Do-it-yourself repair of rotten car doors

When carrying out body work, special attention is paid to elements consisting of many complex parts and mechanisms. Therefore, you cannot ignore car door repairs. In addition to traditional painting and straightening operations, car doors also require repair of fittings and trim, as well as adjustment work.

The body shop staff at the LS-motors technical center have the necessary qualifications to perform high-quality repairs. The owner only needs to deliver the car to us, and the rest is our job.

How the body wears out

The costs of body repair will be significant if you entrust the work to specialists at the station who have the necessary equipment and tools. Is it possible to try to repair some parts of the body yourself? It is possible, but this will require more time and effort, since in garage conditions it is more difficult to gain access to difficult areas of the frame.

If the car has been in an accident and its marks remain on the body, the damaged parts of the frame may need to be replaced.

There is one that, using the plunger principle, allows you to get rid of some post-accident damage. But if rust is at work, a more serious approach to repair will be required to prevent further “eating” of the car frame.

Ways to get rid of rust

Of course, the most correct and drastic solution in the fight against corrosion would be to replace the entire part, however:

• It happens that such a part cannot be obtained, or its cost exceeds reasonable limits, but you always want to save money;
• Therefore, now we will figure out how to remove rust on a car body with our own hands;
• There are several methods, and they are all quite labor-intensive;
• Modern cars have a galvanized body, at least most;
• This prevents corrosion from developing, however, with deep scratches, creases and chips, the protective zinc layer is damaged;
• How can you make sure that the body of your car is galvanized?
• It is enough to study the passport data of your car;
• Either very carefully scrape off the paint from an inconspicuous area of ​​the body, not forgetting to paint it afterwards;
• Car bodies are not made of stainless steel, most likely it is a matter of production cost, so the problem of rust remains relevant;
• It is necessary to observe safety precautions, use goggles and rubber gloves when performing body work to avoid contact with chemicals on the body.

Detection of rotten areas of the body

Some rotten elements of the frame are not particularly difficult to detect - you open the car door and see that it has rotted at the bottom along with the threshold. However, rust has a nasty tendency to hide, and sometimes it can be difficult to find.

Detecting rusted areas of the threshold will also not cause much difficulty - a visual inspection is carried out to look for spots of rust. And if even the slightest areas of corrosion are detected, it is recommended to restore the worn area, otherwise the rust will continue to eat everything.

Sometimes access to the inside of the threshold is hidden by molding

- in this case it must be removed, and in some cases you will see that a significant part of the metal has been destroyed.

Putty

One of the simplest options is to use putty. To work, you will need to prepare the following materials and tools:

Before starting the work process, you need to get rid of the rust ball. For this you can use a grinder. The strength of the subsequently applied patch depends on how carefully this procedure is performed.

You can use a sheet of aluminum to cut out the patch. It should be noted that the size of the patch should be much (1.0-1.5 cm) larger than the size of the hole. The aluminum patch can initially be attached to the body surface using masking tape.

After this, apply an even ball of putty. It is important to pay attention to the fact that you cannot cover the tape with putty. This is due to the need to delete it in the future. After the applied layer has completely dried, the tape can be carefully removed.

Experts draw the attention of novice craftsmen to the fact that the putty layer should be as even and thin as possible. Its durability and efficiency depend on this.

After 1-2 hours, you can begin sanding and leveling the putty using sandpaper or a sander.

Repairing a rotten door with your own hands (photo report)

Hello everyone, it’s no secret that there has been a problem with the doors on Ksyukhas and most likely will always be, and I also encountered this problem. My car is already 12 years old, the doors began to rot about 4-5 years ago, but everything was tolerable for the time being before the time, cleaned, tinted and so on every year. But a year ago, through holes began to appear, then pieces of metal simply began to fall off in the corners of the doors, initially I wanted to cut off the bottom of the door and just weld new iron, but I broke off with the welding one and had to go a different way, in this topic I will show and tell you what and how I did. By the way, regarding the purchase of a new or used door, for some reason this turned out to be problematic, it’s not available anywhere, and the price of a new door will be somewhere around 5-6 thousand rubles. and I spent about 700-800 rubles and one day of work on 2 doors. So let’s start. PS I apologize for the quality of the photo, I took it on my phone.

