Hi, the mechanic said that my Audi TQ '86 has a "bent subframe"? How serious is that? I had a little mishap; drove over the curb and over a sign and back on to the road. The oilpan was flattened and the car quickly lost it's oil. I drove it for a block looking for a parking spot after flattening the sign and the car drove fine, backed it up and everything, no problems. No problems starting up either. I noticed that the driver's door opened with a slight hesitation. So what's a "bent subframe"? Is this something that can be fixed with a frame puller? Is it worth it? The car drove fine (it's at the mechanic now), is it ok to drive it the way it is?
The subframe is a rather small piece of iron and probably easy to find at any junkyard. Since you want to keep the car, find a new subframe and repair the old lady.
That's what I thought it was, I could see there was a dent in it, seeing what I when over, that's one tough car.
I noticed that there was a slight hesitation when opening the driver's door after I parked the car, after rolling over the sign..... could there be more than just a bent subframe?
cp, Yes, there could be more damage than just the bent subframe - there is probably some permanent set to the unibody. Is it worth trying to pull it out? If it's minor, then probably not. The cv/u-joint/center bearing mount on the prop shaft will allow for some minor angle changes - just be sure that the impact itself (which bent the subframe and thus moved the engine and tranny) did not damage the prop shaft and it's connected parts - minor damage to these things will make one heck of a racket at moderate speeds. Also, be thankful that you don't have a CF driveshaft like the (IIRC)
90q20v's - they don't take too kindly to a strike from a concrete sign anchorage. Replacing the subframe would be an ideal time to do some important mount replacements - subframe mounts (4), engine mounts (2), tranny mounts (2), sway bar mounts (2 mid-supports and 4 end-support rubber pieces). Check the lower control arms while you're at it - make sure there's no play in the ball joints. Make sure that your mech uses new subframe bolts (4) as they are stretch bolts (like head bolts) and should not be reused. Check with your mech as well to ask if the strike was in the area of the oil pickup - you can get a replacement at the local auto wrecker. If you may consider taking the car to the track in the future - the medians have tires instead of signs there ;-) - you may also consider putting a "20v windage tray" in there to prevent oil starvation in high g turns. You can get the tray from the dealer, and it's shown at Huw Powell's site at (note that you'll need 2 oil pan gaskets instead of 1):
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Steve Sears
1987 Audi 5kTQ
1980 Audi 5k
pan. Four bolts drops it. You could carry it in your
what I when over, that's one tough car.
door after I parked the car, after rolling over the sign.....
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