Non Toyota general car repair question

[Audi]

A mate of mine has a 1994 Nissan Sentra that failed its warrant due to a rusted front cross member. Any ideas on approx how much this would cost to fix?

[rollaholic]

depends how rusty, and where

if its the radiator support it might just unbolt, could be as cheap as $60 from a wrecker

if it needs welding, i would expect it to be well into the hundreds for a proper job

what has the WOF guy requested? that it be bought back bare metal so they can inspect the weld & repairs? if not could probably bodge it up for alot less

[iOnic]

You'll probably need an engineer's certificate ($$$) and a cert ($$$) if you do any welding (modification) to the crossmember. Will be far cheaper to get a second hand one from a wrecker

[Audi]

That's a good point. I think I'll start ringing round to see if I can find a replacement at a decent cost.

[rollaholic]

repair and modification are two different things, all that matters is what the WOF inspector has asked for!

[iOnic]

repair and modification are two different things

Any welding done on structural parts has to be carried out by a certified welder and you have to provide an engineer's certificate with materials used, tensile strengths and welding specifications before you can get it on the road. Repair in this case is classed as a modification because you are altering the part from it's factory form - Same goes for welding chassis rust.

You can't just weld crap and get a WOF without everything being checked out and approved as being up to standard.

all that matters is what the WOF inspector has asked for!

WOF guys aren't required to have an engineering background. They don't inspect any welding work, it's not their job. They don't have the authority to pass modifications to structural members that are uncertified. That's what the LVVTA is there for.

[rollaholic]

unless the wof inspector has asked for it to be certified, i wouldnt even consider it.

fix rust, take car back, get wof.

[iOnic]

good luck with that

[rollaholic]

surely if the inspector felt that it was beyond his ability to assess the integrity of the repair he would have required said engineers report.

[iOnic]

I'm only speaking from experience on mine and other people's cars. Clearly you know different. What would I know though, I'm only a welder/fabricator by trade and offering advice to the fella from what I've come across in the past

[evil_si]

ive read some were
that steering, brake and suspension welding must be crack tested

all other welding if it looks to a decent standard is fine,
if it looks suspect request engineers cert.

im building a complete chassis for my ute from scratch, and no were does it say i must be a certified welder, the cert guy is happy so i guess thats all that counts in my case

[Voyeur]

Thats correct simon, when i buit my t,bucket. I could do everything myself, except for the suspension arms. My certifier did however get me to do a sample butt weld which he tested before i was allowed to do the chassis.

[iOnic]

fair enough. I just went with what I experienced on my car. It had rust in the A pillar + sunroof + around the windscreen area and also had dents in the chassis rails/subframe. I fixed all of this and was asked to provide proof of all my welding qualifications and all the work had to be checked out by an engineer that i was referred to by the repair certifier before I could get it on the road.

[rollaholic]

it sounds like you were dealing with the compliance process.

we issue wofs where i work