Corrosion issues (2 Viewers)

[Motorhome92]

Hi All,

First time poster here, me & the wife are looking to buy our first motorhome. Complete novices in the field admittedly.

We viewed one this evening which was in very good condition for its age, no smell of mould, seals all looking good etc. It’s 20 years old so obviously a few signs of wear but generally well looked after.

I’ve looked at the advisories this evening and the corrosion issues are a worry. I know any vehicle with 20 years on the clock will have corrosion issues but with these on the chassis, holes etc it is a bit of a concern.

Could some kind souls here read the advisories and let me know if spending £13k on this Fiat Ducato Auto Trail would be a big mistake?

Many thanks,

Lewis

Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):

• Offside Front jacking point corroded
• Offside Front Subframe mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (5.3.6 (a) (i))
• Offside Front of chassis corroded and holed
• Offside Front inner wing slightly corroded/one area holed
• Offside Front Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (5.2.3 (d) (ii))
• Offside Rear Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (5.2.3 (d) (ii))
• Wheel bearing has slight play both rears (5.1.3 (a) (i))
• Offside Front Wheel bearing has slight play (5.1.3 (a) (i))

 

[mitzimad]

unless your handy with a welder i would give it a miss always another van out there

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

Save your money, something more solid will come along.
Mike.

 

[ChrisL]

The thing with corrosion is it's always worse then it looks. Look for another in better condition.

 

[Vanman]

That would scare me off ... fixtures and fittings can be easily sorted, but corrosion of the underneath can spell the end.

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[MisterB]

They are advisories BUT must be addressed as soon as (if) you get it ....

Prevention is better than cure...... Do you have the skills or 'contacts' that you can call upon to sort it out?

There are a few threads on here where motorhomes have undergone massive repairs/rebuilds, so most issues can be resolved if you have the skills or FUNDS to resolve them ....

And welcome to the Fun House...

 

[Motorhome92]

Wow thank you all for your speedy replies. To be honest I feel uneasy parting with a lot of our cash for something that has a lot of corrosion. These have been the same advisories for the last 3/4 MOT’s now, so obviously not acted upon.

Shame as it was just what we wanted, but it’s the only one we’ve viewed! I certainly wouldn’t go near welding and don’t know anyone that would, so would be done professionally at a big cost.

Again thanks for all of the replies, all saying the same thing which gives me the right answer.

 

[bubble63]

Walk away, there has got to be a better bet somewhere else

 

[Lenny HB]

Difficult to say without someone with experance looking at it may not be too bad as they are only advisories. But is going to need the wheel bearing done & for new tyres so that will probably mean spending getting on towards a grand.
Sound cheap for a van of that age.

 

[IRHP]

The thing with corrosion is you don't just fix it and that's it. Once it's starts in one place it will Continue appearing and needing fixing to the point where it can't be fixed or isn't financially viable.

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[pappajohn]

Weld it now.... Weld it again next year.
Unless you cut out all the rust and also spme good metal itll only come back.

 

[meanders]

And whatever you buy, get a damp meter and check it thoroughly as well. If there is corrosion, there may also be damp.

 

[Jev88]

A professional welder opinion is what you need as it depends on previous repair and proximity to important bits like suspension mounts.

 

[ianp]

I must admit when I first read this (at 06:00 ) this morning I thought it sounded quite odd......it's been a few years since I played with wheels and their associated bearings but to turn up three at the same time that have 'play' sounds ....well odd to say the least ! As to the corrosion..... then the one near the sub frame mount is the (currently) only worrying one and that's stated as 'not excessive'......what does that mean? Practically any vehicle over a couple of years old will have a whole array of corroded areas......all or nearly all not excessive ...! Its a nice to know but should it be on an MOT....? The tyres are just fair wear and tear......
I was quite ready just to dismiss the MOT as having been done by a new / young examiner on his first outings.....far too over cautious etc etc..... and then its said that the same issues appear on a number of previous MOT reports.....now that does sound 'odd'.
The long and the short of it ...if your interested then pay to have it inspected (about £400-500) which should settle your mind one way or the other.....

