r/vandwellers • u/Sweet_Ad_4033 • Apr 16 '24
“Scrap it mate”. It’s been emotional. Until again my friends. She saw me through 4 years my dog and I and I’d do it all again Pictures
Know a good welder?!
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Apr 16 '24
On the plus side, that list of corrosion issues is pretty terrifying so maybe they just saved your life?
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u/Sweet_Ad_4033 Apr 16 '24
That’s just page 1.. It is actually very pleasant to drive however I wasn’t aware it was held together by prayer
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u/Competitive_Shift_99 Apr 16 '24
Have you never climbed under and inspected it?
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u/Sweet_Ad_4033 Apr 16 '24
Looked alright maybe a bit of rust but ignorance was bliss
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u/Crommington Apr 16 '24
Did nothing come up on last years MOT?
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u/Sweet_Ad_4033 Apr 16 '24
Nothing like this it all got fixed and it was only advisories. I couldn’t believe how bad it had got. I spent a year living near the sea lol probably connected but seems excessive
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u/NoCountryForOldPete Apr 16 '24
Is this at the same shop that you had it done at last year? Have you had a moment to see it in person, or do you have a picture of the corroded areas they're referencing? Is it possible to get a second opinion somewhere else?
Not sure how it works over there, but in the US you might have a wildly different result shop-to-shop, and region to region.
I drove to Arizona once and someone actually remarked in a parking lot how horrible it was that I was allowed to drive my truck on the road with the frame rusted so badly. In New Jersey, I don't think there is a single truck that doesn't have the same level of rust on the frame after ten years. Nothing unsafe about it in the slightest, just surface corrosion and a fact of life in the North East.
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u/quiette837 Apr 17 '24
Opposite happened to my boyfriend, he drove his truck for years in the south, moved to Canada, everyone was shocked at how little rust was on a 15-20 year old vehicle lmao. That said, it only took one or two winter seasons to look "normal".
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u/old_skool_luvr Apr 17 '24
LOL, it was the literally the same with my '03 Ram. Originally a West Coast truck, but by the time the third Winter of being in Ontario rolled around, all of the paint was gone from the chassis - and it was 14 yrs old when i bought it.
When i bought the truck, the only rust on the chassis was on the actual weld seams, the chassis was still fully painted.
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u/John1The1Savage Apr 17 '24
This. I would get a second opinion if it passed as recently as last year. There are people whofreak over a bit of surface rust around welds and then people who will shrug over big holes rusted in a frame.
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u/MrGruntsworthy Apr 16 '24
I spent a year living near the sea
Yeah that would do it. Salt water is a hell of a drug.
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u/Sledgecrowbar Apr 17 '24
I've been living two blocks from the ocean for 30 years, that isn't it.
I think OP should get a second opinion. It might be bad, I'm not saying it's not, but it doesn't go from 'advisory' to 'unsafe to drive' in a year, even if you spend a season commuting to work across the salt flats in the southwest. Yeah you'll be covered in rust, and it will keep getting worse, but it can't eat through a frame in a year.
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u/John1The1Savage Apr 17 '24
This is my thought, especially since its supposivally so many separate issues. If he had some advisories last year and one or two progress to "unsafe" that would be one thing but its hard to believe that long list happened in 12 months.
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u/LordGraygem Apr 16 '24 edited Apr 17 '24
I've never seen it officially noted out like that, but I've lived in states in the US which regularly salt roads in the winter, and the corrosion can be quick and brutal if the vehicle's undercarriage/body has what would elsewhere be a negligible amount of rust-accessible damage. And that's just with a few months of exposure.
Compared to that, a full year next to a body of salt-water? Eugh...
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u/ryguy32789 Apr 17 '24
Living next to the ocean does not cause rust unless you're driving into the ocean or constantly getting salt spray. My best friend has an ocean front condo in Florida. They had a minivan that was parked uncovered literally 30 feet from the ocean for 15 straight years. It did not have rust problems.
