Corsa 1.2 16V 2010 Sub Frame Rust

Hi
I am about to buy a 2010 Corsa 1.2 16V Energy 3 door from the local Vauxhall Dealership. They have just MOT'd it last week and are awaiting a couple of parts for it before I take delivery of it.

When I looked up the MOT history I was pretty worried to see :-

August 15th 2018 :-
Pass
No advisories

August 14th 2018 :-
Fail :-
Do not drive until repaired (dangerous defects):
Front Sub-frame has excessive corrosion which adversely affects braking or steering (6.1.1 (c) (ii))

February 7th 2018 :-
Pass :-
with Advisory notice item(s) :
Front Sub-frame corroded but not seriously weakened (2.4.G.1)

February 6th 2018 :-
Fail :-
Reason(s) for failure :
Nearside Front Sub-frame corroded and seriously weakened at lower arm fixing (2.4.G.1)


ie 6 months after a sub frame repair in February it had a serious defect again.

Although they appear to have repaired it, I am wondering if this could be a sign of big problems in the future with this car due to rust.

It also had these faults in addition to the sub frame problem :-

August 14th 2018 :-
Fail :-
Repair immediately (major defects):
Nearside Front Suspension arm pin or bush excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))
Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
Front Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))
Offside Front Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))

February 6th 2018 :-
Fail :-
Reason(s) for failure
Nearside Front coil spring broken (2.4.C.1a)
Nearside Front Sub-frame corroded and seriously weakened at lower arm fixing (2.4.G.1)
Nearside Track rod end ball joint has excessive play (2.2.B.1f)


Has anybody had experience of these kinds of problems with Corsas of this age group ?

The Vauxhall Dealership has quite a good reputation so I am hoping they wouldn't sell me a bad car. However the warranty they give me is only for 60 days.

I have only put a deposit down, so I am considering asking to cancel the purchase based on this defect that has emerged after the agreement was signed.

While problems can and do occur on any vehicle, that history suggests the previous owner did little or no maintenance, left everything until it was an MOT fail, and then did the absolute minimum to just about get a pass.

Personally, I would not buy that car, or any other that had a history like that.

between Aug 14 and Aug 15, either somebody fitted new parts, or it was retested by somebody who was more lenient or whose eyesight was different.

The Feb 7th tester was also more lenient than the Feb 6th tester, as it looks like it was retested without having been repaired..

Perhaps the previous owner had a lenient buddy. He also seems to have been driving around with a broken spring. It doesn't inspire confidence.

Lie underneath and see if you observe a new subframe. Take a screwdriver to poke it if there is fresh paint.

Whats the mileage on this car? I wonder if it is ex rental.
John

salty roads?

Broken springs, no problem but suspension wear like this indicates a hard life or high miles. I wouldn't want a repaired subframe either.
There's something not running quite true with this motor.
John

Mileage 57,000.
Would a main dealership like this take a risk on a bad car ?
They sell loads of Corsas of this age range as part of their "value range".
However I am still worried and might try to cancel.

However how common is a sub-frame MOT failure - is this such an unusual thing ?

flameport said:

that history suggests the previous owner did little or no maintenance, left everything until it was an MOT fail, and then did the absolute minimum to just about get a pass.

Click to expand...

How come ? I've done a survey of about 8 Corsa's of that age group and most of them have a similar list of MOT failure points but are still going strong. How do you know they did little maintenance ?

JohnD said:

He also seems to have been driving around with a broken spring. It doesn't inspire confidence.

Click to expand...

Practically every one of the 8 Corsa's I checked had "Front coil spring broken" at some point on their MOT History - so why is it such a concern ?

Burnerman said:

I wouldn't want a repaired subframe either. There's something not running quite true with this motor.
John

Click to expand...

What is wrong with a repaired sub-frame ? Especially if Vauxhall dealer has done the repair ?


Thank you folks for your insights - but aren't we being a bit harsh on this car ? Its easy to scream when we learn about a fault on a car we're about to buy. But is it the end of the world? Surely a reputable Vauxhall dealer will tell me if this car is a dead-end street ?

I see one 2007 plate that has at January 2017 :-
"Front Body or chassis has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of the body mountings subframe (6.1.B.2) DANGEROUS"
Sounds pretty serious, but it must have got repaired as its still going, and fault didn't re-appear on the April 2018 MOT.

So are we over-reacting here ?

You ask for advice then question that advice. You obviously want this particular Corsa because they are such a rare car and you hardly ever see them come up for sale so just go ahead and buy it and worry about it at your next MOT.

This is a difficult one for us - all snug behind a lap top or whatever!
Broken springs and corroded discs are no problem for any car, whatever mileage.....but the repaired subframe does spook me a bit, and I cant remember when I last replaced a track rod end inless the boot had been split - just unsure what the history is!
There are loads of Corsas about - Fiestas too and personally Id be looking for another one, maybe with a Motability tag.
John

Scratching the brain cell a bit but when I put new brake pipes on a Zafira a couple of years ago the subframe did seem a bit rusty.....didnt take much notice of it but maybe its a Vauxhall thing?
Any comment, Motman?
John

What do you think are the best models of cars to go for at around 2010 age range, ie the ones least likely to be falling apart due to rust ?

You can see the full MOT history here :-
https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history

Question is should I be put off by this MOT history - because many other Corsa's of this age range seem to have a similar range of problems - I've checked quite a few.

Or is this sub-frame issue and maybe also the "Nearside Front Suspension arm pin or bush excessively worn" something especially bad ?

I don't think the Vauxhall dealer would deliberately conceal anything from me - the salesman was really helpful, and I got a £200 cash discount. He is saying he is making sure the car "is right for you".

But then again even with all the dealer's best efforts could this still be an unlucky car ?

They are awaiting a couple of parts being delivered - I didn't ask which parts these were. And this is AFTER the MOT was passed.

I would ask if you could have it up on a ramp and have a very good look underneath before handing over any more money.

Also it sounds like they have re-tested and passed the car before repairing it which is a massive no-no and could drop them right in the **** with DVSA if they got wind of it..

You could get an RAC or AA inspection I guess though they ain't cheap but really there are so many about why would you get hung up on this one?