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Toyota RAV4 - Toyota RAV4 - Dodgy MOT/Ripped Off? - YouSaveTheDay

Hello All,

First of all i'd like to thank all the contributors here for the treasure trove of advice and information provided to those in need.

My partner purchased a Toyota RAV4 2006, 92,000 miles for £4400 from a trader August 2022. It had just passed it's MOT after having one advisory "Underbody Covered In Underseal"

We then used the car for 5 months doing some road trips around the country to see family and friends and then the car was put in a garage for the past 6/7 months.

We got it out of storage and it developed a little rattle prettry quickly, had a feeling it was the bushings so we decided to take it in for an MOT which came back with:

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99,200 miles:

Repair immediately (major defects):

Nearside Inner Integral body structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced sill excessively corroded multiple patches (6.1.1 (c) (i))

Offside Integral body structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced sill excessively corroded multiple patches (6.1.1 (c) (i))

Nearside Rear Inner Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (5.3.6 (a) (i))

Offside Rear Inner Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (5.3.6 (a) (i))

Nearside Front Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak (5.3.2 (b))

Nearside Front Lower Suspension arm pin or bush excessively worn Rear bush debonding from arm (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Offside Front Lower Suspension arm pin or bush excessively worn Rear bush debonding from arm (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Offside Front Outer Drive shaft joint constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (6.1.7 (g) (ii))

Repair as soon as possible (minor defects):

Offside Rear Registration plate lamp inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (4.7.1 (b) (i))

Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):

Front Inner Play in steering rack inner joint(s)

Sub-frame corroded but not seriously weakened Front and rear (5.3.3 (b) (i))

Nearside Rear Coil spring corroded (5.3.1 (b) (i))

Offside Rear Coil spring corroded (5.3.1 (b) (i))

Nearside Front Coil spring corroded (5.3.1 (b) (i))

Offside Front Coil spring corroded (5.3.1 (b) (i))

Rear Suspension component corroded but not seriously weakened All suspension arms/shocks (5.3.3 (b) (i))

Offside Rear Anti-roll bar linkage pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Offside Rear Inner Brake hose has slight corrosion to ferrule (1.1.12 (f) (i))

Nearside Rear Inner Brake hose has slight corrosion to ferrule (1.1.12 (f) (i))

Vehicle structure is corroded but structural rigidity is not significantly reduced (6.1.1 (c) (i))

Nearside Front Inner Suspension component mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (5.3.6 (a) (i))

Offside Front Inner Suspension component mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (5.3.6 (a) (i))

Offside Front Shock absorbers has light misting of oil (5.3.2 (b))

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The guy that did the MOT said it's scrap and it's going to cost way more than it's worth to fix it. I proceeded to explained it's usage since we've had it and he said that these issues (big corrosion holes in the side wings and suspension) were most certainly there before we bought it. I looked at the MOT history and it seems a bunch of advisories were not carried over to the MOT that was done when we bought it.

Link to Photos

Once i calmed down, i called the trader/dealer that sold it to me and he basically fobbed me off with "If you would have come to me within 6 months i could have helped you" and when i explained that the corrosion holes don't appear in such a short space of time, he suggested i poked holes in the sold steel frame to create them.

I'm trying to ascertain if we have any recourse here against the trader/dealer or MOT Inspector or; if we've just thrown £4400 down the drain. I understand it's on us to proove that the car was sold to us with issues which should have been picked up in the MOT before sale. We do have the time and energy to get a couple of garages to inspect and report on the state of Rust/Corrosion on the underbody to be used in a case in small claims court.

We've got 14 days until the current MOT runs out to either sell it for parts/scrap.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Toyota RAV4 - Toyota RAV4 - Dodgy MOT/Ripped Off? - Adampr

That's pretty nasty. You have my sympathy.

I suspect the car was undersealed to hide some significant corrosion and it was either applied when the underside was wet or has sealed in whatever the source of damp was was. I do t suppose you gave a sunroof?

Unless you can demonstrate that the dealer was responsible for applying the underseal, I don't think you have much recourse. They could say that they bought it like that, had it MOTd and were none the wiser. Even if you can demonstrate it, you're in for a tough battle.

I'd be tempted to get it to WBAC as soon as possible. If they won't take it, I'm sure a breaker will.

Toyota RAV4 - Toyota RAV4 - Dodgy MOT/Ripped Off? - Andrew-T

I guess it is too late to achieve any great progress. Main lesson learnt is to check all the MoT history of any well-used car online before buying. Most car purchases come with lessons learnt, but some get internalised as 'I won't buy another of those' :-)

Advisories are not 'carried over' between MoT's as it is always possible that some will have been dealt with. Each test is done as a 'clean sheet' (unless it's a retest) and advisory opinions can vary between different testers.

