Would you buy a 2015 Ford Kuga with those advisories?

[howaylee]

Hi all, £3,000 for a Ford Kuga I’m possibly viewing tomorrow.

Would these advisories put you off or maybe act as a haggling chip??

Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))
Offside Rear Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))
Offside Front Inner Drag link end ball joint has slight play (2.1.3 (b) (i))
Offside Rear Oil leak, but not excessive REAR DIFF OIL SEAL O/S (8.4.1 (a) (i))

[georgeyboy12345]

Tyres wouldn t bother me, but the leaking diff would. Personally I steer clear of anything with leaks, even if they are classed as “non-excessive”.

Which engine and gearbox is it?

[howaylee]

Ford Kuga
2015 (65) - 2.0 TDCi 150 Zetec 5dr 2WD

[Gtom]

2wd but leaking rear differential?!

[howaylee]

Is that bad?

[super7]

howaylee said:

Is that bad?

i’d say so seeing as it’s front wheel drive!

[howaylee]

I don’t know that much detail about cars.

Might this be the reason why the car was traded in?

[howaylee]

Actually, I posted the wrong MOT advisories…

These are them
Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
Nearside Front Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 3 mm (5.2.3 (e))
Offside Front Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 3 mm (5.2.3 (e))
Offside Front Play in steering rack inner joint(s)
Rear Sub-frame corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i))

[howaylee]

Gtom said:

2wd but leaking rear differential?!

Please see new post… my bad!

[super7]

That’ll end up needing a new rack….. leave it!

[howaylee]

Only 10 year old though? And this is the first MOT it’s on.
Wouldn’t I be best off using some prevention wax or something?

[super7]

howaylee said:

Only 10 year old though? And this is the first MOT it s on.
Wouldn t I be best off using some prevention wax or something?

Yeah….. prevention wax will do the job!!

[howaylee]

I’m unsure if you’re joking…
I’m by no means a mechanic!
All this Wool Wax, Fluid Film etc could be snake oil for all I know.
The corrosion could be a few specs, as well, so I’ve read,

[Torquey]

I'm going to guess around £800 for a new steering rack.

£3k seems cheap but be prepared to spend another £1k on the next mot.

[Tisy]

howaylee said:

Only 10 year old though? And this is the first MOT it s on.
Wouldn t I be best off using some prevention wax or something?

Larding "wax or something" over the top of existing rust in a cheap fashion to hide it without actually replacing the bad bits or treating them properly is a great way to ps off an MOT tester and them to go to town on the area with their CAT hammer. What to do with the problem depends on how bad it is. If you don't have the ramps, space, tools and skill to sort it (properly) yourself then it'll be easier to just get a new subframe and coat it if you want the car to last, but if the subframe is close to being done for then there'll be rust elsewhere too.

As noted by others, it sounds like a new rack could be on the cards which is (also) a significant chunk of the car's value. Uneven wear on the tyres would be a 'no' from me from the start without even considering the other stuff as it could just be something simple like the tracking being out, or it could be a result of steering/suspension/chassis bits being bent from a prang. I've experienced the latter and even after spending a fortune changing every part and bush it never fixed it.

Corrosion fails/advisories, oil leaks and uneven tyre wear are all red flags for me to walk away due to the potential hassle and expense to sort them.

[howaylee]

Thank you for the time and detailed reply.

It’s a 90 minute drive from me, at least.

Might the advisories be the reason why this is at least £500 cheaper than any other Kuga from that age group?

[Tisy]

howaylee said:

Thank you for the time and detailed reply.

It s a 90 minute drive from me, at least.

Might the advisories be the reason why this is at least £500 cheaper than any other Kuga from that age group?

Impossible to say without seeing the ad and pics. How much MOT does it have? If it's less than 6 months then the cynic in me would say they know it's likely to cost a bunch of money to get it through its next test and are trying to offload it ASAP so it's not going to be their problem.

[howaylee]

I wasn’t sure about the rulings on here for posting specific adverts and car registrations - so I was just being vague but specific as possible.

Anyway, I appreciate everyone’s help! Thank you.

There’s another car cropped up 75 miles in the other direction!

[Tisy]

howaylee said:

I wasn t sure about the rulings on here for posting specific adverts and car registrations - so I was just being vague but specific as possible.

Anyway, I appreciate everyone s help! Thank you.

There s another car cropped up 75 miles in the other direction!

I know which car you're on about - reg ends in CVS. Very little prep in the photos and the car is absolutely filthy in the door jams and boot. It's not been looked after and I'll bet the bodywork is tatty under that water. Also the single google business review not written by his own family members and pals doesn't make for good reading.

[howaylee]

Thank you for taking the time to do the research. I also noticed the reviews - “guy/guys” repetition in every one - apart from the 1 star review. All the years of looking for plagiarism at work has paid off!

Luckily, I took the time do this research, come on this forum and not do anything stupid like send a deposit.

I think I can go to bed now!