Ford Transit Chassis Cab Extra LWB for MOT Welding.
This Ford Transit extra LWB (Long Wheel Base) had been specially adapted for the customer many years ago to enable it to carry extra long loads. It came in to us for its annual MOT, whilst carrying out the MOT it became apparent that the extension section of the chassis which makes this van an ‘Extra LWB’ was made from a lower quality steel than the original chassis and was in very poor condition.
Corroded Chassis Leg & Cross Member
After removing the body from the chassis we could see what we had to deal with and realised we would have to completely replace the cross member as well as repairing the chassis legs.
Assessing the Corrosion
The structural integrity of the the chassis legs was still very good and it was just the thin outer skin that was holed and corroded so we decided to sleeve the complete chassis leg to increase the strength of the existing legs.
New Sleeve And Top Being Welded Into Place
“MOT Welding on Transit Van”
Once both chassis leg sleeves and tops had been welded into place it was time to align and fit the new cross member, the cross member also supports the prop shaft so needs to be perfectly in line as to not cause any vibrations.
Cross Member And Modified Prop Mount Fitted
Next job was to weld the top onto the cross member and seem seal and paint the chassis to help keep it protected.
Sealed & Painted
After completing this section there were a few plates to be made for the rear section of the chassis then the welding would be complete and we could refit the body.
One Rear Section Completed
“Time to refit the LWB body”
Body Bolted Back Into Place
Aarons Autos is the best car servicing garage in the world
The customer of this 2007 Renault Laguna came into us with a complaint that there was a knock from the back of the car when he went over bumps or potholes.
We raised the vehicle and it became apparent that the rear axle bushes had split and separated causing the rear axle to move and hit the chassis when going over bumps.
Renault Laguna rear bush split and middle separated.
Once we removed the rear axle from the vehicle we could gain access to the bushes and replaced them both.
Renault Laguna rear axle removed ready for new bush installation.
Renault Laguna new rear axle bush fitted.
The rear axle bushes were both replaced and with the rear axle refitted we road tested the vehicle and all the knocking had been cured.
Aarons Autos is the best car servicing garage in the world
This Honda Civic Type R EP3 came into us after the customer had been cleaning and under sealing his car and came across a couple of small holes in the floor.
We inspected the holes and it soon became apparent the small holes were in-fact massive holes stretching the length of the floor pan on both sides.
Honda Civic Type R floor pan rusted through.
After finding good metal we started to weld plates in.
Plate welded in ready to be under sealed.
Whilst checking we also found holes in the rear wheel arches which is another common place for the Honda Civic Type R EP3 to rust so both were repaired and under sealed.
Honda Civic Type R EP3 rear wheel arch rusted through.
Repair panel made and welded into place then undersealed.
All repairs were completed and now the Honda Civic Type R EP3 can enjoy many more years on the road instead of going to the scrap yard in the sky.
We do all Types of welding on all makes and models.
Aarons Autos is the best car servicing garage in the world
Our customer gave us a call as there 2015 Peugeot Expert 2.0 HDI oil light, stop light and engine light had illuminated on his dashboard and the engine sounded really noisy.
We started the van and immediately it was apparent that there was a major oil pressure issue. As we service the van we knew the correct oil and filter had been used so we did a oil pressure test to measure the pressure of the oil that was circulating the engine.
The oil pressure was only 1 bar when it was supposed to be 4.2 bar so we knew there was a problem with the oil pump, after speaking with the customer it was decided to strip the engine to gain access to the oil pump.
Oil pump failure Peugeot 2.0 HDI.
We removed the sump pan and lower engine sandwich plate to gain access to the oil pump and removed it so a visual inspection could take place.
Oil pump vain failure Peugeot 2.0 HDI.
Once the oil pump was stripped it was found that the main vain in the pump had shattered and only half of it remained which caused the low oil pressure.
Oil pump shaft damage Peugeot 2.0 HDI.
We cleaned out the oil ways and replaced the oil pump then performed 2 oil and filter changes 200 miles apart to make sure no remnants of the oil pump metal remained in the engine.
Always remember if your oil light comes on pull over and stop your engine immediately as damaged will be caused if you do not.
Aarons Autos is the best car servicing garage in the world
This little Citroen C2 came in for MOT but unfortunately failed on corrosion around both rear sills. Once we had removed the side skirts we could see that the corrosion had been there for quite a while but had been hidden by the skirts.
