RICHARD MANSFIELD2
Active member
HI,
Many of you out there will think I am mad. Well events over took me on this one. I decided before the MOT was due I would be proactive so two months before the due date I started to check the Puma over, after all it is getting old and the mileage is now up to 130k. The first thing I found was rot on the nearside sill and inner sill and bottom of the wheel arch. This was all repaired to restoration standard for £300. About a week later whist prodding around the offside in the same area I found similar rot but not so much on the arch, again welded to restoration standard, again at £300. I fitted new handbrake cable, new rear wheel cylinder,new brake shoes, F/N/S ABS sensor and a new F/N/S driveshaft (inner CV joint noisy).
Full of confidence, off to the MOT test.....failed on emissions. I needed a new CAT. Now my Puma has a FRP system and the sports cat is welded in the system behind the joint with the manifold next to the gear lever mechanism. There is nothing available off the shelf so I had a bespoke one made and fitted £450.
So all the above with the cost of two MOT tests came to £1308. Now, we could say I should have scrapped it due to the economics. The reasons I did not were as follows.
1. If every one took that attitude we would not have any classic cars today. After all how many other cars would have survived if applying a strict policy of beyond economical repair.
2. I could have scrapped it and bought another Puma, but who is to say that in the future the replacement Puma would not have the same problems.
3. I have owned my Puma 14 years and it has wanted for nothing (you can say that again :grin. So I know my car is good. As the saying goes 'Better the devil you know' In addition over those 14 years my over all expenditure has been quite low. I just got hit all at once on this occasion.
Can anyone beat the £1300 MOT?
Regards,
Richard.
Many of you out there will think I am mad. Well events over took me on this one. I decided before the MOT was due I would be proactive so two months before the due date I started to check the Puma over, after all it is getting old and the mileage is now up to 130k. The first thing I found was rot on the nearside sill and inner sill and bottom of the wheel arch. This was all repaired to restoration standard for £300. About a week later whist prodding around the offside in the same area I found similar rot but not so much on the arch, again welded to restoration standard, again at £300. I fitted new handbrake cable, new rear wheel cylinder,new brake shoes, F/N/S ABS sensor and a new F/N/S driveshaft (inner CV joint noisy).
Full of confidence, off to the MOT test.....failed on emissions. I needed a new CAT. Now my Puma has a FRP system and the sports cat is welded in the system behind the joint with the manifold next to the gear lever mechanism. There is nothing available off the shelf so I had a bespoke one made and fitted £450.
So all the above with the cost of two MOT tests came to £1308. Now, we could say I should have scrapped it due to the economics. The reasons I did not were as follows.
1. If every one took that attitude we would not have any classic cars today. After all how many other cars would have survived if applying a strict policy of beyond economical repair.
2. I could have scrapped it and bought another Puma, but who is to say that in the future the replacement Puma would not have the same problems.
3. I have owned my Puma 14 years and it has wanted for nothing (you can say that again :grin. So I know my car is good. As the saying goes 'Better the devil you know' In addition over those 14 years my over all expenditure has been quite low. I just got hit all at once on this occasion.
Can anyone beat the £1300 MOT?
Regards,
Richard.