Fiesta Accident

**vivafoxpro** · January 11th, 2012 10:51 PM

I made a search here for any topic "Fiesta Accident". Finding none prompted me to start one that would not only narrate the accident itself but the process towards the remedy.

Accident occurred yesterday 4:30 PM. I had the right of way while the Lemon Square delivery tricycle was merging in from my left. It turns out his vehicle was designed that the container was to his right and it blocked his view. The pics below tell most of the story.

**niky** · January 12th, 2012 02:51 PM

A banged up door is painful, but not hard to fix.

That gaping hole in the doorsill, however, is a nightmare. The dealership will probably have to cut and patch there, and that might eventually lead to rust problems unless they do the work properly.

Feel sad for your Fiesta!

**erj22** · January 12th, 2012 03:06 PM

damn! i feel you, TS. i had an accident (Accent) with a trike and ran the hell off from me! anyways, change of door and doorsill / running board was repaired. almost the same with yours but you have a hole! tsk! they should repair that properly to avoid rust.

**vivafoxpro** · January 13th, 2012 03:07 AM

Originally Posted by niky

A banged up door is painful, but not hard to fix.

That gaping hole in the doorsill, however, is a nightmare. The dealership will probably have to cut and patch there, and that might eventually lead to rust problems unless they do the work properly.

Feel sad for your Fiesta!

I was under the impression that the door sill is replaceable like the door. Looking more closely, I see it is part of the structure.

Thanks for the expert observation Sir Niky. I might not have it cut and have them just do some rust protection of the "wound" then cosmetic reshaping with putty.

The way I understand it, cutting with acetylene burns up the surrounding rust protection.

**OTEP** · January 13th, 2012 04:14 AM

They will cut a large part of the lower door sill aka rocker panel up until it clears the edges of the hole then put in a repair panel in its place. But you have to rustproof the rocker panel again. Or at least tell the repair facility to do so again.

**vivafoxpro** · January 13th, 2012 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by OTEP

They will cut a large part of the lower door sill aka rocker panel up until it clears the edges of the hole then put in a repair panel in its place. But you have to rustproof the rocker panel again. Or at least tell the repair facility to do so again.

Thanks Doc!

Will talk to the casa regarding the options and post the finished work. I tend to lean towards functionality rather than cosmetics. If the procedure you mentioned will increase risk of rust, I would rather have a small "scar" and retain original "dipped" rust protection.

I have no means to confirm if they indeed apply such rust protection and if they did, if it is at par with the original.

**OTEP** · January 13th, 2012 12:57 PM

Having that hole there is an invitation for rust already. Most oem repair panels are prepped the same as your present body panels. Most are even primed already when shipped. You can have aftermarket rustproofing if you want to be sure. They might need to drill a small hole in an inconspicous area for the rustproofing gun. But the will put a rubber plug to seal it off again afterwards.

**airolynx** · January 13th, 2012 02:27 PM

Originally Posted by OTEP

Having that hole there is an invitation for rust already. Most oem repair panels are prepped the same as your present body panels. Most are even primed already when shipped. You can have aftermarket rustproofing if you want to be sure. They might need to drill a small hole in an inconspicous area for the rustproofing gun. But the will put a rubber plug to seal it off again afterwards.

Doc, by "oem repair panels" you mean that the casa can order certain parts of the car's body that's already pre-shaped so that the repair shop just welds it into place? Like in the case of sir viva, the doorsill is part of the car structure itself and is not removable unlike the fenders and bumpers.

**niky** · January 13th, 2012 05:36 PM

Originally Posted by airolynx

Doc, by "oem repair panels" you mean that the casa can order certain parts of the car's body that's already pre-shaped so that the repair shop just welds it into place? Like in the case of sir viva, the doorsill is part of the car structure itself and is not removable unlike the fenders and bumpers.

Yup. That's how they fixed my spare tire well and rear fender... welded in a replacement panel.

Either way, you're screwed with regards to the stock rust protection. The panel has to be fixed and re-rustproofed no matter what you do, and I don't think putty will do for a tear of that size.

If they do it right, there should be no problem. My rear fender was damaged five years ago, and still no rust at the weld, though the join has to be refinished (putty issues, I think... but it's not bubbling)

**vivafoxpro** · January 14th, 2012 12:03 AM

"Cut" , "Weld", "If they do it right" are words I'm not too comfortable with considering all the casa horror stories.

Having seen the hole close up and having an inclination to perform DIY projects, it appears easier to protect a 2cm puncture from rust than several inches of cut and weld.

The hole would allow a brush or applicator of considerable size to apply even melted asphalt

. then putty for cosmetics.

Well... I guess I'll cross the bridge when it goes over the water.