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Conceivably, they may have to dismantle the entire vehicle to get to a hidden weld, which could require compromising the structural integrity of the vehicle if

Conceivably, they may have to dismantle the entire vehicle to get to a hidden weld, which could require compromising the structural integrity of the vehicle if dismantling is equivalent to cutting at any step in the dismantling process.

userbinator 8y ago
I'm guessing the welds aren't all that hidden, since the recall notice mentions that people will be inspecting the vehicles for them and if any disassembly is required it presumably won't take all that long since it mentions the B-pillar --- a part which isn't buried in a bunch of other stuff, unlike e.g. under the seats or the firewall. In any case, a weld done right won't weaken the structure --- they can be as strong or even stronger than the original material. It can be a bit surprising, especially to anyone who learns to weld for the first time and then tests his/her joints to destruction, to see just how strong they are.
- Someone 8y ago
  The hole needed for inspection (if any; inspection need not be visual) can be a lot smaller than what’s needed for adding a weld.
falcrist 8y ago
My first thought was that these weld points must be inaccessible without cutting the vehicle open. A weld point may be surrounded by metal structures that are themselves welded in place. I'd love to hear from a mechanical engineer how likely it is that a structural weld point would be buried this way.
- userbinator 8y ago
  Hidden welds are very common, although I don't know if these exact missing ones are. That said, cutting out entire pieces and replacing them is not uncommon; here's an interesting set of slides on replacing an entire B-pillar (the part missing the welds in these Subarus) on a Toyota: http://www.ciclink.com/archive/technicalpres/2010-7-Techpresent.pdf http://www.ciclink.com/archive/technicalpres/2010-7-Techpres... Note how the official repair instructions (surprised they even still publish these instead of "scrap the whole thing") literally say to cut the old one out and weld a new one in.

userbinator 8y ago

I'm guessing the welds aren't all that hidden, since the recall notice mentions that people will be inspecting the vehicles for them and if any disassembly is required it presumably won't take all that long since it mentions the B-pillar --- a part which isn't buried in a bunch of other stuff, unlike e.g. under the seats or the firewall. In any case, a weld done right won't weaken the structure --- they can be as strong or even stronger than the original material. It can be a bit surprising, especially to anyone who learns to weld for the first time and then tests his/her joints to destruction, to see just how strong they are.

Someone 8y ago
The hole needed for inspection (if any; inspection need not be visual) can be a lot smaller than what’s needed for adding a weld.

falcrist 8y ago

My first thought was that these weld points must be inaccessible without cutting the vehicle open. A weld point may be surrounded by metal structures that are themselves welded in place. I'd love to hear from a mechanical engineer how likely it is that a structural weld point would be buried this way.

userbinator 8y ago
Hidden welds are very common, although I don't know if these exact missing ones are. That said, cutting out entire pieces and replacing them is not uncommon; here's an interesting set of slides on replacing an entire B-pillar (the part missing the welds in these Subarus) on a Toyota: http://www.ciclink.com/archive/technicalpres/2010-7-Techpresent.pdf http://www.ciclink.com/archive/technicalpres/2010-7-Techpres... Note how the official repair instructions (surprised they even still publish these instead of "scrap the whole thing") literally say to cut the old one out and weld a new one in.