I was turning into a driveway that wasn't level with the street, about 1inch bump and something broke. I'm not sure what it is and how much it would cost to fix but I got pictures. Any help would be much appreciated as this is my daily driver. TIA

Pictures were taken from the rear passenger wheel well with the wheel/tire removed. 04 coupe Auto

 

That is the rear swaybar mount.... unfortunately there have been a couple reported either broken or cracked... you will need to take it to a shop and have the mount re-welded.... don't know what the cost is...

Edit: dont forget to look at the other side too!

 

thanks for the quick reply. would it be safe to drive it to a shop or should it be towed?

 

I would consider it safe to drive, but you will hear some banging when you hit a bump.

I have broken the same mount on several american made cars. On all of those the U bracket bolted directly to the frame and not to a welded on bracket like this. Pretty lame design considering the forces the bracket will face.

Good luck getting it welded back on.

 

Thanks, I heard the clunking right after the driveway. Is it safe to just start welding or do the fuel tank need to be removed. If I could get a step by step it would be great. I know a welder, but he doesn't know much about cars.

 

Welders that don't know much about cars, might not be the best welder for the job. Take it to a "car" shop, and let them steer you to the right welder. A good welder who knows about cars will know about "gas tanks"...lol... Make sure your insurance policy is paid up to date, might want to lower your deductable...OK, just kidding on the last sentence...good luck...

 

This should be an easy fix. The fuel system just ahead of it should be shielded or at least sprayed with spark shield. I better look at my mounts for cracks, easier to fix before complete failure

 

Thanks for the advice. I'll start looking for a shop, I've never had to go to one. Anyone have a rough estimate, so I don't get ripped off. Any chance my insurance would cover this? State farm with collision/comprehensive coverage $500 deductible.

 

IMO, This would take 1hr labour, 1.5 max. Not worth getting insurance involved

 

Rekcah, sorry to hear about your problems. But I'm glad you posted it. It sounds like it might be something for anybody who has ever driven on the Dragon may want to take a look at.
Good Luck with the repair, like Doc said, most any shop should be able to steer you in the right direction to find a welder.
Show it to your friend, I'm sure he knows how to properly "shield" any potentially dangerous areas from damage.

 

Just wanted to report that I got it fix for $150. Thanks for all the replies

 

More than fair....everyone check their butt and see if their's has a crack....well, you know what I mean...

 

Mine just cracked a couple of weeks ago. The body shop wants $2025 for the repair. Pull the suspension, the gas tank, the exhaust and some interior. I see rekcah got it done for $150. That is more in my budget! So what kind of shop can do this work?

 

Sorry this has happened to your xf. I got it done at a small local independent auto repair shop.

 

When mine broke, the first time, It cost $200.00 from a local muffler shop.But the owner is a friend of mine and gave me a break. He had to pull my gastank and rear compartment pieces, prior to welding. The actual "weld"isn't a big deal, but his fear was the gas tank position. It’s now broken again…and trust me, I’m not driving hard or putting any extra stress on the vehicle.I’m convinced (especially after reading so many posts) it’s a design flaw!

 

Quick. Someone design a support that prevents breaking.

 

ROB can you hear us now??? Should be a gusset plate to fix this and bolt it on over a larger area, like I did to my seat. Wdy

 

Woody, I took a look at my N/A roadster, and it appears that the broken bracket in the pictures is a welded on piece that has the rubber grommet bracket bolts WELDED into it on the inside BEFORE it is welded to the frame. I don't think a gusset plate will help.
There would have to be some sort of additional brace plate that has holes for the existing bolts and 4 more holes to bolt through the floor pan. The existing bolts have about 1/2" extra thread showing, so this may be possible.

 

2 years later and the sway bar mount broke on the other side.

Thinking about trading in the XF. too many things going wrong with this car.

 

I know old thread but just in case anyone wanted to know how close the gas tank is to the sway bar mount. Pics attached.

Fixed this side myself. Was able to get job done with 90amp flux wire welder from Harbor Freight for $90 without any prior welding experience. It's been two months since the weld and it's holding just fine even with the crappy roads around here.

Work involved removing everything in the trunk, putting car on jackstand. Did not have to remove the tank. Just removed the 4 mounting nuts and was able to raise it about 2 inches and supported it then shielded the bottom of tank before welding. Make sure to scrape/remove as much of the rubber like undercoating from the area to be welded. It's highly flammable found out the hard way, a couple of times it re-ignited after I blew it out. Also recommend an fire extinguisher which I did not have but had a garden hose.

This is probably easier done on a lift.

Sorry no DIY writeup, since I was really pissed off at the time.