Advice on bodywork & MOT

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Tue 10 Feb 2004 08:55
Advice on bodywork & MOT - Rich Mixture
My wife's 13 year old Corolla is due its MOT this month and is suffering from a rusty off-side wing. At last years test, the inspector merely commented on the accompanying MOT checklist sheet, but the intervening 12 months has - not surprisingly - seen the corrosion worsen. We now have a long narrow gap at the top of the wheelarch, surrounded by sharp edges. I would say the rust hole is 6 inches long and about 1 inch high.

Can anyone advise me as to whether this is likely to fail the MOT? Is there a quick fix that doesn't involve filler and hours of effort? Somebody told me that you can put tape over any sharp protruding edges, is this true?

I know I could fork out for a new wing, but on a car of this age it simply isn't worth the expense.

Thanks

RM
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Tue 10 Feb 2004 10:12
Advice on bodywork & MOT - martint123
I guess sharp edges would fail the MOT. He might even refuse to test it. www.motuk.co.uk/manual_610.htm

If you don't have the time to pop rivet a beer tin over the hole and gob it with filler then I suppose you'll have to buy a new car!!
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Tue 10 Feb 2004 10:26
Advice on bodywork & MOT - RichardW
It will probably fail, but as you are not bothered what it looks like, getting a patch welded over it will only take 20 mins and probably only cost £20 - another years cheap motoring if it doesn't fail on anything else!


--
RichardW

Is it illogical? It must be Citroen....
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Tue 10 Feb 2004 10:31
Advice on bodywork & MOT - Rich Mixture
Thanks for your responses. I'll have a word with my local friendly backstreet garage and see what they can do on the welding front.

Long live Bangernomics!

RM
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Tue 10 Feb 2004 11:10
Advice on bodywork & MOT - Rich Mixture
Just spoken to my trusted local guy - "stick some duct tape on it, should be no problem" was the sage advice. It seems that as long as there are no sharp edges (and obviously it's not structural) then there's not a problem. Will get it through the MOT and then get the filler out one sunny weekend.

RM
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Tue 10 Feb 2004 13:52
Advice on bodywork & MOT - henry k
Just spoken to my trusted local guy - "stick some duct
tape on it, should be no problem" was the sage advice.
It seems that as long as there are no sharp edges
(and obviously it's not structural) then there's not a problem.


Agree. My old UNO has a couple of inches of skin missing at the bottom of the doors. I got the same advice from the MoT man.
Duct tape covered the gap and it passes each year.
Looks a lot smarter with black door bottoms.

Guess you could paint the duct tape on a wing to match the rest of the car. Cheaper than a patch.
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