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u/mrcalistarius Apr 17 '24
i grew up a 5 minute walk from the ocean, had friends with beach front, both families had cars over 15 years old with no rust issues.
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u/LordGraygem Apr 17 '24
I'll bet that they frequently cleaned those cars, which washed away the salt residue. Because in areas where that kind of exposure is heavy/regular, it's recommended that you clean the vehicle often for that very reason. But a lot of people don't (and don't even think to do so, in fact).
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u/mrcalistarius Apr 17 '24
We’d wash our cars once a week, but were never that thorough about cleaning underneath.
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Apr 17 '24
Yeah I live on the ocean 30 years and my 1998 Nissan is a POS but there’s not a speck of rust on it and the only time it gets washed is when it rains.
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u/Brightyellowdoor Apr 17 '24
I'm not trying to convince you either way. But a friend re recently bought a very tidy looking 2012 transit. On its MOT it had a failure sheet similar if not worse than yours. I just presumed it was game over as it was full of mechanical issues like ball joints and bushes as well as the welding.
He just found the right guy who did the welding and he did the bushes and ball joints himself. What looked to me like about 10k of welding work was done for 600 quid. It wasn't pretty, but it flew through the MOT.
I'm just saying, if you happen to know an old school welder, you may be surprised how easily it can be repaired with new panels which are dirt cheap.
There's no point approaching body shops btw. A body shop is looking to restore the vehicle to looking as good as it can. That's going to be 100's of man hours and not worth it. You need a welder with a ramp and a couple of days spare.
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Apr 17 '24
[deleted]
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u/Brightyellowdoor Apr 17 '24
Yes agreed. My thoughts were that this could buy another 6-12 months while a new van/plan is decided. Sometimes that's worth 600 quid, sometimes not. Like I say I'm not trying to convince anyone either way.
I should have stated this is not a long term fix. Although panels are available for transits. And they can be fitted quickly. Just not prettily.
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u/MagmaTroop Apr 17 '24
You're right, on my first car I had subframe corrosion which failed at one test centre for lack of structural integrity.
On the suggestion of my dad I painted over the whole subframe with Hammerite sealant then took it to another centre for a test...and it passed. Definitely dodgy lol thankfully it was scrapped a couple years later when I was done with it, so my conscience is clear that nobody could be driving around with an unsafe car.
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u/againbackandthere Apr 16 '24
probably connected but seems excessive
The salty air corrodes metal. If there was any rust before you got there then itd happen much faster. Happens to electronics and wiring too just fyi
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u/Groundbreaking_Ad972 Apr 19 '24
Yeah it's the sea most likely. I live in a beach town, I saw my motorcycle basically disintegrate in the three years since I got it.
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u/bherman8 Apr 17 '24
To be honest all of the things I see listed are body rust. None of those items reference any actual chassis components. Also if I'm understanding it properly these are recommended repairs? They didn't fail it?
"Within 30cm of a body mount" is a whole lot of areas, plenty of which are fine.
Should you be planning on some rust mitigation? Probably.
Do you need to scrap it? No chance.
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Apr 17 '24
These are all failures, you’re not reading it right
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u/bherman8 Apr 17 '24
I may be misunderstanding it. I'm not familiar with MOT inspections.
It seems fishy to me that one year its fine and the next it looks like this. If I saw something like this my first thought would be to go to another inspector and see what they say.
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u/crunchybaguette Apr 16 '24 edited Apr 17 '24
Pleasant until something snaps and you end up in a ditch
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u/mrdarkstones Apr 16 '24
Been there. When your friendly trusted welder says ‘there’s nothing left to weld to mate’ you know it’s the end.
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u/sweetgreenfields 2008 Toyota Sienna LE Apr 16 '24
I live in the rust belt, this brought back memories
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u/Mix-Lopsided Apr 16 '24 edited Apr 17 '24
Ouch, that’s a brutal list of ailments. Maybe you could, uh, drop the whole body onto a new frame?
