MY UGLY RUST, Advice.

[DaCan23]

So how should I tackle the door rust shown? My thoughts were to remove the lower molding piece and sand and coat w/ some rust stopping paint like rust doctor. But those lower door covering pieces are shot and if I got new ones I'd have to get them painted right?

http://bagekko.home.comcast.net/dacans_bimmers/Rust.jpg

[632 Regal]

you could replace them all with the black ones? that might look stupid. you definetly need to get in there and tackle that rust ASAP! If theres holes you will want to treat the inside rust too.

McWatters is running a special on paint jobs this week.

[Qube]

Looks like it's time for a $50 paint job :)

http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?t=23145

[Jay 535i]

Mine's not that bad, but I can see it getting that bad in a year or two. I kind figured my only option was to shell out $$$ to a body shop, since I'm not comfortable doing that stuff myself. I'd love to know how you solve it.

While we're on the topic, does anyone think that an anti-rust treatment (e.g. Krown or Rust Check) might slow this stuff? I know it won't reverse the damage, but will it slow it appreciably?

[Qube]

I've had good results with Rust Check. Buys you time before you refinish. I liberally spray the seam under the doors after every wash in winter. Looks good now to say the least. If it's the wonderful bubbling rust under paint, it won't help much.

[632 Regal]

BIG TIME!

I know it won't reverse the damage, but will it slow it appreciably?

[525SEI BRIT]

So how should I tackle the door rust shown? My thoughts were to remove the lower molding piece and sand and coat w/ some rust stopping paint like rust doctor. But those lower door covering pieces are shot and if I got new ones I'd have to get them painted right?

http://bagekko.home.comcast.net/dacans_bimmers/Rust.jpg

get some POR15 on it an blow in the top coat!

[Jr ///M5]

It's the perpetual rust trap that all E34's are endowed with sooner or later. The natural rake of the car despite the drain holes in the bottom of the door plus the poor window sweep design that allows copious amounts of water in the door in the first place are a sure fire combination for rust.

With the redesign of the bottom trim pieces, using plastic instead of the metal inserts that are embedded into the trim piece for rigidity, the solution may be too late for some.

Replacement of the bottom trim is expensive on 1995 MY cars along with M5's, and to top it off, they must be painted to match. So it's better to catch it sooner than later, of course. But during the time of waffling over the decision to spend money or not, the rust is allowed to migrate up into the door panel. Moisture leaches its way up in under the paint at the bottom of the door panel and rust appears along the leading edges of the doors.

Looking a lot like mere surface rust, it has already traveled throughout the bottom of the door skin like the cancer it is, popping open the paint to breath, and take it's course.

The problem is the inherent design of the bottom of the door panel and the pinched door skin area there. It actually wicks up the water that's left in the door after a rain or car wash, maybe that pinched area wasn't quite sealed 100% from the factory through the electrostatic dip priming process.

Regardless, removing the lower trim pieces for replacement will reveal the damage done by rust to the bottom of the door skin where the new trim pieces you just spent a couple hundred for will live. Treating the rust on the outside is a must for repair of course, but the real problem is the inside of the door panel where it's hard for rust inhibiting primers to find their way. More often than not, these areas are repaired only to reappear as another slight bubble a couple years down the line.

Sorry, there's not a solution to this problem yet, maybe someone with an old door panel could cut it in a section view so you could tell if some type of sealant would work, making it higher in the center of the door to give the bottom of the inside of the door some pitch to help completely drain the inside of the door out. After every wash, I open all the doors wide to help drain the water out, but this doesn't get all of it. One day after doing this and jacking it up to change the oil, water still dribbled out of the door drain holes.

Maybe BMW should have had a warning label about parking on a steep hill after a rain or car wash to help drain out the doors....


In the words of Neil Young, "Rust Never Sleeps".....

[Alexlind123]

It's the perpetual rust trap that all E34's are endowed with sooner or later. The natural rake of the car despite the drain holes in the bottom of the door plus the poor window sweep design that allows copious amounts of water in the door in the first place are a sure fire combination for rust.

With the redesign of the bottom trim pieces, using plastic instead of the metal inserts that are embedded into the trim piece for rigidity, the solution may be too late for some.

Replacement of the bottom trim is expensive on 1995 MY cars along with M5's, and to top it off, they must be painted to match. So it's better to catch it sooner than later, of course. But during the time of waffling over the decision to spend money or not, the rust is allowed to migrate up into the door panel. Moisture leaches its way up in under the paint at the bottom of the door panel and rust appears along the leading edges of the doors.

Looking a lot like mere surface rust, it has already traveled throughout the bottom of the door skin like the cancer it is, popping open the paint to breath, and take it's course.

The problem is the inherent design of the bottom of the door panel and the pinched door skin area there. It actually wicks up the water that's left in the door after a rain or car wash, maybe that pinched area wasn't quite sealed 100% from the factory through the electrostatic dip priming process.

