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Hi there, my 1991 Mazda Bongo van has just failed its WOF pretty spectacularly! Quite upset about it as we only bought it in March this year and it seemed like a good deal despite its old age.
The main job is to sort out the rust which runs from front to back along both sides of the roof. It has previously been a bit botched, filled in and painted over which the mechanic said is not acceptable. What exactly would need to be done then and what would be a fair estimate of cost for this work? Also could you recommend a decent panel beater place in the Auckland area please?
There's also a hole in the exhaust and the front wheel bearings, left and right, need doing. Any idea of the cost for this too please? What we're trying to do is get a rough idea of what it would cost us to get it through a WOF so that we can weigh it up against what we paid for it and what we may be able to sell it for.
Many thanks
Hayley and Matt

Hi Guys,
It's impossible to say how much it would cost without seeing it, so the best thing would be to get some quotes from panelbeaters.
Unfortunately, many panelbeaters don't like dealing with rust as rust in a vehicle of this age is a problem that they could be forever chasing their tail trying to fix, and it will often break out somewhere else later on, so panelbeaters are nervous about fixing it in case they are accused of not doing the job properly in the event it comes back. We don't have anyone we specifically use for rust repairs, but the advice would be to find someone who specialises in rust.
Please see this list
The mechanical repairs should be easier to get priced up. I'd suggest going to an AA Licensed Repairer or Auto Service and Repair outlet .

Oh dear, doesn't sound too promising regarding the rust issue. Thanks for getting back to us so quickly though and we're grateful for the advice and are on the case.
Cheers