Would you trust a mobile welder from Gumtree?

Series failed its MOT yesterday. The only thing I can't do myself is weld and there are three areas that need it done. I've sent pictures off to some e-mails that I found using google but they probably won't get back to me till Monday. I e-mailed a guy off Gumtree and he replied really quickly saying £60 for the welding but it will end up more than that as he didn't include having to travel here. Seems cheap enough but he doesn't have a website or anything and is just a random guy with a welder. Is it normal to ask for a guarantee that it will pass the MOT?

Otherwise anyone know any good welders in Fife?

I'd like to buy the stuff and give it a go myself but I've only got two weeks for a free retest and not sure I'd have time.

Pics here: Photo Album - Imgur

I can't comment on the proficiency of your particular welder, but it looks like an interesting job because someone has already tried to patch some of those holes. So one would want to consider grinding all the junk off and starting again.
Does he have any pictures of work he's done? Or anyone who can provide references? Of course you don't necessarily know that any work depicted is his, but it helps narrow down the uncertainty a bit.

£60, i wouldnt trust any but a friend to make a good job at that price,theres allways more to do than first appears and as said above it wants cleaning back and doing properly unless your going to do it again next year

jamesmartin said:

£60, i wouldnt trust any but a friend to make a good job at that price,theres allways more to do than first appears and as said above it wants cleaning back and doing properly unless your going to do it again next year

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I agree, I wouldn't let just anyone weld my p38, you may regret it as there are a lot of cowboy welder s out there, let alone one you don't know anything about

going off that 2nd pic i think if that had been done properly in the first place i dont think that would of rotted out thro that pic. also it doesnt look like its had any after protection at all, underseal etc

theres a guy on the mig welding forum up fife way, I'd trust someone on there over a mobile welder

The Gumtree guy didn't have any pics of work done or anything on his post. The other ones I've e-mailed are more well established companies so I'll wait to hear from them before I do anything. The second pic is where the nearside dumb iron joins the chassis.

Its not a lot of work so not a bad price. Id do it for around that price

Not every welder charges £40ph.

Mobile welders don't have to pay rent on a unit, insurance on the unit and public liability for people that may hurt themselves. So they can be cheaper

Iv just repaired a bluckhead for someone just a walkin customer half adays work and only charged him £60, it was off the 110 and had just been shot blasted

maybe not much work if you stick a few patches on but theres a good bit more work there to do a proper job

You know you have rot issues when the patches repairing the rot, rot through!

300tdistu said:

and public liability for people that may hurt themselves

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er, think you do. just because you do not have a premises does not mean you do not need public liability. You are just as liable working in the street or at a clients premises as you are in the workshop.

Maybe even more of an issue as you can control access to a workshop, but you can't mitigate for joe public strolling past and being hit by a stray spark or similar.

300tdistu said:

Its not a lot of work so not a bad price. Id do it for around that price

Not every welder charges £40ph.

Mobile welders don't have to pay rent on a unit, insurance on the unit and public liability for people that may hurt themselves. So they can be cheaper

Iv just repaired a bluckhead for someone just a walkin customer half adays work and only charged him £60, it was off the 110 and had just been shot blasted

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I agree. I recon that could be an easy repair if you can get a cut off disk in there. poor job done in first place as the rot hasn't been cut out. :biggrin1: