[ash1205]

Hi,

My other half's vehicle has recently been written off following a crash that wasn't our fault.

Their evaluation of the write-off amount sparked me to check my other half's vehicle's M.O.T history and it doesn't look right to me.

Our purchase was from a local garage 3 years back, they are mid-sized and listed on companieshouse.

Before she had purchased the car, the garage ran it through M.O.T and she collected it the following day.

It went from a completely clean M.O.T a day before she collected it, to 8 Majors & 15 Advisories the next year. As a result we got everything cleared including the Subframe changed and the turbocharger as the car turned into Limp Mode & often when going uphill there was a huge amount of black smoke suddenly.

I have just seen on the M.O.T history that there was subframe corrosion on previous M.O.T's before we bought it, aswell as re-occuring advisory's, none of which was explained to her.

I understand we are well untruly past our time period to address this, but i'm wondering if anyone agrees as I would still like to report it if so & ensure the MOT centre is put right?

The Reg is CV59 WLU if anyone who knows anything more than my 2 pence worth is kind enough to take a look?

Thanks.

[Rolebama]

The only mention of a corroded subframe I could find was around 8000 miles before you bought the car. It is feasible that the subframe was replaced at that time, but the replacement is failing. Although I would expect the subframe to have lasted longer, it is quite possible it was a substandard third party manufactured part, and/or it was not treated in any way before being fitted.
Either way, I don't think it worth pursuing as so much time has passed since you bought the car.(Based on your comment about when you bought the car, and the last MOT being dated August last year.) Sorry.

[NMNeil]

@Rolebama As an apprentice one of the jobs I was given on a very regular basis was changing the rusted out rear subframe on the old minis under warranty. Even after the change they would be back in around 6 months because it had rotted out again. The first indication was normally the electric fuel pump falling off.
So nothing has changed in 50 years or so.

[Drivingforfun]

@NMNeil That'd be another benefit of carbon fibre I guess

[olduser]

Most laminates have problems with water ingress at any exposed unsealed edges.

Way back in the Mini era car manufactures were just beginning to learn about corrosion prevention, the attitude was, 'all cars rust' or, 'who wants cars that last forever?'

[Rolebama]

@olduser Not sure about your comments there as I remember our old galvanized tin bath. Used to hang on the back of the shed, out in all weathers. I remember when we had no further use for it, it was filled with soil and used as a planter. My information about rust-proofing the Mini and the like was purely cost, which would undoubtedly killed the idea of the Mini as being cheap transport.
FWIW: My untreated 1960 Austin Mini 7 lasted until 1972 before the floor fell out because of corrosion.

[NMNeil]

Originally Posted by Drivingforfun

@NMNeil That'd be another benefit of carbon fibre I guess

This was long before carbon fiber was even considered as a viable material. To give you an idea those minis had the starter solenoid on the floor and the doors opened with a pull cord. But the biggest design fault was the ground cable from the engine to the body was made of steel, not copper, so it would rust through and break and when you started the car after it broke the only ground left was the choke cable which would get red hot and the outer plastic covering would burst into flames.
Damn, I'm old, but I can still remember stuff like that.

[Rolebama]

@NMNeil Great reminder.
I replaced the earth and choke cables on mine for that very reason.
As an aside, mine had sliding windows, and one day a hornet flew in. It hit me in the chest, and fell down between my legs. I did not want to be stung there, and promptly hit the brakes, stopped, and got out of the car in the middle of the road. about three or four cars back in the queue was a Police car, and he got out and approached me. He asked what was going on, and all I could do was point at this stunned hornet walking around on my driver's seat. Realizing where it wwould be sitting in the car, he also seemed to lose the power of speech, and ran back to his car. He returned with a clipboard and managed to get the hornet onto it. As he pulled it back out, the hornet took off. We both then returned to our relative cars and moved them to the side of the road so traffic could begin moving again. We both sat on the grass and had a cigarette before parting ways. It was a toss-up as to which of us was most shocked. Me because I had the experience, or him because he imagined a scenario.
Not long after this I found a pair of doors at a breakers with wind-up windows.

[olduser]

Originally Posted by Rolebama

@olduser Not sure about your comments there as I remember our old galvanized tin bath. Used to hang on the back of the shed, out in all weathers. I remember when we had no further use for it, it was filled with soil and used as a planter. My information about rust-proofing the Mini and the like was purely cost, which would undoubtedly killed the idea of the Mini as being cheap transport.
FWIW: My untreated 1960 Austin Mini 7 lasted until 1972 before the floor fell out because of corrosion.

I never had the rusted engine earth problem, perhaps because I fitted braces to the bottom of the engine to the sub frame.
These were two lengths of 3/4" electrical conduit flattened at the ends to be bolted under the gear box and diagonally to the subframe, to stop the engine moving backwards or forward when accelerating or on overrun, this made power delivery to the wheels more consistent when cornering and stopped the gear leaver waving about as much.

I helped a friend to replace a rear subframe, we put thick coat of Waxol underseal between subframe and body, I put a scrapyard engine in it about 10 or 11 years later, the subframe was OK but other rust needed urgent attention.

I think some car manufacturers are just getting around to galvanised suspension parts, the problem with galvanised steel is welding and finish, though I think a car with the Zinc pattern would be cool.

I saw a Wheeler Dealer program where they powder coated a tubular chassis with zinc but I doubt that that would help much more than the original powder coating, I am not sure the Zinc would be in good enough electrical contact to act as a sacrificial anode when the powder coating (inevitably) starts to crack and let water in.

[NMNeil]

Originally Posted by olduser

Most laminates have problems with water ingress at any exposed unsealed edges.

Way back in the Mini era car manufactures were just beginning to learn about corrosion prevention, the attitude was, 'all cars rust' or, 'who wants cars that last forever?'

I vaguely remember reading about an MGBGT having it's body panels made from stainless steel as an experiment. Surprisingly it wasn't stopped because of the fear by the manufacturers that nobody would buy new cars, it was because stainless was tough to work with and the stamping dies wore out really fast.

[olduser]

That is likely to be true, stainless steel is very much stiffer than steel, and sheet steel for the car industry is noticeably more malleable then ordinary sheet steel.

Many years ago, in my time in industry, we ordered sheet steel from our suppliers , they advised us the had a few sheets of car industry quality or wait for a couple of weeks, we took the car stuff.
It was great to work with, we built one plant and most of the belt guards had rounded corners, shaped in stiffening ribs, and small domes to accommodate shaft ends, it looked very classy but we didn't spray the guards in metallic or pearl finish though!