Resurrecting a hibernating Opel Corsa

Psychology Student

Hi Folks,

Would anyone possibly be able to give me a spot of advice on getting a car back on the road after a couple of years sitting in a garage? I was away for that time and stupidly never sold the car. Now it is possibly dead. The battery is definitely dead (can't be charged- no one charged it while I was away/did any maintenance) and the exhaust is looking a bit rusty. It's 2003, 1 litre. It has no NCT, insurance, tax. I can't tax it without insurance and I'm a bit reluctant to sort out insurance until I know it's alive and capable of passing an NCT.

Obviously the first thing to do is get a new battery to at least see if it turns on. After that I'm entirely clueless. I'm guessing it needs a new exhaust and a service. It only has 70K miles on it and I spent quite a bit on it when I got it before going away changing the timing belt and fixing bits and bobs so if it's possible to wake up I'd be very happy.

I'm based in Meath. Could anyone recommend a reasonable garage or mechanic who might take it under their wing and make it pass an NCT? Or give me a rough idea of how much it might cost/what to expect needs to be done?

Thank you!

_Brian

Stick a battery in it and have a mechanic change oil/filters and check breaks are safe.
Spend nothing else, run it through the NCT and see what the report shows.

Psychology Student

Thanks very much for that Brian!

db

It's worth about €800 with NCT. By the time you replace the battery, service it, possibly change the exhaust & tyres and put it through the NCT it will cost you at least that much. There's a good chance seals have dried out and you have leaks in the engine. Best thing to do is bring it to a scrapyard or sell it for parts.

Pete67

I would check oil and coolant levels and if OK just get a decent set of jump leads and see if it will start and run. You don't need a new battery to find this out. If it runs OK and there are no major leaks then check clutch is OK, see if you can select each gear with clutch pedal down and engine running. If ok, try and move it slowly, the brakes may be stuck so you might have to rock the car back and forth a bit to free them up. If the car was dry when garaged they may be fine.

A small amount of rust on the tailpipe is not necessarily a problem, once the engine starts you will know from the noise levels if there exhaust is badly corroded and leaking.

Once you know if it runs OK and has no major mechanical issues you can decide if it is worth a new battery (approx €60 from a motor factor) servicing, tyres etc. If it was in good condition when stored I'd be surprised if it can't be resurrected at reasonable cost.

Psychology Student

Thanks for the help Pete67 the garage is definitely dry and it was in good working condition before it was stored so fingers crossed it still is once I get it to turn on!

Musketeer4

Why does it need a new exhaust? Is the exhaust holed?

Psychology Student

It just looks a bit rusty and I'm only guessing/being told by someone who doesn't know anything but still probably knows a bit more than me... It's the original exhaust/box/whatnot.

Musketeer4

A bit of rust on an exhaust is normal.
Unless theres holes in it it's fine.

Don't bother changing the tyres. Waste of money if there's thread on them. Just inflate to the correct pressure.

A problem I could see here is if the handbrake has been left on while it was parked up. Sometimes the brake shoes can stick to the drum with rust and they can are a bitch to free off again.

Also if petrol has been left in the tank all these years it is gone stale so before you try starting it make sure you drain out all the old petrol. Maybe extract it via the in-tank fuel pump by connecting a suitable hose onto the fuel line in the engine bay and then activating the fuel pump via the ignition of by connection to an external 12V supply. Then refill the tank with fresh petrol. be sure to fill it so that any residual old fuel is well diluted down. Throw in a shot of injector cleaner too to clean out the fuel system. Then change the oil. Probably a good idea to change the coolant and brake fluid too given its been stagnant for so long.

zilog_jones

If the tyres are over 6 years old you should consider replacing them. It's an NCT "advisory" but not a fail. Rubber perishes with age, so could be more prone to blowouts, etc.

Henry Ford III

_Brian wrote: »

Stick a battery in it and have a mechanic change oil/filters and check breaks are safe.
Spend nothing else, run it through the NCT and see what the report shows.

Have him check the brakes instead.

porsche boy

db wrote:

It's worth about €800 with NCT. By the time you replace the battery, service it, possibly change the exhaust & tyres and put it through the NCT it will cost you at least that much. There's a good chance seals have dried out and you have leaks in the engine. Best thing to do is bring it to a scrapyard or sell it for parts.

That's a silly comment if yu don't mind me saying. Battery about 60 quid and NCT 50. So 110 quid will get you to knowing what else (if anything) is needed. Better the devil you know.

Musketeer4

zilog_jones wrote: »

If the tyres are over 6 years old you should consider replacing them. It's an NCT "advisory" but not a fail. Rubber perishes with age, so could be more prone to blowouts, etc.

I'd keep them on and try them out. Being out in the open for a few years exposed to the elements and UV is one thing but it's been stored in a shed. They'll more than likely be grand. If it was that serious of an issue it'd be an NCT fail.