 

[Motorhome92]

Hi all,

I have been in contact with the seller & raised my concerns about the corrosion.

She has shown me an invoice for a few hundred pound which states welding has been carried out.

This is the latest MOT sheet from today, which shows the advisories of just wheel bearings. So tyres etc have been sorted.

Now swaying me towards purchasing it with these issues sorted. Would those that advised me to look for another still feel the same?

Any advice really appreciated.

Thanks,

Lewis

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[Motorhome92]

MOT from today. She had one done in July and another one today after rectifying the issues.

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

Only with a very thorough inspection by a reputable organisation. I'd be nervous that the minimum required had been done to get a 12 month ticket
Mike.

 

[Gromett]

I would run, not walk from that.

I lost my van to rust on the Chassis and subframe.

The problem with rust is, unless you cut it ALL out it will come back quicker than you may like.

 

[Dickyb]

Welcome, it needs assessing properly and if deemed ok for a few years get it professionally protected with something like Dinitrol, but anything of that age needs careful consideration, the price seems ok depending on how much you’ve got in your repair budget ? As said plenty about and some fair better than others.

 

[1967bowesj]

Do a proper check of the mot history

https://cartaxcheck.co.uk/free-car-check/mot-history/

It’s had poor servicing for the last 5/6 years from what I stopped reading.
It is wholly under powered being the 1.9 engine, think fiat scudo van size and that was under powered.
Sorry but there are better out there even at your price point.

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[Diabalo]

One word. WALK.

 

[Just smiffy]

A few hundred quid to have it welded up… that’s cheap, you be paying triple that next year…

Look at some other vans…

 

[Jon Stewart]

unless your handy with a welder i would give it a miss always another van out there

If you're good with a welder ( or a friend) it could be fun to clean up, cut out and replace sections, as long as you can get safely to the top of the chassis rails etc you need to work on without melting or burning something you didn't want to.

Aka, move along, this isn't the motorhome you're looking for!

 

[Motorhome92]

Thank you everyone.

The hunt continues

 

[ChrisL]

Thank you everyone.

The hunt continues

Unfortunately as a free member you only get 5 posts so you won't be able to ask anymore questions unless you subscribe. It's only £20/year and well worth it, just for the discounts available from some suppliers, there is also a buyers guide in the resources section.

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[The Coops]

Be realistic its a Fiat from, 20 years ago you are lucky its not sat in a pile of rust, The service life of a commercial vehicle is about 7 years, the galvanisation and underseal, if it had any will be fired where it has been welded and the new metal will also have been subject to heat and even if undersealed will have been compromised. 2 years down the line it will require re doing, walk away there are better vans out there, Have a look at some of Northernraider posts for what he has had to do on the vans he has had. Oh and pay your joining fee you wont regret it for the advice and help you will get on here

 

[Northernraider]

Once again I think many are panicking over advisories. They vary immensely from tester to tester.

Any vehicle more than 1 or 2 years old will have surface corrosion underneath ...because most of the service components are only thinly painted when new. No one can access how bad it is from reading an mot sheet.

I'm in the process of changing vans the one I'm selling has surface corrosion underneath but it's a 10mm thick truck chassis and the extent of the corrosion is flaky paint and rust coloured underneath.. it was in for mot today and no mention of it . The van I'm buying is the same... the photos of underside would scare many people but again its flaky paint and rust coloured but absolutely solid ..it passed an mot on 5th August with no mention of it.

But here's the thing ,both vans had advisories for that surface corrosion years ago.. and then no mention afterwards .

You have to remember it's a 20 year old van for £13k

I guarantee you will not find a van of that age or price without corrosion underneath. And you won't find many 4/5 year old vans with none either.


People who generally buy newer more expensive vans will always see these things and panic and advise to walk away.

People who are at home with older vehicles generally do not scare so easy .


This is the underside of the van I've just bought .

Some would run a mile and miss out on the fantastic van it is .. having spent hours checking it out I can assure you it's solid and with a clean up and paint will last another 20 years with ease.


If you're not confident enough to check it over yourself get someone knowledgeable with old vehicles to have a look for you .