After the plastic sill is removed, the rusted rocker will be in view, once you remove the rocker, you will see the exposed rusted unibody, then remove the protective covering (my autobody shop cut this away) and this is what you'll see...

Did this work ??? roll over the pic to enlarge

 

Hello,

Yes, the picture is viewable.

Good luck,

Steve

 

You would probable have to build a separate website, but building a website doesn't necessarily mean anyone will see it. Websites work by "hits" people that sign onto them. Also, by interest, how many people are interested in a certain subject. So, the problem becomes how many people are interested in X Type rust, as many as had the problems, and how many will search the net to find out the solution or in this case want to file a lawsuit or whatever. Honestly In don't see a lot of post on this forum about rust, except for yours, don't get me wrong I support you position and idea, but getting people to "hit" a website on a specific subject is not that easy. My son is a website designer and he can do a site on this, I'll get you a good price.

 

Saturday I went over the the body shop I wrote about earlier. The owner and one of his body men came and I told him of the rust problem and showed him the photo of your rust. Don, the owner said we have never worked on one of these Jaguars, as there not many around here, Yours is probably the first one I've seen in town. I showed him the plastic rocker panel and asked him to place his hand under there, he did and said Adam in the 30 years I've been in business I have never seen a rocker panel designed like this. Normally that are attached to the lower sill by bolts or a water proof glue. Then the body guy got down on the ground and looked and ran his hand up and down the lower sill. He said there is something sprayed to the metal as the finish is not smooth, then it looks like they spray primer over the sill and no finish coat. He thought that was very odd. They both looked at the picture and agreed the rust starts inside and works it way out. I opened the hood for them and they started looking around the cowl area took off the plastic panel that covers the top of the cowl and found no rust or no apparent place for water to get in, as all the seams, seemed to be OK. Then he felt around the inner fender back toward the cowl. He found a stamped hole with some wire thru it. He went back to the shop and came out with a Endoscope and stuck it down there. We looked thru a small TV screen on the probe. After this the body man said I don't see anything that would allow water down into that area, every seems built well and painted, he could not tell if rust preventer was used. Then he asked me, the person with this rust, has his car every been hit in the front? I said I don't know. He then said it could have taken a good hit on the left side and during the repairs they didn't caulk or undercoat the inside, if it were damaged. I told him about the drain tube hose. He endoscoped that and said if that hose worked itself off, water could get into that sill area and sit and rust. I also told him this rust happened over a 5 year period. That stopped both of them in their tracks. Don the owner said he has not had many modern cars with that kind of rust that formed over 5 years. Sorry to say they could not tell me much more then that. The both suggested that the exposed sill under the plastic cowl should be washed as much as I wash the car and the drain holes at the sill seam should be cleaned out frequently. Finally I asked them what was the plugged hole for in the seem. They couldn't give me an answer on that. Sorry I couldn't get more information, but it is what it is.

 

Thanks for the reply. The bottom line is you don't see alot of this because most of the 02 + models are in the junk pile and parted out. When he ran his hand up the underneath etc., and felt something odd that appeared to have been sprayed.... this is what I was telling you from the beginning. Who ever owned the car before you knew of the problem, did a patch job and sprayed it to cover the culprit in order to sell. My car has never been hit and purchased it in '02 new with 2 miles. The pics I posted was of 6 years and 7 days of ownership of the car. The hose you don't know where it comes from or goes to (if the same hose that is around the tire well area behind the front wheelwell is for drainage of a sun roof. Yours may not have a sunroof??? Oh well, if I'm a murphys law so be it, I'll just continue my endeavor knowing most all the used vehicles out there have been patched to sell and those that still exist don't go onto a Jag website for the obvious..... there's no owners pride here.

 

http://www.eastwood.com/ew-heavy-dut...t-13-5-oz.html You might try this product on clean areas of the sill. I am going to buy a couple of cans and spray the sills under the rocker cover. My car is rust free now and I plan to keep it that way.

 

Hello,

Unfortunately, you have to get the rust-proofing material inside the second steel inner rocker panel where the rust starts. Eastwood now also makes an inner frame rust-proofing spray; it's not a paint, but a flexible barrier that comes in an aerosol with a flexible hose. You may want to try this product since it flows more like WaxOyl and may penetrate better. It's designed to be sprayed inside a frame rail which isn't normally rust-proofed.

One way to do it is to drill access holes under the aluminum Jaguar sill plate. Drill through both the outer and inner panels which will give you access to the inner sections. After spraying, you can plug the drillled holes with plastic buttons that fit and cover the them with the sill plate which is held on with double-faced tape.

Good luck,

Steve

 

I m starting tosee a few bubbles on an 02 xtype

 

makes me wonder what my sill looks like what is the labour to remover cover?

 

Hello,

The plastic rocker cover is easily removed with a panel removal tool or you can pry it off with a stiff flat putty knife or similar. But, keep in mind that it's held on with 18 plastic clips per side, nine each of two types, and they will most likely break. The top clips aren't visible but are located at the outer-most section and press into the side of the rocker so you pull this part away from the car; the bottom clips are vertical and are visible from under the car: they go up into the rocker so they pull straight down. So, be sure you have replacements if you plan to reattach the panel. The clips are available from the dealer (they're pricey) or you may be able to match-up similar clips from an auto body supplies shop.

