Anyone interested in getting a bash/skid plate made?

**Achtung Tiggy** · 15-03-2010, 11:11 PM

I'm still not sure that I should get one for my Tig. The thing is I don't go off-roading every weekend. So when I do, I could just stick to the easy treks that do not require much ground clearance.

But I'd reallly like to take a look at yours after you get it installed. And from there I can decide if I want to go ahead.

**Transporter** · 16-03-2010, 07:50 AM

Originally Posted by Achtung Tiggy

I'm still not sure that I should get one for my Tig. The thing is I don't go off-roading every weekend. So when I do, I could just stick to the easy treks that do not require much ground clearance.

But I'd reallly like to take a look at yours after you get it installed. And from there I can decide if I want to go ahead.

Hmm... around $400 is cheap insurance for me, knowing that once or twice a year trip will not cause me a headache when something pokes onto unprotected drivetrain. I will be definitaly looking for more undervehicle shielding incl. diff, fuel tank and CV boots (old Subaru Lseries had something like mudflaps attached to the steering rods protecting all cv boots /easy to make/)

Just my 2c.

**Achtung Tiggy** · 16-03-2010, 06:42 PM

Originally Posted by Transporter

Hmm... around $400 is cheap insurance for me, knowing that once or twice a year trip will not cause me a headache when something pokes onto unprotected drivetrain. I will be definitaly looking for more undervehicle shielding incl. diff, fuel tank and CV boots (old Subaru Lseries had something like mudflaps attached to the steering rods protecting all cv boots /easy to make/)

Just my 2c.

Good point there. I guess it boils down to how adventurous you are and how far you are willing to push the Tig.

**Transporter** · 16-03-2010, 07:07 PM

Originally Posted by Achtung Tiggy

Good point there. I guess it boils down to how adventurous you are and how far you are willing to push the Tig.

Yeah, especially if it is not only you driving the car. For example in our family, we share the cars and my younger daughter doesn't always say where she is going. So since it is a small SUV and some one could think that it should have some off road capability and lucking the knowledge will put the rock through the engine sump or similar.

**clip** · 16-03-2010, 08:56 PM

Originally Posted by Arctra

Steel is heavy, but it's stronger, less likely to bend as much as aluminium, and if it is bent or cracked can be welded easily. Aluminium is likely cheaper and lighter though, and can probably give enough support and protection to prevent shredding the sump. Opinions?

For what it's worth, I'd go with aluminium. apart from being much lighter, it will give a little - much more than steel, which can actually be a good thing by not transfering the impact load to the mounting points which could potentially do damage to the vehicle's chassis (particularly over time with numerous 'bashings').

**Transporter** · 16-03-2010, 09:07 PM

If it was marine grade aluminium, it would be actually quite strong.

**Arctra** · 28-03-2010, 01:09 PM

So I met with the guy again this morning as he had a bit of spare time to do a quick check of the rough cut. He's taken a few more measurements for making up the cross-member that the plate will be fixed to at the front, and also noted where the plate needs to be bent. He reckons there's about 2 hrs of work left for fabricating, cleaning it up, and fitting. Hopefully we'll get it done next weekend, but both he and I have bigger things going on in our lives that are higher priority at the moment.

Just thought you'd like an update if you were interested. Price is looking to be $400 before fitting. Here's a pic of the rough cut so far....

The cross-member will be a SOLID structure that will be very strong mounting point for the plate, and probably some good protection if anything ever hits it.

**Arctra** · 03-04-2010, 10:15 PM

Hi guys.

Well, today I met with Alex G and he finished off the skid plate. For those of you who do not know him, Alex is one of the founding members of this forum and has done a fair amount of work for other forum members. Having seen him work, and seen a couple of his finished product, I can highly recommend him if you want any fabrication work done.

Anyway, there was more work involved in sorting out the prototype than originally anticipated, but the final result is very impressive. Not only does it look awesome, but it is an impressively solid skid plate. Brilliant job by Alex, and a huge thank you. Here are some pics for you...

Underside of Tig with "Noise Insulation removed"

Steel pipe cross-bar to attach the plate to at the front (work in progress)

Steel pipe cross-bar in place. It attaches either side and protects the bottom of the radiator as well as provide an anchor point for the plate.

Plate with bend in it awaiting welding

Final bits ready for installation. The steel cross-bar is painted with etching paint to protect it from rust, and the 6mm aluminium plate edges have been cleaned up to remove metal burs and sharp edges. Fine piece of work!

The final installed plate

So, for those of you interested in getting one of these plates, as I said, it takes longer to make than originally anticipated so there isn't much hope in getting the final cheaper than $400. Still, at that price I can tell you it is a solid product and great value for money if you plan on going off the beaten track. If you take a look under your Tig you will see the sump and gearbox are very exposed! Alex will look into getting a batch laser-cut if enough are ordered, which should speed things up a bit. So, at a price of $400, can you please let me know if you want one. Once I have a firm number I will get back to him and see whether he is interested in manufacturing them.

**Arctra** · 04-04-2010, 09:33 AM

Just to follow up and show you how strong the plate is...

In this video, Alex is trying to bend the plate along a 3mm deep cut across the plate (on the underside), and struggling as you can see. This stuff is STRONG!

As for the cost, I did a bit more digging around for the OEM plate while waiting for Alex to make my plate up. I managed to find the part numbers for the OEM bit, and called a dealer in Sydney about it. They determined there are 2 OEM plates sitting in VW Australia's warehouse at present, but the dealer would not order the plate for me as the plate is not a standard part for the Australian model. It was not worth their while "taking the risk" of ordering it for me in case I decided I did not want it after they got it in. Pretty lame reasoning there seeing as there are already 2 in stock in Aus, so it's not like they are taking much of a risk like they would ordering it from Germany or Singapore.

Anyway, so I then contacted another NSW dealer (from a different parent group) to see what they could do. First the guy in Part said that VW don't make skid plates for the Tiguan. When I said I had found the part number on the internet, I heard him pass a smartarse comment to one of his co-workers, who passed a similar sarcastic comment back. But when he checked the system he found the plate and the fact that there were 2 in stock in Aus, but wasn't humble enough to take his words back. Anyway, he then quoted me some some $800 for the kit (without the labour for fitting it).

So there you are, if you want to deal with arrogant and/or cocky dealers and persevere with getting one of the already available OEM plates, good luck and I hope the extra cost is worth it. This plate from Alex is half the price, and he's a nice, decent, friendly, and helpful guy to deal with.