13 year old car has 8 MOT faliures

[tacticalx86]

Evening all,
Looking at this car tommorow https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-de...ocation=at_cars&maximum-mileage=125000&page=1

I just passd my driving test. I have a Hyundai i10 2013 with something silly like 13K miles on it but I'm not a massive fan of it and the intention was for me to always buy a car.

The thing that bugs me with this car is tonight I decided to look at its service history online, (https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/
SD58 YFF|), and over a 13 year period, it has 8 MOT fails and just 10 Passes. It passed its most recent one next one due next year. This seems anomalously high for a car especially a Honda that is supposed to be reliable. What's going on? Should I avoid this car like the plague, or is it just overzealous mechanics (I'm not sure about this as some of the faults seem more serious) or the owner not taking care of it? it's only had two apparently and is on 114K miles.

Thanks

 

[Gaygle]

10/10 would not touch this car with a barge pole. It has been owned by someone who thinks the only time they need to maintain their car is when it fails an MOT, and when they do have to pay to get the car fixed, they do it for absolutely as cheaply as physically possible.

On one of the MOTs it came in with both headlight bulbs blown (and a rear one) - what were these people doing when it got dark?!

And this is coming from someone who is fairly liberal with MOT failures and views failures/advisories as things that can be easily fixed but are a good bargaining tool

 

[Calm]

Full service history, and fixed what they need to, to get it through MOT.

Typical car owner, I'd say..

 

[Rroff]

Seems like the guts of it - engine, etc. are probably maybe solid if poorly maintained. But I'd 200% check underneath for corrosion especially with all those exhaust advisories (hanger, leak, etc.) you may find other parts underneath are seriously corroded as well.

Looks like the suspension has taken a beating - probably some ball joints that are on their way out (around £30 parts, £70 labour give or take) and who knows what condition the brakes are in.

If there isn't anything too serious corrosion wise you are probably looking at £500-700 worth of work (some of it more essential than others depending what you are prepared to put up with and/or long term ideals) - probably needs oil and filters, etc. where appropriate replaced and so on - would probably put it into pretty solid condition for awhile.

 

[Quartz]

For your first car? Avoid.

 

[OldKitMan]

Do not drive until repaired (dangerous defects):

• Offside Front Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm and cords exposed 205.55.16 (5.2.3 (e))

Blimey, who would even take a car to an MOT test with that.

 

[Rroff]

Do not drive until repaired (dangerous defects):

• Offside Front Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm and cords exposed 205.55.16 (5.2.3 (e))

Blimey, who would even take a car to an MOT test with that.

From a conversation I had on YT recently on similar subject (someone else's comment not mine):

"People who run smaller, cheaper cars often do so because they are on a tight budget. Maintenance is often only done when picked up at MOT time, or when something physically prevents them driving the car. Also, regular servicing is an expensive luxury to some. Hence things like stop lamps (admittedly it could have failed just the day before...) and failed headlights are common, and rarely checked; budget tyres that don't perform nearly as well as premium brands. Faults are often 'fixed' by a friend or dad, who may or may not be competent in what they do...A young lady near me was killed when her elderly Ford Ka careered off a wet road at speed - car was found to have three defective tyres and numerous other faults that rendered it seriously unroadworthy...her dad 'serviced' the car for her. Some dad."

I know a similar situation - where the dad was one of those always in the first instance, even if there is signs of a problem, "nah its fine just garage trying to make money off you" types unless something is literally hanging off fortunately in that case no one died.

 

[jsmoke]

Sounds like they've been rally driving it, shocks and brakes needing fixed etc.

Any second hand car at that mileage will need work, servicing etc.

Personally I think it looks ok, if you drive it reasonably it should be fine.

 

[Rroff]

For your first car? Avoid.

Yup - assuming it isn't rotting away then looks like there is potential there for someone who can do their own mechanical work on it, at a guess it is quite likely well within redeemable, but it is just a big lot of bills waiting to happen for a new driver. Though that kind of tends to go without saying for vehicles around that price range and age.

 

[tacticalx86]

Really, it’s not the Type S Or R version? I just don’t want to buy it only to have it fail it’s next MOT (which it looks like it fails every time ) and paying out massive amounts to fix it . I’ll see if I can get some information out of the guy today if I go. It’s being sold by a dealer

 

[Rroff]

Is it me or is something well off with the near side rear wheel?

EDIT: Might just be me but looks like the suspension is done on the back passenger side wheel.

 

[tacticalx86]

Damn, if I go there today I'm gonna try it out. It's outrageous if it is being sold and the suspension is knackered

 

[Rroff]

Test drive would probably show something like that up pretty quickly. Dealers will pull all sorts - I've even had a big name commercial dealer outright lying to my face to try and make a sale

 

[fastwunz]

That rear left wheel concerns me...

 

[rodenal]

Yep that car looks like it's made love to a kerb or something else solid at the n/s/r. Funnily enough I've helped change over the rear axle of a similar civic that had a huge stress crack.

If it was a car you already owned and had a bump then fine buy a used part and manhandle it in, but in this case don't touch it with a barge pole, find something else and don't even visit

 

[2004typer]

I'd definitely give this one a miss based on the history, and as above the rear left wheel looks pretty dicey.

Find a better one....

 

[Jokester]

Rust around rear axle mounts appears to be a real killer of these of this age. Waiting on mine to fail an MOT for this before scrapping it, mechanic has already said he doubts it’ll pass next year.

 

[Temujin]

That rear left wheel looks like it's trying to escape, that and the consistent mot failures would mean me not even bothering to view it.
Run to the hills.

 

[Matthew.M]

Don’t mistake MOT history for service history either - servicing needs to be checked separately to the online MOT history.

 

[Demon]

It has clearly had a hard life and had only the most essential of maintenance..

And with that MOT history and rear wheel obvious issues that is a car that is a money pit trying to be flogged off..

When getting my daughters first car, we did find MOT histories useful, since she wanted a beetle cab, they are really old now, and my advice from what we saw would be walk away from this, don’t even get tempted...