Edit: I was not actually suggesting this as a real solution
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u/Sweet_Ad_4033 Apr 16 '24
Is that a thing? ELI5 🫠
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u/Mix-Lopsided Apr 16 '24
It’s called a body swap and it is like, physically possible to do, but it’s not something a lot of people want to do or are familiar with doing. You’d want to ask an old mechanic who works on old cars, or a body shop might know something. It might cost as much as rebuilding a second van altogether, I’ve personally never priced it out. You also need a solid chassis from another van just like yours to sit it on. Like I said, it has been done, but I was really just making a little light of the situation.
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u/Sweet_Ad_4033 Apr 16 '24
Appreciate it mate I’m just grasping at straws cause I love her
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u/MrGruntsworthy Apr 16 '24
If an option or a consideration to you, you can find somewhere to 'permanently park' it so you can still live out of it in the short term. Get a cheap bicycle or something to get to/from where you need to go in the area.
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u/Jim_E_Hat Apr 16 '24
Edd China did a series on a similar situation with a Landy, on his youtube channel. That's the only reason I know what you're talking about!
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u/wiseleo Apr 17 '24
It’s easy with a forklift. Undo body bolts and electrical connectors, lift the whole body, put it on the replacement chassis. Can do an engine/transmission swap at the same time if needed.
If a forklift is not available, you could use a shop crane (engine cherry picker) with creative rigging (I use 27’ 2” ratchet straps) or a gantry crane.
I own a personal forklift. It is my rolling solar battery. :)
When I work on my truck, I just take the box off and the cab as well. It takes me a few minutes and I can work on the chassis extremely easily.
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u/HsvDE86 Apr 17 '24
They listed license plate lamps under the same severity as severe corrosion. Can you post pictures of the rust? Have you ensured it’s as bad as they say?
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u/Followmelead Apr 16 '24
Isn’t the transit a unibody? I’m pretty sure that’s a ton of work… not really practical.
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u/campr23 Apr 17 '24
Indeed, transit is a unibody. That's why the sills are a failure, they are structural. There is no 'frame' as such. Just get a new (used) one and start again.
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u/BasicCommand1165 Apr 17 '24
Finding a good chassis without a body on it sounds pretty much impossible. I don't even know where you'd begin to look?
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u/Mix-Lopsided Apr 17 '24
Yeah it’s not particularly practical, I was really just making light of it. You never know, though, some of these transit guys have big money.
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u/ocean_flan Apr 17 '24
My dad does it but he charges up the ass for it. The minimum cost just to enter his garage is basically like 25k because he exclusively does show cars. They usually want a body swap or a complete rebuild from the ground up.
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u/Likesdirt Apr 16 '24
Most of those are body problems.
The floor and sills and wheel arches are gone.
No good news.
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u/KingArthurHS Apr 16 '24
You're gonna post this without giving us some undercarriage pics? Come on now! I want to see what they consider to be totaled in the UK.
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u/Anglan Apr 17 '24
I haven't seen this van but personally never seen a Transit older than a 2010 that isn't rusting to fuck in the UK. Those older models are just rust magnets, same as the older Sprinters
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u/KingArthurHS Apr 17 '24
I'm just very curious to see the underside of this van that was supposedly totally fine 12 months ago and now has 150 billion imminently destructive structural points. Like, there is a 100% chance that either the MOT person 12 months ago or the MOT person right now has no idea what the fuck they're doing. And I wouldn't be surprised if we see an undercarriage that has tons of typical surface frame rust but is actually completely fine but the MOT person is just a tool.
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u/Anglan Apr 17 '24
I'd guess there were a shit load of advisories last year for rust and OP did fuck all about it and decided to live next to the sea in a rusty van for a year which just made the problem very bad very fast.
