Julie and Steve brought Mr Plum to us following a standard windscreen change over.
A crack had appeared along the top of the screen and looked pretty innocent.
Sadly the discovery made by the windscreen fitting company was not what anyone expected.
As you can see in the images there are two large holes and a number of areas of rust under the chrome edging. Once removed it was clear that a section of the windscreen/roof panel needed to be replaced.
Although this isn’t a common problem it is something we come across from time to time. In our opinion this usually routes from an earlier windscreen change.
When the screen is removed the paintwork and in some instances the main structure is moved or distorted. This can be caused either by the removal knife or incorrect removal of the chrome trim. If the damage isn’t remedied at the time the deterioration process will start immediately. There are special ‘etching’ primers and sealers that should be used to avoid the scrapes getting corroded. Although the damage can take years to fester it can’t be seen and therefore doesn’t always get dealt with until the screen cracks or rust appears from under the chrome trim, at this stage it’s too late for mild repair.
In regard to dealing with the problem we first removed the entire rusted area from Mr Plum, and then where ever possible we drilled the panel out along the factory spot welds. This means we can secure the new part in the same way and it will last the longest time possible. Joining along factory seams is the most correct way to restore the metalwork.
We removed the exact same section from a donor roof section that was clean and rust free. We then trimmed the new section to fit the area we cut out, exactly.
You can see in the images the two sections side by side, old and new. Once all the welding was complete we needed to grind and fill the area. This makes it smooth and prepares it for primer, the first stage in the paint process.
Once the primer was smoothed it enabled us to paint the entire area. As you can see it looks good as new.
Following the paintwork it was a case of re fitting the trims and rubber seals, placing the screen back in and making sure it was stuck in the correct position.
Finally that striking chrome surround went on and then Mr Plum was ready for the road.
In fact it was a very long road; we finished the work in the nick of time as the day after the repair Julie, Steve and Mr Plum went off to the Owners Club Scotland Rally!
