[Mk2] [Generic] finally new sills fitted - then bashed to heck by MOT tester - options?

[raptor95GTS]

as per title, got my rusty sills replaced and 2 days later put car into MOT garage and got it back another 2 days later (busted handbrake mechanism and some other shat). Anyhow, 2 wks after MOT, jacked car up (using rubber covered jacks) using the subframe to try and locate the source of some clanking / banging in the rear. Found the source, ok but whats happened to my new sills? Paint chipped off them, looks like someone jacked the car up using the seams for the trolley jack and busted the metal and stripped the paint. Only people to have jacked the car up after I collected it from bodyshop for new sills, the MOT garage so I know it was them. Oddly enough they deny it.

Questions:
do I get both sills pulled off and replaced with new ones or get the newly fitted newly bashed sills patched and repaired
how the heck do I get the MOT garage to pay for it?

pics
passenger side, far

passenger side, close up


drivers side, close

drivers side far

front drivers side sill

[Driftlimits Performance]

Hard luck.

Looks like it's been jacked in the wrong place.

But why would an MoT tester need to use a trolley jack??

[craig]

Sorry to hear of your woes mate

But why would an MoT tester need to use a trolley jack??

Exactly what I was thinking before I read your reply.

Only way I can think of you being able to do anything, is ask to see the trolley jack, surely if paint is missing off your car, it'll be on the jack?

Long shot I know, but all I can think of at the moment. When were the sills fixed and painted in comparison with the damage caused by the garage?

[rev3turbo]

But why would an MoT tester need to use a trolley jack??

put car into MOT garage and got it back another 2 days later (busted handbrake mechanism and some other shat).

to take the wheels off while doing the handbrake cables and other shat

or it will have been on a 4 poster ramp and the legs under the sills...

[raptor95GTS]

I collected my car with the newly replaced and painted sills on the Saturday and car got handed to MOT station on the Monday, I got it back from them on the Wednesday. MOT station is the only people to have jacked up my car without me being present. My pal used the subframe to jack the car up and his two poster ramp has rubber covered feet, that was 2wks after the MOT and when I noticed the sills were busted .

[W88NEE]

Would agree, wrong jacking points have been used. Pain in the ar$e sorry to see that dude.

Can I ask where did you get new sills from, didn't think they existed for mk2 MR2. Would be really interested to know.

Thanks

[Loque]

...Can I ask where did you get new sills from?

By the looks of things... A cheesemonger.

Sucks though mate, I'd be super annoyed.

[raptor95GTS]

they guy used mk3 fiesta sills as they're pretty close to the original shape and since I was getting both sides done you wouldn't notice the difference side to side.

logue - sills are not meant to be used for trolley jacks so yeah they can quite easily bend when you jack up the car. I'm more annoyed by VOSA not giving a crap about the garage damaging the car even though the MOT testers manual tells them to be careful jacking up cars for the tests. Sigh, another bill for me to pay.

[KarlBristol]

Have a look at my build thread - the exact same thing happened to me about 8 months back although mine did it and then had the cheek to fail the car because of it!

Long story short I ended up paying for it. No easy way to get them to cough up without going to small claims court and your chances of winning are non existant tbh

Sorry to hear its happened to you although at least your not alone

[raptor95GTS]

deeply pish isn't it Karl needless to say I wont be using that MOT garage again no matter how close by they are. Monkeys like that shouldn't be allowed near anything that's not theirs

[Loque]

Spread the bad press! Name & shame the garage etc...

[BLZ-8027]

I would also check at the body-shop who fitted the sills ,if they haven't done the inner reinforcing /cut out the rot ,it wont matter where the sills are jacked from ,they will buckle?

[Peter Gidden]

I would also check at the body-shop who fitted the sills ,if they haven't done the inner reinforcing /cut out the rot ,it wont matter where the sills are jacked from ,they will buckle?

Most sills, including MR2s, will collapse if not jacked up at the designated points.

That's why they have jacking points.

[uglee]

Bloody hell Allan, that's just not on!

Looking at that they haven't used the right feet/jacking point as all the load of the car has been put onto such a small area, no sill no matter how strong can withstand 500kg over a 10mm lift point.

On a side note mines going in for the sills doing at the same place along with the Yaris that the mrs scraped. I wouldn't send them there if they weren't going to do a decent job.
The sills are not at fault on this and a garage should know better than to jack up the car like that. I've seen it on countless Mk2's messed up lift points where people just couldn't be bothered to protect the sill/use the correct jacking feet.

[raptor95GTS]

pretty bad isn't it Lee. Hopefully heading back to Simons to see what they can do to recover the situation.

[uglee]

Yes speak to the young lad there he's very helpful and for a small cost might be able to get everything back in shape. How gutting when you'd only had them looking decent for 1 day

I'll be down at Simons on the 11th Feb I think.

[raptor95GTS]

if I'd only looked at the sills before picking the car up I'd have had them up against the wall bang on their own doorstep. Polis, Smaritans, Help the Aged would all have been called but I never thought to check nor thought I'd have to check. Going down to Simons tomorrow am to see what they can do for me, then back up for Scottish Water to check the building supply. Such excitement!

[dylan5084]

just out of interest wheres the correct places to jack the car? is there markings under the car? think i might of been using the wrong place too, but my sills are all crushed in aswell aready and probably could be doing with being replaced. just hoping theres no further underlying problems

what garage and how much did you pay for the sills to be welded, if you dont mind me asking

[Peter Gidden]

just out of interest wheres the correct places to jack the car? is there markings under the car?

Take a look at your sills. About 6" in from each end are two cutouts about 5mm wide. Jacking points are the areas inbetween the cutouts.

[raptor95GTS]

just to add, using a trolley jack on the sills is a really bad idea!