MOT Advisory help

rushy1970

Hi all. 
These advisories came up on a 10 year old car today. It passed its MOT but should I fix or get rid ?

And do they just sound bad, please help. Fix or flip ?

Front sub frame corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i))

Rear rear axle corroded. 

Both front and rear shock absorbers corroded. 

Nearside and Offside front suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened. 

I hoping these sound worse than they are, and it's just scary words for a bit of rust. 

Thank you all. Much appreciated. 

scoobyjones1

I would try a different MOT place next year!

paul_c123

Impossible to say, without actually seeing the car. It could well be an overzealous MOT tester, or it could be an indication that the car is approaching end of life.

What is the make/model?

fatbelly

Mine's had all those for the past few years. Had it undersealed in the summer. Now 13 years old. Just passed an MOT with no advisories.

Goudy

These is always some ambiguity regarding MOT advisories.
Some people think MOT testers are being over zealous but I tend to think they are pointing out likely future issues that under normal circumstances, the owner is probably unlikely to notice.

You aren't likely to be getting underneath the car yourself too often or there might be something like worn brakes that still pass but probably won't last another year. 

Yes, it's also likely there will be some ambiguity with the testing station and tester.
A single tester can't pass 4 cars an hour with flying colours as alarm bells at VOSA will start ringing.
I'm not saying they will fail cars deliberately, but they might be more inclined to register these advisories at various times. They do get monitored and inspected.

As for your car, you'd need to get it looked at properly to make a decision, but how soon depends on what you plan on doing with the car. It's not yet in a really bad state, they are just advisories at the moment.

It sounds like they are full of surface rust that's only going to get worse, that's not unusual at this age.

The shocks and suspension arms are bolt off and on parts and nothing to really worry about.
They are fairly cheap and easy to do on most cars.

The subframe and axle might be a bit more tricky in situ.
It might be possible to scrub the rust off it and treat if with a rust inhibitor, then protect it with a underseal but you'll not get into every nook and cranny whilst they are attached to the car. So that depends on how bad and where abouts.

You could have them removed, shotblasted and protected if they are still solid enough.
Trouble is garages don;t like to leave cars sitting on lifts and ramps while parts get sent off for refurbishment that could take days or weeks.

If it was mine and I really wanted to keep it, I'd think about getting some decent used parts from the same car.
Treating them and when the times comes, get them swapped over.

Mildly_Miffed

What car are we talking about?

The subframes and arms might just be a bit surface scabby, or they might be near-terminal. Most properly structural rot comes from inside, though, not from outside.

Dampers - meh, easy to change.

The only way to know is to ask the tester, or to have a good look yourself.

ButterCheese

At 10 years old, it sounds like this car has lead its life by the sea.  If you have a safew ay to inspect underneath, you can see for yourself.  Might just be surface rust which can be wore brushed off and whack a bit of rust protection on

sparklymarkly

If it’s surface rust on the subframes and you intend keeping the car, it’s better to address it.
On my last MOT, one of mine (now 16yrs old) got advisories for the same thing. The MOT tester told me what to do about it.
I spent a couple of days in the summer with the car on ramps (just small Halfords ones, not proper garage stuff) and using wire wheels on a drill and a selection of small wire brushes, got all of the loose rust off, treated everything with Jenolite rust converter and finished off with a few coats of stonechip paint.
Had this years MOT on Monday and it passed with flying colours.
Well worth doing but only if you plan on keeping the car and the rest of it’s worth saving.

angrycrow

ButterCheese said:

At 10 years old, it sounds like this car has lead its life by the sea.

Or it's a Mazda

Always wanted a Mazda 3 but every one I looked at was rusty underneath by 10 years.

Grey_Critic

The MOT tester has inspected and told you what he has found. If he has issued a Certificate then at this time it safe to drive. How long for is anyones guess.

What do the items listed all have in common. RUST Metal Rusts - If you cannot get under yourself ask someone who can and knows what he is doing.