Duetto MOT failure due to corrosion

Hi, I am new to the forum as purchased my 1999 Duetto only last year.

Before I bought it, I did all the usual checks including checking old mots, looking underneath etc PLUS insisted on a new MOT BEFORE I would purchase the vehicle as there were a couple of concerns I had about corrosion on the rear box crossmember that the suspension hangers bolt onto and also the offside rear outrigger where it joins the inner sill in front of rear wheel. The chap obliged and went to the same garage he had been going to for the previous two years.

The vehicle passed with absolutely no issues whatsoever and I therefore decided to purchase the vehicle and once home, pull off the flakey rust and waxoyl it underneath to prevent anything getting worse. It all appeared to be solid enough and I enjoyed a decent week or two in it and have indeed used it four times this year as well (water tanks empty of course due to hard frosts even as late as last night). I have so far replaced the windscreen (suddenly cracked in the sun), had new engine and leisure batteries, plus a full service and was not expecting this:

Well I took it to the garage who serviced it for me last October (who commented how clean the van was and its solid, clean condition underneath) on Thursday last week for its MOT, and was only expecting a comment about the offside tyre as it is starting to crack. Well it failed and had a long list of advisories taboot!


Reason(s) for refusal to issue Certificate
Offside midd to rear outrigger area Suspension spring mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded (2.4.A.3)
Advisory Notice issued
Front Sub-frame corroded but not seriously weakened (2.4.G.1)
Nearside Front Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened (2.4.G.1)
Offside Front Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened (2.4.G.1)
Front both pitted brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i)
Front both front brake fluctuating, but not excessively (3.7.B.3)
Rear both front brake fluctuating, but not excessively (3.7.B.3)
 
Naturally I am shocked and rather upset about it and regretting my purchase - the main problem is the rear outrigger where it joins the inner sill, but I have noticed that the rear crossmember is actually in danger of failing by next year as I didnt look hard enough at it after pulling off the rust and it is thin in places. I am disgusted that the previous garage didnt find all of this as it has not got any worse since I got the van because I waxoyled everything!

The question is, does anyone else have any experience with rear crossmember/suspension issues and got them sorted? - I am tempted to get the bit done for the mot and then trade it in, but i do love the layout of the van and everything works well on it! any advice appreciated - thanks

As a former owner of a Duetto, I would get done what is required for it to pass the MOT and get shot of it PDQ.    It is well known fact that transits of this era were rust buckets.   I used to play a game called spot the Transit with no rust.  Never did see one.


Andy

Modman - Sorry I# cant help what any advice, but I'm heart broken for you - good luck in what ever you choose to do. Don't let it spoil your motor home experiences -  it a great life. 

MrsCC

It could be that the MOT garage are touting just for business, seems like they were really hunting for a lot of the problems. I had the advisories from last years MOT looked at in detail by my local garage after buying the van. He could not find the faults they had said existed and this years MOT at a different garage said that my Transit was in exceptional condition. Oddly the MOT garage who used to do my van was a specialist Motor home dealer... 
I have to say I would get a different garage to look it over and advise you accordingly.

Hi Modman,

I too have a 1999 Duetto, and it also suffered the dreaded tin worm. The rear offside mud flap came loose, and when I looked further basically the entire rear offside corner fell off!
I went back to the dealer I had bought it through and he paid for the work to be done to my satisfaction. It involved the kitchen area being stripped out and new floor area welded in, plus outriggers, arch, sills etc. All has been generously coated in underseal and for this years MOT Daisy sailed through with a clean bill of health. I love the size and layout and have no intention of parting with my Duetto, I reckon I now know her very well!

I too am so sorry to hear of Modmans obvious distress and annoyance! Hope you manage to get it sorted without too much cost.

