Ford focus 2005

Grumpy_chap

IMO, the Mk1 Focus is still several years away to make the leap from old car to classic car.  Even then, it is likely to be the "exotic" versions that recover desirability, not run-of-the-mill diesels.

noclaf

Grumpy_chap said:

IMO, the Mk1 Focus is still several years away to make the leap from old car to classic car.  Even then, it is likely to be the "exotic" versions that recover desirability, not run-of-the-mill diesels.

My MK1 has surface rust on the subframe (was an MOT advisory) so unless the next owner remediates the rust it won't make it to classic status!

AdrianC

noclaf said:

Grumpy_chap said:

IMO, the Mk1 Focus is still several years away to make the leap from old car to classic car.  Even then, it is likely to be the "exotic" versions that recover desirability, not run-of-the-mill diesels.

My MK1 has surface rust on the subframe (was an MOT advisory) so unless the next owner remediates the rust it won't make it to classic status!

Or you could remove the subframe, clean it up, repaint it...

noclaf

AdrianC said:

noclaf said:

Grumpy_chap said:

IMO, the Mk1 Focus is still several years away to make the leap from old car to classic car.  Even then, it is likely to be the "exotic" versions that recover desirability, not run-of-the-mill diesels.

My MK1 has surface rust on the subframe (was an MOT advisory) so unless the next owner remediates the rust it won't make it to classic status!

Or you could remove the subframe, clean it up, repaint it...

Considered this but wonder if I will be fighting a losing battle against rust...e.g: I clean up one area yet it spreads in other places..death by a 1000 rust spots as it were.

AdrianC

So clean the entire underbody and paint it, and wax-inject all the cavities...

All those immaculate classic cars you see at shows in the summer haven't been simply kept like that from new. They've almost all been restored, improved, protected.

Long-term maintenance and preservation isn't just oil changes and ticking the boxes on the service schedule.

Grumpy_chap

Get the brake pipe and fuel pipe fixed, but don't get drawn into fixing rust.  Once that gets bad, let the car pass onto the scrap yard in the sky.

feolojad

noclaf said:

My MK1 has surface rust on the subframe (was an MOT advisory) so unless the next owner remediates the rust it won't make it to classic status!

All cars do once they're a few years old in countries where they salt the roads in winter or if they're "seaside cars".  MOT examiners put that on as a backside covering exercise, not because it's an issue.

The same is the case with the brake pipes. A mechanic will often put an advisory on for corrosion because they look a bit tatty, not because there's anything wrong with them. Back in the day they'd just get some wire wool, clean off the crud, which was usually dried on dirt and not corrosion, see it was nice shiny pipe and slap a bit of grease over it.

As has been said in a previous post don't do any anticipatory MOT repairs because often you'll end up paying money to fix something that was either not broken or wasn't testable anyway and there's still the possibility of missing stuff it can fail on. And if it ends up failing significantly with an expensive bill to put right you can end up having wasted £100s fixing stuff in advance of the MOT on a car you ultimately end up scrapping.

Trueblonde1

Just had mot done. My garage cleaned up the brake pipes and fuel pipe. There were a few other minor issues such as a headlight bulb and a puncture and some sort of coupling on the suspension. All in all, including the mot and vat £183 . Very happy, thanks to all for your advice and comment s 😊