Help! 2001 Hilux sold with excessive corrosion
Discussion
I was a little hasty when I bought the Hilux in Dec '24, but the bodywork was immaculate & it seemed hard to believe what could be happening underneath, however I feel that the dealer was underhand & I believe perhaps fraudulent with his withholding of information.
I'm wondering if anyone might have any helpful advice.
The problems discovered so far (pasted from my notes) are ...
Unmentioned excessive welding of both the chassis and body which I am informed I absolutely should have been made aware of (legally).
Both the rear axle back plates & front back plates are shocking quality, suffering excessive corrosion.
There are multiple holes under the vehicle including a large hole in the offside seal which had been hidden with silicone (one of which could be considered MOT failure).
The rear prop UJ is knackered (MOT fail)
£200 already spent on welding around corroded front suspension which was unsafe & close to collapse,
Vehicle has been lowered at the front using extra (unnecessary) parts. We should, by law have been made aware of any vehicle modifications (misrepresentation).
These parts destroyed the previous front bump stops.
Having replaced the bump stops the truck is virtually undriveable due to the new bump stops being in constant contact with the frame & causing severe vibration (hence why the original bump stops were practically destroyed when we bought the vehicle).
These are just what has been pointed out to me so far. I haven't had a full vehicle inspection.
Those who have seen it are assuming that the dealer may well be friends with whoever 'passed' the last MOT.
I'm new to pistonheads, so please go easy on me if this is not the right kind of post for this forum!
I just don't yet know what my fist step should be.
I'm wondering if anyone might have any helpful advice.
The problems discovered so far (pasted from my notes) are ...
Unmentioned excessive welding of both the chassis and body which I am informed I absolutely should have been made aware of (legally).
Both the rear axle back plates & front back plates are shocking quality, suffering excessive corrosion.
There are multiple holes under the vehicle including a large hole in the offside seal which had been hidden with silicone (one of which could be considered MOT failure).
The rear prop UJ is knackered (MOT fail)
£200 already spent on welding around corroded front suspension which was unsafe & close to collapse,
Vehicle has been lowered at the front using extra (unnecessary) parts. We should, by law have been made aware of any vehicle modifications (misrepresentation).
These parts destroyed the previous front bump stops.
Having replaced the bump stops the truck is virtually undriveable due to the new bump stops being in constant contact with the frame & causing severe vibration (hence why the original bump stops were practically destroyed when we bought the vehicle).
These are just what has been pointed out to me so far. I haven't had a full vehicle inspection.
Those who have seen it are assuming that the dealer may well be friends with whoever 'passed' the last MOT.
I'm new to pistonheads, so please go easy on me if this is not the right kind of post for this forum!
I just don't yet know what my fist step should be.
Bob, its a 24 year old work truck, not a six month old Polo from a VW dealer.
If it is private you have very little recourse and if its a dealer, good luck with those that sell ancient pick ups.
With and car, but particularity old ones it is imperative to do your checks, or get someone who knows what they are looking for to check it over. Its not like a Hilux is hard to get under to have a nosey, plus its a separate chassis and welding and rust should be pretty apparent, I sold a 2012 Hilux last year and even that had a bit of surface rust coming.
I dont know what "excessive welding" is, I would say it means poorly done as if its done right, it shouldn't perhaps be all that obvious or a problem, when you see the artistry that some folk can do welding old rusty cars back together its not excessive, just necessary and not a problem if done right.
Maybe put some photos up ?
Good news is, Hilux's are always in demand and usually worth saving, depends how much you paid but it is a case of buyer beware I am afraid.
If it is private you have very little recourse and if its a dealer, good luck with those that sell ancient pick ups.
With and car, but particularity old ones it is imperative to do your checks, or get someone who knows what they are looking for to check it over. Its not like a Hilux is hard to get under to have a nosey, plus its a separate chassis and welding and rust should be pretty apparent, I sold a 2012 Hilux last year and even that had a bit of surface rust coming.
