Anyone interested in getting a bash/skid plate made?

[Transporter]

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

[Arctra]

Update...

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]

The final product

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]

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.

[clip]

Not that I need one, but awesome job Arctra!

[Transporter]

It would be a worthwhile to see the genuine one any way. Just to compare them, sometimes genuine skid plates aren't strong enough to be a real "skid plate". I guess the plate is asymmetrical because there is a round bushing at the right (someone commented it was not symmetrical).
Great work!

[doc dogg]

I'll have to see what use our tiggy gets after it arrives but if I find we need a skid plate, I know where I'll be looking first

[Arctra]

Some questions answered

Q: So what does having the plate installed mean for servicing/oil changes etc? Is the plate easy to remove?
A: We did consider cutting a hole in the plate for easy sump plug removal, but to be honest it would have been a pain to do, would have weakened the plate a bit, and in the end the plate wouldn't have looked as nice. Removing the plate is simply a case or removing the front 4 bolts, the back 3 bolts, and the screws holding the mudguard plastics to the plate. Putting it back on is almost as simple, except you need assistance to hold the plate in place while you start the threads of the bolts. You could possibly do it unassisted by only starting the front bolts, then starting the back ones, then alternating between back and front tightening them.

Q: The plate has some specific shaping on the sides, that doesn't seem to mould to anything in particular in your photos? Does that shaping match to anything?
A: Yeah, it actually follows the shape of the underside to give maximum coverage and leave minimal gaps. I guess a more rudimentary plate that just protects the sump and gearbox is possible, but I wanted maximum coverage. On the edges of the plate the plastics of the mud guard actually screw into the plate. I did not take a pic of the plate after the screws were fitted – sorry.

Q: Could you get a ballpark figure of weight and dimensions?
A: I estimate the 2 parts weigh between 12kg's and 15kg's (combined weight). The steel pipe cross bar weighs more than the plate I reckon. The plate is about 1.4m wide, and about 1.2m long if I remember correctly.

Q: Have you noticed the plate when driving at all? Louder engine noise?
A: I've only had the plate a day or two now, and I can't say I have noticed any difference. I'm not particularly sensitive to little noises though to be honest, so maybe I am not the best judge. I doubt there would be any difference though. As your Tig is now, the "noise insulation" plastic plate doesn't cover your sump or gearbox, so other than acting as a stone guard for the underside of the radiator and the flywheel, I'm not sure what it does. With the full aluminium plate there, some engine noise may be reflect back up towards the cab, but I reckon that would be offset by the deflection of road noise back towards the road rather than letting it come through to the cabin.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

[mikinoz]

I don't need one, but have to say that is a bombproof solution Alex has come up with, you can jack the car off that cross bar. (you should be having an eyelet welded on the cross beam so you can get pulled out when you're bogged next )

[alex g]

funny you say that mik, i did have a vision of a nice tow point off the bar, which would be easy to do, could even incorporate something nice like on my mk1??

[Arctra]

I don't need one, but have to say that is a bombproof solution Alex has come up with, you can jack the car off that cross bar. (you should be having an eyelet welded on the cross beam so you can get pulled out when you're bogged next )

Bombproof indeed! The eyelet is a good idea too...

funny you say that mik, i did have a vision of a nice tow point off the bar, which would be easy to do, could even incorporate something nice like on my mk1??

Hmmmm.....
You reckon the bolts securing the cross bar would handle a snatch retrieval Alex? I'm sure it'll handle normal towing, but not sure about a snatch retrieval.

[jimbomort]

Arctra or anyone else have you looked into any kind of lift kit or pump up shocks or the like for the Tig. An extra 5cm or more would be handy for rougher stuff.

By the way see my addition to the Rough Roads thread for our experience with sand driving on Moreton island. Tig did well.

I might be interested in the bash plate yet and an eyelet sounds a good idea.

[Sharkie]

For those that want to spend more money than what Arctra's plate will cost you, here is an Original VW bash/skid plate ....

Volkswagen Tiguan 4 Motion 2.0T > Exterior > Skid Plate > ES#1897141 Genuine VW Steel Skid Plate - 5N0898001

Only USD520 + shipping !!!!

[jimbomort]

Arctra - having made some preliminary queries on lifting the car for more clearance, your bash plate is looking like a good option, especially if it included an eyelet. Have you checked that out? Only other query I have is whether I can mount it myself? ie does it come with the bolts etc and do they align with existing points or is more work required to mount it as well?

Sounds like changing the oil is a fair hassle with the plate on, but I could live with that and guess still have to remove the plastic cover without it.

Have a few taken up the offer now? - great that you organised it.

Two other quick Q's - does the steel bar mean the plate effectively lowers the clearance or does it sit pretty much where the old plastic over was?
- in your pics, it looks like there is bit of a gap b/w the front lip of the plate and the front dam. Do you reckon sand would pour in thru 'that gap' if you were pushing thru deeper sand or not really?

[YoYo]

Did more people get these made or others?