Rusty wheel arch advice please :)
Discussion
Common problem on E46 due to the wheel arch liner rubbing through the protection inside the wing and then it rusting from the inside. A new wing is not that expensive and is easy to replace, if painted well and with additional protection where the liner sits will last the life of the car.
Thanks for the replies, great forum!
Has anyone had experience of making a claim for rust with bmw? Seller said this would likely take weeks to months to get sorted, if they accept.
Four options seem apparent; thanks to those who've helped me get here!
1. Seller gets it fixed, I inspect and if happy, buy. Unsure if this would invalidate a future corrosion warranty claim if/when it returned?
2. Insist on fix incl new panel from bmw with receipts and photos, rather than the 'professional' fix, which should solve the problem in the long term and avoid the hassle of going to bmw etc. Again, subject to inspection of work done - may be harder to persuade as will likely cost more.
3. I buy with discount to either get fixed myself or take it to bmw to try to get it done under warranty. No guarentee bmw will fix, lots of hassle, don't know any reputable repairers, would need to investigate likely cost of repair to agree discount.
4. Look for one without rust. Seller made good point that it's possible I would view a repaired one that may start rusting in a few months. From replies on here it seems almost inevitable even if no previous repair, that it will start at some point - so this could be a good opportunity to get it sorted!
The car has fbmwsh but hasn't had a service for three years as it's not been used much, seller is getting oil change & microfilter at bmw today (had insp 2 2011 and mot at bmw in Dec that cost £1100!) Would this worry you / invalidate the corrosion warranty / prevent me buying a used bmw warranty?
It's a lovely example and has all the toys so my heart is saying go for it but my head is advising extreme caution!
Has anyone had experience of making a claim for rust with bmw? Seller said this would likely take weeks to months to get sorted, if they accept.
Four options seem apparent; thanks to those who've helped me get here!
1. Seller gets it fixed, I inspect and if happy, buy. Unsure if this would invalidate a future corrosion warranty claim if/when it returned?
2. Insist on fix incl new panel from bmw with receipts and photos, rather than the 'professional' fix, which should solve the problem in the long term and avoid the hassle of going to bmw etc. Again, subject to inspection of work done - may be harder to persuade as will likely cost more.
3. I buy with discount to either get fixed myself or take it to bmw to try to get it done under warranty. No guarentee bmw will fix, lots of hassle, don't know any reputable repairers, would need to investigate likely cost of repair to agree discount.
4. Look for one without rust. Seller made good point that it's possible I would view a repaired one that may start rusting in a few months. From replies on here it seems almost inevitable even if no previous repair, that it will start at some point - so this could be a good opportunity to get it sorted!
The car has fbmwsh but hasn't had a service for three years as it's not been used much, seller is getting oil change & microfilter at bmw today (had insp 2 2011 and mot at bmw in Dec that cost £1100!) Would this worry you / invalidate the corrosion warranty / prevent me buying a used bmw warranty?
It's a lovely example and has all the toys so my heart is saying go for it but my head is advising extreme caution!
If it's a post 04 built car then BMW will repair that under warranty providing it hasn't been previously repaired by a non BMW bodyshop.
Chances are it hasn't been touched before so you'll be fine with a warranty claim. When I had something similar done mine was turned around within 3 weeks of me asking the dealer to take a look at it.
If you like the rest of the car I would haggle for the cost of a wing replacement then take it for a warranty repair and forget about it for the next few years.
If you do get it repaired elsewhere bear in mind that BMW won't honour the warranty should the bubbles reappear at some point.
Chances are it hasn't been touched before so you'll be fine with a warranty claim. When I had something similar done mine was turned around within 3 weeks of me asking the dealer to take a look at it.
If you like the rest of the car I would haggle for the cost of a wing replacement then take it for a warranty repair and forget about it for the next few years.
If you do get it repaired elsewhere bear in mind that BMW won't honour the warranty should the bubbles reappear at some point.
ldub said:
Thanks for the replies, great forum!
Has anyone had experience of making a claim for rust with bmw? Seller said this would likely take weeks to months to get sorted, if they accept.
Four options seem apparent; thanks to those who've helped me get here!
1. Seller gets it fixed, I inspect and if happy, buy. Unsure if this would invalidate a future corrosion warranty claim if/when it returned?
2. Insist on fix incl new panel from bmw with receipts and photos, rather than the 'professional' fix, which should solve the problem in the long term and avoid the hassle of going to bmw etc. Again, subject to inspection of work done - may be harder to persuade as will likely cost more.