1. We clean out the rust spots (I used a grinder) in some places I even just cut off the metal.

2. since the bottom was rotten, the outer sheet of the door simply tore off from the door itself (from below), it was necessary to connect these two halves, for this I used automotive plasticine (as a sealant, I covered the joint from the inside, removing the trim), I also I covered metal plates (you can use steel wire) to make the bottom edge of the door, which I simply inserted between the “halves” so that they would not fall out during operation, it looks something like this:

3. Then we apply putty with fiberglass to this whole story

4. Clean up (since this putty is not very easy to work with, I used a grinder again)

5. Then we apply putty, but this is the finishing one

6. Clean it with sandpaper 7. Paint it. I didn’t paint it with paint, but decided not to bother and just bought a can of anti-gravel and painted everything below the molding with it, it turned out pretty nice.

The last two photos were taken after the rain, and visually it seems that there are jambs, but in fact the door turned out to be perfectly smooth and with normal gaps.

1. Putty with fiberglass approximately 240 rubles. (I still have more than half of it left) 2. Finishing putty is also about 240 rubles (there is also more than half left) 3. A set of rubber spatulas is 40 rubles. 4. Anti-gravel about 250 rubles (all gone) 5. If desired, rust converter about 300 rubles. 6. Sandpaper (freebie) ;D

If I help someone, I will be glad, write if anyone understands anything.

Source

Applying a patch with a soldering iron

The second method is no less popular among motorists - using a soldering iron.

Just as in the first case, the area where the patch is applied should be thoroughly cleaned of rust. You can cut a patch from an ordinary aluminum tin can.

The quality of the repair can be increased by applying a layer of a compound with anti-corrosion properties to the edges of the hole and the surface of the patch.

After this, use a soldering iron to walk along the edges of the patch. The seam should be uniform and not very thick.

It is possible that the patch will protrude beyond the edges of the body. In this case, you should trim it with a hammer.

When finished, coat the patch with a ball of primer. This step is considered necessary in order to avoid further development of corrosion. The primer is applied in 2-3 layers at intervals of 3-4 minutes.

You can speed up the drying time of the primer by using infrared heating.

Threshold repair without welding

Dents, if there are no metal tears, can be straightened using a hood. The basis of its design is a threaded guide rod onto which a bracket with suction cups is placed. Using special glue, it is installed in the center of the dent. Having put on the bracket and secured the suction cups, they begin to carefully tighten the nut. After straightening the metal, the rod is removed using a special solvent that does not affect the paint. If it was not possible to pull out a large dent the first time, the procedure is repeated several times, installing the device in other places.

In case of corrosion damage, instead of welding patches, restoration with fiberglass can be used. For work stock up:

• epoxy glue;
• fiberglass;
• solvent;
• rust remover;
• a grinder or a grinder attachment;
• aluminum powder;
• brush;
• roller;
• putty;
• paint to match the color of the car.

Fault Detection

During the operation of the vehicle, all its components wear out. Car doors are no exception to this rule. Often, car owners suffer from various malfunctions of this element of their “iron horse,” but the most common are:

These difficulties can be corrected on your own if you strictly follow the instructions compiled by experts.

Repairing rotten metal

If there is a backlash in a specific area of ​​the doorway, then there is a high probability of corrosion. Rotting begins from there, because... Almost no air gets in there. Initially, it is quite difficult to notice such changes due to the fact that corrosion begins to destroy the car from the inside.

Algorithm for repairing rotten areas on the door:

If this element of the car is badly rotten, you can also try to restore the doors. But you have to be prepared to spend a lot of time and money, so sometimes it’s better to replace the doorway completely.