Edited by Andrew-T on 10/07/2023 at 12:03

Toyota RAV4 - Toyota RAV4 - Dodgy MOT/Ripped Off? - galileo

Any 16 year old car can be expected to have some corrosion on springs, suspension parts exposed to road salt etc, this is usually readily visible.

Underseal can hide many defects, the newer it appears the higher the likelihood it has been applied for this reason.

The results of your recent inspection suggest it has not been maintained and was probably unfit when sold, the fact it was stored for 6/7 months is a big loophole the dealer will use to claim it deteriorated during this time, so I would not expect a positive response.

Toyota RAV4 - Toyota RAV4 - Dodgy MOT/Ripped Off? - YouSaveTheDay

We took the car to WBAC and got £1500 for it.

Shame the used car industry and MOT side of things still has it's issue in this day and age.

Don't get me started on the insurance game in this country. Just cancelled it and in total we paid £161 for 31 days of cover.

Glad that is the last car i ever have to buy in this country (I live in NZ).

Thanks for the fast responses folks.

Toyota RAV4 - Toyota RAV4 - Dodgy MOT/Ripped Off? - mickyh7

Hard luck on WBAC !

I can't understand why they bought it, they are a business.

Did you mention all of the faults?

Toyota RAV4 - Toyota RAV4 - Dodgy MOT/Ripped Off? - Adampr

Hard luck on WBAC !

I can't understand why they bought it, they are a business.

Did you mention all of the faults?

They only paid £1,500 for it. It will probably be in one of their auctions in a couple of days.

Toyota RAV4 - Toyota RAV4 - Dodgy MOT/Ripped Off? - mickyh7

Hard luck on WBAC !

I can't understand why they bought it, they are a business.

Did you mention all of the faults?

They only paid £1,500 for it. It will probably be in one of their auctions in a couple of days.

So the Buck will stop with someone who can least afford it.

Personally I think it stinks.

Toyota RAV4 - Toyota RAV4 - Dodgy MOT/Ripped Off? - Adampr

Hard luck on WBAC !

I can't understand why they bought it, they are a business.

Did you mention all of the faults?

They only paid £1,500 for it. It will probably be in one of their auctions in a couple of days.

So the Buck will stop with someone who can least afford it.

Personally I think it stinks.

Well, they are a business. It does stink, but the it started when someone painted over the rust with underseal. .

Given that the rust is now very visible, including without even getting under the vehicle, I doubt anyone is going to be sold a pup. Certainly in my neck of the woods, a lot of the farmers drive around their fields in MOT failures.

Toyota RAV4 - Toyota RAV4 - Dodgy MOT/Ripped Off? - Andrew-T

Hard luck on WBAC ! I can't understand why they bought it, they are a business.

That business is We Buy Any Car, which is fairly explicit, and I'm sure they are pretty savvy ? The car trade is definitely one calling for Caveat Emptor, as many enquirers on here are routinely told.

Toyota RAV4 - Toyota RAV4 - Dodgy MOT/Ripped Off? - YouSaveTheDay

They have access to all the MOT information maybe someone will pick it up and do the work required on it. There is no way it'll be drivable after 14 days time as it won't pass it's next MOT without the work being done (like it probably was last time)

Real shame as the rest of the car is in great condition. In the short time we owned it, we spent £600 on a service and a new starter motor.

Someone will make money off it even if they break it for spares.

Thanks for your responses folks.

Edited by YouSaveTheDay on 11/07/2023 at 09:51

Toyota RAV4 - Toyota RAV4 - Dodgy MOT/Ripped Off? - sammy1

They have access to all the MOT information maybe someone will pick it up and do the work required on it. There is no way it'll be drivable after 14 days time as it won't pass it's next MOT without the work being done (like it probably was last time)

Real shame as the rest of the car is in great condition. In the short time we owned it, we spent £600 on a service and a new starter motor.

Someone will make money off it even if they break it for spares.

Thanks for your responses folks.

Companies employing vehicle techs and with access to cheaper parts can repair and turn these cars around and make good profit. Labour is the biggest cost so it is cheaper to keep them busy and churning out cars for retail

How the MOT tech found the time to list all the faults with this car is amazing. I bet the new one will ignore quite a few of those!

Edited by sammy1 on 11/07/2023 at 13:21

Toyota RAV4 - Toyota RAV4 - Dodgy MOT/Ripped Off? - Turkish_Emperor

I was once a very proud owner of a 2002 Honda Accord that'd I'd owned for well over a decade and would fail its MOT every year, usually on welding, which I'd get done by whoever (the last welder was a mobile chap, he was not only awesome but also the cheapest). Bangonomics 101. Anyway, during those episodes, I learned (correct me if I'm wrong) that the MOT people aren't allowed to go scraping off any underseal, so I don't think you can really blame the MOT people as such for not discovering those massive holes.....