Good luck,

Steve

 

My body shop friend called me yesterday and told me had taken a look at a national data base for body shops, it contains information on body repairs on most cars, it is similar to the one mechanic have privy to. It cost a couple of hundred a dollars a year to join and you have to be a professional to join. It contains diagrams of cars how they are put together. The part he was looking at was rust repairs on Jaguar X type. There were only 6 cars reported that had sever rust problem, and two of them were in the sills and below the A pillar behind front fenders. According to the site after the work is completed a new hose should be fitted to the cowl drain down to the fender as this hose can work itself off and allow water to enter the inner fender and down to the sills. It also stated that Body tar as my friend called it should be sprayed onto these inner panels as a preventive. I asked him what body tar was. He reminded me of the 79 Mercedes Benz I owned a few years ago as a project car, it was rust free, especially the below the door, this area he said is covered with the tar and if left unpainted. I remember that is had a rough finish to it and the area had no rust. Even the jack ports, which were holes in the area were covered inside with this stuff. I check out eastwood and they have a similar product. But my friend said it is hard to use and should left to an expert to apply. He also thinks, but could not confirm that the sill of the Jaguar might have a similar product sprayed on the sills and primer paint sprayed over it as the sills color is not the same as the car, close but lighter. Some companies will use primer close to the final color of the car in order to give the car a truer color. I know Porsche does this.

 

I doubt the previous owner new anything about rust. The owner was an older lady who drove the car around CT and in the winter had it trucked down to FL for her winter stay and had it trucked back to CT in the spring. The dealer gave me her phone number and I called her and she was a wealth of information. This is why the car had only 23049 miles on the odo. Also, the body guy said could not find any type of body repair on the car. If anyone can body repairs my friend can. He said in his opinion my car has all the original factory panels inside and out. Yes I do have a sunroof, it drains where you say it does, but is a smaller hose then the one from the cowl. Another point, a few people have posted that their trunk has water problems, might is as dry as a bone, However, I can lift over 10lbs so I haven't found they drain area for the trunk. Also a flooded trunk would make me think the seals are not sealing correctly.

 

So, the 2004 X type model does not, or shouldn't have a rust issue?

 

Can someone please post a picture as to where the appropriate holes should be? I own a 2004 X type. Thank you.

 

Here's a pic of the rocker panel part. I don't know if you can see it, but the holes (they are small, about 6-8 are on the bottom), the autobody shop made them larger prior to installing them and put the necessary undercoating. You can not see theses holes unless you remove the sill panel, etc. The original 2002-2004 models where made with the rockers without holes or with 2 holes, very tiny. The autobody shop couldn't tell because they were rusted out so badly barely had a bottom left.
[ATTACH][/ATTACH]

First pic shows rocker itself, then shows installed. Remember to run you mouse over the image to enlarge. Notice the installed rocker..... the frame itself had to be refabricated so that their would be something substantial to install the new rockers to. See previous pics of damage to the frame 9/13.

 

Hello,

There are drain holes in the outer rocker panels on '03's. Mine are original and I sprayed WaxOyl inside them until it drained from the factory holes. After the WaxOyl hardened I then made sure that the holes were open by running a wire from a coat hanger inside each of them. I think there are seven or eight along the entire length.

Good luck,

Steve

 

Yes, I see what U mean.; But these pieces are not rocker panels, IMHO they are part of the sill. The Plastic half round panels that go over these panels are the rocker panels and should fit up against the sill panels, this type of rocker panel is supposed to protect the sills under them from rusting, but Jaguar designed a very poor panel and for the life of me I can't understand why there is a 2 inch or so gap between the rocker panel and the sill. Very poor and faulty design, it opens up the entire sill area to rust as it has in your car. LAD where do you live? I'm in New England part of the rust belt and they use a lot of rock salt on the roads up here, as you know rock salt and metal don't mix. I am looking at several product, all spray on to at least protect the outer metal of the sills. But with the small gap I would need to remove both plastic rockers to coat the entire sill. A job I can't do, due to my handicap. And to have a shop do it, even my friends will cost several hundred dollars, but spending that compared to repair cost of the panels is probably worth it.

 

Steve: is the WaxOyl a permanent product or does it have to be reapplied now and then?

 

My cars has factory drains holes where the two pieces of the sill meet and welded together. I had my son get under there and clean them out with a small plastic panel tool. so as not to scratch the finish.

Also, My car has had only one panel replaced the right front fender due to a crease that happened in a parking lot. I did a lot of checking for body damage rust and such on this this car. My body shop also confirmed the the car has never been hit or the body damaged. The replaced fender was so well fitted and paint matched they couldn't tell it was replaced. I understand the rust being discussed on these threads is not visible until it is to late, however as I mentioned in my body shop thread and endoscope was passed down and inside the inner front fenders and no rust was found. Whether the endoscope was in the right place is another matter.

 

No, according to an earlier posting the problem cars are 02 to 06. After that aluminum was used in the rusted area, which would indicate that Jaguar was well aware of the problem.