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It failed the MOT today. Disappointed since throughout the vehicle's MOT history, there has never been an advise regarding rust.

Looking under it, I can make out a couple of rusty holes, but I haven't had a chance to examine it well just yet.


The mechanic estimated that the cost of a rear subframe would be £1200 (if it is a genuine part), which would bring the total cost to approximately £2200 (including labour). Additionally, if any additional parts were damaged or needed to be repaired, an additional £500 may be added to the bill. Alas, more than the vehicle is actually worth.

Having owned the car for more than nine years, I deeply regret not keeping a closer watch on it to avoid this tragedy.
Twenty years ago, I owned German automobiles that had no subframe or corrosion problems.

Does anybody had experience with this lately? Old aftermarket components, etc.

This is definitely going to be too huge of an iob for me to handle, so I'll get multiple quotes.

Approximately £100 for a used sideframe

£250 for sandblasting and powder coating


Because to its simplicity and excellent ramp access, the installation should cost roughly £500.

What do they mean when they say "if anything else is seized"? If the subframe is worthless to begin with, you can easily remove all of the bolts in five minutes with an angle grinder.

I received a recon one from Global that had been blasted and powder coated last year after completing a 1 series. £250 It was probably.
It was necessary to procure a toe arm and several arm bolts because the latter were seized and necessitated cutting.

For less than £400 and with free shipping, you may get a lot on eBay.

When garages aren't interested in the job, they send out quotations like that to get other places to quote on fitting the work into a subframe they found.

Sometimes, it's only a matter of chance, your honor. It just takes a bump on the road or a sloppy mechanic chipping the powder coat when they change the arms or bushings.

The front and back of my RS4 were in a bit of a shambles not long ago, but the rust is so deep that it's mostly surface rust with very mild pitting. My tires were coated by a business that specializes in painting subsea pipes, so they should last far longer than the car.


So you can see how salvageable the automobile parts are, I can upload some images if you're interested. If the vehicle as a whole is in decent condition, the effort will be worthwhile.

I would say that they typically have a lifespan of around twenty years. As a matter of safety, Mercedes ones were being replaced at no cost, even if they don't.

Cars as young as ten years old require replacement front subframes due to Vauxhall's serious problem with front subframe rot, which frequently breaks and causes the front wheel to become loose. The rear lower arms of Volkswagens, which are just a decade old, decay and snap. For what reason hasn't the DVSA mandated safety recalls?