One option no one has mentioned is to just sell the car or trade it in somewhere . Why not start by seeing what We Buy Any Car would offer for it . It is unlikely a dealer would look at a subframe , and if you et a low ball offer you are not obliged to take it .
Of course if the car was stolen , your insurance would have to remunerate you for it ...
Trouble is, like myself in last 3 weeks, most owners using indies will not know there is a sub-frame issue until it fails at MOT.
Only Dealers have been ‘discreetly’ issued a service bulletin to particularly check this component, which generally is only a visual check at MOT’s.
Previously mine has passed without issue (with misc other advisories), this year,
FAILED out of blue with subframe failure, instantly recorded on DVLA MOT system!
So then <4 weeks to fix or replace, MBUK make you ‘dance’ to their tune, dealers can’t fit the work in urgently, plus sometimes add other advisory ‘needs’ such as corroded brake pipes as potential failure work, meaning totally uneconomic repair!
If you try to P/x, MOT failure has been recorded, meaning car value is diddly squat!
Basically, without some form of mandatory UK DVLA recall, or class action (like for emissions), anyone with older car subframe issues is shafted and at best is reliant upon MB ‘goodwill’,
at worse out of pocket by several thousand for loss of residual P/x value.
