Help - How much are we looking to pay for these fixes.....

[acharmil90]

Hello!

I need some help

A couple of months ago my husband and I purchased our bongo - after taking it on a few trips with the 3 kids we realised it was just too small for what we needed. We have put it up for sale and the potentially purchaser wanted to have an AA check completed on it, which of course we agreed to.

However they have come back with a mamouth list of issues We have made a huge mistake, we didn't get a check done before hand, we took an acquaintance who was a mechanic with us to view and while he pointed out some bits there was nothing like this. It passed it's MOT with the previous owners in May 2022.

So looking at the attached report - what damage are we looking at to get these fixed?

Red:
 Gearbox and rear axle oil leaks.
 Clutch/Transmission – casings – oil leaks.
 Limited service-history.
 Spare-tyre incorrect size.
 Antifreeze: corrosion in fluid, cannot see gauge.
 Engine – hoses / pipes – multiple leaks and multiple wires insecure.
 Engine – fast idle (cold)/Cold starting – erratic idle and misfire.
 Coolant leaks from joints into engine block.
 External leak (upper engine) – multiple severe oil leaks.
 Nearside-rear reverse light half-filled with water and not working.
 Leisure battery voltage insecure.
 Horn not working.
 Part of rear seat-base sharp edges to metal hinges under cushions.
 Front-suspension – Engine underside leakage – severe multiple leaks.
 Front-suspension - tie-bars/anti-roll-bars – nearside-front drop link boot split.
 Front-suspension – corrosion protection – none noticeable.
 Front-suspension – pipes/hoses – multiple leaks and corrosion.
 Front-suspension - corrosion – floor/chassis – nearside-front inner sill soft and severe
corrosion, hole and offside-front moderate.
 Rear-suspension – dampers/bushes – offside-rear damper skirt corrosion holes.
 Rear-suspension – chassis members – corrosion, especially offside-rear.
 Rear-suspension – corrosion protection – none noticeable.
 Exhaust system – catalytic converter – corroded, re-welded, hole in pipe.
 Exhaust system condition – corrosion.
 Exhaust system – silencer – corroded and tail-pipe missing.
 Exhaust system – joint/couplings – corrosion to all joints.
Inspection Ref: AA278919 06/09/22


Amber:
 Please see Bodywork and Interior Comments.
 Front suspension – sub-frames / mountings – surface corrosion.
 Front-suspension – steering and ball joints – nearside-front track-rod-end ball-joint boot
deteriorating.
 Front-suspension – chassis member – surface corrosion.
 Rear-suspension - corrosion – floor/chassis – surface corrosion.

[Bob]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum.

Really sorry to hear you’ve had such bad luck, but it’s really impossible for any of us to quote for this work.

There are so many variables, London overheads are very different to rural Scotland, for example.

I can only suggest asking garages near you for prices, I know this isn’t very helpful, but best I can offer.

[teenmal]

This is a typical AA inspection report, it is not as bad as it looks the AA always cover themselves for comebacks. Personally, I would have wee word with the potential buyer and work out a deal, or simply find another buyer. This also depends on the details and asking price you want for the vehicle. At least you know it's not a Lemon.

PS you could even take the vehicle for a fresh MOTT for peace of mind, good luck.

[nth]

PS you could even take the vehicle for a fresh MOTT for peace of mind, good luck.

Good idea but if there is still a fair bit left on the MOT I would put it in for a pre MOT check at a testing station, dont put it in for an actual MOT as if it fails it would make the current MOT invalid.

[teenmal]

PS you could even take the vehicle for a fresh MOTT for peace of mind, good luck.

Good idea but if there is still a fair bit left on the MOT I would put it in for a pre MOT check at a testing station, dont put it in for an actual MOT as if it fails it would make the current MOT invalid.

The problem with a pre Ministery of transport test (mott), if it fails you can still be prosecuted for driving a vehicle in an unroadworthy condition (it will be logged) and you have missed the chance (if it passed) a fresh MOT certificate. Its really up to the owner but I know what I would do. take care.

[nth]

The problem with a pre Ministery of transport test (mott), if it fails you can still be prosecuted for driving a vehicle in an unroadworthy condition (it will be logged) and you have missed the chance (if it passed) a fresh MOT certificate. Its really up to the owner but I know what I would do. take care.

Im not sure what you mean by logged? A pre MOT check done by a garage is not registered on any national database like an actual MOT.
Regardless of whether it has been checked by anyone or not you could still be charged with driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition if you got stopped & the vehicle was inspected by the police/DVSA.
If it was me I would still rather have a valid MOT which would make things much easier for taking it to & from a place of repair. Also if you don't have off road parking & you need to keep it on the public highway.

[teenmal]

The problem with a pre Ministery of transport test (mott), if it fails you can still be prosecuted for driving a vehicle in an unroadworthy condition (it will be logged) and you have missed the chance (if it passed) a fresh MOT certificate. Its really up to the owner but I know what I would do. take care.

Im not sure what you mean by logged? A pre MOT check done by a garage is not registered on any national database like an actual MOT.
Regardless of whether it has been checked by anyone or not you could still be charged with driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition if you got stopped & the vehicle was inspected by the police/DVSA.
If it was me I would still rather have a valid MOT which would make things much easier for taking it to & from a place of repair. Also if you don't have off road parking & you need to keep it on the public highway.

Sorry if I picked you up wrong, did you not say " I would put it in for a pre MOT check at a testing station" .

[nth]

A Pre MOT check could be done at any garage, even if they are not an MOT station. I only suggested using an MOT station so that you know it's going to be of the same standard as the actual test. Even if a pre MOT check is done at a testing station it's not an official thing, it's just a service that a garage offer like a tyre or a brake check so wouldnt be logged on any official national database.