by quite a bit. I've welded both to repair damage (from PO, I would never drive a vehicle over questionable terrain:p :p ) and the MB oil pan is pretty strong. However, still you must be careful that nothing is resisting and that the pan is i good shape. The one I repaired got hit real hard and the gouging on the bottom terminated in a crack at the oil drain. In a case like this (it was only seeping slightly) I wouldn't do it, you'd almost certainly make it worse