W202 - C Class - jacking point collapsing

[190auto]

I've been looking at a well-maintained W202 1998 C Class that's for sale.

I thought I had checked the obvious, but I missed the condition of the OSF jacking point .

It has rusted badly, and has clearly then been used to jack the car. The rubber pad has been pushed into the sill, with lots of flaky rust where it should be attached to the sill. An immediate reason for MOT failure, I believe.

The rubber drain grommet is still there - but is rattling around inside the sill, as the mounting hole has rusted as well. Looking at the jacking tube behind the plastic sill cover you wouldn't suspect it was so bad.

So... options and opinions please...

I've done some online searching, but can't find a lot with regards to replacement sill parts.

I'll phone main dealer tomorrow for outer sill prices, plus jacking tube replacement.

Has anyone been able to source 3rd party sill parts for W202?

Andy27168's thread on the sill repairs to his AMG makes great but scary reading, but the car I'm looking at is a mere C Class. I have to be realistic on repair costs vs value of the car.

Assuming I can source a sill, then do any of you have any idea of the labour time to cut out the old and weld in the new? I can deal with filling and painting (it's mostly hidden by the sill trim).

Andy27168's thread showed the wing and doors being removed, so I can see this adding a few hours of labour if this is necessary.

Thanks

 

[guydewdney]

Andy27168's thread on the sill repairs to his AMG makes great but scary reading, but the car I'm looking at is a mere C Class. I have to be realistic on repair costs vs value of the car.

whats the difference? the chassis is the same

 

[andy27168]

My thread is exactly the same repair procedure that would be required on any 202 chassis car regardless of engine size/spec though apparently according to the EPC there was modified jacking point repair pieces just to strengthen the C43 jacking points, the outer sill was available as an aftermarket part by one company, but apparently I had the only one left with no more plans to make anymore.
The sill can be bought from MB as well as various other jacking point repair parts, the outer sill is around £300, the jacking point repair parts are quite cheap, though some parts had to be fabricated due to the lead times from MB and some parts not being available at all.
Sorry to hear of your woes, but I did specifically say in your other thread to check the jack pads and to jack the car up using the standard jack on all the jacking points.
IIRC Nic @ EuroMerc had MB outer sills in stock for the 202 though at the time of my repair he only had O/S ones in stock, and I needed a N/S, and he wanted quite a lot less than 50% off the MB price so might be an option for you if you have to go the same route as me.
You might be able to repair the jacking point in isolation rather than replacing the entire outer sill assembly, have you got the side skirt off yet?

 

[grober]

Andy's pictorial thread is probably the best pictorial you will find. If the rest of the sill is sound you may simply get away with a fabricated repair to the existing mount if its good from the horizonal jacking tube up. As you can see the plastic jacking pad should bear directly on the flat plate across the base. You will have to cut away a section of sill on either side jacking point for access and then fabricate/ rebuild that section. A skilled welder should be able to do that for you. Your approach will really depend on how sound the rest of the sill is. A new sill may be the best approach.

Andy beat me to it.

 

[190auto]

Andy's pictorial thread is probably the best pictorial you will find. If the rest of the sill is sound you may simply get away with a fabricated repair to the existing mount if its good from the horizonal jacking tube up. As you can see the plastic jacking pad should bear directly on the flat plate across the base. You will have to cut away a section of sill on either side jacking point for access and then fabricate/ rebuild that section. A skilled welder should be able to do that for you. Your approach will really depend on how sound the rest of the sill is. A new sill may be the best approach.

Andy beat me to it.

Thanks, Graeme and Andy.

Yes, I'm annoyed I missed the condition of this jacking pad. I've not actually bought the car yet, so no harm done to the wallet, beyond a short drive to see it.

I'll phone MB early in the week to see how much they charge for the parts, plus availability.

I am a bit surprised though that the last MOT (4/13) did not mention this issue as an advisory, even if it hadn't completely rotted by then. The rust and weakness but have been apparent then, even accepting the plastic sill trim hiding some of it. The owner doesn't even think the car has been jacked up there after the MOT and last service - both at the same MB main dealer. Very odd indeed

I'll post an update as I learn more.

 

[190auto]

I phoned MB parts dept. As Andy says, full outer sills are available, now at £297 plus VAT each.

The parts-man was helpful in sending me the exploded diagram of the side of the car, including the sill. This car is an estate (or station wagon, as the diagram calls it).

I wonder if the sill is exactly the same on the estate as it is for the saloon?

In any case, this puts the repair cost way over what I'd be interested in. I'll check to see how much a more localised MOT-sufficient fix would be from my own local small garage.

 

[spoton]

rot

I phoned MB parts dept. As Andy says, full outer sills are available, now at £297 plus VAT each.

The parts-man was helpful in sending me the exploded diagram of the side of the car, including the sill. This car is an estate (or station wagon, as the diagram calls it).

I wonder if the sill is exactly the same on the estate as it is for the saloon?

In any case, this puts the repair cost way over what I'd be interested in. I'll check to see how much a more localised MOT-sufficient fix would be from my own local small garage.

If youre still interested Id be putting it on a ramp for a good look at all the underneath. personally Id be looking for a better car

 

[tonyc280]

their are rust free cars out there. just try mine. I'm really luck though

 

[grober]

I phoned MB parts dept. As Andy says, full outer sills are available, now at £297 plus VAT each.

The parts-man was helpful in sending me the exploded diagram of the side of the car, including the sill. This car is an estate (or station wagon, as the diagram calls it).

I wonder if the sill is exactly the same on the estate as it is for the saloon?

In any case, this puts the repair cost way over what I'd be interested in. I'll check to see how much a more localised MOT-sufficient fix would be from my own local small garage.

Sill part nos are the same saloon and estate AFAIK. The jacking points assemblies referred to as "CONSOLE to jack" are available separately as right and left sided parts

 

[190auto]

Sill part nos are the same saloon and estate AFAIK. The jacking points assemblies referred to as "CONSOLE to jack" are available separately as right and left sided parts

That is a really useful piece of info, thanks

A quick check on google and up pops the part number - A2026300331 / 431

(assuming of course that these are for the front jacking points)