MOT: In need of moral support

Hi everyone,

Need a bit of a broader perspective on my situation...what would you do?

Jimny just went for an MOT and failed spectacularly...

Not my usual MOT tester as I'm new to living down in Wales... so it had someone poke holes everywhere.

I'm considering my options at this point. We (girlfriend and I) bought the car as a project, it's nearly 21 years old. We have done a lot to it, and it has cost a fair amount...the car cost £950 originally and we have spent around £4000 on suspension, wheels, tires, brake disk conversions, brake pads, discs, engine gaskets, snorkel, roof rack, roof tent, engine belts, alternators, radiators, oil pumps, water pumps, new headlights, bumpers, winches, kingpins, boot floors, new seats & money on mechanics bills for some of these things.

I'm anticipating about £700 to get it sorted (asking the welder to sort it out, put box section on the sills etc...) - but is it worth it? Do we persevere to keep this old boy on the road?? Or should we just give up, buy a newer Jimny and swap the newer bits over?

I am at a bit of a crossroads here. I thought it would get through OKAY (i.e. minor things) on this MOT, but it's somehow got more refusals now than it has ever had, despite getting more attention than it has ever had in its whole 21 years.

A big yes to about £700 is good . and you will have a GOOD JIMNY in the end .

I agree with Lambert and gv42. Unless you can find the holy grail of Jimnys, cheap with no rust, better the devil you know.
If it's repaired properly and protected below you know it's going to last.
But yes it's a big list, you need a good drink as well as moral support.

The list is long at first glance , but by doing 1 job as you say with section then most will be done together .
The headlamp issue looks like 3 but is clearly a connection or earth for instance.
But more importantly if you get a newer Jimny it'll be a higher tax bracket won't it.
I seem to remember that the first Jimnys were taxed differently ...mine is an 03 plate it's £260 a year .
Truth is you could pay £3-4000 for a later one then next year need to plate it some where ..
£700 over a year = 50odd quid a month!

If you can get it done to a good standard do it
But just prepare yourselves
When the welder sandblasts/grinds or whatever he dose
Talk it through with him then fix/buy another

Personally i would fix IT
Only time i wouldn't is when the bill costs the same as a good jimny

As Lambert says - the cheapest car is always the one you have. Its nothing that can't be sorted - its just a pain to have all these things in one hit, but if it was me I'd bite the bullet and just go for it.

Had a bit of a dig around on the things it failed on...

Headlights are brand new - they work perfectly fine but there is flickering when the engine is OFF on high beam. Surely it seems logical to have the engine running if you test the lights? I don't tend to sit parked up with high beam on!

The car was tested cold for the emissions as evidenced by the 'quick tick over/high rev' which goes down after about a minute of the car actually running and it warming up a bit.

Bloody MOT BASTARDS. To top it off, the stupid pricks have scratched all the newly painted metal underneath on the chassis and other areas in the process!! Paid £45 for that privilege!! Bunch of incompetent spanners.

I go to a local workshop out in the sticks - the guy is a BMC mini enthusiast, so we get on at a 'car enthusiast' level from the start. He also knows I'm an aircraft engineer so he's not going to try and hoodwink me - not that aircraft are very similar in any way - but you get my meaning.
They're fairly strict but very fair and use a bit of engineering licence when there is doubt. They're also fairly agricultural and of a mind to keep people on the move and not out to make a swift buck like the more commercial ventures found in large towns.
As they're a small outfit tin the sticks hey need to keep a good reputation or rapidly lose trade

It does sound like I need to fine a more 'local' local garage - this one, although they are helpful are maybe a bit too mainstream.

I've had a few days to think about the situation so I'm not spitting my dummy out anymore, although I am still frustrated a tad.

I approached the local welder who is going to rip off the sills and put box section in - I have told him to go over the whole car and fix anything that looks suspicious - this includes some work on the boot floor (previously put in by KAP Suzuki - but he did a gash job and used a load of silicon instead of welding it properly).

I want to keep this car for as long as I can - it is old and the rust situation is not ideal, but that can be fixed. The only thing that I do not have at the moment is time or a place to work on the car as I'm between houses living in a little flat temporarily. Once I have a house with a garage (next few years perhaps) I can put the JImny aside and work on it in my own time. At present it is struggling to be my weekend greenlaner and main car; I feel I am asking too much of this old boy.

I totally understand your frustrations, but from the sounds of it you are doing what I would consider the right thing, and certainly forming a good workable plan of action to resolve the problems. Old cars - often a dilemma, but with tenacity can be sorted out - sometimes more quickly and easier than expected.