Discussion
I had same dilemma as you however my life was made easier as I had made my mind up to change it as had a couple of oil leaks, mine was only a 318i, if it was a 330i I would have persevered more.
Also managed to convince the lady that this car was no good anymore so took advantage :-)
The front wings can be changed and non original can be picked up very cheap, £60 or so for non original and I thought the fit was pretty good. Get a good sprayer who will blend in otherwise the wing will stick out like a sore thumb.
Back wings you shall have to get a proper panel beater who can cut the old rusty bits and replace with new metal where corroded or else you shall have to fork out a couple of hundred quid a year to keep on spraying the back when they start to look nasty again which is the option I took.
Might be a good idea to post on the bodywork and detailing section as some good knowledge there, good luck.
Also managed to convince the lady that this car was no good anymore so took advantage :-)
The front wings can be changed and non original can be picked up very cheap, £60 or so for non original and I thought the fit was pretty good. Get a good sprayer who will blend in otherwise the wing will stick out like a sore thumb.
Back wings you shall have to get a proper panel beater who can cut the old rusty bits and replace with new metal where corroded or else you shall have to fork out a couple of hundred quid a year to keep on spraying the back when they start to look nasty again which is the option I took.
Might be a good idea to post on the bodywork and detailing section as some good knowledge there, good luck.
Edited by TX1 on Friday 15th March 23:50
Patrick Bateman said:
Well what would you do with rust in the rear arches?
To sort this 100% you'd be as well writing off the car.
On E46 rear arches, you'd be surprised how well even the sTo sort this 100% you'd be as well writing off the car.
ttiest, scabbiest arches clean up. A mate of mine runs a bodyshop and he had a V plate 323i in where the arches were really grim, a mass of festering rust. Half an our with the grinder and they were clean metal again and solid - they're better than E36 arches in that respect.Revisiting this thread for some advice.
When I first got my E46 (2002 330 Ci) last year, I paid a local bodyshop to sort what I thought were 3 minor areas of corrosion.
A "crusty" stonechip on the rear quarter panel, and "bubbling" on both the front drivers side wing/arch and the thin panel that runs between the bumper and bootlid.
12 months later, and the front wing is worse than ever (despite them having a second go at it), and now the paint is starting to bubble again beneath the bootlid.
I now know that once the front wings have started to corrode, all you can really do is to replace them (or at least, it seems to be the most economic method in the long run).
But what about the thin strip of metal between the bootlid and bumper? Is this a common corrosion area? If so, what's the best/most economic course of action here, and is it likely to spread quickly if left unchecked?
Thanks for any advice.
When I first got my E46 (2002 330 Ci) last year, I paid a local bodyshop to sort what I thought were 3 minor areas of corrosion.
A "crusty" stonechip on the rear quarter panel, and "bubbling" on both the front drivers side wing/arch and the thin panel that runs between the bumper and bootlid.
12 months later, and the front wing is worse than ever (despite them having a second go at it), and now the paint is starting to bubble again beneath the bootlid.
I now know that once the front wings have started to corrode, all you can really do is to replace them (or at least, it seems to be the most economic method in the long run).
But what about the thin strip of metal between the bootlid and bumper? Is this a common corrosion area? If so, what's the best/most economic course of action here, and is it likely to spread quickly if left unchecked?
Thanks for any advice.
Just for reference, I've broken two E39 M5's where the rust got so bad that the jack point collapsed on both. Rust on the front wings, rear arches, the section between the boot and bumper that you mentioned, it just went on. When stripping them and lifting up the carpet, there was even more rust underneath.
It was enough to make me pass on another BMW as its clear (E30, 36, 46, 34, 39 and so on) that they don't seem to care about rust treatment. I've seen a 2006 M3 CS with rusting arches and that was a year ago.
It was enough to make me pass on another BMW as its clear (E30, 36, 46, 34, 39 and so on) that they don't seem to care about rust treatment. I've seen a 2006 M3 CS with rusting arches and that was a year ago.
In reply to Steve, yes, it is a common corrosion area.
A lot of it must come down to how often you wash the car as well, I hardly ever did as I didn't think it could have such an effect- I'll not make that mistake again.
I've not heard of much in the way of problems with rust on the later generation cars- e90/e60/e65 etc.
A lot of it must come down to how often you wash the car as well, I hardly ever did as I didn't think it could have such an effect- I'll not make that mistake again.
I've not heard of much in the way of problems with rust on the later generation cars- e90/e60/e65 etc.
Patrick Bateman said:
In reply to Steve, yes, it is a common corrosion area.
