Structural corrosion is a serious MOT topic when testers record it. MOT History stores their words — corroded sills, rusted floor sections, weakened chassis points — not a photo survey. Car Buyer Check classifies body and structural lines into the bodywork category and can map sills or related areas when the text supports it, separate from cosmetic panel notes or brake pipe corrosion.
Bodywork wording versus brake corrosion
Rust on brake pipes uses the brakes taxonomy and front/rear mapping. Rust on sills, floors, or frames uses bodywork rules with locations such as sills when keywords match. The engine does not treat every “corrosion” line as the same family — context in the MOT text drives the category.
A historical advisory or fail on corrosion is not proof the metal is still rotten today. Repairs, welding, or section replacement may have happened without appearing clearly on the next test. Disappearing or recurring patterns apply when the timeline matches those rules.
Registration check and report
Enter the plate in the hero form. If corrosion-related findings exist, they contribute to preview look-out counts and buyer position. The buyer report quotes the tester lines, links seller questions, and points to map areas such as sills when mapped.
- At the viewing, inspect sills, inner arches, and floor pans yourself — MOT lines are prompts, not measurements.
- Ask when structural welding was done and whether photos or invoices exist.
- Do not confuse a clean latest MOT with a guarantee that hidden rust was addressed.
Honest limits
We do not scan the car with cameras or issue structural safety certificates. Underseal, stone chips, and fresh paint can hide problems the MOT tester did not write down. Car Buyer Check only organises what was published for this registration.