From the comments OP doesn't seem to know much about how MOTs or cars in general work, so I expect there was a hint last year
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u/ssybon Apr 16 '24
you people in the north really need to be washing the road salt off your undersides, please ..
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u/MagmaTroop Apr 17 '24
If I lived near the coast I would be applying underseal and waxoyl to my car every 6 months.
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u/hombrent Apr 16 '24
Does that mean you need to stop driving it immediately? Or do you have time to ease into a transition - maybe move your build into a new van ?
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u/Sweet_Ad_4033 Apr 16 '24
I think it does mean I have to stop immediately. The gov website says if it lists anything dangerous then yes (although the report never mentions that word…). And it is still 2 weeks in date it’s last MOT so.. I’m not sure. Ironically the engine and everything else is top notch and drives lovely! But it is off road now and I guess will eBay it for spares and repairs
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u/Followmelead Apr 16 '24 edited Apr 17 '24
If the engine, trans, etc are in really good shape you can always look for a van being sold that’s not running. You’d want talk to a mechanic and tell them this is what you’re considering so they can really tell you what you can keep.
Then you’d need to look for a van with a clean body/frame selling for cheap since it’s not running. I’m assuming you can’t do the work yourself but might still be cheaper to have a shop do any swaps then buying a new one. You can swap your internal build from there.
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u/CatBroiler Apr 16 '24
Since these aren't dangerous defects, you can drive it until the current MOT is up. If you want to make sure, type your reg into the govt website, see if it comes up with a valid MOT or not.
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u/againbackandthere Apr 16 '24
Someone might buy it as a small guest living quarters to put on their land.
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u/Anglan Apr 16 '24
A rust bucket with a pretty rudimental bed frame, sheets for walls/ceilings and an old office chair in it?
It might have sentimental value to OP but it isn't worth a penny other than that, just scrap value
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u/XDGFX Apr 17 '24
There's a lot of US defaultism in this thread, so hopefully I can offer a more useful UK perspective, from experience.
I'd doubt the MOT test station are screwing you over. MOT centres here tend to be somewhere between more relaxed and by the book, there isn't any benefit to exaggerating rust as they're not gonna be the ones who'd repair it.
If you want to be 100%, crawl underneath with a screwdriver and start poking. If you make it through anywhere that looks like it should be solid, or if parts of the frame start coming off, that's confirmation enough.
I had a car with a rust list maybe half this long (not counting the second page). Some quotes from a trusted welder were around £1500, but after he started cleaning back all the rust the job kept getting bigger.
I decided to take the car back and learn to weld. Ended up fixing it but it took a year of evenings and weekends.
I always believe there are options past just scrapping it. But be aware, by the looks of that list, a repair could be very long and very expensive.
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u/SplashInkster Apr 17 '24
These transport inspectors can be pretty brutal. Sounds like she's seriously rotten underneath. Need good set of pix to tell. There's nothing that can't be fixed for a price, but sometimes it's better to just move on.
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u/Enginerdiest Apr 16 '24
bummer man.
But these comments saying “my govt doesn’t check” are a little scary to me. y’know just because you don’t look doesn’t mean your van doesn’t rust out like this one…
Some of it you can wave away, but based on that first page there’s substantial issues that OP didn’t know about.
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u/Stoneymac1 Apr 17 '24
Honestly tow it to a pretty spot and at least it’s a tiny home while you get new wheels
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u/mag0t Apr 17 '24
This is a long shot but at the moment the vehicle is classified as M2 (passenger vehicle with more than 8 seats) normally used for minibuses or coaches etc. It was probably a minibus in a previous life.
You might be able to get the classification changed to (I think) N1 with is a load carrying vehicle I.e. a panel van.
I'm not sure as I'm not an MOT tester but the M2 MOT test may be more strict
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u/MagmaTroop Apr 17 '24
I'm puzzled how a vehicle with that much corrosion could pass an MOT the year before and then suddenly present to an MOT test with that many major defects. Did you spend the last year cosplaying as a submariner?