I dont know what "excessive welding" is, I would say it means poorly done as if its done right, it shouldn't perhaps be all that obvious or a problem, when you see the artistry that some folk can do welding old rusty cars back together its not excessive, just necessary and not a problem if done right.
Maybe put some photos up ?
Good news is, Hilux's are always in demand and usually worth saving, depends how much you paid but it is a case of buyer beware I am afraid.
RustyBob said:
I was a little hasty when I bought the Hilux in Dec '24, but the bodywork was immaculate & it seemed hard to believe what could be happening underneath, however I feel that the dealer was underhand & I believe perhaps fraudulent with his withholding of information.
I'm wondering if anyone might have any helpful advice.
The problems discovered so far (pasted from my notes) are ...
Unmentioned excessive welding of both the chassis and body which I am informed I absolutely should have been made aware of (legally).
Both the rear axle back plates & front back plates are shocking quality, suffering excessive corrosion.
There are multiple holes under the vehicle including a large hole in the offside seal which had been hidden with silicone (one of which could be considered MOT failure).
So you purchased a 24 year old vehicle known to lead tough lives & to suffer with corrosion issues without even a passing glance at the underside then?.I'm wondering if anyone might have any helpful advice.
The problems discovered so far (pasted from my notes) are ...
Unmentioned excessive welding of both the chassis and body which I am informed I absolutely should have been made aware of (legally).
Both the rear axle back plates & front back plates are shocking quality, suffering excessive corrosion.
There are multiple holes under the vehicle including a large hole in the offside seal which had been hidden with silicone (one of which could be considered MOT failure).
Legally, the truck should be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and roadworthy. Although note that is satisfying quality for a 24 year old pickup, so some rust is to be expected.
And if you bought it from a dealer last month, you should be able to get them to make it right or take it back for a refund.
However, the fact that you have already made some repairs muddies the water. Photos of the truck pre repair, and/or the professional opinion of the mechanic who did the work, will be helpful.
The biggest issue is likely to be actually getting the dealer to fulfil their obligations under the consumer rights act 2015 I fear, depending on what sort of dealer sold it.
And if you bought it from a dealer last month, you should be able to get them to make it right or take it back for a refund.
However, the fact that you have already made some repairs muddies the water. Photos of the truck pre repair, and/or the professional opinion of the mechanic who did the work, will be helpful.
The biggest issue is likely to be actually getting the dealer to fulfil their obligations under the consumer rights act 2015 I fear, depending on what sort of dealer sold it.
It's my first truck, & I did buy it without doing the proper research which is obviously my fault. I also didn't really have much knowledge of the pitfalls of buying an old pick up.
What I hoped & expected was to have a truck that I loved, that I knew would need work done along the way, that I could learn about & preserve & improve spending at an affordable rate.
What I have been told, by two mechanics, is that I, legally, should have been told about the extent of the corrosion & that it in fact shouldn't have been sold in the state it is in.
The fact that it was sold with an MOT is also questionable as all of the faults have not happened overnight.
The guy undersealed the truck with waxoyl which made it very difficult to see the rust when viewing. Once we could look underneath it was such a poor job that it had obviously been done to hide rather than protect.
Thanks for your replies
What I hoped & expected was to have a truck that I loved, that I knew would need work done along the way, that I could learn about & preserve & improve spending at an affordable rate.
What I have been told, by two mechanics, is that I, legally, should have been told about the extent of the corrosion & that it in fact shouldn't have been sold in the state it is in.
The fact that it was sold with an MOT is also questionable as all of the faults have not happened overnight.
The guy undersealed the truck with waxoyl which made it very difficult to see the rust when viewing. Once we could look underneath it was such a poor job that it had obviously been done to hide rather than protect.
Thanks for your replies
Chin up, you live and learn. Many of us will have done something similar.
You may be able to get something back from the dealer, but I'm guessing this will be a smaller backstreet kind of place, so likely a challenge and/or scary!
