man what a $hit show this years MOT has been!! the bug has passed every year with minor niggles at MOT time like headlight level adjustment and handbrake cable needing adjusted etc just piddly stuff but this year has been a horror show! needed a rear wheel bearing which is fair enough and a rear roll bar link was loose and needed tightened. also needed some lengths of brake pipe replaced and im doing the front pads on the brembos too as they are at the accoustic wear indicator and need changed. the worst bit tho was having to change the u brace which was badly rusted and holed and the rear sills were shot!! took off the sill covers and was faced with this!!



what a shock, even my MOT guy who ive used for years to mot the scoob couldnt believe the state they were in from the previous year. and they were like that on both sides! got a local guy who is pretty handy with a welder and he did a good job with them :



so my advice is if you have a newage bug or early blob whip off those side skirts and have a look as you never know what is hiding behind them!!

 

My classic silks are fine. Take side skirts of regularly. And 2004 blob sills are fine.

 

glad to hear it bud. you obviously check but for those that dont it might be a good idea!

 

Yeap. What mileage you on? My parents had a Jag, and took it too different mot place failed on sills, removed side skirts and there were badly rotten.

 

English cars are rust buckets

 

102 so not horrendous mileage. mines is in jockland so even worse weather up here. def getting the underseal redone soon as well.

 

I swapped the skirts on my blob wagon and I was amazed at the amount of filth that was trapped in the area behind the front wheel arches.
My similar age JDM looks factory fresh by comparison.

 

Also check the jacking points that is I found the rust on my Bug. Did he do anything with the inner strengthening (with the holes)?

 

yes he plated the inners first then did the outers.

 

Make sure you check the top of the rear struts, particularly on the outer side also. These seem to hold crud.

 

I feel your pain, but try owning an E46 M3..they are rot boxes...i had a nice clean example but even then the front arches started to go through..They have a curved lip inside the front arch which is a perfect crud catcher..It just sits there..Also the liner rubs the inner arch, so combined with the road grit, it turns into an abrasive compound...
The arches are £350 a piece from BMW...

Then of course you have the world of hurt that is the 'rear axle carrier panel' (boot floor and rear struts)..People usually call this the rear subframe..
The poor design and inadequate strength mean that the metal literally tears itself apart and cracks..The entire floor flexes and gets ripped to pieces..ALL E46 BMW's do it, but the M3 is the worst...
Here's but one example:
Redish motorsport have numerous videos, some with a go pro pointing at the floor..The amount of flex, even in a decent car is incredible...It doesn't matter if you have the floor repaired and then strenghtened, it WILL go again..they all do...
Luckily my M3 was fine before I got rid...
It was a good enough car, but the most over rated performance car i've ever owned..totally, totally over rated...I'd never own another Beemer..ever.