 | Home > Maintenance & Modifications > I have a hole in the wing! |
 
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| AMBxx Member Since: 24 Jul 2016 Location: York Posts: 1030   
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This appeared while washing the vehicle last week.
 Click image to enlarge Given that I don't have the skills or equipment to repair properly, I'm wondering what best to do. As I see it my options are: 1) Do a bit of a bodge by fixing something inside the wing, fill, then cover with a sticker (flag would be nice). Accept I'll need to replace the wing in a few years. 2) Get it repaired properly, but concerned I'm just going to find more holes (it's odd that there are two, I'm expecting more). 3) Just spend some money on a new wing. I'd rather not do that right now. I'm sort of accepting that I'll need a new wing at some point. If I go for option 1 rather than 2, am I just likely to accelerate the corrosion? |
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4th Jul 2024 9:02am |
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| donmacn Member Since: 06 Nov 2017 Location: Nth Scotland Posts: 1841 
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You wash your car??!
 I wait till it rains, and because it's been doing a lot of that lately, the car is 'clean enough'!
Seriously, I can't really help with the core of your question. I have replaced one of my outer wings, and I don't remember it being that expensive, but there is also the cost of painting etc. However I thought I'd flag up something I noticed not so long ago. My car - 1994 300Tdi - as far as I can tell came with no 'sound deadening' of any sort on the upper side of the inner wings (which are galvanised steel). The inner wings have the occasional little bit of surface rust, but are in perfectly acceptable condition. Outer wings were fine. I only replaced one because of an aggressive lamppost. 
I was recently helping a friend with his car - a 1998 300Tdi. His car had a thin vinyl/foam envelope fitted to the top of his inner wings. His inner wings needed replaced, as did the outer wings, and I think a big part of that was due to the sound deadening (I assume that's what it was for) holding water, salt, grit etc against the steel, and probably against the aluminium outer wing. If it was me, and that was on my car, I'd take it away altogether. Even if your car has the plastic inner wings, if there's some sound deadening on there it could be contributing to the corrosion. Donald 1994 Defender 300Tdi 110 SW - owned since 2002 - 230k miles and going strong (The 'rolling restoration' or tinkering thread: http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic58538.html ) 2000 Range Rover P38 4.0L V8 in the past.. RR classic - fitted with 200Tdi 1984 RR classic - V8 with ZF auto box 1993 Discovery 300Tdi not to mention the minis and the Type 2 VW camper... |
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4th Jul 2024 11:13am |
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| LR Nuts Member Since: 10 Aug 2022 Location: UK Posts: 1097
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Insert pop rivets to match the other fixings
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4th Jul 2024 11:50am |
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| AMBxx Member Since: 24 Jul 2016 Location: York Posts: 1030
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I tried with black plastic trim fixers but layer is too thin!
There's definitely no previous repair there - I've had this from new. Underside has always been kept clean but couldn't say for certain I've spent any time cleaning behind there specifically. I'll compare both sides to see if any protective stuff is missing. In the meantime - repair/bodge/replace? |
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4th Jul 2024 12:11pm |
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| bodstruck Member Since: 09 May 2020 Location: Wiltshire Posts: 908
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I wouldn't consider a repair, it is only likely to delay the inevitable.
An outer wing panel is not expensive and it could be painted off the car. Not a difficult job. For now I would sticker over it, enjoy/use the car and then tackle it properly when time/money/mojo permits. |
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4th Jul 2024 12:13pm |
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| Mdm Member Since: 11 Sep 2013 Location: Sunny Lancashire Posts: 1598
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assuming its the front wing? mud and road detritus sits on top of the outrigger and over time rots the wings from the inside.
very common and more so since the new wet grit is used on our roads. i would do a temp repair with a patch boned to inside of the panel and the outer hole filled/ sealed to slow down any further corrosion plus a good clean of the underside and the mud traps |
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4th Jul 2024 12:36pm |
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| Chicken Drumstick Member Since: 17 Aug 2020 Location: Near MK Posts: 716
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That does not look corrosion. The holes look raggedy and clean edges. Plus the panel is Birmabright aluminium magnesium alloy) and shouldn’t corrode in that way normally. There are 70 year old Land Rovers that don’t have panel corrosion. Also the paint does not look bubbled. |
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4th Jul 2024 12:39pm |
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| Chicken Drumstick Member Since: 17 Aug 2020 Location: Near MK Posts: 716
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Inevitable what??  |
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4th Jul 2024 12:40pm |
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| revd Member Since: 20 Apr 2024 Location: England Posts: 110
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neighbour's kid got a new air rifle?
Isopon P38 filler and some touch up paint should do it for now |
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4th Jul 2024 1:24pm |
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| Ianb Member Since: 25 Oct 2023 Location: Devon Posts: 387 
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https://youtube.com/shorts/r9fEUFzXtdY?feature=shared
Unhelpful, but it's all I could think of... The Yeti - 110 Camper https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic90308.html Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@YetitheDefender Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/yetithedefender/ |
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4th Jul 2024 1:45pm |
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| MarkBrown Member Since: 03 Oct 2022 Location: Mid Wales Posts: 455  
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That’s exactly what I’d do, then touch up over it. No one will know! |
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4th Jul 2024 2:56pm |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20317
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Might be stones from the tyre fired at it from the inside of the arch, and from their moisture and road sat reacting with the aluminium skin.
That’s what I’d tend to wonder, something has probably hit that skin from the inside. Possibly gravel things like that flung from the treads. Though it would due to angle be a glancing blow, but high speed. Think of the sort of stone skipping over water on a pond type affect at an angle. But enough to do some damage to the skin.  ⭐️⭐️God Bless the USA 🇬🇧🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️ |
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4th Jul 2024 3:10pm |
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| Balvaig Member Since: 19 Feb 2016 Location: Fife Posts: 730  
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Be positive - you need no equipment and can learn the skills.
Unless you are a perfectionist and the repair needs to be be perfect, you can do a reasonable fix for about £20-£30. You need to get inside the wing and see what is going on. If nothing too drastic, then clean thoroughly to get the mud etc off. Wire brush gently (£3) Use wet and dry sandpaper inside wing and holes to remove corrosion (£5) Prime area and hole £7.50 Fix small piece of aluminium mesh on underneath using two-part body filler Mesh £3 filler £5 Smooth filler on surface with wet and dry. Prime again Apply topcoat colour/ lacquer £10 Most materials available from Halfords or Amazon Topcoat can be ordered on paint code on plate under bonnet. Practice your painting skills on an offcut of plastic/wood beforehand. Handpainting is easier to do but looks more obvious. Spray painting using rattle cans can provide a better finish. Learning new skills as you go - plenty of tutorials online. If all else fails you still have your more expensive options. Good learning curve |
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4th Jul 2024 3:25pm |
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| julian Member Since: 17 Feb 2017 Location: Devon Posts: 99 
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If it's front, live with it until you can replace.
If it's back, live with it. A repair will be temporary, unless you want to spend more money than a new part would cost. Body filler typically absorbs moisture. I think you can get some that pretend not to, but certainly most do. On a dent, the area is sealed, the filler applied, and then the filler sealed. On some corroded alloy hole, you're not going to get enough of a seal to stop the filler acting like a sponge and holding the moisture and, as has been said, accelerating the decay. Again, live with it / live with it until you can afford to replace / do a placebo repair that won't last / do a true repair that will cost more than simply replacing (I doubt that that is possible with forum "advice" in the short to medium term) Part of my job is finishing / refinishing alloy. I would not attempt a repair with filler. |
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4th Jul 2024 5:50pm |
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