My poor NC needs a lot of help

Hi,

I took my 2005 NC for an inspection a few weeks ago unfortunately it wasn’t good news I will attach a picture for the details from the inspection. Does anybody have any suggestions on the best way to tackle the problems and an estimate of how much it might cost to get it all sorted I was told the MOT will fail so unfortunately I’m going to have to get this stuff done in order to get him back on the road. I’ll also add some images of the holes in the chassis that the inspection found. My local town is Wolverhampton

Thanks!



It may be helpful if you put the name of the nearest big town to you. That way recommendations will be relavant

Wolverhampton

If nowhere nearer, then CS Haynes can do this. They are both club members (and have a LeMans and a 25AE)

I know he has done similar for other members

1 Like

See:

From the map, its seems the local coachworks to you with positive feedback would be DFTVR in Dudley

1 Like

Hi Laurence, don’t know how long you have had this car but it has a history of MOT fails and Advisories for Chassis corrosion plus a multitude of other problems which would lead to a conclusion of neglect of routine maintenence and servicing. In view of the cost of rectification of all the current problems maybe you should think about putting your money into a vehicle with a better long term outlook? Unless you are really attached to this vehicle I don’t think I would be spending any more money getting it through the next MOT at the end of this year Sorry…

2 Likes

Hi, I appreciate that you probably know more than I do and I never knew that you could check the history of a cars mot. I can’t get rid of the car unfortunately as I’m still paying it off so I’m just going to have to slowly get the issues fixed. How much do you reckon it’ll cost? Thanks

Not very close to you but I like the look of MX5 Restorer in Pevensey (Near Hastings). They are Cavity Waxing my NC and undersealing it in a couple of weeks, luckily their inspection showed no metal worm on mine.

A good repair job is needed and a drive may pay off?

MX5 Restorer carry out a full 19 point inspection F.O.C. too.

Find them on YouTube and the Web; here is a video that maybe of interest to you because yours looks minor compared to the one they are about to fix. Very rusty Mk3 MX5 - NC Miata - YouTube

Roy

1 Like

" How much do you reckon it’ll cost? Thanks"
An as yet unknown quantity of multiple hundreds subject to a professional inspection, but almost certainly into 4 figures just for the rot alone. It’s not so much what you can see, the real money pit often lies out of sight until it’s opened up. It’s the labour and VAT after all which do not help.
Then, with your car, it seems there are multiple “fettles” to do which can be done on the drip really.
Ball park all in? That is to say a proper remetalling ,fabrication, anti rot, 1st Div paint job plus the mechanical stuff I’d have at least 2k on hand. At least.
Or patch it ,flip it, and pay off the loan instead…which is fine for me to say I admit.

Trouble is the MOT is due next month so it’s not a case of being able to drive it for very long to at least get some value from his outlay in buying this car. It has already had some work done to get it to this stage and it doesn’t look like surface rust either from the areas we can see. It’s not going to pass an MOT in this condition even with a “sympathetic” tester. Depending on how much he paid and how long he has had the car I have to say he may have been ripped off. This really could be a money pit particularly if he can’t do much of the work himself. I’ve seen cars in better condition than this scrapped or broken for spares.

If reading the report they only say about the welding parts would fail mot, this sounds like my failure on mine with the description. Cost me a couple of hundred pounds to sort to get through MOT,fair enough not a restoration but enough to give you some breathing space and decide what to do.

1 Like

Laurence

It’s very hard to give a figure for such a repair but if you do get it repaired I would take it to someone who knows the MX5 or you will likely be revisiting the problem in the near future. We often have emotional attachments to our cars and I’m sure that is the case with your car but you need to consider carefully whether it’s worth it to proceed given the list of problems and the MOT history.
You now know the importance of checking a cars MOT history before buying also I would add getting under a car to check the condition of the chassis and suspension is just as important.

All the best whatever you decide to do.

If you are still paying for the car then contact the finance company for advice as (depending on the contract) they may still own the car. Also seek independent legal advice on your rights regarding outstanding finance on an unsafe vehicle.

1 Like

really? is that where we are in this country now on a 16year old car?

I shake my head.

What a judgemental and unhelpful “contribution”.

I shake my head.

1 Like

Aww, a compliment - thanks.

But on hindsight, if the engine blew up just after purchase, then i think we would all expect some recourse. So, perhaps the same applies for corrosion…I shall eat the humble pie, even if it tastes funny.

To the OP, looks like you have your work cut out…no pun intended. Good luck.

Roy, the NC in the video was not fixed by MM, they considered it a write off and it was “removed” from their premises. They did say that it was the worst they have ever seen and I hope Laurences car is not in a similiar condition.

I’ve just watched that video and thankfully mine isnt that bad the only bits of rust are the ones in the pictures at the start. What parts of the list do you think will fail the MOT?

Whether it’s a 16 year old car or not, he bought it on finance. So some rules apply. It’s not the same as paying for it cash at someones door. That’s why I suggested getting advice.

I think I would get some opinions on the extent of the body and subframe corrosion before going any further. Trouble is that most of the problem is probably out of site and can only be properly assessed once the exterior panels are cut away, unless you want to go for a quick fix and get rid. Unfortunately you only have a few weeks mot left and without closer inspection it’s not possible to comment on what, if any, of the other problems would be a major fail or advisory. You really need a helpful mot tester who might give you an “opinion” rather than a test which may mean you wouldn’t be able to drive the car if the problems are deemed to be “dangerous”. Of course if it really is dangerous you should not drive it anyway.