Choose German for quality*

[Vince70]

My uncle just had to have some welding done underneath on his low mileage 56 plate Nissan Note for this years mot..

 

I think a lot of the problem is the pikey Autoshiter in us still looks at anything post Y plate as brand new.. Well I do anyway.

 

But that is bad to have rotten sills on a 2005 motor these days.

 

I think it's the same with most of the German brands as they sacrifice on the materials and build quality to keep the Golf and others in the price range of cars from Korean manufacturers.

 

I would rather have a well engineered car with no toys but I guess you can't get that with a modern car these days.

 

I think the sweet spot for German Motors was somewhere between 1983 and 2000

[Joey spud]

This reminds me of a guy i knew who had a bit of a Rallying / car modding bussiness going and often needed sheet metal and would 'borrow' road signs as and when required.

One dark evening he got a visit from the plod who wanted to search his garage for some other non related reason and as their torches shone around in the darkness reflecting back extremely brightly was his large collection of 'liberated' signage...

 

If i remember correcly they really fined him big time...

[babydriver]

My 16 year old Xsara has no rust that I can find, but after having a BX & Cx in the day I can honestly say that is a marked improvement, My CX rusted around you whilst sat at the lights,I had it resprayed at 3 years old!!

[Taff]

Just about every car I have welded since 1993 has been repaired by using these from my time at AFG Nissan. Including VW's and Audi's. Made me chuckle to know that your smug German Panzerwagon contains a little bit of Bluebird.

 

totally agree, I even remind my mate that the only reason his beloved Spitfire is on the road is thanks to a chunk of the door off my mum's old Micra

 

I fitted windows to the side of a Land Rover Series 3 in 1998.

In 2007 I used the cut-out aluminium to repair the inner wing of my Range Rover.

 

thats FTW i think. Totally endorse the "i'm keeping that, just in case" train of thought.

 

That stone chip stuff, if its anything like the Hammershite   paint I used on the Minor is murder if it lifts.   Its  not the area directly under the lift  that is at risk, rather the capillary action of wind and salty rain, made worse  by jetwashing, which leeches under the paint skin and attacks the metal, unseen.   It was about five years ago I made the mistake of painting the entire  rear end of the Morris with this kind of shit.   £500 worth of new boot floor and rear chassis legs later I am much wiser about paint suitability.   Incidentally when I took  the front wings  off to assess another repair I  found the inner wings had  been patched with dexion shelving - even the slots at the end of the cut-out were still there!   

 

thre is a fabrication form nearby run by a chap known within the local yank car community as Metal Bill. Metal Bill, in exchange fo Guiniess at Christmas, lets me rummage through his scrap skip when the need arises. I rebulit the boot floor on my Galaxie using filling cabinet draw dividers.

[Micrashed]

My uncle just had to have some welding done underneath on his low mileage 56 plate Nissan Note for this years mot..

 

I think a lot of the problem is the pikey Autoshiter in us still looks at anything post Y plate as brand new.. 

Which Y reg?

[warren t claim]

 

We had a couple of them... nice thick steel, not too crappy quality. Paint on them was actually quite good, was some sort of enamel.. didn't even need painting over other than the bits that bubbled up and went brown along the edge of the arc weld.

 

The big old clear dish bit on the washing machine is currently doing good service, 35 years on, as a bowl to hold screws and other gubbins. The handle from the washing machine went all the way to the back to the multi-function switch, and had a big turned bit of steel on the end- just the right length to reach under the Sprite and wallop the SU fuel pump back into life

 

Try doing that with a new washing machine

 

--Phil

I hope your wife doesn't leave those two boxes of OMO in the living room window when you go to work...

[HillmanImp]

To be honest, I am surprised that everyone is surprised at this. Not because the car is a Golf etc but that a 9yr old car can rust through like that. I think that's a pretty good innings considering how much salt goes on the road these days and how little people maintain their cars. 

 

Were Fords and Mercs not rusting much much quicker than this on 01 plates etc? Why the shock with the VW? 

[overrun]

To be honest, I am surprised that everyone is surprised at this. Not because the car is a Golf etc but that a 9yr old car can rust through like that. I think that's a pretty good innings considering how much salt goes on the road these days and how little people maintain their cars. 

 

Were Fords and Mercs not rusting much much quicker than this on 01 plates etc? Why the shock with the VW?

 

The Fords and Mercs etc weren't holing through on the sills, afaik.

It's like people say, we have come to expect more from a nine/ten plus year old car, as evidenced in this thread by every other car of a similar age or older, being fine.

[richardmorris]

Presumably it's because VW charge a lot for a perceived premium product when they're far worse than the cheaper models from France. It's amazing when you read in the likes of Honest John's Telegraph column that someone wants a smart car to last (ie impress the neighbours) but don't want French. My C5, despite it's other faults, had no body rust at all at 10yrs old. My brother-in-law's 1999 Xantia which my Dad bought new is now on 157,000miles and has no rust.

 

But people see German and think quality - although Mercedes reputation has been seriously dented by accountants by now.

 

A friend has just bought a mint 1988 Merc. 300SE to replace a 2000 E class that has rusted on every single panel - I mean everywhere; all four doors, all four wings, the bootlid, the sills, even the sunroof panel.

 

Obviously years ago cars didn't last five years before falling apart with the paint falling off, but now we seem to be going backwards with built-in-obsolescence rather than just shoddy worksmanship.

[dave j]

I managed to get a new wing on my 54 plate Passat last year under warranty as it has rusted out, I had only just bought the car and it doesnt have a full history! The other wing is starting to go so I might go and see if I can get that one sorted too... The rest of the car is ok though I think!

That sill is pretty poor for a mk5 Golf, a car I class as new!

[PhilA]

I hope your wife doesn't leave those two boxes of OMO in the living room window when you go to work...

 

Library image, I'm afraid... the machines have long since been used for parts

 

Oh, but the top off the dryer is still in use, it's a nice square tray shape, it's got some batteries and oily crap sitting in it.

 

Back from when Fred sat at the drafting table and decided what shapes Alf could make with the sheet metal folder.

 

--Phil

[Station]

Used an old PC tower case - was very thick, hard to bend. Will use again. A1 +++++