I have a 1999 Volvo S70 NA. It has 121,000 miles and has never been in a fender bender let a lone a major accident. It was an off lease vehicle that has always been equipped with stock wheels and orginal sized tyres. Lately, the left wheel has been rubbing on inner fenderwheel when performing sharp turns in the parking lot. With the wheel assembly removed, I was trying to inspect the driver's side control arms for looseness when I found this horrifying sight:





The crack seems to be in weld on the fwd side of the aft inboard control arm mounting lug. I was able to jam a 0.020" thick wire feeler guage into the crack at it's widest portion. From casual measurement, the crack is .75 inches long.

First off, is the vehicle unsafe to drive and should I immediatly park it in the garage until repairs are made?

Can the crack be repaired by welding without damaging the temper/strcutural strength of the subframe. If not, what is the normal cost of a used subframe in good condition and how long would be the replacement for somebody in the home garage to do.

Other than needing new shocks all the way around and having typical S70 interior issues, it has a couple of electrical gremlins going on. If the repair cost to the subframe is to high, I am very willing to part the vehicle out since I do not believe in selling unsafe vehicles to unsuspecting buyers.

 

That crack can be fixed very easy with no structural problems.

 

Your pictures are not viewable.

You can't drive a viehicle that iou know is unsafe. A cracked subframe is unsafe. It's a major structural component for a vehicle. The good news is that a professional welder can fix that without too much issue. I say that not seeing the picture, but i would bet its not that serious a crack. Go to a body shop and ask them to weld it up for you. I would bet you would be out less than $100. You can also ask them to inspect the subframe while they are in there. it's very unusual for a low mileage car that has never been damaged to have a craked structural componenet.

Regarding the cost of a subframe, call a junkyard. the job is not a terrible job but its an all day job. You have to support the engine from above and disconnect everythig underneath. I would expect that you could do it over a weekend.

Personally, I generally drive a car until it cries. then I patch it up toi keep it running until non-repairable structural stuff starts to happen (frame of the body, floor pan); things that are just too difficult to replace or repair, so long as it looks decent.

 

I am sure you can have that welded with no great threat to safety.
Changing a subframe on that car is totally cost prohibitive.
Damage like that can be caused by a variety of mishaps which would normally never hit an insurance claim, Carfax, etc. Running into a ditch comes to mind, as well as jumping a high curb. An obvious "accident" is not necessary--there are many other types of damages a car can sustain and not be reported.

 

Thanks guys. It took a little bit of effort, but I was able to get a metal fabricator who welded the crack for a very resonable price.