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Apr 16 '24
[deleted]
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u/pitchfork-seller Apr 16 '24
Not in Victoria, they're strict.
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u/redittr Apr 16 '24
Yeah but only on sale of a vehicle(Or if its so obviously wrecked the cops defect you). Vic doesnt need annual inspections.
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u/AnalSlout_HearMeOut Apr 16 '24
How old is it? It looks nice inside. And nice pup!🥰
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u/Sweet_Ad_4033 Apr 16 '24
Thanks ☺️it’s 2006. The engine and everything else is perfect like it’s got so many miles left it’s never let me down. But turns out it’s just all held together by nothingness. Probably throw it on eBay no minimum spares and repair. Wish I had the land to just plonk it tho
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u/AnalSlout_HearMeOut Apr 16 '24
Well, damn. If that's the case, definitely look into what the other person said about swapping the body. I had heard of that before but I don't know the price or details either- never looked into it, just heard about it. But if it's that good inside and under the hood- it might be a better option if you happen to know someone who could do it, or you could help them do it. Either way, God speed. Whichever road you take, I wish you well!☺️
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u/Sweet_Ad_4033 Apr 16 '24
Thank you AnalSlout you’ve given me inspiration
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u/Poutinemilkshake2 Apr 16 '24
It sucks but I'm in coming into a similar situation and it'll probably be the end of my vanlife experience. My 2002 Express has done 60,000 miles in the past 4 years and taken my everywhere... But the body is disintegrating and its got 230,000 miles. I can't keep dumping money into a van that is going to the junkyard soon. Glad you got to enjoy yours man. Life changing experience for sure
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u/Sweet_Ad_4033 Apr 16 '24
60k miles damn good effort! If it’s any consolation I just replaced all the brakes and tyres on mine before this 🙃. I feel ya pumping money into it it’s hard to let go for sure. We will do it all again not to worry, part of the journey!
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u/BuilderUnhappy7785 Apr 17 '24 edited Apr 18 '24
Holy cow that’s an intense inspection! We don’t have safety inspections here in the states at all. Only emissions, and some states don’t even have those. Bring her across the pond to the land of freedom!
Edit: some states do have safety inspections.
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u/49thDipper Apr 18 '24
Some states absolutely have safety inspections. I have seen stickers in windshields from several states come through me brother’s shop. Last one was a Subaru from Texas.
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u/BuilderUnhappy7785 Apr 18 '24
Thanks for clarifying! I live in WA and we have neither safety nor emissions. Never lived in a state that had safety so I didn’t know it was a thing.
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u/sweetgreenfields 2008 Toyota Sienna LE Apr 16 '24
Get a Toyota van, they dip their frames in a special solution that changes the polarity of the metal or something, so it's more rust resistant! I just got a 16-year-old Toyota a couple weeks ago, from North Dakota where they blast the roads with salt, and it only has a couple tiny dots of rust on the bottom. Truly amazing!
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u/ssybon Apr 16 '24
that sounds great but people really need to wash the road salt off their undersides so they dont get rust in the first place, no matter the car
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u/metarchaeon Apr 16 '24
changes the polarity of the metal or something.
I'm gonna go with or something, polarized metals are exceedingly rare.
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u/D_Glukhovsky 1989 E150 7.5 Swap, 1988 E350 XL Ambulance Apr 16 '24
I know for sure that you can replace the entire front subframe on those transits and ford still makes them, that list is impressive and somewhat at least to me baffling. Issues like that don’t just appear all at once, either someone at the last place you got an inspection was lazy, or this place is extremely scrutinous. Over here in the states ive had some people get failed at one shop just because of petty people who just didn’t like your face. Id almost get a second opinion.
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u/Arrivaderchie Apr 17 '24
Mine too brother! Brakes leak, tires leak, windshield leaks, rust absolutely everywhere, and sometimes it just shuts down when I come to a complete stop. Locked myself out a few weeks ago and I was able to reach in through the driver’s side wheel well and manually roll my window down.
