Corrosion...act NOW ! - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

Alan Archer · 13th January 2008, 13:18

Fellow drivers,

We all adore our cars and look after them as best we can.
But the next time you have a dry, bright weekend off..
(or spare time in the garage..)

Take time out & inspect your beloved car for corrosion.
E34's are getting on now,
be proactive and save yourself an expensive bill later.

It may require you get down on your hands & knees,
but it's worth it !

I did a little inspection over Christmas of the jacking points on my
car...you can see the results below.
These have now been treated.

Take a look at the filler cap area ( a common weak point on an otherwise
resistant body..)
As you can see from my M5, rust sets in underneath the paint around
the seam, and starts to creep outwards.
In the photos you can see how close (and how lucky I was) to the
edge of the panel...

I caught it just in time...another season and the damage would've been
done.

So get out there and check your cars,
or if you have the cash...get someone else to !

Best regards,

Alan A.

farrell · 13th January 2008, 13:56

Alan
Sell the effin old rust bucket.
Sell it to me.
Save yourself ££££

Lol
Faz

Also :
1.Check under rear screen seal.
The pegs locating the rear screen in place whilst the bonding sealer
cures becomes a rust trap.

2. Trunk lip seal should be removed. Check spot welds at rear of trunk to screen
steel work.

3. Under front screen scuttle where "A" pillar steel work meets scuttle.
(Clumsy front screen replacement often sets this off)

4.Remove rear seat base & sound insulation around seat belt
anchor points.
Rot appears here & will need welding.

5. Front drain channels in sunroof recess metal work.

6. "B" pillar : hanging mount location points for rear doors.
The corrosion comes from underneath the seam sealer applied at the
juncture of the Mount support plate & "B" pillar.

7. ALL 4 door shuts on the sill area where the door seals rub.
Paint is removed just above the plastic sill skirt & its not always that
obvious.

8. Remove rear door seals at the "C" pillar area.
Look for spot welds that are starting to corrode.

These are the potential areas of cosmetic impact I can think of.
Under floor corrosion is another can of tin worm.

Farrell

Blodstrupmoen · 13th January 2008, 19:46

And don`t forget to remove side skirt and have a close look..

On my car i have some damage underneath the body due to some mechaninc using a garage lift and did not check that the side skirts and seem weld was clear before lifting.
But then again why don`t car manufacturers make a round tab or something to use when lifting the car with a garage lift or trolley jack .. I mean how hard could it be !!?

beemerchris · 14th January 2008, 02:56

Watch those sills.

Upper side where the door sill rubs (really bad on my car due to it sitting aroungd outside for weeks with no use) as pionted out by faz.
Back of sills outer side and bottom.
If lip at the bottom is bend from unsympathetik use by grease monkeys then the whole sill will need looking after.
Saw some e34's with rotten front wing bottoms and that spread into the a-holms not good but could be easy fixed early on.

Will take pictures when I take my sills of and redoo them in a couple of weeks. Should be interesting. Parts for it are still available from bmw.

davidoli · 14th January 2008, 10:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan Archer

Fellow drivers,

E34's are getting on now,
be proactive and save yourself an expensive bill later.

Best regards,

Alan A.

This seems to be the fundamental ideology required Alan !

Great post .......

D

Chas C · 15th January 2008, 12:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan Archer

Take a look at the filler cap area ( a common weak point on an otherwise
resistant body..)
As you can see from my M5, rust sets in underneath the paint around
the seam, and starts to creep outwards.

My E39 B10 is going into the dealer bodyshop to have the fuel filler aperture treated tomorrow. It's not just an E34 problem. I can't understand why the fuel aperture doesn't have a drain hole - water just sits there and it's asking for trouble.