Peugeot Boxer - MOT failure - Tracy Fowler

I purchased a motorhome 11 months ago from a dealer with a new MOT. I've just had it tested today and it's failed on excessive rust and corrosion. ItsI a 2001 with 80k. It cost me 17k and I had plans on keeping it for a long time. Do I have any comeback on the dealer?

Peugeot Boxer - MOT failure - daveyjp
An MOT doesn't mean much as it doesn't take long for rust (pass, possibly advisory) to become excessive rust (failure),
.
Did you Check the MOT history for any previous observations about a problem?

www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/?_ga=2.54397934.75425...4

First car I owned was 18 years old. It passed the first MOT in my ownership, the following year the same tester pushed a hole in the floor. Scrapyard time,

Peugeot Boxer - MOT failure - Tracy Fowler

Thank you. Yes I did check it. It had advisories for welding which the dealer assured me had been done hence the new clean MOT. Todays rust was extreme which we don't believe has happened in the space of under a year

Peugeot Boxer - MOT failure - Big John

Thank you. Yes I did check it. It had advisories for welding which the dealer assured me had been done hence the new clean MOT. Todays rust was extreme which we don't believe has happened in the space of under a year

Sorry but after restoring/ rebuilding many a car there is nothing like welded patches done just to pass an MOT to encourage much more severe rust if not properly done/dressed/rust proofed

Unless it's been properly restored I'd never touch anything that has ever been welded. Also if one part of a car has needed welding due to corrosion you can guarantee there will be much more to follow.

I used to do loads of car restoration/welding and my biggest dread was someone asking for a "small" MOT welding patch - there is no such thing!!!

Comeback on the dealer - I suspect no

The problem with motorhomes is they keep their value too much but at the end of the day a 2001 vehicle is 18 years old - most cars would be worth buttons by then. Saying that because of the retained value repairs may be worth doing.

Edited by Big John on 08/03/2019 at 23:28

Peugeot Boxer - MOT failure - Tracy Fowler

Thank you. We would like to have it all repaired properly so we can keep it. Our intention was to keep it for many years to come. I don't mind spending a couple of grand on it to put it right if I thought it would prolong itsi life. How do I find someone in my area?

Peugeot Boxer - MOT failure - elekie&a/c doctor

I would ask the Mot garage about welding . I am sure if they don't do it, they can recommend somebody that does.

Peugeot Boxer - MOT failure - gordonbennet

The problem with van based vehicles is that van chassis arn't heavy like lorry chassis, and don't have good rustproofing finishes because in general vans are designed for a short high mileage life, so the wise brand new motorhome buyer gets them professionally rustproofed when new, and it's a mere fraction of the high cost of these vehicles then.

A good welder should be able to sort this out properly, albeit at some time and cost, but it will be easier if the vehicle was originally based on a chassis cab (where the vehicle started life with an open chassis from the driver's seat back and not based on an integral chassis van where the floorpan would have been part of the top of the chassis..

...indeed some makes/models of motorhome the vehicle maker only supplied the cab with no back panel and two chassis rails sticking out just behind the driver's seat, often these cabs were bolted together back to back like a push me pull you and the motorhome company supplied their chassis as well as built the body, anecdotally these were 'interesting' to deliver on a transporter because there was no parking brake fitted (no back axle), and yes PSA supplied lots of these.

This is only my opinion here, most good vehicle refurb welders i've known are welders and general mechanics, they are not rustproofing experts and their method will basically be to coat everything in waxoyl after welding up, so it might be sensible to get the welding done first and only painted over with base undercoat, then MOT'd, and then to get a pro rustproofer to perform their magic on the whole of the undersides, paying particular attention to the newly welded sections inside and out, you can do this yourself of course with some of the better DIY rustproofing products now on the market.

Edited by gordonbennet on 09/03/2019 at 09:43

Peugeot Boxer - MOT failure - Tracy Fowler

Hey guys. On further inspection of the old MOTs it appears there were lots of advisories on the MOT the year before. The dealer motd it with no advisories. It's now failed on the previous advisories. Something definitely isn't adding up.

Advice please

Peugeot Boxer - MOT failure - John F

Sadly, it seems as though you have been a victim of sharpish practice. I doubt if it is worth pursuing after all this time. It's basically an eighteen year old van, well past the average age of scrapped vehicles. Put it down to experience, and the next time you buy something so old, get underneath and have a look, preferably with someone who knows about looking after old cars.

Peugeot Boxer - MOT failure - Big John

From the gov website re MOT complaints:-

"Time limits

If your vehicle passed, you need to complain within:

within 3 months of the MOT if it’s a corrosion-related problem"

Probably not a lot you can do now I’m afraid. You could possibly use the consumer rights act (2015) but now more than 6 months has passed it's down to you to prove the car was faulty when you bought it. I.e. was the dealer dishonest an lie about the repairs or did some repairs take place and the car has deteriorated since (which as I mentioned further up the thread is entirely possible - welding can encourage rapid rust - I've cut out multiple layered bad repairs before). Either way it's going to be difficult to prove and if you went to small claims court it will be stress and there is every chance you may lose.

If the rest of the campervan is OK (interior, oily bits etc.) and it still has a reasonable value (which these things usually have) then find a competent welder/car restorer and get it properly done and then rustproofed. It won’t be cheap though.

Peugeot Boxer - MOT failure - Andrew-T

On further inspection of the old MOTs it appears there were lots of advisories on the MOT the year before. The dealer mot'd it with no advisories. It's now failed on the previous advisories. Something definitely isn't adding up.

Unfortunately it sounds as if things are adding up, probably to your disadvantage. I'm sure there are some who deal in campervans because of their perceived value, which may be much more than what they are genuinely worth. I would guess that the only way you might recover the situation is to ask a reliable body specialist what repairs are needed to get a lasting result. Then decide. If you value your blood pressure don't try to take the seller to any cleaners.

Peugeot Boxer - MOT failure - Galaxy

The time to look at the MOT history of a vehicle is prior to purchase, not afterwards, I'm afraid.

Advisories don't suddenly disappear on their own.

Peugeot Boxer - MOT failure - John F

Advisories don't suddenly disappear on their own.

They can do. There was an advisory on my 2005 Audi's anti-roll bar drop link bushes in 2013, not mentioned 2014 and 2015, reappeared 2016. I finally decided to replace them a year later just before the 2017 MoT when it was getting very slightly rattly on bad roads.

Peugeot Boxer - MOT failure - sammy1

Moving forward you probably need the services of a professional body shop or an old school garage experienced in renovations of old vehicles. Would be worth it to you to get a few quotes so you know you are being charged a fair price. If the mechanics are all OK then you are looking at labour charges to cut out the rusted sections and replace with new metal and weld. It would be worth getting this done in one go so you are not revisiting the same problems next year. There are many skilled people out there, you just need to find the right one.