The car is 10 years old and I'm not so much restoring it but making it last longer ! so had the sills recently resprayed where all the paint had peeled from stone chips etc. this was then followed by me taking the front undertray off as it was catching on bumps and it turned out half the fitments were either missing or sheared off. Then a couple of bolts look like someone has pulled off the undertray whilst unable to get of the bolts so forced them through and in one case snapped off the little front corner of the undertray as it was probably quicker to do this than get the stubborn bolt out ! the thing is who checks the underside of their car when they get it serviced not many people so the garages get away with it !
One of the garages, Halfords at some time had fitted 4 tiny little self tappers to hold it in place into the subframe, two of which had then fallen out out through due to the weight of the undertray and were not man enough for the job, rather than sort out the correct sized bolts.
I got some m6 bolts the other week and last week took off the undertray only to find rust on the front subframe, quite a lot to be honest on the sides and it looks like the wheel arch protectors that push against the subframe trap the water, hence the rust. Also the bracket under the water bottle holder was like a swiss cheese !Anyway I have now derusted and hammerited said subframe etc as best i could and sure it will now last a good few more years. I then started on a rust hunt and two other places i found were the underseal under the bootwell had long since departed and the drivers side trailing arm was pretty rusty though strangely the passenger side one was much better - why !
Anyway i treated them all to anti rust treatment and then put a top coat on, then wayolyl underseal for the tyre well. Finally I refitted back the front undertray as i drilled out some of the sheared holes so i could then refit it wit large washers and stainless bolts with copper grease on them. However whilst i was refitting it, i notice the undertray does not completely cover the subframe, yet there are 3 fitment holes at the rear of the subframe unused, which mad eme wonder if there is a second undertray that used to be fitted at the back of the front one ?
One of the garages, Halfords at some time had fitted 4 tiny little self tappers to hold it in place into the subframe, two of which had then fallen out out through due to the weight of the undertray and were not man enough for the job, rather than sort out the correct sized bolts.
I got some m6 bolts the other week and last week took off the undertray only to find rust on the front subframe, quite a lot to be honest on the sides and it looks like the wheel arch protectors that push against the subframe trap the water, hence the rust. Also the bracket under the water bottle holder was like a swiss cheese !Anyway I have now derusted and hammerited said subframe etc as best i could and sure it will now last a good few more years. I then started on a rust hunt and two other places i found were the underseal under the bootwell had long since departed and the drivers side trailing arm was pretty rusty though strangely the passenger side one was much better - why !
Anyway i treated them all to anti rust treatment and then put a top coat on, then wayolyl underseal for the tyre well. Finally I refitted back the front undertray as i drilled out some of the sheared holes so i could then refit it wit large washers and stainless bolts with copper grease on them. However whilst i was refitting it, i notice the undertray does not completely cover the subframe, yet there are 3 fitment holes at the rear of the subframe unused, which mad eme wonder if there is a second undertray that used to be fitted at the back of the front one ?