How to repair rotten doors and other parts of the car body

An article about repairing a rotten door, as well as other parts of the car body: tools for repair, progress of work. At the end of the article there is a video about repairing a rotten car door.

We all know that cars are made of metal. We also know that even the metal parts of a car are subject to wear and aging. Some parts or even entire mechanisms can be sorted out and replaced if necessary. But as the body and its elements wear out, much more work will be required, especially if there are rotten parts.

Restoring the seal

Every car has a door seal. This is not surprising, because... it has various protective properties. For example, thanks to it it provides hydro, noise and thermal insulation. In addition, it protects against drafts.

But the sealant can dry out under the influence of temperature changes. In addition, under mechanical influence it is erased, and the material itself is crushed.

Its service life will be extended if it is constantly lubricated with silicone lubricant.

To restore it, it is not necessary to contact specialists - everything can be done with your own hands. For this you will need:

To restore the volume, you will need to remove the protection from the car, or rather from the sills: there you can quickly get to the seal. You need to remove it carefully along the entire contour, prying it up and pulling it towards you. If it is solid, you will have to cut the material. After this, you need to pour or spray lubricant inside and insert the tube. After the procedure, put the seal in place.

Car hinge repair

One of the common defects is sagging car hinges. If this happens, you should not immediately begin repair work. The first thing to do is to determine the causes of the malfunction. For cars that are more than 10 years old, there is only one problem - wear and tear.

You can understand that sagging has occurred by:

If one of the listed factors is detected, the doors must be repaired. If the damage is severe or the hinges are deformed, repair will not help - they will need to be completely or partially replaced. In the latter case, only the axle needs to be changed.

To adjust the hinges yourself, you will need to do the following:

Regular lubrication of the hinges and tightening of the bolts will help extend the life of the hinges.

To avoid such consequences, you should not lean or hang heavy objects on the doors, or keep them open for a long time.

Lock repair

If the car lock begins to close and open poorly, you will need an internal replacement of the lock secret. To do this, you need to unscrew the bolts, remove the core and replace it with a new one. In the event that the procedure cannot be carried out due to a broken key, you will have to use a drill and drill out the cylinder.

The reason may lie in sagging doors, as well as in hinges that have worn out from friction. Gravity begins to act on the bolt, so it does not move. In this case, you need to lift the door structure to move the locking part.

To avoid such difficulties, the lock must be lubricated. A spray lubricant is ideal for this.

Door trim repair

Drivers often encounter damage to car panels or door cards. Basically, they are made from plastic, which is covered with leather or fabric on top. If there is a slight defect in the door skins, it is easy to get rid of them on your own - for this you use epoxy glue and fiberglass.

Work should be carried out from the inside of the door structure. The algorithm is as follows:

After all manipulations, dry the surface well. It can be treated with sandpaper, leveling the top layer. Install doorways.

If leather or fabric were used for upholstery, it is quite difficult to eliminate defects on your own. In this case, knowledge about the properties of the material will come in handy. In addition, it must be pulled onto the panel so that there are no folds or creases. You will also have to sew up the doorways. However, this must be done carefully.

To repair car doors yourself, you will need at least minimal skills in this matter and the necessary tools. It is difficult, but possible, to complete all the work without the help of specialists. The main thing is to follow the recommendations of experts.

Source

Car door repair

Local repair of mechanisms and restoration of geometry, tinsmithing and welding, preparation and painting - we will provide assistance in any of these areas. We'll do it quickly and inexpensively.

Types of repairs performed by service technicians

Depending on the complexity of the damage, various works will be required. In any case, we will try to find a simple solution to the problem that will not break your pocket. We will highlight three service options that will help restore the door.