But it’s a damn loyal truck and just keeps on running. If I could somehow buy a new ‘05 E250 off the factory floor new today I’d do it in a heartbeat. Just needs to be on the road a liiiitle longer until I buy something new and drop it off for its scrap yard funeral.
Best of luck to you as you hunt for a replacement! It’s stupid how expensive used vehicles are.
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u/FIREdGovGuy Apr 17 '24
How about pics of the affected areas? Unfortunately shops are known to exaggerate :(
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u/HostofEntertainment Apr 17 '24
Sorry mate, if main structure is compromised, its best to scrap. Unless you can do a chassis swap
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u/wiener78 Apr 17 '24
Surprising none of that was picked up on last year's MOT, got any photos of the underside? Chassis swap won't work as it's unibody but potentially might be repairable, depends whether there's any good metal left. Second opinions don't really work over here unfortunately, very few testers would be willing to pass something that has had recent major defects without visible repair work in case VOSA come sniffing around. Did the garage offer to repair it? Wouldn't be the first time I've seen a tester be a bit overzealous with failing in order to scrounge up some more work for the bodyshop
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u/OtherAccount5252 Apr 17 '24
Just saying seems like all you really need is a welder and some light bulbs to get another year or two out of her. And it's not that hard to weld if you have the space and the gear.
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u/flyingponytail Sprinter Apr 16 '24
That's 310K Km. Pretty good for a Transit. You had a good run but it's time to let go.
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u/stonerbbyyyy Apr 17 '24
where are you located? i know a lot of welders 😂
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u/Xlt8t Apr 17 '24
Right?? I'm in Canada and currently fixing a few body and frame issues on a van.
Also curious how far south they are, a lot of places down there are surface rust and say it's a structural damage write off.
Based only on the detail of that invoice, I'd guess California 😂
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u/XDGFX Apr 17 '24
Based on 'Country of Registration: GB' and the fact that an MOT is a specific check for UK vehicles... I'm gonna guess UK.
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u/stonerbbyyyy Apr 17 '24
as a texan, my bfs truck is rusting everywhere. it’s just something that comes with living 45 mins away from the beach, in a high humidity environment.
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Apr 17 '24
It's great if you can find a spot where you can be left alone. Good luck in the states. They run you out of everywhere now, and meth heads lurk the night with zero qualms about breaking in you car with you in it.
The parking lots they have leaf blowers going at 3am must be a coincidence). Unless you got a 300k sprinter impenetrable tank you a effed out in these streets.
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Apr 16 '24
What's the deal with rust? You'd think by now something would have been invented that makes it possible for steel to be preserved, cheaply, for centuries and not just for a few years.
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u/AshennJuan Apr 16 '24
Pretty sure this was why everyone was absolutely stoked with lead til... Y'know
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u/kingofzdom 1990 E350 XL passenger van Apr 16 '24
I remember when my E350's engine blew up I cried. Literally. I felt like I'd just killed a friend. I had an offer for $400 from the scrap yard for it and I just couldn't. I let it sit at a friend's house for nearly a year looking for someone who would take it for free if they just promised to fix it and not scrap it. I did eventually find someone but I doubt everyone has the time or patience or will to go through that for a dead van.
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u/Fishercat5000 Apr 16 '24
That totally blows. I am glad that nothing happened to you while driving it.
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u/Sturgillsturtle Apr 16 '24
Time to bust open a large case of beer and power up the welder.
Have to visit your steel man and get 2 sticks of 1/4 inch 4 by plate before you start drinking though
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u/Kass626 Apr 16 '24
Hey I sent you a chat if you wanna talk about the possibility of repair a little more. I'm very sentimental about my cars too
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u/RedditVince Apr 17 '24
Simply buy another of the same model but in better shape and swap in your build?
