Anybody know where i can get my sills repaired (welded) or replaced in the Northampton area?? Is it a bodyshop job?
Hi, be carfull when getting sills weled, many places will quote for a plate welded over the top of the hole, this will pass an MOT and is easy and cheap, however it is also the kiss of death to the car as the rust will continue and will need doing again in a year or two. The correct repair is to cut back to good metal, and let a new peice of metal in and then grind back the weld , the result won't be visible and should last as long as the original metal did. However it does take a lot more time to repair this way and will as a result costs much more. Rare that any palce other than a restroation specialist will carry this out. You could buy a mig and do it yourself (it will cost the same or cheaper even!) There is a third option, buy the whole sill and repalce it.. but again many places will just weld the new sill over the old one wich results in much eth same issues as welding a plate over the hole. What should be done is the old sill cut off and the new one weldied in place
I got the motor MOT'd at the weekend and the guy mentioned i'd probably need to get the sills welded before next time, due to slight damage near the front on both sides. He reckons it was probably caused by incorrect jacking?! I've only ever jacked it where the markings are... so who knows! I got a couple of other little imperfections i'd like sorted too i think, so probably worth saving for a proper job at style haus or some where....
I thought the sills only failed the MOT if they were corroded within 12 inches of the seat belt anchoring point. Are your sills only corroded at the front?
Any major sill corrosion will fail an MOT as they are structural and provide protection in the event of a side impact... As said above trolley Jacking causes so many problems underneath a car and people don't use a rubber bush or don't re-under-seal where damage has occurred. Pay particular attention to what Zaphod has said above, a good job will take hours of welding where a cheap job will maybe last you 2-3 years. It would have to be a very good MK3 to be worth spending the cash... and if it needs a sill then it's not a good Mk3 unfortunately!
I had my n/s sill welded cost me 200 including a couple of patches underneath.. As mentioned above the cheap and nasty way of doing the job.. But as I haven't seen many Gti's my colour, I had the work done.. I have since undersealed the WHOLE underneath of my car hoping that it will slow down any further rust.. (I know it won't stop it) Lesson learned for my next Gti Possibly if you have a grinder and stuff, you could cut back the sill your self, and just pay for the new sill to be fitted.. Cheaper because you have done the hard work???
have the same prob at the moment, car went in for mot, failed on both sides of the sill were rusting and corroded. took it to a local garage, they quoted 120 quid to do both sides. that would be welding two plates to cover the areas. im going to get the guy to put some kurust on the areas before he welds the plate over the problem areas. he said it will pass mot, i dont plan on keeping the car for years other wise i would have full sills replaced
Hey peeps My Mk3 failed for rusty sills today... off-side is bent and has a hole (which I think took some effort to make - thank you over excited MOT tester...), and near-side is going that way and is again is bent due to incorrect jacking. whilst this post mentions the cost of localised repair patches - has anyone had a quote for a new sill/section to be welded in rather than patched? Any recommendations in the West London/South Bucks area?
For info - I was quoted 160 labour (plus materials/sills @ 20 a side) to cut out and weld in each new sill (complete length). So just under 350 to get both sills completely replaced. Or 160 (plus 20 a side materials) to get only the bad sections cut out and welded with sections from a new sill panel. Works out 200 for local cut/weld job. However - the welder said he doesnt see any real benefit to fitting a complete new sill if the other areas are ok.
I had a complete new sill fitted at nationwide crash repair Daventry (northamptonshire). 250nicker Fitted/painted.
