Broken subframe- Ford Kuga

CreditCardJunkie

I purchased a Ford Kuga in 2023 for 5.5k. Have spend a few grand repairing bits in the time that have went wrong, paid £500 for a new towbar and £200 for 2 new tyres just 2 weeks ago. The first year I had the car it failed MOT on a hole in the subframe which was welded and then passed.

Last week I was on a busy road that had major works being done to the pavement on the long road, I turned a corner and the works had cause the car on the new road to be slightly on my side of the road. I overestimated the turn and hit the kerb at a low speed. There was a bit of a "dunt" but I didn’t think much of it. A few days later the anti skid light came on and the steering was very noticeably affected. On inspection the wheel looked bent! Took it to my trusted mechanic who has advised the subframe is rotten away and car is dangerous to drive. He advised it might be worth going through insurance as they can't source a part.

I bumped into the back of someone in 2023 and they got a 30k whiplash claim  so I'm worried about making another insurance claim, in addition on my policy documents it says that they will consider condition of the car and there was already an issue with the subframe. 

Do I cut my losses and just scrap it? We are NI and used car prices are extremely high. I don't have money for a new car or really enough available funds to finance a new car. There are cut backs I could make to finance a new car, but having been in the finance trap for a long time I'm reluctant to go back into this. I could manage without a car for a while but we live quite out of the way and I've two small children.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

david29dpo

I buy cheap (£100/300) cars with 12 months MOT
Use for a few years,(one lasted 4 years!) then scrapped.
Depreciation, nil
Nextdoor lost £30000 in two years on there car!

WellKnownSid

david29dpo said:

I buy cheap (£100/300) cars with 12 months MOT

These don't exist any more.  Not saying you can't find a non-runner for £300 and fix it / get it through an MoT - have done a few on the drive for the kids and it's quite enjoyable - but you will need a budget and some basic skills.

fatbelly

I can't see any alternative that would keep it on the road.

Not sure how the market differs in NI but on the mainland you will only get £200 ish as scrap. You my find someone who will pay more for the parts.

£1000 should get you a runner though I did look on Autotrader and there's not a great choice in NI. It may be worth coming over to the mainland for a few days and driving something back

Something like this?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507174584741

Or if you need something bigger

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507084288042

CreditCardJunkie

fatbelly said:

I can't see any alternative that would keep it on the road.

Not sure how the market differs in NI but on the mainland you will only get £200 ish as scrap. You my find someone who will pay more for the parts.

£1000 should get you a runner though I did look on Autotrader and there's not a great choice in NI. It may be worth coming over to the mainland for a few days and driving something back

Something like this?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507174584741

Or if you need something bigger

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507084288042

Thank you all for your replies. Yes you're right, these are fantastic value, for a similar Corsa in NI is around 3k - https://www.usedcarsni.com/2012-Vauxhall-Corsa-1-2-SE-5dr-373675011?make=31&model=1281&keywords=&fuel_type=1&trans_type=0&age_from=0&age_to=0&price_from=0&price_to=0&user_type=0&mileage_to=90000&body_style=0&doors[]=5&distance_enabled=0&distance_postcode=&distance_enabled=0&homepage_search_attr=1&tab_id=0&search_type=1

Not sure if it's feasible for me to come to the mainland and drive back unfortunately just with the young kids and work. I wasn't sure if it was worth keeping the car to see if I can eventually source the part. I was reading through forums and others seem to think there could be more wrong with the car than just the subframe!

Mildly_Miffed

Insurance won't cover this. The subframe has rusted away from the inside. The first clue was the welding needed a couple of years ago.

You don't say exactly which bit - even which end of what age car we're talking about - but I suspect it's this...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/146471114001

CreditCardJunkie

Mildly_Miffed said:

Insurance won't cover this. The subframe has rusted away from the inside. The first clue was the welding needed a couple of years ago.

You don't say exactly which bit - even which end of what age car we're talking about - but I suspect it's this...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/146471114001

Thank you. It's 2013 and rear.

Mildly_Miffed

CreditCardJunkie said:

Mildly_Miffed said:

Insurance won't cover this. The subframe has rusted away from the inside. The first clue was the welding needed a couple of years ago.

You don't say exactly which bit - even which end of what age car we're talking about - but I suspect it's this...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/146471114001

Thank you. It's 2013 and rear.

Different for 4x2 and 4x4, of course, but either way - shouldn't be hard to find one from a breaker.

CreditCardJunkie

Mildly_Miffed said:

CreditCardJunkie said:

Mildly_Miffed said:

Insurance won't cover this. The subframe has rusted away from the inside. The first clue was the welding needed a couple of years ago.

You don't say exactly which bit - even which end of what age car we're talking about - but I suspect it's this...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/146471114001

Thank you. It's 2013 and rear.

Different for 4x2 and 4x4, of course, but either way - shouldn't be hard to find one from a breaker.

Thanks mine is AWD, my mechanic is having problems finding one. Do you think it's worth fixing? There's 125k on the car and it's a full service history. 

Mildly_Miffed

Let's put a wet finger in the air, and say it costs a grand to buy and fit a good used subframe... Add the £250 or so you'd get scrap value - and what are you going to buy for £1250?

Brand new subframe is £1250.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/393529928188

Used rear - £550

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/316834087580 (but, tbh, I'd say the extra was worth it for the new - that's scaggy externally, how bad internally?)

chrisw

Ask your mechanic for his advice on the rest of the car. If it all looks ok, it might be worth repairing even if that costs as much as the car is worth. At least you have a known vehicle on your hands which would appear to meet your needs.