Sill repair panels.

[edward.kellow805]

My 2003 S-Type Sport 3 litre manual has just failed its MOT because of severe corrosion to the sills. I was not expecting this. (!) Today I visited a number of repair shops who specialise in classic and sports car restoration and they all said - very politely - that getting it repaired would be costly and just not worth it. I'm pretty gutted. I've read the previous posts about corrosion to sills. What would you do in my position? Try to get the welding one or just get a new car?

[Andy P]

Hi Edward.
That's always a tough decision to make.
How good is the car apart from the sills and has it given any other trouble in the past.
How much do you love your car.
These are all things to take into account.
If you do decide to get it repaired please make sure it is done properly and not just patched up.
The reason I say this is because if it is just patched up,the repair will not last.
Once done properly and treated with modern protective rust prevention it will last forever(so to speak).
But the choice is yours in the end.
Good luck anyway and let us know what you decide.
Take care.
Andy

[davidr]

Hi Edward - that's not good news. The thing to consider is how deep the rust goes into the unseen structure of the car. What you can see from the outside is likely to be only a part of it. I've seen some S-Types with catastrophic rust where the underside is just gone.
You may have difficulty getting a meaningful quote because it's not until you start removing the outer structure such as the sills that you can really see the true extent of it.
As Andy says, it's a tough decision.
It probably comes down to heart vs head. If you really are that attached to the car then what are you prepared to spend to keep it going? That expense stands a good chance of being more than the car is worth and more than you first think it's going to be.
I don't envy you that choice!

[brent]

It doesn't even seem to come down to cost at the minute, I am prepared and willing to spend way more than what the car is worth in order to fix it because I want to keep the thing. Nobody seems to be willing to do the work.

I did read with interest the previous posts about how to do the welding myself. Unfortunately I am absolutely crap at that. It isn't an option, I am all thumbs,

[jeff1954]

I'm really sorry to hear about your predicament with the sills As mentioned in earlier post's it's not until you start delving in to the problem how far the rust has infiltrated. I think that's why company's will be reluctant to take the work on.
Best of luck.
Jeff.

[3.8etypephil]

It doesn't even seem to come down to cost at the minute, I am prepared and willing to spend way more than what the car is worth in order to fix it because I want to keep the thing. Nobody seems to be willing to do the work.

I did read with interest the previous posts about how to do the welding myself. Unfortunately I am absolutely crap at that. It isn't an option, I am all thumbs,

If you're in the East Anglia area, I would be happy to take a look at the extent of the corrosion and point you in the direction of one of my old trade contacts if appropriate. I couldn't take it on myself as I am restoring our "new" house and have yet to build the workshop.

[brent]

I'm London but happy to travel, I'd love to get a better idea of the extent and a referral to anyone that might be up for the job

[3.8etypephil]

I'm London but happy to travel, I'd love to get a better idea of the extent and a referral to anyone that might be up for the job

I can’t pm you; perhaps you can try from your end, or via JagChat, which does work.

[brent]

Have done so cheers

[3.8etypephil]

Have done so cheers

Replied

[brent]

Well, a giant thank you to Phil for getting me in touch with a welder My S-Type is now home, sills all welded and painted and MoT passed!

[3.8etypephil]

Well, a giant thank you to Phil for getting me in touch with a welder My S-Type is now home, sills all welded and painted and MoT passed!

You're welcome; pleased that Paul was able to sort it out for you.

[brent]

I'll be sending him the 3.8S at the end of summer as well

[kfoster]

So... having taken the plunge and removed the plastic sill covers on our S type I too need to source a set of replacement sills....
There seems to be quite a selection on the web these days, has anybody had experience of a supplier who's products are decent quality and fit well??
Any advice much appreciated.

Kelvin Foster