Morning all

My fourth MOT on my L322 and the MOT guys said, we cant pass it anymore. The subframe is just too bad !
Ive had the odd but welded on the frame over the years, various cans of rust trestment by me to but enough is enough, this was always going to happen and its now too servere.

I cant tackle this at home - its too big of a job

The car has now done 192.000, im going to assume the subframe now financially writes this car off due to the labour and various misc costs involved. I have found a couple of decent looking subframes on ebay that id get treated properly before re-installation on the car, but I am assuming nearly £1000 + all in to sort this out.

Ive saved thousands in labour costs over the years doing a lot of it myself like many of you on here but my question is ? is this finally it ?
This time - the screwdriver doesnt lie

Should I now just throw it on ebay as spares and be done with it?

Its got many good parts on it now, seems such a waste to scrap it.

These pictures pretty such sum it up

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Its probably the last pic that they took particular dislike to, you might be able to get that patched /welded and get some more life out of it for not too much outlay

They said they wouldnt weld it as I did mention that.
the screwdriver kept going through various sections, i was like ….. stop ! lol

dont fancy driving it too far in its current state anyway as its only going to spread unless the crappy bits are cut out. Current Fleet

FF L322 2.9TD6 SE
BMW e46 330ci Msport
Skoda Superb TDI Mk2, stage 1
Audi A3 8P 2.0 T 4x4, stage 2
Yamaha R6 13S
Triumph Thruxton R
Sold, but not forgotten

WJ Jeep Grand Cherokee V8

Wouldn't the job just take a workshop a few hours if you supplied a good used sub-frame, especially if the bushes are OK so that only new bolts were fitted?

A welded "repair" on a sub-frame is a straight fail anyway !

Below is the MOT Testers Manual


5.3.3. Suspension arms, rods, struts, sub-frames, anti-roll bars etc.

Some vehicles use thin gauge steel pressings for some highly stressed suspension components.

Many of these parts have hollow ‘box sections’ or up-facing areas that can collect road dirt, salt or other chemicals that can cause severe local corrosion.

You should pay special attention to these components.

Unsafe modifications include:

. welded repairs

. the use of excessive heat to highly stressed components (see Appendix A)

. modifications likely to affect the roadworthiness of the vehicle[/b] 2009 - L322 5.0 S/C Autobiography

Last edited by RS2000CUSTOM on 8th Oct 2022 1:23pm. Edited 1 time in total

I do not think the sub frame is a thin gauge steel pressing, therefore section 5.5.3 should not apply, which would mean the bad on welding it does not apply

Johnh wrote:

I do not think the sub frame is a thin gauge steel pressing, therefore section 5.5.3 should not apply, which would mean the bad on welding it does not apply

On closer inspection on the ramp they were pointing out other areas that were crumbly on the subframe, another reason why they said they wont weld it.

So the original question remains …. Financially written off potentially

They couldnt tell me off hand how much it would cost in labour, as they have never done one.

Ideally im looking if anyone else has done one on an L322 or not ?  Current Fleet

FF L322 2.9TD6 SE
BMW e46 330ci Msport
Skoda Superb TDI Mk2, stage 1
Audi A3 8P 2.0 T 4x4, stage 2
Yamaha R6 13S
Triumph Thruxton R
Sold, but not forgotten

WJ Jeep Grand Cherokee V8

If the rest of the car is good then it's simply a question of if it's more economical to repair or scrap and buy another. Get some quotes.... 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

Plenty of independent LR specialists about

Get a couple of possible costs and then decide

Will always be cheaper than buying another car ! 2009 - L322 5.0 S/C Autobiography

have a word with the chaps at CSK

https://www.cskautomotive.co.uk/the-land-r.../about-us/

they will be able to give you some pointers, they are near me in Buntingford, but depending on where you are in Essex, well worth getting your L322 on the ramp for them to look at - top class 4x4 Land Rover shop around these parts anyways

The rest of the car is “ok” in general, apart from a squeaky PAS pump (2nd one in a year or so now).
The last rusty bits I had deal with was for the rear sills & arches (theres a thread on here somewhere about all that)

The L322 doesnt get used much, its generally a workhorse / tow car - as I know where I am with it I probably should look to get it sorted.

I got hold of an e70 X5 last month which is in much better knick than my L322 so id rather not shove a tow bar on it to be fair, then plan was for it to become my new daily.

Ive got JSF in Manningtree near me too so Ill give them and CSK a call next week get an idea of what they say.
For now , ill pop it on a sorn and park it in a corner  Current Fleet

FF L322 2.9TD6 SE
BMW e46 330ci Msport
Skoda Superb TDI Mk2, stage 1
Audi A3 8P 2.0 T 4x4, stage 2
Yamaha R6 13S
Triumph Thruxton R
Sold, but not forgotten

WJ Jeep Grand Cherokee V8

If the rest of the car is worth it and you can source one they’re not that bad to do and can be done in a day, maybe less.
I did one last year but the customer supplied the subframe and I’m not sure where he got it from, but it was a new one.

a new one wouldnt be worthet for this car to be honest, a good used one (thats been coaked in oil most of its life) is ideally what im after, found s few for £100/£150 on ebay. ideally id view first.

Can I ask roughly what your customers bill was ? Current Fleet

FF L322 2.9TD6 SE
BMW e46 330ci Msport
Skoda Superb TDI Mk2, stage 1
Audi A3 8P 2.0 T 4x4, stage 2
Yamaha R6 13S
Triumph Thruxton R
Sold, but not forgotten

WJ Jeep Grand Cherokee V8

Can’t an engineering firm “knock one up”, for want of a better expression, using thicker steel and your old one as a template? Or are the costs involved daft?

 2011 Range Rover Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8

Previous cars :
2003 Range Rover Vogue TD6
1999 Discovery Td5 ES
1995 BMW M5 3.8 6 speed
1992 Range Rover 3.9 Efi Vogue
1992 BMW M5 3.8
1988 BMW 735i SE
1989 Ford Sierra XR4x4 2.9i
1981 Ford Fiesta Supersport