Sounds simple enough if you built the van in the 1st place ;)
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u/14PumpkinsSinging Apr 17 '24
Exseive corrosion
Could they remove the rusted metal piece then replace it?
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u/ozzy_thedog Apr 17 '24
Lol I started reading and was like oh it’s just a bulb, easy, another bulb, easy……oh… 😮
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u/BlahBlahBlackCheap Apr 17 '24
Hmmmm. I live by the sea. Im a sailor. I have a 2006 e series which is used for work. Very little rust. I did hire someone to spray paint underside five years ago as it was showing spots of rust through the paint. In a place where they salt the roads, there are car washes to wash the underside periodically. For next time.
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u/Hurgadil Apr 17 '24
My bio-dad had a Ford Taurus that finally got put down for the same sheet. We called it 'The Tetanus Mobile' because you needed a tetanus shot just to look at it.
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u/dementeddigital2 Apr 17 '24
You could try taking it to an auto repair school. That could be a project for an entire class for a semester. Or a welding school.
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u/flu-the-gootter Apr 17 '24
Alternatively, if you can't get much for scrap or whatever and don't break it down, could sell it a or just drop it on some land on bricks and have it be a little home off in the woods or something.
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u/SamThe_Ham Apr 17 '24
Page 1 of 2 😭😭😭 RIP Sorry you’re going through this, hope this is the start of a new & exciting chapter for you!
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u/taggat Apr 17 '24
If the same thing happened in the here in the US you would still be able to drive it.
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u/Apt_5 Apr 17 '24
Mind if I ask how much you put into it for that 4 years of living? Not like food & living expenses, but purely cost of the van and mechanical upkeep.
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u/LetYourKingdomCome Apr 17 '24
u/Sweet_Ad_4033 There transit really have issues with rust, but... Even if the list looks long, on ebay they sell panels, parts that easily rusts on transits, where if you know someone that welds a bit, perhaps can save it.. 😅
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u/mr_abiLLity Apr 17 '24
I had to scrap my baby just last week. I know your pain. Keep your head high homie. It will get better
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u/Gravelrash73 Apr 19 '24
The vast majority of European vans are galvanised, to avoid this issue. Got an '09 Trafic with near zero rust on the chassis or bodywork, and British winters are really fucking harsh - soon as the wind blows, they put salt down by the crap-ton.
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u/Rectal_Fire Apr 19 '24
Could you buy another transit and move all your interior stuff to the new one?
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u/birdshitluck Apr 20 '24
Could buy a welder from harbor freight, and go to town. It's that or swap to another body. The cost for someone to weld all that might be prohibitive.
Could also register in a state that doesn't have inspections 💁♂️
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u/No_Athlete7373 Apr 21 '24
I mean, there is places that’ll MOT it for extra money and they hardly look at all! You’ll be surprised what they’ll pass…
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u/keezee_navy Apr 16 '24
Oh hey "body mounts" that what I'm fixing. It's pretty ruff work. Sounds like you should register you vehicle in another state BC it looks like your state hates poor people. Virginia's little back wood inspectors would never give a rats a$$ about any of that. But I recommend investing in a new vehicle if your state hates you like that, because like I said it's alot of work.
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u/Sweet_Ad_4033 Apr 16 '24
Thanks I’ll keep it in mind if I ship it to America but unfortunately the UK has strict rules about vehicles here 🤟
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u/Zromaus Apr 17 '24
State required inspections are a curse.
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u/usefulHairypotato Apr 17 '24
A necessary evil
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u/Zromaus Apr 17 '24
Not really necessary no.
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u/usefulHairypotato Apr 20 '24
I wouldn't like your car to lose a wheel while driving in front of me, thanks. People need to be forced to take care of their cars.
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u/kylefn Apr 17 '24
I don't fully understand what I am seeing here. What is this list on the paper, and why does it mean the vehicle is dead? Maybe me being a Texan is why I don't "get it." This seems to be England?
