Welding Rusty Jaguar X-Type Sills

A short video (well slideshow...) I put together after spending much of the summer evenings underneath my daily - Jaguar X-Type Estate 3.0 Auto, repairing the rusted sills. Jags from this era suffer terribly from rust in the sills due to inadequate drainage and poor protection from the factory. I'm an amateur welder/fabricator at best so please don't judge too hard!

[@AdrianDrew-q6g]

Just a note to say thank you for your video and posts on the 'migwelding' forum on this subject. My 2003 X-Type 3.0 passed its MOT today after welding repairs to the inner and outer sills. I purchased sheet metal for fabricating the inner sills and a (tapered) sill kit from eBay and a Clarke 151EN (used gas and 0.6mm wire) mig welder from Machine Mart (it was in there VAT free offer). Never welded before and with quotes of £2000+ from local garages (who didn't really want to do take it on anyway) I though I'd give it a go. Lots of hours and it is hard work. I estimate it cost me around a £1000 to do but I have learnt a new skill and have a welder plus equipment out of it and of course my car for a few more years. Your tip on modifying the sill drain holes was a great idea! Thanks again.

[@98_martin90]

My pleasure Adrian!

[@andrewpearce2562]

Nice work! Am an experienced amateur car body welder and thinking of getting one of these myself 🤔
Do you have any first-hand experience as to whether model years 2006 and newer are any better? Cheers!

[@98_martin90]

Thanks Andrew! They are certainly good cars, my preference being the 3.0 model after owning a 2.5 the difference is certainly notable. As for model years post 2004 I believe don't rust quite as badly as the earlier cars due to Jaguar making some changes to the drainage although the best advice I could give would be a thorough inspection before buying as many factors can cause rust. A good check of the sills, rear subframe and bottom of the arches should paint a pretty good picture from my experience. Best of luck with whatever you choose!