Rusted Jack Point?

[Alex156]

Went out to change my front drop links this afternoon (2006 A6 Allroad) and was gutted to find the front left rubber mount you jack the car with with missing. On closer inspection the area was badly rusted with some sections rusted right through. I've attached a picture. Has anyone experience this and could anyone recommend a good welder/fabricator in the North East who may be willing to do a repair. Any ideas on cost for something like this? 

[Steve Q]

Wow that's bad. I've never seen that on a c6 before. It's not been in a crash before and been repaired? 

[Alex156]

Not so far as I'm aware. The undertray has been damaged near that point at some time though and so I wonder if it's caught on a rock or similar which may have contributed to this problem. 

[Magnet]

Hello Alex,

This certainly appears excessive, and leads to questioning why it is as bad as it is in this area. 

When was it last MOT’d? - obviously it will need to be sorted before the next one. 

If this were mine, I would be getting the whole underside checked to assess whether this is just a localised section or if there are other sections which will also require attention in the near future. If localised, then it’s reasonable to get this professionally repaired. 

Repairers? I would be asking for recommendations at a couple of smaller MOT stations. These can usually advise who to go to in your locality. Another possibility for a good recommendation would be to contact a local classic car club. Again these chaps usually have their fingers on the pulse for such things. 

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[Alex156]

Hi Gareth, 

Thanks for your thoughts. I would agree that it certainly is excessive and I'm surprised there were no comments on the last MOT (March 19) as I wouldn't have expected this must deterioration in 18 months. 

The main thing for me is getting it seen by someone who knows what they're looking at ASAP so I can start weighing up costs. My biggest fear is that no one will want to touch it and/or repair costs will be so high its not viable. 

Thanks, 

Alex

[Magnet]

Thanks for coming back on this Alex. 

As I see it, if the car was last MOT’d in March 2019, then at best this MOT will expire in the next couple of days - even taking into account the ‘extra’ 6 months extension due to Covid. 

If this i so, it will need an MOT’d with some urgency, and it should receive a thorough inspection of the underside at that time, and you will be informed what else (if anything) will need weld repair. You should then be in a position to decide your next move. The MOT station should be able to advise on local weld repairers, if they don’t do this work themselves, and estimated costing will be available to you. 

Probable aggravation is that the carpet will need to be partially removed and that is likely to entail the seat/s having to come out. 

I’m not sure why you think no one will want to do a weld repair on this. 

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[Alex156]

Hi Gareth, 

Thanks for your thoughts with this they're really useful and I appreciate the logical thought process. Always good when you are worried about something. 

I guess I'm very much a glass half empty type of person and so I have already convinced myself that the damage will be so severe and spread so badly that the costs of repair will outweigh the value of the car. 

I hope not as I have only just come around to the idea of investing some time and effort into the car to bring it up to scratch. Not to mention quite a lot of £'s have been sunk into it already. 

I just hope I can find someone good and reliable willing to sort it for me for a reasonable price. 

Fingers crossed, 

Alex

[Magnet]

Hello Alex,

I do appreciate where you are coming from, and if it were me, I would be breaking this down to simply one action at a time, and the first would be to get a good underbody evaluation. Just don’t worry about the next strep. 

Keep the ‘finding a good welder’ on the back burner for the moment. When you come to that stage, I would certainly be Googling for a local/ regional all-makes Classic Car club. Knowing about good local bodywork welders is always a must for classic car restoration, so I would be surprised if you don’t get a good lead via. that connection. 

Above all, it’s most likely to be sortable. Just let us know if there is anything we can advise on further. 

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[Alex156]

Hi Gareth, 

Thanks again for your thoughts they're really useful and have helped to determine the best course of action. I will of course provide an update as things progress. 

Thanks, 

Alex