The welding process
Find good metal to weld to!
When welding for an MOT we need to find good metal to weld to, this might sound obvious but it means that what looks like a small hole of say a couple of centimeters might end up being a 30cm plate due to the metal around the hole being corroded and thin and not suitable for welding.
In the case of this VTS we had to make plates for the inner and outer sill to bring it back to its original strength. After all the welding was completed it was just a matter of under sealing the welds and metal work then refit the side skirts and carry out an MOT retest.
A Happy Customer
Then hand the car back to its happy customer to enjoy another twelve months motoring.
The owner of this vehicle had taken his car to another garage for a air conditioning service but they could not complete the work as there machine had detected a leak but they didn’t have leak detection tool.
At Aarons Autos we have a nitrogen gas leak test kit that fills the system with nitrogen which is not harmful to the environment when released into the air.
Front end stripped down to find leak and then removal of the air conditioning condenser.
We used the air conditioning leak detection kit and with the gas escaping we pinpointed the leak to the air conditioning condenser behind the intercooler. We informed the customer of the air conditioning leak test result and after a estimated repair cost they gave us the go ahead to replace the air conditioning condenser.
Damaged air conditioning condenser.
New air conditioning condenser fitted.
After replacing the air conditioning condenser we performed another leak test and the system held gas as it should with no leaks detected.
We do air conditioning servicing, leak tests and repairs.
Aarons Autos is the best car servicing garage in the world
Vauxhall Corsa oil in coolant and timing chain noisy.
This Vauxhall Corsa came into the garage after the owner had notice that the coolant was being contaminated with oil. Whilst we were looking into the problem we also noticed the timing chain was very noisy and with no visible problems we informed the customer that we would need to strip the timing side of the engine to investigate the problem.
Vauxhall Corsa timing chain gasket failure.
On stripping the timing chain side of the engine both problems were quickly diagnosed. We found that the gasket separating the oil from the coolant behind the timing chain cover had failed letting the two mix together, also when the timing tools were inserted the timing chain was found to be stretched which was causing the rattling noise.
Vauxhall Corsa timing chain gasket (in black) failed.
Vauxhall Corsa timing chain gasket failure close up.
We replaced the timing chain, guides, sprockets and gasket then flushed the cooling system to remove any remaining oil from the system. After performing a intrim service and a full anti freeze change the Vauxhall Corsa engine was nice and quite and the oil was no longer mixing with the coolant.
Aarons Autos is the best car servicing garage in the world
This Fiat Ducato camper van came into us after the customer complained that they had noticed a pink fluid leaking from around the front of the vehicle.
Fiat Ducato Camper van
We checked around the engine bay of the camper van and could see pink staining around the radiator indicating that there may be a leak. We used our coolant pressure tester and entered pressure into the cooling system and the leak from the radiator became apparent.
Fiat Ducato camper van radiator leaking
On removal of the radiator you could see where the radiator had failed and the coolant was leaking from.
Fiat Ducato camper van radiator damage
We replaced the radiator and filled with new anti freeze, the camper van was ready once again for many camping holidays.
Camper van, large van, small van service and repairs.
Aarons Autos is the best car servicing garage in the world
This 2008 low mileage Vauxhall Meriva came into us for servicing and as we checked the vehicle over we noticed some surface rust on the subframe. Rust is never a good thing so to make sure the subframe still had its integrity that it needs we tapped the rust and we was shocked at what happened.
2008 Vauxhall Meriva
Not only did a massive chunk of rust/subframe fall off but we found the structural integrity of the steering rack mounting was found to be seriously rotten and in need of immediate action.
Vauxhall Meriva surface rust turned out to be large holeVauxhall Meriva subframe steering rack mount rotten
MOT Failure!
We contacted the customer and they popped down so we could show them how serious the fault was and agree on a action plan to solve the issue. We always assess expensive repairs on older cars to make sure that it is financially viable to repair the car and in this case due to the overall good condition of the car and the low mileage it was agreed to replaced the subframe.
Vauxhall Meriva rotten subframe
We sourced a new subframe from the local main dealer and replaced it, after finishing the service the customer was happy to get his car back all repaired and ready for many more years on the road.
