Prior to the sale the engine was serviced having the cylinder head gaskets replaced along with a new battery and items such as plugs, filters etc.
The seller claims that in order to pass an MOT it will only need the brakes servicing as it has been stood for several years, plus the sills repairing or replacing. If this is the case an initial estimate for material costs would be in the region of £300 (sills £110 each plus vat, brake fluids and seal making up the rest). My initial inspection leads me to the same conclusion but I never assume anything where cars are concerned
This model (Reliant SS1 1.6 ltr) has a number of predictable faults that are common to all cars of its type, with ‘pop up’ headlamp units prone to failure and electric windows prone to faults on the earthing system. The faults as stated on the chassis are also normal as the chassis end caps are exposed to all the road elements and are not protected by the inner wing assemblies.
All plastic bodied cars have problems inherent with electrical earthing as the chassis and other structural earth points can degrade on the connection points over time. Some later and far more costly GRP bodied cars (glass reinforced plastic) use partial twin wired systems where the earth returns are integrated into the harness and bonded to the chassis — twice as many wires.
