Went to see an 03 1.8tdci with 110 on it, both sills had been welded from the back arch to half way

I didn't expect to see that, I know it's 12yrs old and a lot depends on where it's been kept and used but was still a shock. It's one I would like to buy

I have seen many of that age with sill work done. If they have been properly done and coated they should be ok for a while, but if they have been patched badly they will eventually rust out again. The best way is to cut all the rust out and weld in a fresh new sill.

What it boils down to is how long you plan to keep it. If it is a couple of years you should be ok. If you want to keep it for years, be prepared for them to eventually go again.

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GNU STP

It would be a few years, it's from a dealer but you can tell it's a bodge didn't even painted just slapped with underseal

Edited June 6, 201511 yr by GingerFlame
Language

It will probably be painted with 'Schutz' which is a very good underseal coating, quite rubbery, and will be really good for keeping rust at bay. Nightmare to paint over though. Is it at least 'neat'? Like the surrounding bodywork was masked over before applying the schutz?

Not really (as in neat) it's a bit of a mess...I'd like to see what he'd say to me if i was trading it like that

Move on,find a better one,plenty out there.

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I agree you will find better.

I had a ten year old Megane, took it for an MOT, was complimented how tidy the body was, car was parked roadside on a school run that's gritted most days in the winter. Next year the O/S sill was rotten, they repaired it, sealed it and painted it. I changed where I parked it but it need repairing every year for the MOT until I scrapped it.

Unless they have cut all the rust out it will keep coming back and it's both sides.

Some Fords seem to rust a lot quicker than others, there are a couple of mint T reg ones at work and a rusty 2007 one.

If the sills are rotten then there's a good chance that other areas like the front subframe are corroded too.

I replaced the sills on the 51 plate tddi my daughter uses last year and now the front subframe is gubbed.

You can haggle hard by telling the dealer you've been advised that the sills should have been replaced if they needed that much work and hit him for 300 less. if he dosen't come down walk away and look for another.

03 focus has sill covers if the sills have been welded walk away never seen one welded yet even my old mk1 which was an 02 had no sill issues guy at work just picked up an old estate with no sill issues............ plenty out there