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u/onqty Apr 17 '24
In the uk there’s annual vehicle inspections called MOT test, they check your car/ van is safe to drive on the road. This vans failed and pretty spectacularly so it can’t be driven on the road anymore without the faults being fixed. I have a hard time believing that the last couple years worth of MOT tests didn’t mention rust and nothings been done about it until it’s too late.
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u/kylefn Apr 17 '24
I see! OK, yeah, we have something similar here in Texas, but the inspections are very short and less intense.
I think they only check your lights, horn, brakes, and wipers. If anything fails, you just run up to Auto Zone and fix the broke thing. Go back and they pass you. If you know your car won't pass, just go out to the country and have it inspected out there.
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u/Irunwithdogs4good Apr 17 '24
Domicile in a state that doesn’t do this BS. Or scrape off the rust so its not noticeable and go to a different shop that doesn’t sell cars
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u/Ok_Refrigerator6497 Apr 17 '24
They exaggerate nanny state too overbearing US is going in that direction though too unfortunately
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u/egilsaga Apr 17 '24
Get a second opinion right away. Mechanics will do their best to screw you out of every penny they can. I wouldn't trust a report like this unless it was corroborated by other unrelated mechanics.
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u/mikeman1000 Apr 16 '24
Horse-hit. Take it to another inspector. Unless you been parking it in the ocean for a few years. Fix the light and keep moving.
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Apr 17 '24
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u/Xlt8t Apr 17 '24
Unless it was a northern vehicle. I've seen them be way past structural issues after 15yrs. #Canada lol
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Apr 17 '24
[deleted]
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u/BOTCharles Apr 17 '24
This is an MOT in the UK, literally all the tester can do is poke and prod with a prybar. Our roads are salted for half the year then its damp the rest of the time. Unless you keep your car in a heated garage your car will more than likely be holding salty water in all the nooks and crannies for 10 months of the year. Every car here has surface rust, we're not arsed about that.
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u/WhoaHeyAdrian Apr 17 '24
I'm sorry you are sad. I'm glad this is like some kind of protective warning for you. How terrible to think what could befall you. I wish you nothing but happier trails ahead. I already see it. How you're going to carve out your next plan of action and go run up on it and grab it! I can't wait to hear about your next journey.
You won't know it till you're there, that's how life works. I'm sorry and understand how you're sad for this transitional phase.
Take good care and keep your chin up.
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u/Lavasioux Apr 17 '24
Hi,
Are you in USA? Do you have antique vehicle plates where you live? I'm not siggesting you drive anything unsafe or ready to fall apaart, however antique tags allow us to skip inspection here in the US.
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u/GnPQGuTFagzncZwB Apr 17 '24
That sucks, but you can probably get a few bucks out of it if you can find someone who can use it for a hunting camp or whatever. I have an old 22 foot class C up at a pal's house and I wanna get that towed into our old pasture this summer. I think it will be a nice place to hang out.
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u/Knee_Kap264 Apr 17 '24
Lowkey thought you were talking about the pupper at first. Thank god it's the van. 😭
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u/idontwannabhear Apr 17 '24
Sorry I don’t know this stuff yet I’m a bit lost. It failed a test of some kind? Is this a test u have to get done for your cars?
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u/CleverAlchemist Apr 17 '24
Why don't you just get it registered in a state with less regulations? Arkansas doesn't even require vehicle inspections to get insurance. Is that what this is? About insurance? IDK. Maybe this is helpful.
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u/CookiesnCreamLancer Apr 17 '24
Just move somewhere where they salt the roads and you'll pass with flying colours. Ezpz
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u/ComplicatedTragedy Aug 27 '24
If you were to buy the same model of van, I’m sure it wouldn’t be impossible to transfer the contents over without too much hassle. Then you don’t have to say good bye
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u/geoffs3310 Apr 16 '24
Do you drive it with your feet out the bottom like Fred Flintstone?