Welding Oil Pan - Who to ask?

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Hi Everyone,I'm looking for some kind of advice. I have an Audi A4 that is leaking some oil. Perhaps up to a quart a week. THere's a smal hole/crack on the bottom of the oil pan. The stealership has quoted $670 for replacing the oil pan, but i've been reading that TIG welding may do the job just fine.If I decide to go this route, who would I call? An auto Body shop? a regular mechanic? Who would have such tools for welding? I would appreciate if somebody could point me in the right directionAlso, what should I expect to pay to have this done by a welding professional?Here's what the damage looks like.
Reply:Where are you located?
Reply:Oil and welding don't mix. To do this right you need to clean the pan to remove all the oil and residue. It's possible to do this on the car, but it will be time consuming and the repair will be questionable. The right way is to pull the pan, clean it, weld it and reinstall it. $670 sounds cheap in comparison, since they'll have to do 95+% of the same work just to pull the pan to clean it.You might get away with cleaning the pan super well and using epoxy to patch the leak instead..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by rtgHi Everyone,I'm looking for some kind of advice. I have an Audi A4 that is leaking some oil. Perhaps up to a quart a week. THere's a smal hole/crack on the bottom of the oil pan. The stealership has quoted $670 for replacing the oil pan, but i've been reading that TIG welding may do the job just fine.If I decide to go this route, who would I call? An auto Body shop? a regular mechanic? Who would have such tools for welding? I would appreciate if somebody could point me in the right directionAlso, what should I expect to pay to have this done by a welding professional?Here's what the damage looks like.
Reply:yeah sorry. i'll remove the extra postings. Didn't know these forums were so active. I was hoping to not have to remove the pan. The part itself is not so expensive ($100 or so). It's just that if i removed it, i'd have to drop the subframe and it's quite involved.
Reply:Originally Posted by kustomizingkidWhere are you located?
Reply:Originally Posted by rtgyeah sorry. i'll remove the extra postings. Didn't know these forums were so active. I was hoping to not have to remove the pan. The part itself is not so expensive ($100 or so). It's just that if i removed it, i'd have to drop the subframe and it's quite involved.
Reply:I get called almost every day by someone wanting me to weld a cracked this or that on the car. And i decline. The oil is one factor (major factor). But space is another. People dont understand that you cant fit a torch everywhere. Now a guy dropped off a cracked transfer case yesterday and it was washed and sandblasted looked like a new part. I charged him $35. Took me five minutes.www.performancealuminumfabrication.com
Reply:I would epoxy it until you can come up with a cheaper solution to replacing the pan.www.thefusionsolution.com
Reply:Here are some pictures I found while searching, looks like you need to remove the sub frame and support the engine then remove the pan.http://s795.photobucket.com/albums/yy237/hosickjg/Depending on where the crack is, I would jack up the car as high as you can to get the oil on the side of the pan furthest away from the crank and clean the crap out of it over and over and over again then try some JB weld. And let it cure for a full 24 hours. That would be the cheapest way. Most important part is it has to be squeaky clean or else the JB weld or epoxy won't bond to it. Simple green, power purple, or whatever, wire brush, few rags. It has to be clean and dry.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:I would just pony up the $670 for peace of mind.I.B.E.W Electrician and Damn Proud of It !!!! .Virtus Junxit Mors Non Separabit http://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/
Reply:Thank you all for the suggestions. I ended up using epoxy, and it's holding quite well for now. Eventually I may replace the whole pan, as I get time to do it myself.Thanks again!
Reply:$670.............reason 327 why I tell my wife "NO" to a TT..........200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.