3. I buy with discount to either get fixed myself or take it to bmw to try to get it done under warranty. No guarentee bmw will fix, lots of hassle, don't know any reputable repairers, would need to investigate likely cost of repair to agree discount.
4. Look for one without rust. Seller made good point that it's possible I would view a repaired one that may start rusting in a few months. From replies on here it seems almost inevitable even if no previous repair, that it will start at some point - so this could be a good opportunity to get it sorted!
The car has fbmwsh but hasn't had a service for three years as it's not been used much, seller is getting oil change & microfilter at bmw today (had insp 2 2011 and mot at bmw in Dec that cost £1100!) Would this worry you / invalidate the corrosion warranty / prevent me buying a used bmw warranty?
It's a lovely example and has all the toys so my heart is saying go for it but my head is advising extreme caution!
Yes..Has anyone had experience of making a claim for rust with bmw? Seller said this would likely take weeks to months to get sorted, if they accept.
Four options seem apparent; thanks to those who've helped me get here!
1. Seller gets it fixed, I inspect and if happy, buy. Unsure if this would invalidate a future corrosion warranty claim if/when it returned?
2. Insist on fix incl new panel from bmw with receipts and photos, rather than the 'professional' fix, which should solve the problem in the long term and avoid the hassle of going to bmw etc. Again, subject to inspection of work done - may be harder to persuade as will likely cost more.
3. I buy with discount to either get fixed myself or take it to bmw to try to get it done under warranty. No guarentee bmw will fix, lots of hassle, don't know any reputable repairers, would need to investigate likely cost of repair to agree discount.
4. Look for one without rust. Seller made good point that it's possible I would view a repaired one that may start rusting in a few months. From replies on here it seems almost inevitable even if no previous repair, that it will start at some point - so this could be a good opportunity to get it sorted!
The car has fbmwsh but hasn't had a service for three years as it's not been used much, seller is getting oil change & microfilter at bmw today (had insp 2 2011 and mot at bmw in Dec that cost £1100!) Would this worry you / invalidate the corrosion warranty / prevent me buying a used bmw warranty?
It's a lovely example and has all the toys so my heart is saying go for it but my head is advising extreme caution!
I went to BMW Oldbury who were excellent. They checked my Subframe for free but would not cover the rust because the wing had been painted over previously. So bit of a letdown. But you cant control previous owners!
They did not care for service history or mods.
Funny you should say that! Just spoke to the seller and they'd had bmw confirm subframe was okay (verbally) and after further questioning, he let me know that the car had had front end painted (incl wings, so it matches up apparently) so rust wouldn't be covered by bmw.
The car's a long distance away, will need new tyres soon and I'd rather just get one that doesn't need any work! The search continues...
The car's a long distance away, will need new tyres soon and I'd rather just get one that doesn't need any work! The search continues...
Carbon Black car by the look of it ? Stunning color, but can be a difficult color to match. As previously said, the inner arch liner chaffing on the inner face causes the front arches to rot. They will all eventually suffer. You will struggle to find one that hasnt either had the front arches repaired or will need doing in the future.
My December 2003 one is now showing 167,000, had it well over a year now and the arches have only recently both bubbled up. And Dont dismiss a high miles example, as long as the History and seller stack up!
My December 2003 one is now showing 167,000, had it well over a year now and the arches have only recently both bubbled up. And Dont dismiss a high miles example, as long as the History and seller stack up!
ldub said:
Harsh for you neutral with the cut-off.
Didn't realise the subframe was goodwill - so even if I bought an eight year old car there's a chance that bmw wouldn't fix the subframe?!
Didn't realise the subframe was goodwill - so even if I bought an eight year old car there's a chance that bmw wouldn't fix the subframe?!
You would have to be selective where you took it. Apparently it's down to how the service manager presents the issue to head office. There is a list on m3cutters that would help with this.
I'm a huge fan of " Unbeatable BMW " ( Well the Original And Best 3.0 CSL was, But....their Dealer customer service is just shockingly dire !!
Long story, but last November I took my M3 to an Essex BMW main agent ( before it was 10 yrs old ) to have the boot floor inspected. And as expected the body shop Manager said "yes, boot floor cracking, you will hear from us shortly....."
Long story, but last November I took my M3 to an Essex BMW main agent ( before it was 10 yrs old ) to have the boot floor inspected. And as expected the body shop Manager said "yes, boot floor cracking, you will hear from us shortly....."
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