99 New Jetta Oil Pan has a crack - weld it or get a new one?

There's a 1.5 - 2 inch hairline crack in my oil pan. Its already been welded once and had a gas tank repair patch put on it. The patch held for about a year. It oozes a bit when its sitting in the garage. I'm not sure how much it leaks when I'm driving.





So, should I take it to a weld shop (about $70/hour plus the pain and hassle of getting the damn thing off)





Or, should I spend the $500 to get a new oil pan and have it installed?99 New Jetta Oil Pan has a crack - weld it or get a new one?
vw has released a hybrid steel/aluminum pan that cost about 60$ from the dealer.the bottom half is steel and is replacable if damaged in the future.this pan came on all 04 and later 2.0s. its cheaper than the original all aluminum pan.99 New Jetta Oil Pan has a crack - weld it or get a new one?
Go to the junk yard and pull one off of a junk yard car. That's like, 25$ tops... Take it easy on the speed bumps.
Go to www.car-part.com maybe you get one cheap
my recommendation? replace it. volkswagon oil pans are lightweight materials. as an auto fast lube technician, ive seen so many stripped VW oil pans because it is easy to do due to the light materials. any repairs may be a temporary fix, but the constant heating and cooling of the metal will make the repair(s) come lose down the road. replacing the pan will be your best bet in the long run
replace it...you'll be better off.....and slow down over them bumps
They sell a steel oil pan for vr6 engines:


http://www.drivewire.com/volkswagenparts鈥?/a>





they also make hybrid oil pans (upper portion aluminum - lower portion steel) for 2.0 and TDI. Please give as much information as possible when ordering because there are many configurations available (vin production splits, w - w/o oil sensor, etc).





http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/VW-GOLF-J鈥?/a>





Whatever you do, don't get it welded - that pan is designed to twist with the engine (ever so slightly) so welding it will only be a temporary measure and you don't want it to give while you are on the highway.





But $500 is not unreasonable, it would just be better if the pan weren't all aluminum.
Go to Germanautoparts.com. They deal with volkswagen parts. I buy all my vw parts from them. A pan with the gasket you need should be no more than $120 and you can do it yourself in about 30-45 minutes. $500 is ripping you off big time.
since the welded area will be stronger than the rest of the pan, it is your choice weather to weld or replace. do what you can afford
go to the weld shop first with the vehicle and ask them if they can weld that metal. They can tell, by just rapping on it, what kind of metal it is. With the oil it makes it harder to weld as the oil is absorbed into the metal. When they see that it has been welded will also be able to tell whether they can do it.


Why don't you first check with a auto wrecker for a used one. Going to be way cheaper than a New one.
If the pan is Aluminum you should be able to have it welded. Make sure they don't use Gas Metal Arc Welding on it. It should be welded using Gas Tungsten Arc Welding. The area around it should be cleaned completely. If you had someone weld it once and it broke at the weld then I would go back and get a refund and have someone who knows how to weld fix it. For $70 an hour you can tell them what method to use. If it is Steel then I would braze the crack and it should be cleaned beforehand.