You will know about my temporary Fiesta....
Anyway I gave it a wash today for the first time and spotted some bubbling rust on the outer sill under the drivers door. The rust is visible when the door is closed. I gave it a bit of a scrape and discovered a hole about the diameter of a pencil. The car is ten years old.
Is this an MoT failure, bearing in mind that the car passed an MoT recently at a reputable garage. Is there anything I should worry about, should I get it welded or simply give it a squirt of Waxoyl?
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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it is an MOT failure as sill is part of chassis,normally it would should have failed. but rust may have accelerated since MOT done,Not worth covering as the rust is already there,It will need a plate seem welded to get through next MOT
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Steve
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if its 12 inches from the seat belt or suspension pickup points its advise only, but ideally as said wants a seam weld on it,i assume mk4 fiesta?never had a failure on them yet.
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Housemate had same rust problem (along seam on left-hand side) on his 95 model-year Fiesta. Failed NCT (Irish MOT) first time around, but passed retest after welding.
Wasn't difficult to do, but he's been advised by his uncle - the mechanic who maintains the car and prepared it for the test - that its unlikely to pass the next NCT.
- Gromit
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My Fiesta (mk 4) had a patch of rust in exactly the same place. It looked like it may become a problem later in life but it passed the MOT no problem.
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"temporary Fiesta"
Like most of them... :-)
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My 2001 Mark 5 has bad stone chipping/rust spots under passeneger side sill, about 500cm ahead of rear wheel arch. I have traeted repainted and used waxoiyl based underseal.
Youngest son's 1993 Fiesta has similar problems : ditto treatment 3 years ago and no problems since. (it also has the dreaded petrol filler usts and wheel arches: treated and covered with Dinitrol : but rust keeps breaking through due to corrosion inside the double skinning. But unsightly - should pass MOTs for next 3-4 years by which time engine will no doubt have died..)
madf
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My 2001 Mark 5 has bad stone chipping/rust spots under passeneger side sill
This is why I would always fit mudflaps to any car I buy. I ran my Escort without a nearside front flap for a few weeks and ended up with a 10mm gouge in the sill paintwork caused by a stone flying up, the only mark on the sills up to now!
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Mike Farrow
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Mine has front mudflaps.. but that makes no difference in the winter:-(
madf
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A mates '96 new shape Fiesta has rotted away all along the bottom edge of the back passenger door. It looks a right mess
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The reasons they rust is because they are not galvanised or waxed and in all honesty are just not upto the UK weather and road condition. I have owned a number of Fiesta's over the years and been caught out with rust. The truth is that the sill area is one of the major weak spots on the MK4/5 units as well is the front seat mounting area.
It is worthwhile waxing the sills on these cars access can be gained via the rear wheel arch. The unfortunate situation is that if serious rust has already taken hold then it may be a little late. These cars were never designed to last 10+ years. They are better built and protected than the MK1,2,3 and 3.5 Fiestas but it still is way short of the standard expected with regards to build quality.
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The Mark 5 was much better protected: wax injected with some galvanised panels and under arch shield front and rear. Pity the paintwork quality was variable and underseal application was very poor: I removed about 6 square cms from both sides under B posts where it was hanging off and applied new.
Of course the last were built at Dagenham I believe which had been given its assembly section closing orders so body quality fell...
madf
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The MK5 Fiesta vehicles that I have striped down have never been wax injected. The Ford literature from the 1990s supplied with the MK3 Fiesta stated wax injected if this is the case then why were some rusting at 2 years of age?
It is correct about the underseal the application supplied to many Ford vehicles from the 1980s and 1990s was nothing short of an embarrassment.
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Mum's Mk5 could pass for brand new and I've scrutinised it loads of times.
Not a patch of rust on it anywhere.
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My Fiesta has surplus wax oozing from doors and sills...
madf
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The MK 5 Fiesta built from September 1999 to 2002 was based on the MK4 Fiesta body with the exception of slightly revised styling. All the these units are based on the 1989 floor plan designed for the then 'all new' MK3 Fiesta.
I have repaired a number of these that have been cat D and V car and never spotted any wax injection in any examples. For sure a number of keen and knowledgeable owners will have waxed these themselves but I believe that the bulk if not all the examples that left the Ford production were not treated.
Ford could not even manage to seal the underbody correctly never mind additional waxing. When striping and repairing these cars it is amazing what evidence of third world build quality is discovered.
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