• Simple repair without welding, without painting. The most affordable set of works that will take only a couple of hours. Suitable for the following cases: small dents on a car door (without damaging the paintwork), broken handles, locks, power windows, or peeled off seals and moldings, sagging awnings. Let's straighten it, restore functionality, and glue it up. In general, we will carry out local repairs that do not require large labor costs.
• Work of medium complexity includes the removal of rust, the need to replace the rotted bottom of doors, arches, thresholds or pillars. It is no longer recommended to do such work with your own hands. After all, a high-quality result can be obtained if you have special tools and the ability to use them. This category also includes significant dents, which cannot be corrected using gentle methods.
• Repairs of increased complexity are associated with the restoration of doors after an accident. The work will have to be performed using a special repair tool. Only in this case will it be possible to guarantee the restoration of the geometry in accordance with the factory control points.

For work of medium and increased complexity, the doors will have to be repainted. We will try to get by with local painting, in which we will select a tone that 100% matches the existing paintwork.

What is included in a standard repair of medium complexity

We organized the work in such a way that you do not have a shadow of doubt about the fairness of the price, the correctness of the chosen solution and the level of quality.

1. We start with a comprehensive diagnosis. At this stage, we will identify hidden defects. Even a slight violation of the metal structure, especially in the stiffeners, will not go unnoticed.
2. We draw up a troubleshooting report, determine the list of works, and the parts that will need to be replaced. We draw up an estimate, based on it, and announce the final cost of the repair. It will remain unchanged and will not grow when the work is completed, you don’t even have to worry about it.
3. Reinforcement work, including dismantling the trim, window and central locking controls, and glass. If repairs are necessary at the stand, we will remove the door completely.
4. Sheet metal and welding works. We will pull out the dents and cut out the rotten areas of the metal. We will clean and prepare the surfaces for welding. We will select patches from the appropriate metal or select new door elements. We try it on and adjust it if necessary. After welding, we will clean and sand the seams so that they are practically invisible.
5. Preparation for painting includes traditional puttying and sanding. By the way, we will restore individual plastic surfaces using a similar scheme, using fiberglass and epoxy resin. The main difference between our preparation is that we do it carefully, bringing the surface to perfect condition.
6. Partial or complete painting, organized so that the paintwork adheres as it should. We dry it in a chamber, which reduces the process time without loss of quality.
7. Reassembly, testing the functionality of systems and mechanisms that have been dismantled.

If you had to repair the door, we recommend immediately installing additional sound insulation. This will improve the sound quality of the speaker system and eliminate 30-50% of extraneous sounds from the street. We will offer a favorable price.

Why you should contact us

Because the service is equipped with advanced equipment that allows you to perform work of any complexity.

• A slipway with which we pull out the damaged body element in 3 planes. A computerized factory control system ensures the accuracy of work.
• A spotter and a set of reverse hammers and rods that will allow you to straighten the dent with minimal damage to the paintwork and without dismantling the door.
• Spot and laser welding for particularly precise work. We guarantee the reliability of weld points and seams.
• Infrared drying units that provide a uniform effect on the paintwork. Thanks to this equipment, the drying process goes faster without loss of quality.

Well, you will evaluate the qualifications of the service masters by reading the reviews. And not only on the service website, but also on other network resources. Let's just say one thing - not a single client has ever applied for a warranty during the provided warranty period.

How much does it cost and how long to wait

The cost of repair depends on the complexity of the damage and the required amount of reinforcement work. You can find the average prices in the price list, and the final estimate will be determined by the results of the defect inspection. In most cases, the announced amount will be even less than expected. To get an estimated cost, attach photographs of the problem door to your application. At least the master will announce the order of the amounts that can be used as a guide.

The complex of work will take 1-2 days. In practice, even complete restoration of doors “killed” in an accident did not take more than 4 days. If you intend to replace individual elements, we recommend submitting an application in advance. This will make it possible to confuse suppliers and obtain the required components before work begins.

Leave a request by filling out the provided order form. Choose a time that is convenient for you to repair your car door.