How bad is rust?

[usergoeshere]

How bad is a bit of rust on the sills that's not even picked up in MOT? I am being cheap because I can either afford the car or the insurance so my budget is low and for my budget most have small amounts of rust. After driving some of these cars I am in love with the mk 2 and really want those pop up lights.

Can an under seal prevent the rust from spreading? I am hoping if a car can last me for two years my insurance will possibly come down and I can spend more money on a good looked after mk 2. What is your opinion on this? Thanks[/code]

[androo007]

You can patch it to get by as a cheaper, shorter term fix or properly solve for around 400-500 a side.

[usergoeshere]

You can patch it to get by as a cheaper, shorter term fix or properly solve for around 400-500 a side.

Thanks for the quick reply. I just read another thread where people have suggested similar price. I thought these proper fixes ran into £1000+ a side?

Lets say the rust on one sill is about 6 inches do you have any idea how much a short term fix will cost?

[aussieGT]

You can patch it to get by as a cheaper, shorter term fix or properly solve for around 400-500 a side.

Thanks for the quick reply. I just read another thread where people have suggested similar price. I thought these proper fixes ran into £1000+ a side?

Lets say the rust on one sill is about 6 inches do you have any idea how much a short term fix will cost?

Some snot and gaffer tape may do the job. Gaffer tape is pretty cheap, the other depends on if you have a cold or not.

[usergoeshere]

You can patch it to get by as a cheaper, shorter term fix or properly solve for around 400-500 a side.

Thanks for the quick reply. I just read another thread where people have suggested similar price. I thought these proper fixes ran into £1000+ a side?

Lets say the rust on one sill is about 6 inches do you have any idea how much a short term fix will cost?

Some snot and gaffer tape may do the job. Gaffer tape is pretty cheap, the other depends on if you have a cold or not.

Haha

[usergoeshere]

Can stuff like Kurust stop the spread of corrosion?

[androo007]

No not really.

Aussie..... I have used gaffa tape to get me through the last 3 mots on my daily - rotten front arches. So this year I've treated the old girl.... so some similarish coloured tape is on its way instead of spacesuit silver.

1000 for both sides, a proper coachworks place may charge more. Pete at sbits mentioned typically 300 a side plus paint iirc.

[abovetherim]

Another option if you have somewhere to work on the car is;
Buy a used MIG and an angle grinder and cutting discs.
Practice on some scrap metal for a while and watch YouTube to learn to weld.
Then patch or properly repair yourself with a big bag of self satisfaction.

I did my driver's side including making my own sill as this was before anyone made them. You can now get whole sills from mr2ben or rear half and inner arch repair sections from a chap on eBay.

[usergoeshere]

No not really.

Aussie..... I have used gaffa tape to get me through the last 3 mots on my daily - rotten front arches. So this year I've treated the old girl.... so some similarish coloured tape is on its way instead of spacesuit silver.

1000 for both sides, a proper coachworks place may charge more. Pete at sbits mentioned typically 300 a side plus paint iirc.

Does tape really help get through MOT? Would that not make a t-bar banana shaped?

[usergoeshere]

Another option if you have somewhere to work on the car is;
Buy a used MIG and an angle grinder and cutting discs.
Practice on some scrap metal for a while and watch YouTube to learn to weld.
Then patch or properly repair yourself with a big bag of self satisfaction.

I did my driver's side including making my own sill as this was before anyone made them. You can now get whole sills from mr2ben or rear half and inner arch repair sections from a chap on eBay.

Do you mean these?

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/332073815757?_mwBanner=1

[androo007]

Ive got a sete of those ready under the bed for WHEN the day comes...

that seller has good a good rep and sells many kits.

the alternative only provides the outer sill but gives the whole length which usually isnt needed anyway. THe spot welds are only up to 20" iirc.

[Madabout]

I'm looking at a MR2 where sills need doing both sides. Surprised at the lack of repair panels on offer as thought I'd be able to find lots of options, sellers.

[Angpozzuto]

Another option if you have somewhere to work on the car is;
Buy a used MIG and an angle grinder and cutting discs.
Practice on some scrap metal for a while and watch YouTube to learn to weld.
Then patch or properly repair yourself with a big bag of self satisfaction.

I did my driver's side including making my own sill as this was before anyone made them. You can now get whole sills from mr2ben or rear half and inner arch repair sections from a chap on eBay.

This is what I done I managed to find a decent mig welder with spare gas bottles, mask, gloves and a few other odds and sods for £180 and the repair pieces and just cracked on with it on the driveway. Also if the sills are rusty there could potentially be more rust behind the rear bumper the easiest way to check is to pull the boot carpet out and have a look in the corners around the vents

[rev3gtturbo]

A Mk2 will last a lot longer than a couple of years and easily clock up over 200,000 miles if you dont let the rust spread and drive it often enough to keep it all working. Best way of stopping rust spreading is to cut it out.

Underseal might help prevent rust forming in the first place on a rust-free underside but I doubt it would stop it spreading.

Something that is cheap to do to protect sills (and arches) is to keep them clean of mud/salt/grit and the wax protects the paint which in turn protects the metal.
When washing cars some people do the top and sides of the bodywork but dont really do underneath the sills so they dont get a protective wax coating.

Get some touch up paint and deal with stone chips quickly.

The MR2 prices seem to have gone up quite a lot over the last couple of years. A good looked after mk2 will be at the higher prices so you may be better off sorting out the one you got as they all need the sills doing eventually.

Good luck

[usergoeshere]

Learning to weld would be a good idea however I have no driveway

I'm going to have a look at a rev3 soon which has had its sills done two years ago. How long does a good will job last and how long does a bad job last?

Also the buying guide talks about gearbox problems on earlier rev1/2 but do you know if the rev3 gearbox can still experience the gear crunching and popping out of gear problems? I have only driven an mr2 with 3sfe and gear changes weren't too hard so I don't know what kind of hardness/difficulty would suggest a gearbox issue?

Will accelerating in every gear make them pop out if the problem was present?

Thanks again for all your help.

[JD]

All of this is only speculation until you actually look inside, and these days you don't even have to cut the outer sill off to get a good enough idea of what you're dealing with; just get one of those endoscope cameras to plug into a laptop and poke it into the drain holes. Even the cheap ones come with a bright white led on the end to illuminate the dark places, since most places you are going to stick an endoscope will be dark. It's none of my business what else you do with it, but you may as well get your money's worth

So in summary: rust is bad, but you might not have as much as you think.