17 replies to this topic

[mr cooke]

Can anyone PLEASE help me i am new to mini's and dont know alot
i have just had a 1985 mini it being of the road for 3 years or more
i am looking to get it though a M.O.T soon , do these floors look o.k or will they fail

[chubbyclubby101]

if you poke it with a screw driver and it goes through it will fail, basically any holes or excessive corrosion will fail

[Artful Dodger]

if you can make a hole with a screwdriver in it, then no
if it is within 30 Cm spherically of a suspension mount or seatbelt mount and you can make a hole, its a failure, Check for holes

[mr cooke]

are the rubber grommets ment to be there ?

[Guess-Works.com]

Yes, they are to plug drain holes, however the outer of the two looks fairly corroded.

Well technically, there would have originally been two small metal rounds stuck in the holes, but over time they've probably been pulled to allow water out and replaced with rubber grommets

Edited by Guess-Works.com, 13 May 2011 - 06:57 PM.

[mr cooke]

i think i will just put it in for its mot and see

[mini1976]

The rubber grommets are meant to be there.

If you can poke holes in the floor with a screwdriver then it may well fail (and is deffinately excessively rusty as the metal has lost its strength) I
f you can make holes within 30cm of the suspension then it will probably fail.
If you can make holes in the sills then they might fail as these are the structural.

[will_]

Dont use a screwdriver, top it lightly with a heavy object, even a small hammer, but you will defo make holes with a screwdriver.
You may be lucky if it doesnt go through, but it doesnt look too healthy.

[MiniMonty]

Will it pass an MOT - see the answers above but honestly I'd ask a different question:
Would you want to be sitting in a car with that level of corrosion when it's
hit at 65 by a boy racer's out of control Nova and smashed into a Land Rover ?

Best wishes
Monty

[mk3 Cooper S]

Give them a good wire brushing and paint with hammerite or simular.

It will both protect them/slow down the rusting process and distract the MOT tester from poking at obviously rusty bits.

[Artful Dodger]

Give them a good wire brushing and paint with hammerite or simular.

It will both protect them/slow down the rusting process and distract the MOT tester from poking at obviously rusty bits.

some might say this is a bit of a bodge job.....i would rather 50 quids worth of fresh steel than some rust and paint..

[M J W J]

Give them a good wire brushing and paint with hammerite or simular.

It will both protect them/slow down the rusting process and distract the MOT tester from poking at obviously rusty bits.

It won't distract an MOT tester. They go straight for newly painted bits as they assume you are trying to hide something. My Granddad years ago put new under seal and seam sealant on so the first thing the MOT guys did was remove some to see what the floor pans were like. My Granddad was not best pleased but at least his car did pass.

[miniman24]

Give them a good wire brushing and paint with hammerite or simular.

It will both protect them/slow down the rusting process and distract the MOT tester from poking at obviously rusty bits.

It won't distract an MOT tester. They go straight for newly painted bits as they assume you are trying to hide something. My Granddad years ago put new under seal and seam sealant on so the first thing the MOT guys did was remove some to see what the floor pans were like. My Granddad was not best pleased but at least his car did pass.

Really? I thought they wernt allowed to move/poke anything?

[mk3 Cooper S]

MOT Testers have a regulated poker for proding suspect areas.

How can Hammerite be a bodge? Filler, fiberglass and seam sealer is a bodge!!!

I've been getting old borderline mini though MOT's for years - But what do I know!!!

[liam_italian]

The question you should be asking yourself is "Does it deserve to pass and MOT?"

If you have any doubt that it will fail then you should get it repair properly, don#t bodge it because it will come back to bite you in the arse!