Having the wool pulled over my eyes (maybe, maybe not)

[johnnyb47]

That's a good point @neil_merseyside and is what crossed my mind when he mentioned about the foam packing.I think he was probably repairing an already bodged sill.

 

[johnnyb47]

Right I'm off to bed, Early start in the morning.
Catch you all soon 👍👍

 

[wafter]

Not familiar with the car / specifics of the issue in question, however a grand to patch sills sounds excessive. I'd be joining a Rover forum, asking for trusted local specialists and getting a second opinion there.

Of course this depends on what standard of work you're after - for OEM-look perfection I could appreciate that the quote you've had might be more appropriate; but for MOT-worthy patching and slapping on a bit of underseal it seems like far too much.

 

[presta]

If you like it enough, the value to somebody else is irrelevant.

 

[Jameshow]

I think you have gone to the wrong garage.

Most garages will use a welder less than once a year....

Find a classic car garage / oldie world garage where they are used to fixing stuff or just love cars and the guys will enjoy the job for being a bit out the ordinary and probably talk your ear off about the demise of rover / phoenix 4 etc!!

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

Get a second opinion as said. Get it fixed then rust proof them. Inject the cavities inside the sills with Dinitrol ML or Bilt Hamber Dynax S50. Do the outer surfaces of it underneath with Bilt Hamber Dynax UB (dark brown) or if it you can see it use Dynax UC (clear not quite as protective against abrasion as UB). These are available in aerosol form with an extension tube that sprays in several directions for inside the sills. Just take the kick plates off when the doors are open and fill it up, putting a sheet underneath the sills for any that runs out of the drain holes. Then spray (mask the cars paintwork above if spraying) or brush the outer parts under the car (clean them first) with Dynax UB or UC, or some other brand. Definitely keep the car, your probably going to buy something dubious for your budget that you don't know much about. For the sake of spending £50 ish extra, and an hour or so of your time, will hopefully protect the repair and whats still there if it's just a partial sill repair.

Maybe really expensive as it needs painted, still seems steep, most things are these days though.

Guy at work has a really clean 2002 MG 75 of some description. Looks really clean and a nice old motor, reckons its ok underneath.

 

[Profpointy]

If the car's broadly OK otherwise, it's likely worth repairing (within reason). That said, I have no knowledge of whether the quote is reasonable or not, but £1000 of welding sounds like quite a lot! I had a premature engine failure on my Saab - an oil pipe failed rather than it wearing out. I paid roughly what I'd paid for the car to have it fixed reasoning the £2.5k was then in effect "buying" me a car with a new engine. 70k miles later this seems like a good decision.

Now that said, at the risk of contradicting myself, I'd probably not spend £1000 on welding up a car which is realistically end of life for other reasons - old engine, rust elsewhere, flaky electrica etc.

As an aside, I thought those Rover 75s were very pretty cars, which a nod to their 60s namesake without being a pastiche. Never driven one, so can only opine on aesthetics

 

[rogerzilla]

I had sill repairs on an MX-5 done at great expense by a repairer recommended by the owners' club. Rust was visible again within 18 months. It turned out that their really diligent welder had left in a huff and the boss did it. She was not very good.

 

[Softlips]

Why not take it to the guy who did the original welding?

 

[johnnyb47]

Hi again and many thanks for all the advice from you all.Today I've been busy looking for alternative places that could tackle the job in hand. Unfortunately the place I originally had work done seems to be closed but after chatting with a few garages one business kept cropping up getting a positive mention, so after work I took myself over to him for his verdict.
He just solely deals in body work and restorations and had a well equipped work shop and was a one man band.
He took a good look around my car and instantly said no problems at all in sorting that little lot out.
He said he's done a few Rover 75s in his time and has quoted me around £350 to £400 to replace the dreaded sill from front to back.We had a good old chat and I felt he was a genuine hard working guy. So he's going to book me in sometime in April to get it all sorted. Ironically he's only 5 minutes from where I live, tucked away in the wilds.

 

[biggs682]

@johnnyb47 sounds like a good find and a good plan

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

Maybe you should get him to inspect the rest of it and see if it is going in other places before carrying out the work. But maybe he has already confirmed its ok. Its impressive a car that old is still on the road. Rover must've added some decent underbody protection or its had an easy life.

 

[tyred]

Definitely worth of fixing if it's in good condition otherwise. It's an appreciating classic at this point.

You won't get anything better for the cost of the repair and if you like driving it, then you can't put a price on that.