Rust on an 02 plate BMW !!
Discussion
Very frustrated as my beloved beemer is starting to show rust on both it's front arches!
It's only an 02 plate!
The car has spent most of it's live by the sea side, so I guess this has what has sped up the process, but frustrating none the less.
Here are some pics - easily fixable?
And is this a rare occurance like I assume, or does this tend to happen on BMW's of this age?
It's only an 02 plate!
The car has spent most of it's live by the sea side, so I guess this has what has sped up the process, but frustrating none the less.
Here are some pics - easily fixable?
And is this a rare occurance like I assume, or does this tend to happen on BMW's of this age?
lalalala
Edited by Ilikebeaver on Sunday 28th August 20:34
My E46's front arch on the driver side has started to rust. It's also an 02. On that model it seems to be common due to the wheel arch linings rubbing on the wing. I've taken the lining out cleaned the rust up, painted it with chassis / roll bar paint then put it back together. I'm hoping it will slow down the process for now.
BMW's rust very early and extensively. My 2002 M3 had it when it was just 5 years old as does my friends 2005 M3 now. My E39 M5 (1999) has rust so extensive that the jack point has collapsed and the second shot shows a hole where the subframe mounts to the chassic. I'd say it had 3 years before the subframe detached from the bottom of the car.
Its beyond shocking. I wrote to BMW about it and their response could be sumarised to 'its your problem'. I am now breaking the car for parts and seeing many other M5's as people arrive to collect parts and without exception they are all showing the early (or advanced) signs.
Its beyond shocking. I wrote to BMW about it and their response could be sumarised to 'its your problem'. I am now breaking the car for parts and seeing many other M5's as people arrive to collect parts and without exception they are all showing the early (or advanced) signs.
Wow, the rust on that M5 looks horrible. I have never heard of subframe rust on an E39 before - surely its not common?
I'm not doing too badly for rust on my E39 so far. I have a small bubble the size of the end of a pencil beside the rear numberplate light and a small amount under the leading edge of the bonnet. Thats it - the car is 9 years old at the moment.
I'm not doing too badly for rust on my E39 so far. I have a small bubble the size of the end of a pencil beside the rear numberplate light and a small amount under the leading edge of the bonnet. Thats it - the car is 9 years old at the moment.
Edited by Fox- on Sunday 28th August 23:54
E46's are renowned for rusting on both the front and rear wings (and as others have already mentioned, from a very early age too).
"It appears something has struck that part of the vehicle at sometime and damaged the protective surface in that area which has allowed rust to form!".
It's quite a common "get out" for all manufacturers, not just BMW.
The strange thing with BMW's Dealerships is that there is quite often a lack of consistency between them when it comes to handling these sort of cases. Some stoutly refuse to even consider the problem as a warranty claim whereas some others are more than happy to support a customers warranty claim to BMW UK and push for a free of charge repair or a goodwill gesture at the very least.
sinizter said:
Don't they have a 10 year corrosion protection or some such ?
Fox- said:
6 years on the E39.
12 years on cars introduced after 2004.
12 years on cars introduced after 2004.
sinizter said:
And is it void if any bodywork is carried out by a non-BMW approved bodyshop?
BMWBen said:
Probably! Although if the rust isn't in an area of repair they'd find it hard to wriggle out...
The corrosion protection warranty will be based on any corrosion starting from the inside heading outwards, so the most likely attempt to get out a warranty claim would be to say that the rust has started from the outside and gone inwards with the owner told something along the lines of:"It appears something has struck that part of the vehicle at sometime and damaged the protective surface in that area which has allowed rust to form!".
It's quite a common "get out" for all manufacturers, not just BMW.
The strange thing with BMW's Dealerships is that there is quite often a lack of consistency between them when it comes to handling these sort of cases. Some stoutly refuse to even consider the problem as a warranty claim whereas some others are more than happy to support a customers warranty claim to BMW UK and push for a free of charge repair or a goodwill gesture at the very least.
I have owned several E36s and the only one I owned with any rust was on a 2000(W) 328 Vert around the bonnet front edge, but that was due to stone chips in a motorwat moiler at 143k!..I know they are notorious for around the arches, and the rear arches can be an expensive fix..
