Hey folks,

 

I have a ‘68 plate Focus Vignale and I seem to have whacked a speed bump and as a result the fabric-y/plastic feeling under tray has a couple inch wide section hanging down. This rubs when I go over any bumps now and is annoying, I was wondering if you could share any wisdom on whether I should cut the hanging bit off, or get the entire plate replaced? 
 

Cheers

Can you take a picture of the damage? Do you think it would be possible to secure it back in place? If the part that has split can be offered back up to where it should be, you can then drill a series of small holes on the edge of each piece and then use cable ties to secure. Or the other option would be to try and get the bit that's split back intl the correct place and then use tiger seal and a piece of flexible plastic over the split. 

Yurs will be a MK3.5, not a mk8.

I would try to repair it with Fibreglass, mainly because I have some and have used it over the years to repair lots of things. It is messy stuff to work with if you have never used it before, but better than any glue.

If your car is a Mk4 then the tray is a bit of a pain to take off because there are lots of fixings.

While it is off, I would also check for damage to any engine components and the Subframe.

2 minutes ago, Tizer said:

I would try to repair it with Fibreglass, mainly because I have some and have used it over the years to repair lots of things. It is messy stuff to work with if you have never used it before, but better than any glue.

If your car is a Mk4 then the tray is a bit of a pain to take off because there are lots of fixings.

While it is off, I would also check for damage to any engine components and the Subframe.

Fibre glass would be the ideal solution, I only suggested Flexi plastic because I have never used fibre glass and don't think I would be very handy with it so it didn't cross my mind lol. 

1 minute ago, Jonro2009 said:

Fibre glass would be the ideal solution, I only suggested Flexi plastic because I have never used fibre glass and don't think I would be very handy with it so it didn't cross my mind lol. 

It is great stuff, even for things around the home. One time a workmate had an old Mini that had the petrol tank in the boot and noticed it was leaking when he got to work. I nipped home, got my Fibreglass repaired the tank, cleaned out the Carb and he was able to drive home that night. That repair lasted for years until he got rid of the car. 

13 minutes ago, Tizer said:

It is great stuff, even for things around the home. One time a workmate had an old Mini that had the petrol tank in the boot and noticed it was leaking when he got to work. I nipped home, got my Fibreglass repaired the tank, cleaned out the Carb and he was able to drive home that night. That repair lasted for years until he got rid of the car. 

Do a job right a d it will last. I wouldn't have thought it would have done that though to be honest lol. 

Thanks folks, I had a check and although the damage is small I’ve opted to have it replaced at a dealer. Been quoted £117 for replacement of the part at the local Hendy dealer.