Sub-frame repair

[casalingua]

I believe some of the more skilled spanner wielders here have replaced or repaired their rear sub-frames. Mine will fail its next MOT in year´s time so I have to get this seen to. Could you estimate the number of hours removal and replacement would take? My mechanic, when pressed, gave a price estimate suggesting 80 hours, or perhaps 60. This seems a bit extreme, don´t you think? I reckon if I had the work done in the UK it would cost about a grand. Does anyone think this guess is close or not? Your thoughts on this would be of great interest. The car is in otherwise good shape. I also feel the mechanic´s estimate is informed more by an unwillingness to do the job in the first place.

[Dieselman]

To remove and replace the subframe takes about 1 hour all in.

[citroenxm]

I have personally done this job on my V6 24v S1 Manual car, which is on here some where...

Let me see if I can find it...

Have a look HERE on PAGE 2

I cannot give a time, as I did mine in my spare time, over about a month or two, actual time though yea, about 2 days...

Subframe removal is rather simple. Exhaust out the way.. undo the rod to the height corrector, and then four bolts to the mounts and down she comes.. I had the car high enough so the frame say on the floor and I could still work.. Watch the fuel pipes on the right side too, the fuel filter is there and the pipes are a bit short...

[casalingua]

Thanks for that. I really don´t see why the mechanic is evidently frightened of the job.

Richard

[robert_e_smart]

There is quite a bit of work to it. Taking it off the car, and fitting a new one is not that time consuming really. It depends on the spare subframe that you source. You will have to change the arms over, do you then change the arm bearings. You are best to repipe the subframe. Transfer the hydractive pipes, the cylinders, hope that you can undo the hydractive pipes from the cylinders, possibly change the cylinder dust boots. Swop over height corrector, (strip and clean it). Transfer anti roll bar and mechanism. Also add in cost to underseal the car and replacement before refitting, and budget again for welding to the shell of the car if you find a weak point when the subframe is removed. How will the exhaust respond to being upset? Is there a hidden weakness that won't show until you try to split it.

We should also remember that Denmark has a huge tax on new cars that we are fortunate not to have. I don't know how it affects used cars or imports though.

[citroenxm]

If you can source a better complete frame to swap, then thats a lot simpler, which is what Im gonna do with my SED 2.1.. Ive got a later newer frame to swap over complete.

Ive just re-read the topic, and got a little lost, prehaps with how Ive been, the topic was not for welding repairs, but a frame over haul... Oppps...

The time is for - as robert has above - dooing the frame over haul itself. Getting it off isn't too bad. Theres only 4 front to back pipes, but assuming the unions come undone ok thats not bad..

[casalingua]

So, in all, the removal and renewal of the subframe is a pretty big job, but is it an 80 hour job? I still don´t think so. If I estimated this job to cost about £1500 if done by a UK specialist, what would people say that?

[citroenxm]

FORGET IT

We used to get complete cars with good rears for 300 quid... I must say they are drying up though..

Still dont think £1500.. Rear arm bearing repair kits are about 40 a side.. what else, pipe work.. not excessive either..

[robert_e_smart]

£1500, I'd be buying another car.

Have you thought of taking it to some of the Dutch specialists?

[casalingua]

I´ve thought of taking it to the UK next summer. I hadn´t figured on just going to Holland which is a bit nearer! You say that at £1500 you´d just get a new car. I can´t. That amount of money here in Denmark buys you one of those lichen-encrusted cars that hasn´t moved from the back lot for 18 months after having been neglected by its last owner for two years. I don´t know why they attach these daft sticker prices to what are essentially unuseable carcasses.
Also, and this is personal to me, I just don´t want another car. Mine has been resprayed and has been incredibly lavishly maintained. The market "value" of the car and the price of "equivalent" cars don´t reflect this. So, priority number one is to find an economic way to keep this exact car.

Here is my car as photographed in September: http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Community/ ... emId=15166

So, the question remains unanswered: do you plural consider £1500 in the ball-park for getting this work done in the UK? Or is it too high or too low?