My current 1999 323 Vert is clean as a whistle, I suppose it all comes down to how the car has been used/maintained. A vehicle that has been parked outdoors by the sea all year round that has been crashed and badly repaired will fair less well than a car that is unmolested and has been kept in a garage for sunny/fun days..
there are a lot of good ones out there and a lot of bad ones in my experience
My current 1999 323 Vert is clean as a whistle, I suppose it all comes down to how the car has been used/maintained. A vehicle that has been parked outdoors by the sea all year round that has been crashed and badly repaired will fair less well than a car that is unmolested and has been kept in a garage for sunny/fun days..
there are a lot of good ones out there and a lot of bad ones in my experience
billzeebub said:
I have owned several E36s and the only one I owned with any rust was on a 2000(W) 328 Vert around the bonnet front edge, but that was due to stone chips in a motorwat moiler at 143k!..I know they are notorious for around the arches, and the rear arches can be an expensive fix..
My current 1999 323 Vert is clean as a whistle, I suppose it all comes down to how the car has been used/maintained. A vehicle that has been parked outdoors by the sea all year round that has been crashed and badly repaired will fair less well than a car that is unmolested and has been kept in a garage for sunny/fun days..
there are a lot of good ones out there and a lot of bad ones in my experience
Pretty sure the OP is talking about an E46 though and whilst use and maintenance can come into it, there are plenty of people who have owned their E46's from new and pampered it only to find that the wings (front or rear), have started to corrode (silver cars seem particularly prone for some reason). It's one of the gambles you take with an E46 unfortunately.My current 1999 323 Vert is clean as a whistle, I suppose it all comes down to how the car has been used/maintained. A vehicle that has been parked outdoors by the sea all year round that has been crashed and badly repaired will fair less well than a car that is unmolested and has been kept in a garage for sunny/fun days..
there are a lot of good ones out there and a lot of bad ones in my experience
The E36 series usually corrodes around the rear arches only, the front arches seem to be better protected against corrosion than the E46, and the corrosion seems to start a lot later in the cars life than in the case of the E46.
My 1999 E38 740 was on 190k miles. Only one blob of rust, which was on the leading edge of the bonnet due to stone chips. I watched it go from a pin head to a 4 inch long scar over 6 years. Everything else was rust free, imcluding the original exhaust. Compare this to my 1984 Vauhall which was unroadworthy @ 8 years old due to rust.
4rephill said:
billzeebub said:
I have owned several E36s and the only one I owned with any rust was on a 2000(W) 328 Vert around the bonnet front edge, but that was due to stone chips in a motorwat moiler at 143k!..I know they are notorious for around the arches, and the rear arches can be an expensive fix..
My current 1999 323 Vert is clean as a whistle, I suppose it all comes down to how the car has been used/maintained. A vehicle that has been parked outdoors by the sea all year round that has been crashed and badly repaired will fair less well than a car that is unmolested and has been kept in a garage for sunny/fun days..
there are a lot of good ones out there and a lot of bad ones in my experience
Pretty sure the OP is talking about an E46 though and whilst use and maintenance can come into it, there are plenty of people who have owned their E46's from new and pampered it only to find that the wings (front or rear), have started to corrode (silver cars seem particularly prone for some reason). It's one of the gambles you take with an E46 unfortunately.My current 1999 323 Vert is clean as a whistle, I suppose it all comes down to how the car has been used/maintained. A vehicle that has been parked outdoors by the sea all year round that has been crashed and badly repaired will fair less well than a car that is unmolested and has been kept in a garage for sunny/fun days..
there are a lot of good ones out there and a lot of bad ones in my experience
The E36 series usually corrodes around the rear arches only, the front arches seem to be better protected against corrosion than the E46, and the corrosion seems to start a lot later in the cars life than in the case of the E46.
I hadnt heard of any going rusty yet (apart from pre faclift models around the wing mirrors seems to be common)
Have previously owned a '99 E46 with no rust, and a '99 E36 with rust around the rear arch. Both had been looked after very well.
My Z3 is starting to bubble around the front arches, and has not had any repair jobs done on these previously. (Will be getting repared soon though)
I was quoted just over £300 from my local body shop to remove rust and respray the whole bonnet.
I just am skepticle at paying that ammount of money and then seeing the rust re-appear sooner or later.
How likley is this to happen? - Am I doomed?
Our 2000 E46 Touring has a large rust patch on the tailgate, and several small areas starting to bubble through around the sills/arches. My E34 needs new sills welding in and new wings. The jacking points are none-existent. My dad's E39 has had plenty of rust seen to and my old E36's arches and boot lid were on the way. Not that impressed in all honesty. I know these are these are 10 to 20 year old cars now but I've had other cars this sort of age that are nowhere near as bad. For all BMW's stong points, it seems that rust protection is not one of them.
Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff