Technical Panda 169 front sill corroded - MOT fail

[irc]

I'd be surprised if the MOT tester counted the frilly wing as structural, but standards and opinions vary.
Did your local welder prod the sill itself when he looked it it? It still looks to me like there's either a hole (or what would be a hole soon) in the area next to the wing edge, and another patch of crusting at the bottom seam - obviously I'm only looking at a picture, so not able to use touch, but I would expect my local MOT tester to at least comment on them (after failing the wing on sharp edges likely to cause injury...), but if they "creak" when pushed gently then I would expect a fail sheet.
If they're solid and it's just surface rust, a quick clean-up, but of rust protection and a squirt of paint along with the second hand wing should keep it on the road for now.
Word of warning about second hand wings - some people bend them when removing as they try to separate the seam sealer band that runs vertically. This makes them hard to fit well, and usually the reinforcement panel is loose. They can be "adjusted" to fit better.

 

[lukish]

thanks Koalar, I'm going to get a better look and a photo and get back to you

 

[koalar]

The MOT refusal states "suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength". On Saturday a local welder came to see and also said it's not a MOT failure as it's not structural... Never mind. He recommended I just get hold of the whole wing panel and replace it, which is what I will do - I've contacted a few people breaking silver pandas on ebay. Thank you everybody.

That's a common failure at the rear

Have you checked the rear, underside a couple of inches forward of the wheel arch

Sometimes it's easier just to ask the tester what they mean, as the discriptions are limited and vague

Does it say front

 

[lukish]

That's a common failure at the rear

Have you checked the rear, underside a couple of inches forward of the wheel arch

Sometimes it's easier just to ask the tester what they mean, as the discriptions are limited and vague

Does it say front

Yes it does, here's the full sentence: "Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Offside Front (sill/wing) [5.3.6 (a) (i)]"

 

[jackwhoo]

Yes it does, here's the full sentence: "Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Offside Front (sill/wing) [5.3.6 (a) (i)]"

Great That's the wing then....its just interpretation of words that tester called it suspension mounting.
Good luck keep us informed (-:

 

[lukish]

So I bent away the rotten sill, cleaned up the area and took a photo, there is some rust but it's not too deep yet, so I think as long as I change the wing it should pass the MOT, yes?

 

[koalar]

And the only way we know what's going on is after the wing is removed, looks better than expected

So I bent away the rotten sill, cleaned up the area and took a photo, there is some rust but it's not too deep yet, so I think as long as I change the wing it should pass the MOT, yes? View attachment 476866

Poke around with a screwdriver if if does not go through your golden

Needs a good wire brush and treating, there's some stuff not cheap but it treats, converts and coats it in epoxy, let me find a bottle, forgotten it's name

Sorry @irc half wrote a reply and a new post came in

When I originally posted half the other post was mixed in, now deleted and corrected hopefully

 

[koalar]

No idea how it lasts long term, but it's been used by boat restoration people for years, so suggests it's okay, you still need to get any loose, or bubbling pant off(electric drill and wire brush) and key the surface

 

[irc]

Looks better than expected

Yep, the "hole" i saw was the crusty bubbly bit. Be surprised if gentle poking with a screwdriver doesn't make a hole, but could definitely have been worse.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Yep, the "hole" i saw was the crusty bubbly bit. Be surprised if gentle poking with a screwdriver doesn't make a hole, but could definitely have been worse.

That's the thing with rust. As they say, it operates on the "iceberg" principle. Nearly always much more of it you don't see at first glance.

 

[koalar]

That's the thing with rust. As they say, it operates on the "iceberg" principle. Nearly always much more of it you don't see at first glance.

It's unpredictable

It can look really bad but when you remove the surface flakes it solid metal underneath

It can look okay but when you remove the surface it's much deeper

Body work can rust from either side, if it from the inside it's normally fairly expensive to repair


Most of this looks to be from the outside and caused by the wing, my fingers are crossed it's not too bad

My axle looked really bad, but the metal underneath was sound and would probably last another 200K

 

[lukish]

Quick update - I only managed a quick clean of the sill, see photo. Will clean it up more and apply rust converter and protection. I've ordered a used wing of the same colour which should arrive over the next few days, hopefully it will fit in nicely.

 

[AnthonyH]

Nice.

Where did you find the new wing? I can never find them in the right colour.

 

[lukish]

Nice.

Where did you find the new wing? I can never find them in the right colour.

On eBay, i searched for “Panda breaking” and contacted a seller who was breaking a silver one in colour, thankfully the driver’s side wing was in good condition, £70 including postage

 

[lukish]

Disaster has struck! I'm expecting the wing later today, in the meantime I was fixing another MOT failure i.e. a rear spring which was broken (I'm changing both). Cleaning the mounting with the wire brush bit on the drill revealed this massive hole: is this another MOT failure? If so, is it possible to simply weld a patch over it (I can call back the guy who advised me to just get a new wing...)?

 

[koalar]

Different axle is cheapest

Either secondhand or new

 

[lukish]

Different axle is cheapest

Either secondhand or new

So is it a MOT failure as it is now?

 

[koalar]

So is it a MOT failure as it is now?

Yes

 

[jackwhoo]

So is it a MOT failure as it is now?

Yes

 

[AnthonyH]

Disaster has struck!

Ahhh, now thats unlucky. It needs another axle, new or secondhand is fine. But its not an easy job.