Crack in Barn Door - Is this a problem??

[Rusty86]

This crack has been in the door since I bought the car around a year ago. I know it's a common problem especially when carrying a larger than stock tyre (mine are 285/75/16).

The crack has not got any bigger at all and the door is still very stable, is this something I need to worry about in the near future? What are the consequences or remedies?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Cheers,
Rusty

[oncedisturbed]

I have exactly the same problem on my 4.8 2009 GU. It hasn't got any bigger but it is caused by the bigger tyres on the back (previous owner). 1st thing is to take the tyre off the back but bearing in mind once this is removed, the door will move up without the weight so there will be a bit of clicking coming from the locking mechanism (grease etc fixes this).
2nd - the only way to fix it is to get another door or remove the 1 you have, strip it back, weld the cracks, respray etc and then re-fit it again.

[megatexture]

are you or anyone you know handy with a welder ? the glass would more then likely need to be removed in order to do it properly and not effect the rubber seal or possibly new door from a wrecker might be an easier option, maybe someone else may have a better idea.

seems like a strange place to crack from the extra weight as it is above the tyre and isnt realy takeing the load. how are the hinges?

[Rusty86]

Cheers, yeah thought that would be the solution, but that sounds like an unnecessary cost/effort if it's not going to get any worse. I guess it'll be best to keep and eye on it and if it starts feeling unstable then consider my options. Mine is an '04 so yours seems to have happened fairly quickly in the car's life for an '09, could've still made it under warranty?

Mine's only a 33" AT, some guys leave a 35" muddy hanging which I can see would cause problems after a while.

Cheers,
Rusty

[oncedisturbed]

i have 33 AT's on mine, not sure what the previous peeps had on it. Nissan refuse to cover it under warranty as they state it is over-used or used greater than it's intended purpose.

hinges are fine, no issues there at all. Nissan refuse to acknowledge that there is an issue as it is reasonably common issue, if you notice the pic closely, you can see it is just above a seam weld

[Rusty86]

are you or anyone you know handy with a welder ? the glass would more then likely need to be removed in order to do it properly and not effect the rubber seal or possibly new door from a wrecker might be an easier option, maybe someone else may have a better idea.

seems like a strange place to crack from the extra weight as it is above the tyre and isnt realy takeing the load. how are the hinges?

Nah don't know any welders and I'm generally pretty average with things like that... A wrecker might be an option though...

The crack is only slightly above the tyre, looking at it it sorta makes sense, but yes I carefully checked the hinges because I thought they would be affected too, but no, all good, hinges are very strong and no signs of cracks or movement. I have read of barn door cracks being quite common so I assumed this was the area they cracked after I saw mine, has anyone had them cracking in other areas?

Maybe the type of terrain the car's driven would play a part - the original owner set it up and took it around Aus for a few trips. Maybe extensive driving over corrugations etc have taken their toll?

Cheers,
Rusty

[jet]

It is a common problem, I had mine repaired under warranty, they welded a small plate inside but did require the glass to be removed which is tricky as it has that rubber edging on it and thats easy to stuff up getting it out.
I never had larger than
The crack is already quite bad and yes eventually that will break through the pillar section. Only option then is replacement and theres a real chance the glass could break in the mean time (thats really big $$)

Id get it repaired, try to find out who can do it, Nissan might help finding them

[the ferret]

I'd be inclined to fit standard tyres and hook it back to Nissans and make a lot of noise!!
The door is not standing up to it's intended purpose as far as I'm concerned.
Cheers, the ferret.

[megatexture]

nissan wont do anything for free id just look around yourself, did they give you any indication what the repairs cost? as opposed to a 2nd hand door

[cairnsGU]

Mine has carried standard wheel on back since 2001. After reading this i went and had alook. Small crack visable in the door. Would drilling hole at end of crack stop it spreading cause i wanted to put my 285-75-16 on the door.

Dan