If you have friends who are handy mechanics, get them round to see what can be done, otherwise get a decent independent local garage to price up what needs doing structural/safety wise and quote you. At least you'll have a clearer idea of what to do next.
It might cost more than you'd intended, but you could still come to love it.
You may be able to get something back from the dealer, but I'm guessing this will be a smaller backstreet kind of place, so likely a challenge and/or scary!
If you have friends who are handy mechanics, get them round to see what can be done, otherwise get a decent independent local garage to price up what needs doing structural/safety wise and quote you. At least you'll have a clearer idea of what to do next.
It might cost more than you'd intended, but you could still come to love it.
I now know about the faults because I took it to an undersealer who I planned to have remove the waxoyl & reseal.
Once the truck was up he just pointed out all of the problems & as he knew a lot about trucks he immediately pointed out the modifications, some of which my usual mechanic hadn't even noticed.
I paid 7500, the undersealer reckons it's worth 4K
Once the truck was up he just pointed out all of the problems & as he knew a lot about trucks he immediately pointed out the modifications, some of which my usual mechanic hadn't even noticed.
I paid 7500, the undersealer reckons it's worth 4K
RustyBob said:
I now know about the faults because I took it to an undersealer who I planned to have remove the waxoyl & reseal.
Once the truck was up he just pointed out all of the problems & as he knew a lot about trucks he immediately pointed out the modifications, some of which my usual mechanic hadn't even noticed.
I paid 7500, the undersealer reckons it's worth 4K
£7500 seems crazy money for such an old hilux.Once the truck was up he just pointed out all of the problems & as he knew a lot about trucks he immediately pointed out the modifications, some of which my usual mechanic hadn't even noticed.
I paid 7500, the undersealer reckons it's worth 4K
Legally if the MOT was done within 3 months you can challenge it with VOSA, if it was longer than that then your on your own.
ChocolateFrog said:
A 23 year old Toyota living in the UK. I'm surprised you couldn't see the road through the floor.
Edit. 24 years old.
This, all day long!Edit. 24 years old.
Anything Japanese used on UK salty roads is going to be looking rough underneath by 10 years old on the sills, sub-frames and suspension mounting points at the minimum, unless it's been properly undersealed early in its life. It's uncommon for us to pass one without advisories if it's in daily use and not a garage queen. To expect a Japanese marque at 2.5x the age to not be rotten as a pear underneath is pie in the sky.
As far as I know (happy to be corrected) there is no such law for a dealer (or private seller) to inform a buyer that the vehicle has been welded, nor has corrosion. That is precisely what the annual MOT test is for. How long ago was its last test? Unless it was only days before you bought it then trying to challenge them over a phoney test pass cert is unlikely to get you anywhere. Legally you have 3 months from the date of its last test to challenge it. Even if you challenged the tester directly he could say that the suspension work was done after he tested it and the corrosion in the prescribed areas did not meet the criteria for a test fail. It would of course be bullcrap, but ultimately it would be your word against his, and your contract is with the dealer anyway.
It's a very common tactic for Jap pick-up and SUV owners to spend £100 on a cheap Waxoyl job to claim all the rust has been "sorted" following an MOT test with 2 pages of corrosion advisories. The naive unsuspecting buyer will see the immaculate pics of the underside in the sale advert and then go out and pay top dollar for the "well-looked after" vehicle, only to have their world fall apart in 10 months time at the next test when the tester's hammer goes straight through the chassis members and sills like a hot knife through butter.
RustyBob said:
What I have been told, by two mechanics, is that I, legally, should have been told about the extent of the corrosion & that it in fact shouldn't have been sold in the state it is in.
I've been in car sales for 20+ years, and unless the car has been misrepresented (in the advert or verbally) I don't think there's a legal angle to this.If you had asked 'has it had any welding?' and they replied 'No' , you might stand a chance.
soad said:
£7.5k? Crazy.
Apparently these things go for silly money http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2025011680...
Even at that price the MOT history mentions rust years ago.
Bonkers.
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