11 replies to this topic

[shedonwheels]

I have a tiny amount of surface bubble near to the front seam underneath my driver side headlamp. Went to see a bodywork garage and got a quote for £200 to fix it. The man said he would cut the rusted metal out and weld a new piece of metal in place. I'm guessing this is the norm?
Would welding be a good thing to do or would it be better to "get the panels replaced"? Is it poss to replace panels? Sorry for dum question!

[miniallsort]

cut out the rust and weld another bit of metal in job done pics would help

[tattooguy08]

that seams a hell of alot of dollar for what work needs doin!!! you could buy a welder and do it yourself!! would prob b cheaper!!

[shedonwheels]

Here is a photo sorry that prob would of helped in first place right
 Mini_011.jpg   492.44K   25 downloads

Its not very clear, you can just see the headlamp in top right corner. As you can see its very small but it annoys me! I would love to do it myself but wouldn't be able to recognise a welder if someone gave me one let alone use it

[tattooguy08]

have u poked at it? cause the rust maynot go all the way through it might just b surface rust! then all u need is some sandpaper rust killing paint and some more blue!!!!

[shedonwheels]

Yeh I prodded it and there is one bubble which, when I prod it, a tiny bit of water comes out. Think its in quite deep but I really dont know enough to say for sure. The man I went to see also pointed out that my driver side door had been "done" in the past. I never noticed this before but I had noticed a few really tiny bubbles coming up on it (too small to photograph sorry). He said that it had been done but not properly which is why the rust was coming back. Do you know what he meant? How can it be "done" but not properly? Won't the rust come back again if I sand it down and paint? Also what is filler?!!

So sorry for all my probably obvious questions, I'm a newbie

[Ethel]

For £200 I'd just ignore it. That's actually on the front panel, looks like water has penetrated down the vertical seam under the light. Clean it up and treat it with some rust neutraliser. Also have a good go at the seam on the inside of the wheel arch.

Most Minis will be at least half replacement panels and half original shell

[tattooguy08]

its been done prob means that someone has just quick fixed it and not a proper job that would last!!!!! if you get the rust killing paint ive bin using it primers it for the top coat of paint! i shouldnt rust if u do a good job! u should chec the inside of the problem aswell cause it mayb worse on that side!!

[shedonwheels]

Ok thanks guys for your answers. I think I'll leave it for the time being, save up some dosh and get this and the door done next summer. Prob not much point in getting anything done yet until I can find a nice house with a garage, he's an allweather mini at the moment so other stuff is bound to start going!

Just finally though, is it better for me (after extra hard saving) to get the panel and door totally replaced rather than welded? Is it worth it?

[Rented]

Just finally though, is it better for me (after extra hard saving) to get the panel and door totally replaced rather than welded? Is it worth it?

on my own personal mini i always replace , the whole panel regardless . but it depends - fix or cure an all of that . with doors i always just replace the skin as much easier then repating . as for the upper part of the wing u gotta remember it might spread if not treated correctectly as whats happened possibly now ?

I think it it can be repaired without replacing the whole panel and done well there is no harm , but 9/10 cheaper and easier to replace the whole panel but thats just my opinion

[shedonwheels]

Yeah I am leaning towards replacing the whole panel now. Trouble is the rust is on either side of the seam so thats two panels, plus the door. I can almost hear my bank manager sigh! Maybe I'll get the front panels welded for now, leave the door as it is barely noticeable and just wait to see how long the rust will stay away.
Inbetween the repair guy cutting out the rotten metal and welding in new metal would this be a good time to get inside the front panel (via the hole thats just been cut) and spray the whole area with some waxoyl?

[Rented]

Inbetween the repair guy cutting out the rotten metal and welding in new metal would this be a good time to get inside the front panel (via the hole thats just been cut) and spray the whole area with some waxoyl?

either that or some underseal ( paint on not areosole as u can put a much better layer on with unserseal thats painted then sprayed would be my personal preference as a cheaper option and also a much more durable finish in my eyes