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[terry paget]

Having recently spent £300 to get my 2003 3.2 through MOT after repair to holes hammered through cills by MOT tester, I wonder how to avoid similar failures. Son Ben's 2.2 looks similar, pics follow. Please advise.
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[Nick W]

Too late to prevent rot, as it's already there.


For the next couple of MOTs, ensure that the will covers are in place, and don't worry.


Once the holes are obvious it will be time to have them replaced.


That was supposed to be one of my summer jobs, but I didn't buy the panels(it's easier to replace an entire will than it is to patch several holes) and it hasn't happened.

[terry paget]

Thanks for advice. It would not help attempting to derust that patch chemically then? I fear if I wire brushed it I would create a huge hole.
Pic of ns cill follows.


 

[TheBoy]

I bought replacement sills for the Bullet, but never fitted.  They will do for when that same day arrives for TBE

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Theres only one cure for that. Cut out the rust and weld in new metal. 

[Doctor Gollum]

Theres only one cure for that. Clean it up, fibreglass the ensuing holes and repaint before refitting the covers . 

Yup, works every time

[BazaJT]

We'll be back to stuffing newspaper in the holes as backing for the bodyfiller next

[Nick W]

We'll be back to stuffing newspaper in the holes as backing for the bodyfiller next

Balloons are quicker

[terry paget]

I understand MOT testers are not allowed to dismantle cars to examine them. The only place they can examine the covered cills is behind the rear jacking point. That is where they go, with their pointed hammers, trying to chip their way through. On my 3.2, on 27 June 2017, my tester succeeded, and charged me £300 to weld patches over the 2 holes he had created. There had been other rust spots in those cills, but he ignored those, simply welding 2 patches over holes he had created.
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=140041.0
Ben's car MOT expires July 2018. His advice is to wait and see what happens between now and then.

[terry paget]

All this talk of balloons and newspaper suggests gentle mockery. Advice is mixed, but a cheap MIG welder and learning to weld might be a good idea. The inspiration was this hole above the cill.

[Nick W]

Terry, that rot is pretty much what mine failed on this year.


An MOT 'slap a plate over the top and underseal to last a couple of years' is a couple of hours work for a hack. Doing a tidy, long lasting repair isn't as easy as it looks, because there will be a lot more rust than you can see - I've posted what mine required, which included having to patch the end of the sill, wheel arch and floor. It still needs the outer sills replaced, which means stripping the carpets and moving all of the wiring out of the way.

[terry paget]

Thanks for the advice Nick. I have 6 Omegas, now all old and troublesome. I see on e-bay there are 4 2.2 Omegas, including one manual CDX. As my son says, let's wait a year and see. at 17 years, evry new Omega I buy is a gamble. Bought an X reg last year for £190, with little rust. I was just wondering what I might do to this one to ease it through  next year's MOT. Patch that obvious hole, wire brush and Kurust the cills perhaps? 

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Using fibreglass, newspaper, hiding it behind the plastic overs etc. might get you an MOT certificate, but you need to ask yourself whats going to happen to the car in the event of an accident. It might fold up like a tescos carrier bag, as the structure is weakened.
There is no way of knowing how weakened it has become unless the unfortunate happens.
I would suggest buying a MIG welder and learn how to use it. This is exactly what I did about a year ago with my old Merc. and it paid for itself the first time I used it.
There are plenty of youtube tutorials etc. to help. It isn't rocket science.
You don't need to be able to produce welds that look beautiful, just strong ones. As webby says " a grinder & paint can make a welder what he aint.
Don't go for the cheapest welder you can find, it will be difficult to use and cause much frustration. After seeking advice on here, I bought a Clark 135 TE, which is an excellent piece of kit.
I believe Webby was selling one a while back, not sure if he still has it.

[Sir Tigger KC]

Using fibreglass, newspaper, hiding it behind the plastic overs etc. might get you an MOT certificate, but you need to ask yourself whats going to happen to the car in the event of an accident. It might fold up like a tescos carrier bag, as the structure is weakened.

It's funny how we start thinking about this sort of thing as we get older.    Did any of us worry about the consequences of our actions when we were 18? 

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Not in the slightest, which is why its close to miraculous that I'm actually sat here typing this.