[Welcome to NBA Jam]

Originally Posted by Briancanadiano

Hey guys thanks to all for the advice, BMW people are great!
With that said, I went to my mechanic and he sais it's nothing major. A nice weld will put it stronger then before, I'm test it for a week and keep my eyes on it, if it re cracks, then I will replace. I'll order it off ecs, my mechanic told me he'd charge me 180 in labour, but he said not to worry about it because everything else is in tack with no bends or anything, even the alignment is dead on! So I'll try it out, if it holds then ima call it a day. He also told me bmw are known for this, especially the e46 had this issue... Thanks for all the help guys!

Fantastic news. I'm no welder, but to me it looks like it can be very easily rewelded since it looks like it just cracked on the weld. Hopefully your mechanic is a good welder, because you want the best for that!

[David1]

You don't just weld aluminum. It's done, get one from a salvage yard.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by David1

You don't just weld aluminum. It's done, get one from a salvage yard.

What can that possibly mean?

Originally Posted by Briancanadiano

Hey guys thanks to all for the advice, BMW people are great!
With that said, I went to my mechanic and he sais it's nothing major. A nice weld will put it stronger then before, I'm test it for a week and keep my eyes on it, if it re cracks, then I will replace. I'll order it off ecs, my mechanic told me he'd charge me 180 in labour, but he said not to worry about it because everything else is in tack with no bends or anything, even the alignment is dead on! So I'll try it out, if it holds then ima call it a day. He also told me bmw are known for this, especially the e46 had this issue... Thanks for all the help guys!

Oh e46's are known for cracking their subframes after crashing into a curb? I had no idea!

[David1]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

What can that possibly mean?

Welding aluminum takes special equipment which most shops do not have. Done means that subframe is junk.....get a new one or a used one. You most likely will need the suspension parts on that side also.

[Blackhawk36]

Welding aluminum can be done easily with either TIG or MIG. No special equipment needed assuming the guy is actually a welder, not a mechanic who can also weld. You need to get the cracks closed up with some type of clamp before welding and as long as the car can be aligned to spec, you should be ok. There is certainly nothing wrong with trying as long as you aren't getting close to the replacement cost of a new subframe.

[Miller335]

Originally Posted by David1

You don't just weld aluminum. It's done, get one from a salvage yard.

[m80theWolf]

I would go through insurance if the total of the damage exceeded $1500, assuming this would be the only point on your license. Wawanesa tends to drop drivers with 2+ pts

[Briancanadiano]

Well if I weld this crack, get an alignment done without issues then I think that's my best bet, I called me insurance company and they told me I'll go from a 6 star to 5 star for 6 years and my premium will go up 60 bucks a month for a good 3 years... So either way will be expensive to fix...

I'd pay the 2k over 3 years plus ded and get it fixed right

[Efthreeoh]

None of you guys know anything about welding, seriously. The weld cracked, BFD.

OP, just clamp it to close the weld, then re-weld it with a MIG or TIG machine (both extremely common welding machines). If the shop has a lift, it's like a 10 minute job at most.

Jesus Christ.

[Meeni]

Ok for the broken weld, but what about the missing part on the round lobe, and the spider crack running from the center of the picture, that looks bad, I wouldn't trust this.

To do all these damages, that impact was huge. Something else's got to be damaged on the suspension arms/bushings.

[LSx]

To fix that broken weld is not a big deal, you grind out the weld to get a nice "V" for proper contact of the weld, and preferably spool gun MIG it due to accessibility. I'm sure any good frame or general fabrication shop is perfectly capable of making it as good as new.

What concerns me is any other damage that you may not see, it would be a smart idea to get some crack detection dye and check the other welds in the area that may be cracked, but haven't popped.

Obviously the safest route is replacement, but repair is perfectly acceptable if all damage is found and properly repaired.

[Briancanadiano]

Originally Posted by LSx

To fix that broken weld is not a big deal, you grind out the weld to get a nice "V" for proper contact of the weld, and preferably spool gun MIG it due to accessibility. I'm sure any good frame or general fabrication shop is perfectly capable of making it as good as new.

What concerns me is any other damage that you may not see, it would be a smart idea to get some crack detection dye and check the other welds in the area that may be cracked, but haven't popped.

Obviously the safest route is replacement, but repair is perfectly acceptable if all damage is found and properly repaired.

My mechanic told me he must remove the subframe in order to weld it. For all that work, I might as well put in a new one... Just having trouble finding a good cheap one shipped to canada.

[paintballdude05]

Have you tried finding one from a wrecker (junk yard)?

[Briancanadiano]

Originally Posted by paintballdude05

Have you tried finding one from a wrecker (junk yard)?

Well how will I know that one from the junkyard isn't bent or something, if it's a write off/accident car most likely that one will be f'd up to, no?

[paintballdude05]

The car could have been rear ended, flooded, fire... not all cars end up in front end collisions to be written off. Most reputable yards will know before they sell it. And if it does end up being bent, they should refund you your money.

[Welcome to NBA Jam]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

What can that possibly mean?

It's very difficult to weld aluminum properly due to its low melting point and high thermal conductivity, but it's doable.

[drewnel22]

Originally Posted by David1

You don't just weld aluminum. It's done, get one from a salvage yard.

Lol, so that weld that cracked...how do you think they made the part in the first place? Looks like it was welded. Yes you can weld aluminum.

Originally Posted by Welcome to NBA Jam

It's very difficult to weld aluminum properly due to its low melting point and high thermal conductivity, but it's doable.

Welding aluminum isn't easy but its not hard if you know what you are doing. It takes some practice and skill to do.

[Briancanadiano]

So far found one at a junkyard for 460 plus tax... What do you guys think?

[SCMalum]

Well, if your insurance goes up $60 for 3 years, thats $2160 total. Get the $460 part - see if you can solve the problem, then if not, circle up with your insurance.

If you go to the insurance company today, the bottom line is that having a ding on your carfax and trying to resell the car afterwards + the insurance premium increase, that'll be way more than just a $460 part that may solve all issues.

[Briancanadiano]

Originally Posted by SCMalum

Well, if your insurance goes up $60 for 3 years, thats $2160 total. Get the $460 part - see if you can solve the problem, then if not, circle up with your insurance.

If you go to the insurance company today, the bottom line is that having a ding on your carfax and trying to resell the car afterwards + the insurance premium increase, that'll be way more than just a $460 part that may solve all issues.

For sure! Found one cheaper 400 cash and 6 month warranty.. Not to shabby I guess