I am considering buying a Jaguar X100 XKR 2005. I have been told that a hole in the passenger footwell, where you can push a finger up into the carpet, was merely a blind gromet that had been pushed out and has now been refitted. Is it true that such a grommet exists

 

Welcome jagman46.

Tread carefully.

Might be that simple, although I don't recall any plugs in that area (doesn't mean that there aren't) - but the footwells are a common rot point on UK cars due to the assembly-line plate forming an open double skin under there.

Is there a corresponding plug/hole on the other side?

If you have the registration number, then this UK govt. site will give the car's MOT history in most cases:
https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history

 

Welcome to the forum Jagman46,
Please post an intro in the new members section when you can.

I'm with Michael, I don't recall a grommet in the footwell area.

 

But I could be wrong.........



Hopefully someone who knows for sure will chime in, I'd still take a careful look in that area to be sure.
Incidentally the guy who makes the repair panels is in Drumnadrochit so not a million miles from you.

 

For complicated reasons to do with the assembly process and the fact that the X100 floor-pan is derived from the XJS design, there is a known issue with corrosion in the front footwells where there is an area of "double skin" between which water can penetrate and rust almost inevitable follows (unless you live somewhere it never rains).
Ideally, you will inspect the car on a lift where you can see exactly what condition it is in. Otherwise, a good torch and a mirror are a "second-best" option. If there's a nice neat circular grommet size/shape hole, you're probably OK but if there's something like this (the yellow is the underside of the carpet) - you need to be careful. Repair panels are readily available - I got mine from a guy in Norfolk - but the carpets and seats have to come out and - if you are handing the whole job over to a garage - it could get expensive.

The photo is my floor AFTER the outer skin was cut away. Before - there were few signs of what lay beneath.



You can see the grommet covered by a steel cap towards the bottom of the picture

 

There are metal grommets/clips that fill holes in the above area, they have 4 prongs and you can see one clearly in the bottom right of DD's picture above.

However you will almost certainly have rust there too.

 

Some of you guys' rust damage photos are more terrifying to me than the hurricane I just weathered.

 

Thanks all for your comments. I feel better now knowing that there is a grommet so I have not been misled about that - but I will still be wary of the dreaded rust in this area and take appropriate precaustions

 

MichaelH. Good advice about MOT checks. I had already checked the MOT history and there is no sign of any such corrosion having been identified as either a failure point or an advisory.

 

Jagman46. It sounds like you may well be OK, but don't rely on the MOT report. This area has no structural significance so would not be mentioned, and also, it is genuinely almost impossible to see if there's corrosion between the two skins which are basically a few mm apart and only welded together along two of the four sides unless you have a very close look - ideally on a lift or ramp.
You can also get rust on front and/or rear chassis / bodywork near the suspension and/or seat-belt mounting areas, but this WILL be noted on an MOT as a fail or advisory because it is part of the structural integrity of the car.

 

Thanks David,
Given the potential problem between the 2 skins, would it be prudent (and both practical and safe) to have the outer plate removed, so that any rust can be properly treated and waxoyled etc. to minimise any future rust.
Thanks


Stuart

 

Was thinking right as i reached your comment that it might be advisable to temporarily remove a plug or possibly drill a few holes to rustproof the area by using the small straw adapters that are provided with some of the aerosol cans of rustproofing. If there is enough space between the two panels, it might be possible without a more destructive process. The corrosion is probably due to some sealing edge failing over time and allowing moisture to enter the space where it can never dry out. A creative solution could simply be to open the interior skin and make it semi permanent or vented in some way to allow air circulation. In all of the floor rot outs that I have seen, the water entered from the inside, usually from the rocker and firewall joint and festered under the carpet. It seems that once the bubble starts to burst through the undercoating, the mess is quite advanced.

I personally like the Corrosion Free product as it is very effective, clear, easy to use and not foul, although the girlfriend calls it the mess in the can something about the edge under the doors and whether the next step is to somehow dip the entire car in it .

 

Much better put, thanks. My thinking was that if the OP found history issues it might be a quick way to dismiss the car and continue looking. Most histories I've looked at [sad] where it has been an issue also record corrosion in the critical places.

Fingers crossed that a closer inspection brings the all clear. If so, it's never too late for some PM. I just gave both sides a liberal dose of Waxoyl, but road salt isn't an issue here.

 

Michael - road salt may not be a problem but ........... as nowhere in Jersey is more than about half a mile from the sea - your roads are covered in highly corrosive water every time the tide comes in !!
I think the waxoyl was a wise investment !!

 

300 ft ASL here so I'm alright Jack. Only Clarkson would be mad enough to deliberately take one of our babies anywhere near sea water.

Seriously, this only happens on the south coast at spring tide+ high southerlies, both of which are predictable. Not that that stops the frequent event of hire cars being left on the slips on a rising tide, mind.

Apologies for the hijack Jagman; I'm going back to my corner.