Rusty sills advice

[benji]

Hello all,

I've got my MOT coming up but my jetta has gained a nice big hole is the sill, I'm not sure if it would be a fail though. Its doesn't seem to be structural as everything except the visible exterior is solid.

Seeing as you guys have infinitely more wisdom than me, what do you think?



Excuse the dirt, needs a good wash.

[beany]

where abouts on the sill is it? if its near the seatbelt or suspension mount (12 inches) it will fail, and if the belts attatched to the seat then the seat mount is prescribed area too

[froggy]

wherever it is on the sill it will be within the prescribed area of a suspension , seat mount or seat belt fixture so weld it up .

[benji]

Its not incredibly clear but it's near the front of the door. Pretty far away from anything really.

If its not a fail thats the best news ever

[beany]

well if you've got the normal type of vw seat with only 3 mounting points just measure up to the subframe mount of the front suspension and if its more than 30cm's away it'll pass as I know the mk3 golfs/vento's are passable there, but you'd probably find it best to weld it before hand because thats just gonna make the tester look even harder over your car to find other stuff

[DavidB]

If it comes to it, rivet a piece of metal on top.

[vaughant]

Get it welded fella as it'll only get worse,it may fail on sharp edges as well for that.there's no more than an hours worth of labour there for an Mot style repair so budget about £50-60 all in with materials&vat etc.a hobbler would do it for about £35.

[hotrodjon]

you should definately get it welded, I know my m.o.t man who is very fair would NOT pass it so if it is left it will only get worse. Grind it back and chop any rot out altogether or better still fit a new sill. I have bought a new sill in the past and used a section of it as required but it is a simple enough job to fabricate a repair panel.

[stealthstylz]

I thought any sill rot was a fail as it's a structural part. That looks like an easy fix.

Matt

[automatic]

Apr 27, 2011 20:33:55 GMT stealthstylz said:

I thought any sill rot was a fail as it's a structural part. That looks like an easy fix.

Matt

No it should be but it isn't. Corrosion can only be failed in the following ways.

1) Corrosion seriously weakening a vehicles structure within 30cm of a seat belt, body or suspension mounting point.

2) Corrosion that leaves a sharp edge that may be harmfull to other road users including pedestrians.

3) Vehicles general condition. Basically if the tester feels that it seriously compromises the vehicles structure and the rest of the vehicle is in bad condition as well then the tester can fail it on general condition.

This bit will fail on point 2 and possibly the others as well at the very least you will get an advisory. However the outer skin being holed does compromise the structure and it wont deform as it should in a crash. Get it repaired if only for that reason. Also I can almost garuntee that extends further than it looks at first inspection!

[baconsdozen]

Get a pair of cutters or a disc in an agnle grinder and cut back to sound metal.Square off the hole,take the paint off for an inch or so all the way round,cut a bit of steel about a half inch or so bigger than the hole,clean the edges with a grinder and then get a welder to weld it over the hole,or hire a MIg for a couple of hours.

[Mantasport]

I predict that hole will get bigger when you clean it up to weld it (they always do)
Don't just get a patch stuck over whats there (normal MOT garage repair) as it will continue to rot behind and spread further

Get it chopped out, clean metal let in and throw some corosion prevention wax inside afterwards for good measure.

If you bring it across to Harrogate i can sort all that for less than £30

[Lankytim]

Sills are structural are they not? Its a box section that forms part of the monocoque "chassis".

I'm not an MOT tester but I think thats got to fail!

[sheffieldcortinacentre]

any tester i've been to will fail a holed sill.

[pantera2075]

Dude,

Last year, I went from a 50p patch of rust to this:



So, by experience the hole will be at least 5x what you are seeing.
go for the offered £30 quid fix, but expect a new sill needed in a couple of years.

[coggers]

Apr 28, 2011 20:47:49 GMT Mantasport said:

If you bring it across to Harrogate I can sort all that for less than £30

I've seen mantsports welding . Believe me , that is a great offer .

[will]

Regardless of mot that wants nipping in the bud What can be seen of the inner sill looks good though it ain't gonna stay that way if left.