I just had my door stay clicking fixed (welding method) by Devek and couldn't be happier. The cost was $400, which according to the rennlist archives, is as low as you're gonna see it. I also had a few other things taken care of while the car was there. I've also had my rotors/pads replaced about a month back and everything is great as well. Really a great bunch of guys that seem really commited to customer service.

BTW, no affiliation, yada yada...

 

Any details? and/or pics?

 

I had mine done on my last 993 for under $150. I told them to NOT remove the door (so as to do it from behind) but instead weld it in front to save effort. They even painted it for me! It ended up looking exactly like this, except midnight blue:

 

That's what my body man said he wants to do, weld from the front and touch up the paint.

 

Bill- your shop might appreciate seeing the pic above; mine did. Now that I think about it, I think I only paid $120. It probably only took them 2 hrs, and their rate is like $50/hr. They told me they took the door off, probably just to make the total bill seem palatable.

 

Really? Most posts i read in the archives have prices from $700 to up to $1000. The method devek used does not touch the paint on the top part of the hinge, thus retaining the factory paint in visible areas. I'll take a pic this weekend.

 

Really. Any cheap old body shop can do this.

But I can understand why welding it from behind might be difficult and expensive. But as you can see from the pic above, it doesn't look bad to do it the cheap way IMHO.

 

Hey I recognize that car....

 

That's what mine did - cost $50. Sorry dude, $400 = you got hosed.
All you can do now is

 

Hmmm...I do agree that it doesn't look bad doing it the easy way. Acutally, I would rather have gone this route to save $350. I guess this is the one time searching the archives and not asking first backfired. Ah well...what can i do now. At least my door doesn't click, lol.

 

Here is a pic of my drivers side door stay. Am I correct in assuming that the crack just needs to be welded up?

Body man says it's just a half hour job,

 

Bill, that sounds right. IIRC, they take the paint off only around the area of the weld, they use an electric arc welder (MAKE SURE THEY DISCONNECT THE CAR BATTERY), and you are done, except for the touch up paint needed to cover the exposed and welded area.

 

I had mine welded from the ouside with the door on £50 or so, it lasted 2 years (20,000) mile before pulling out. This time i had a proper job done, welded form the inside with a reinforcing plate etc. It cost £350 or so, but should outlast the car. It is also worth while replacing the check strap as well as they get stiff and will cause another early failure.
It is an annoying problem, but worth paying to fix properly in my experience.
Regards Robin

 

What a strange weakpoint in a car design with such a long history! How does one avoid this problem?

 

Never allow the doors to swing all the way open to the stops as this is what puts stress on the check strap. My wife had a nasty habit of flinging the door open - a few choice words put a stop to that.