Most annoying. I'd accepted that I'd need to stick a new front wing on it, but it seems that I'm beginning to fight a losing battle. Its a shame, because the rest of the car is great. I love the way it drives, and I've found it easy to work on as a complete amateur. Its a bit demoralising. My car has clearly been looked after by its previous owners. Despite having 100k on the clock, the interior is spotless with virtually no indication of wear. Most of the paintwork has a lovely "as new" luster too it. Just these annoying areas of corrosion. When the value of a car has dropped down to probably less than £3k, its just not economic to spend £100s having the rust sorted properly. Especially as I have a feeling that if I cure these two areas, some more will popup somewhere else. Anyway, anyone know how best to deal with the corrosion between the boot and bumper? The bodyshop I used before cleaned it all up and repainted. But its lasted for less than a year (their work apparently has a "lifetime" guarantee, so I'm tempted to take it back). Are products like K-Rust effective to prevent the problem reoccurring?
Patrick Bateman said:
I've not heard of much in the way of problems with rust on the later generation cars- e90/e60/e65 etc.
Agreed, my wife's daily driver is a 2005 E91, which is just 3 years younger, but doesn't have even a spot of rust on it (not that you can see, and I have been looking quite carefully recently!). Mind you, its also covered half the mileage that my E46 has. Apart from this apparent improvement in rust proofing, I prefer almost everything else about the E46 
stevesuk said:
But what about the thin strip of metal between the bootlid and bumper? Is this a common corrosion area? If so, what's the best/most economic course of action here, and is it likely to spread quickly if left unchecked?
Thanks for any advice.
On the E39 5 series, there are 2 grommets under that plinth below the boot, they look like water traps to me and rust grew from there on my Dad's.Thanks for any advice.
I would imagine there is something similar on the E46.
When we took the bumper off and saw the grommets and the corrosion around them and leading up onto the plinth it was obvious to us that the grommets cause a corrosion issue.
I suspect they've collected water on the inside of the section somehow and then rust has started forming and they've rusted from the inside out, so other than cutting the metal out and starting again you'll always have a problem there.
I can't see the pictures in the OP, but have you considered 2nd hand wings?
I replaced three. Two on my 320D and one on my 330ci. Picked up the two for the 320D for £50 and one for the 330ci for £40.
Bolts on and off, very straight forward with some basic tools and you can get lucky with colour matches.
I replaced three. Two on my 320D and one on my 330ci. Picked up the two for the 320D for £50 and one for the 330ci for £40.
Bolts on and off, very straight forward with some basic tools and you can get lucky with colour matches.
Matt_N said:
When we took the bumper off and saw the grommets and the corrosion around them and leading up onto the plinth it was obvious to us that the grommets cause a corrosion issue.
Been out to have a good look (as much as you can without removing the bumper), and at the moment, its very localised. Very fine bubbling covering an area of about 5mm by 2mm in two places (both towards the left side of the car). In both cases, right on the lip of the panel immediately before it "doglegs" behind the bumper. The bumper is very tight up against the slam panel, and I can almost imagine that if a bit of road grit worked its way in to the tiny gap, that with friction and movement, it might have worked its way through paint.
But I think I'm going to remove the bumper to have a proper look next weekend - assuming that's fairly easy
stevesuk said:
Been out to have a good look (as much as you can without removing the bumper), and at the moment, its very localised. Very fine bubbling covering an area of about 5mm by 2mm in two places (both towards the left side of the car). In both cases, right on the lip of the panel immediately before it "doglegs" behind the bumper.
The bumper is very tight up against the slam panel, and I can almost imagine that if a bit of road grit worked its way in to the tiny gap, that with friction and movement, it might have worked its way through paint.
But I think I'm going to remove the bumper to have a proper look next weekend - assuming that's fairly easy
Ah ok, sounds different to the E39 then as the grommets are directly under the plinth in the central area between the number plate.The bumper is very tight up against the slam panel, and I can almost imagine that if a bit of road grit worked its way in to the tiny gap, that with friction and movement, it might have worked its way through paint.
But I think I'm going to remove the bumper to have a proper look next weekend - assuming that's fairly easy
I am shocked and appalled to discover rot is so prevalent on E46 BMW's that are barely ten years old. My daily driver/runabout is a MINT 24 year old E30 318i Tourer. I have owned it since Sept 99 and it gets used all year around. The body is pristine with no rust evident. This article has just killed my enthusiasm for buying an E46 CI Coupe-which I have been considering. I recently viewed one for sale and was somewhat perturbed at how tinny the panels felt compared to my almost King Tiger build quality E30. I have a couple of friends who are employed by BMW dealers as technicians. Both advised me that the contemporary BMW's are INFERIOR in terms of build quality, compared to models built in the late 1980's. It's all very well stuffing cars with a myriad of gadgets, and high tech, but if they are starting to ROT after less than ten years, give me the less technologically sophisticated but hewn from granite late 80's BMW's everytime. ROT in less than ten years? 'Progress?'
E30s are notorious for rust. If you have a mint one you're lucky but don't assume it's typical.
The bolt on panels were an innovation on the E46 designed to make accident damage easier to repair, but handy also to deal with rust!
Is there any point paying for waxoil treatment????????????
The bolt on panels were an innovation on the E46 designed to make accident damage easier to repair, but handy also to deal with rust!
Is there any point paying for waxoil treatment????????????
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