcraft]

I used to just fibreglass the rear arches on these, the shape tends to lend well to a fairly painless job.

[Split_Pin]

Flip that's a bit of alright. Got a thing for Vauxhalls in that colour.

[Cavcraft]

Reason(s) for failure

Nearside Rear Seat belt anchorage prescribed area is excessively corroded outter sill and inner wheel arch corroded (5.2.6)

Offside Rear Seat belt anchorage prescribed area is excessively corroded outter sill, wheel arch and inner wheel arch corroded (5.2.6)

Nearside Rear Brake hose ferrule excessively corroded (3.6.B.4e)

Offside Rear Brake hose ferrule excessively corroded (3.6.B.4e)

• Advisory notice item(s)
  
  under body, steering and suspension components rusting throughout

  ns front tyre worn on inner edge

[sierraman]

I don't think those arches would be a fail. It's the holes on the rear arch tub that's failed on. There'd be absolutely nothing wrong with grinding back to sound metal and plating over the hole if the MOT man was happy with it. The brake hoses say £10 each and half hour or so to fit and bleed.

[stripped fred]

Is that bad?

[stripped fred]

I would like to get it fixed but the garage told me £200 for the welding and the flexi hoses on top. I could maybe do the flexi hoses but I can't weld.

[sierraman]

No, the brake hoses are easy enough and the welding might be ok if you can find a decent welder. If you wanted the welding to be a proper repair, yes it would cost but given the age and value of it, I'd just get them to plate it over. Buys you another 2-3 year before it wants doing again or becomes unviable. I'd ask about for the welding, a lot of garages now don't want to get involved with welding up old bangers. If you find someone and explain you want it plating up to an acceptable MOT standard you'd get it cheaper.

[stripped fred]

I do know a welder. The car's in Ashby though which is about 20 miles away. Mmm..

[stripped fred]

How quickly could I learn to weld?

[sierraman]

Assuming it's not a complex shape you might be able to save a bit by preparing the area, grinding back to metal and making up a patch. That's where the work is, not the actual welding, the fucking about beforehand is what doubles the cost. Get hold of some metal and make up the repair sections, cut out the grot and make it so there's something to weld on to.

[Cavcraft]

To be honest, for £300 (assuming that for welding and flexi hoses) I reckon it's worth doing as you'd get anbother year out of what is an car.

[stripped fred]

Have given this some thought. As much as I'd like to save it I don't really have the time to get it sorted and I'd rather spend my money on something newer and less rusty. If it's not back at the garage within 10 days I have to pay for another mot. The best outcome is if someone wants to take it off me for a nominal sum and fix it up. If not then I think it will need to be a call to the local vehicle recycling centre. I can hang onto it for a bit as it's not in the way. At the end of the day I suppose it's quite undesirable to most people as it's a 24 year old Vauxhall. No love. If it was a golf I'd be fighting them off.

[sierraman]

Cavcraft go and buy it!

[stripped fred]

Cavcraft can have a special discount as he's an ambassador for the Vauxhall marque.

[stripped fred]

I take back my remarks about a golf in similar condition being worth a lot of money. Just been trawling eBay and mk3's are quite unloved.

[lisbon_road]

I do like this: the GM engine especially, can remember doing many miles in them as company cars back in the day.  Shame if it goes but too far away for me.  Looks clean inside though - those early Mk3s seemed to have really good interiors. 

[Pillock]

I can drive Cavcraft directly from his gaff to Ashby next week if he wants it

[stripped fred]

I can drive Cavcraft directly from his gaff to Ashby next week if he wants it

That works for me. Just let me know what time...

[RobT]

What are the legalities of driving this now it's an MoT fail? Can it be driven to a garage for repairs, even if that garage happens to be over 100 miles away? Just trying to figure out if I can save it without too much faff!

[stripped fred]

I'm happy to tax it for a month if that helps. It's a good little motor. It was well looked after by the last owner who had it most of it's life.

[edessex]

If you remove the rear seats, and belts, are the corroded areas still a fail? Might make a cheap van...

 

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk

[scaryoldcortina]

If you remove the rear seats, and belts, are the corroded areas still a fail? Might make a cheap van...

 

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk

If you pulled that one on me, I'd write you out another fail for suspension prescribed area instead.

[sierraman]

What if you sawed it in half and had some castors fitted under the front seats? Could it pass as a 'special'?

[Tickman]

What are the legalities of driving this now it's an MoT fail? Can it be driven to a garage for repairs, even if that garage happens to be over 100 miles away? Just trying to figure out if I can save it without too much faff!

You are legally allowed to drive a car without an MoT to a test, when failed you are legally allowed to drive it to a place of repair, it would be easy to justify that you are driving it to a specific place of repair as you trust them to do a proper repair.

 

I drove the MX5 from Falkirk to Forfar on this principal when I got it from GM. If you are slightly unsure book another MoT on the far side of you and don't get there and phone and cancel after you have arrived home.

[sierraman]

This is a real grey area, effectively if you took a car for an MOT and it had 3 month remaining, it would still be valid but say it failed and it was drawn to your attention it was unroadworthy, then you had an accident you'd be fucked.

[RobT]

Thanks for the info. I've just been on the .gov site and it also states a vehicle must still meet the minimum standards of roadworthiness, which I assume this does as tyres are all decent, lights work etc. Sorry if I sound like I'm being a fanny, just don't want to get nicked!

 

I need to see how much my friendly mechanic is likely to charge for the welding, so will drop you a pm fred. I've got a feeling he might be £150-200.

[stripped fred]

Thanks for the info. I've just been on the .gov site and it also states a vehicle must still meet the minimum standards of roadworthiness, which I assume this does as tyres are all decent, lights work etc. Sorry if I sound like I'm being a fanny, just don't want to get nicked!

 

I need to see how much my friendly mechanic is likely to charge for the welding, so will drop you a pm fred. I've got a feeling he might be £150-200.

That's fine. Have a think about it. I'm not looking for a lot for it.

[Al Bundy]

If you want to keep it bring it down and l will plate it for you mate