Does this look dodgy?

Hi everyone, my first post here is to do with a potential viewing I’m lining up for the weekend and need some help in preparing or maybe sacking it off entirely!

I’m going to view a 2010 model, done some 25k miles, clean on the inside and out etc but I’ve requested photos of the underside and as you can see below it appears to be very ‘clean’ as though it’s been covered in bitumen/tar.

My question is, is it worth going to check this out?! My mind is telling me that if someone’s gone to the length to cover it up then there must be some bad stuff below but my heart is saying it’s only done 25k miles so maybe it’s all good! Either way please help me understand if I should go and check it out and what I could do to suss the situation out further

thank you!

Welcome to the forum.

Some people like myself coat the under side of their car as soon as they buy it having stean cleaned and tidied first and top it up as needed every year, this does not look like that. Other people will just spray them all over the bits they can see in order to sell it. This looks like that. I personally wouldn't get any further than you have, I want to see what I an really looking at. I'd keep looking.

It's a difficult one when it comes to underseal as it can either be used as a cover up or shows a loving owner who's protecting their car. The photos you've posted though don't actually show some of the key stuff to look for on that car. I would be looking at stuff like the rear boot floor, seat belt mount anchorages, behind the front headlights around the slam panel,  Body mounts around the chassis. This is where they really corrode and fail MOTS. Also have more of a look into its history and can that be explained. 25k miles for a 2010 is seriously low, what's it been doing/used for? Many owners has it had? Where has it been stored during that time? What does it MOT history look like? Any signs of Rust on its MOT reports? Does the mileage stack up with its MOT history? 

Now just from the pics alone I would agree with Lambert that it looks a bit sloppy and overkill on the underseal but as above there are other areas I would look at and questions I would want answers to. 

You can see places where the fresh underseal has come away, because the surface wasn't even wirebrushed/steamcleaned to remove the scale.
They have also undersealed the exhaust and catalyst (to stop it going rusty) which is going to smell as it burns off, and an indicator that it has just been done.

You will be very, very, very (think Euromillions rollover winner) lucky to find a 2010 UK Jimny for sale that isn't rusty in the usual places (boot floor, and round all the body mounts) so you can assume that this fresh underseal is either covering up rust, a bodged repair with filler or brand new welding.

Depends on how expensive it is. I'm guessing with 25k it is pretty expensive for a 2010 car....

 

Yes, it looks dodgy!

Just to emphasize what @facade said: someone clearly applied undercoating over rust.  This is very bad.  And applying undercoating to the exhaust is just another indicator that they were doing a cover-up job, not a careful preservation job.

I always recommend a third-party prepurchase inspection (PPI) for any used car purchase.  For a Jimny, rust will be a serious concern, so having an experienced auto welder carefully look over the car before purchase will be worthwhile.  

We recently had a first-time poster who had bought a used Jimny that he thought looked to be in pretty good nick.  The frame quite literally broke in half after just a few weeks of driving, while he was driving it, due to extensive rust!  This in a car that had just passed MoT. 

Don't take the chance-- if you see one that looks "pretty good," do a PPI before you buy.

Good luck

Thanks all, I've told the seller I'm giving it a miss.
How much would you expect to pay for PPI?
Thanks