 We have a 2004 Duetto so are interested in Andy Gumps comment about 'Duettos of this era'  being known as 'rust buckets'. Does this era spread as far as 2004 and should we be concerned??
Bev

Thanks for your replies - It is going to the garage that did the last service and last weeks MOT for the outrigger to be welded and obviously get the MOT retest at no charge.  I think some testers like to have an autobiography of advisories just for the shear hell of it - this one in particular because the front suspension `corrosion` is just surface rust. Its the back end from the rear outriggers back that I now know are the issue. I may well have got it through at another garage but based my decision on the fact that the garage had serviced it only last October with nothing but good things to say about the van and its condition. In fact if it answers your query Bev, I have been told by the garage that they see far worse on the later models including a 2005 model where the rear subframe had collapsed with rot! The trick is to get a good one that was waxoyled from new (which was an option I believe from autosleepers themselves).

I will get it looked at by a proper bodyshop once it has been repaired as they may say its not so bad or at least be confident in a good hassle free way to repair it. Had a Citroen Relay `Outback`van conversion before with no rust whatsoever  but the layout was not as good as the Duetto. It had a weak handbrake though which was always on its limit to just pass the MOT  - despite being maintained! loads of other niggles with it mechanically as well - even the door stay jammed the drivers door open on a site but was lucky enough to have the tools on board to remove the broken stay and close the door. would have been a very draughty night otherwise!

Modman. I can understand how you feel but dont give up everything can be repaired and once it is done you will know it is good for years to come.Good Luck.

Thanks Shuggiegreen, I had some good news today as I ran the van down to another garage that my neighbour uses as their MOT guy  said he was happy to stick his head under the van and give his opinion. What he said just goes to prove the disparity between individual testers opinions as he said the area pointed out on the fail would be an advisory if he were testing it because it did not afffect the structure or load bearing areas of the suspension. He also said that the rear crossmember I am worried about was a bit `tender` in a couple of areas and he has seen much worse (even on newer vans) but could easily be patched up with a couple of plates as not too bad and certainly wouldnt involve stripping the van out to do it. I will let them have a proper look after I get this other garage to patch up the bit they failed it on to get my new MOT certificate. Its going to be their loss at the end of the day as I have a car and a work van too which they would have serviced and MOT`d, but their MOT guy has put me off going there again!

That's good news, you can sleep a little easier now 

Great news.

Hi there,

We have owned "Petal" (a 1998 Duetto) for nearly five years now and bought her with the knowledge that ....

I agree with Dutto, our 95 Transit based Motor home was a fraction of the price of a new one. Yes Transits can rust but if you keep an eye on one and get it up to scratch it is far less problematic usually than some other makes mechanically. parts are better engineered in general. The other great plus for me is the drive quality of the transit. It has it's quirks but the ride is very good. 
Some MOT stations like to deliberately find fault, I notice this with ours as I said. Glad you found someone who was more optimistic in his views. Value for money, and use are the keys to older vans. Happy Motorhoming.

Hi everyone, just an update to say I got the van back (welding cost £300 with new MOT) - the job got a bit bigger when a bit of the inner cill fell off during the grinding out process. I am going to take it to the other garage (that said the corrosion would have been an advisory only and the van would have passed MOT at their garage) to let them have a proper look underneath and get a quote for any other patching up that is required as I want to keep on top of it if I am keeping the van. It all depends on what they say of course. I have to say though that it felt nice driving the van back home knowing that it wouldnt fail on that point next year and was now solid metal again.

The van cost me £11k which is a lot of money but then even  £1000 of welding/bodywork would be nothing compared to getting a newer van as pointed out by Dutto. I got the Omnistor awning and safari room with the van which on their own are worth a few bob and the van has only got 41k on the clock and mechanically (apart from a PATS problem - see other post), its very good.

Good news (apart form starting issue on other post), I hope you have many happy trips in your Duetto 

Well done bit by bit you will get it the way you want it.

This started as a depressing thread, but has ended up rather uplifting.

We own a 2002 Transit Duetto - fortunately in immaculate condition for its age and well waxoyled.

We are great fans of the Ford Tranist forum and it is quite astonishing some of the amazing restoration work that has been done there and posted up in photo form.

Provided one can find a good welder, there is no reason why Transits cannot be repaired almost indefinitely. When that Transit is an AutoSleeper motorhome, the investment case in making such repairs is even stronger.

While we have not yet needed any welding, and hopefully are a long way from that stage, our own local garage has already reassured us that all Transit body panels and box sections are readily available as off-the-shelf parts and there should be no reason not to be able to keep the van on the road.