Regardless, removing the lower trim pieces for replacement will reveal the damage done by rust to the bottom of the door skin where the new trim pieces you just spent a couple hundred for will live. Treating the rust on the outside is a must for repair of course, but the real problem is the inside of the door panel where it's hard for rust inhibiting primers to find their way. More often than not, these areas are repaired only to reappear as another slight bubble a couple years down the line.

Sorry, there's not a solution to this problem yet, maybe someone with an old door panel could cut it in a section view so you could tell if some type of sealant would work, making it higher in the center of the door to give the bottom of the inside of the door some pitch to help completely drain the inside of the door out. After every wash, I open all the doors wide to help drain the water out, but this doesn't get all of it. One day after doing this and jacking it up to change the oil, water still dribbled out of the door drain holes.

Maybe BMW should have had a warning label about parking on a steep hill after a rain or car wash to help drain out the doors....


In the words of Neil Young, "Rust Never Sleeps".....

That post will make me have nightmares :(

[fujioko]

What kind of bed time stories do you tell your kids?.. Seriously a great response!

[632 Regal]

in Canadia they use used gear oil to pour down the panels to stop and prevent rust. I never tried it but it kinda makes sence as long as you dont need to bondo or paint.

[Anthony (M5 in Calgary)]

in Canadia they use used gear oil to pour down the panels to stop and prevent rust. I never tried it but it kinda makes sence as long as you dont need to bondo or paint.

Canadia? Where's that Jeff?

In Canada, we use gear oil instead of mud for ladies' wrestling. The hypoid additives for high shear liven up the action significantly.:D

Seriously though - I'm about to do battle with the dreaded tin worm on my door bottoms. Driver's door is by far the worst and hasn't gone too far yet (I hope). I was considering thinning POR15 to coat the inside of the pinch. Maybe that would wick in and encapsulate the rust that will be inside the pinch joint. What to thin the POR 15 with though...

FWIW, my dad tried the body shop route a couple of years back on the 535 and the rust is back with a vengeance.

[RockJock]

FWIW, my dad tried the body shop route a couple of years back on the 535 and the rust is back with a vengeance.

:( :( :( :(

how bad was the rust on your dad's doors? was it as bad as DaCan23's doors?

my doors aren't that bad yet. i was going to go the body shop route but now i'm wondering if i'd be throwing away 3.5 grand?!?! was it a semi high-end bodyshop?

[Anthony (M5 in Calgary)]

:( :( :( :(

how bad was the rust on your dad's doors? was it as bad as DaCan23's doors?

my doors aren't that bad yet. i was going to go the body shop route but now i'm wondering if i'd be throwing away 3.5 grand?!?! was it a semi high-end bodyshop?

Not as bad, sad to say and the repair was done by a good, pro shop. The 535 has the old type door bottom trims (rubber) and the rust was mostly on the inside lip and was only just starting to bleed onto the outside. The real solution is new door skins - kaching!! (if they're even available that is)

POR me another, 'cuz rust never sleeps. Apologies to Neil Young.

[Jose]

The only right way to solve the problem is, removing the moldings and replace them by new ones, as the old moldings will have rust traces on them.

The metal should be grinded until the metal becomes a little bit shiny, after this has been achieved it must be sand blasted as grinding only doesen't remove the rust completely.( althoug it seems to be the case, it's not!!!)

Many bodyshoppers cover the treated area with some kind of sealant before applying finishing bondo and that's where it starts to go wrong.

If you apply some kind of sealant on sand blasted areas in order to prevent rust, you should let the sealant "breathe' for at least 48 hours before application of any kind of bondo or the vapors and chemicalls released in the evaporation process of the sealant will become trapped under the bondo creating air pockets between bondo and metal , making it posible fro rust to start all over again.

Even better would be to apply alluminium bondo directly on the treated metall, as this stuff is very hard and reacts very agressive with clean metall creating a very strong seal with no possibillity of air pockets, thus aiding in the rust prevention process. Do NOT aplly regular bondo, this stuff is not suitable, nor intended, for this application

After repainting the surface, you could try the old oil treatment the other guys suggested. It has been used for many years in the shipping industries to conserve inaccesible cavities.

[DaCan23]

Is number 8 the only piece to replace, it's doesnt list that expensive, $26.50.

I'll probably tackle this late summer, not looking for the best ultimate fix, just POR-15 or RustDoctor to stop the rust growth.

Next year when I look for my 5 speed donor car I'll try to find one with good artic silevr doors... or maybe I have a bette chance winning the lotto...


http://www.realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/s/r/6.png

[kick7ca]

My solution was to pick up some clean doors and I'm having the whole vehilce painted. My rust was pretty far gone.

[Jay 535i]

Is number 8 the only piece to replace, it's doesnt list that expensive, $26.50.

If I'm not mistaken, which part you need depends on whether or not you have the m-tech side skirts. If you don't have the skirts, then you're buying unpainted rubber pieces and they're cheap. If you have the skirts, the pieces are more substantial and have to be painted, which makes them more expensive.

You would need the pricey ones because you have the skirts. I don't have the skirts, and replaced all those pieces on my car for about $100.