Subject: Re: Subframe bolt. Stripped hidden bolts

[J123fs at aol.com]

Subject: Re: Subframe bolt. 


 
 
My 2 cents here, as I too have gone through this twice myself.......
I have fixed them without any major hassles by using a heilicoil in one,  and 
tapping out the other to the next bolt size up.
The heilicoil from an engineering standpoint is a better way to go  - as you 
end up with a fix that is strong as a new nut and bolt-  downside is the cost 
for the kit, something like 65 bucks. 
Tapping out the captive nut to the next bigger size is not ideal as you end  
up with nut that is theoretically too thin for bolt it is holding  
(engineering maxim of the nut should be as thick as the bolt is wide, assuming  they are 
the same material), but I did it on my 5K 100,000 miles ago and it is  holding 
just fine.......
Both times the job was done in 20-30 minutes, and I think the vast amount  of 
that time was spent getting the car onto Jack Stands so as to be safe working 
 under it, and I actually did it on drive up ramps the second time. No 
hassles,  no trauma, no cutting the car floor as some recommended....... and BTW 
.....my  buddy at the VW/ Audi stealership stated that the body shop(s) he knows 
also  stopped cutting holes in the floors and heilicoils em too.
Again my 2 cents
Jack