Lower Rocker Panel Rust

[Derek A.]

I noticed that the driver's side lower rocker is soft. There is a huge rust bubble behind that rubber coating. What is the preferred method of repair? Is there s set of M5 Side skirts in my future ?

[John B.]

Any rot in the sill/rocker area needs to be repaired not covered up. Heat & scrape off the coating, cut out the rot & weld in new metal.

[nirvana19]

I have a similar issue, near all the jacking points and the right front fender (lower part). Put some POR-15 on it as a temporary solution but I to have yet to explore my options. Rust terrifies me so I'm probably going to get to a body shop soon, I recommend you do the same. I have no idea how much it will cost, I weld myself and know that it wouldn't really be that much work to do, but I'm not experienced enough to do the work myself. I have no idea how much a shop will charge, does anyone have some insight into that?

[Derek A.]

My thoughts were to maybe do a rust removal/repair. Not worry to much about the cosmetics and look at a set of m5/95 e34 side skirts.

[nirvana19]

I just revisited this issue, I've basically cured the problem on the driver side with some blasting, cutting, and por-15. I'm going to reinforce the jacking points on that side also (they don't need it but just in case), been monitoring it for a while with no rust. The passenger side however is hopeless, just took it to a body shop and got an estimate for 1600 to replace the rocker panel. The inner rocker is fine (as of now) but to protect it I need to do something about the other. Any advice?

BTW I have a lot (a LOT) of welding experience working with sculpture but no more studio and tools. If someone tells me exactly what to cut and weld to spec I might be able to find a place to do the work and save myself the labor.

OR blow all the crap out of there, dump some POR-15 on there, and pray. Not ideal.

[E34-520iSE]

I had a rust bubble appearing on my r/h sill, just in front of the rear wheel. After I had a bit poke around I found the metal had rusted away, leaving a fist-sized hole to be plated. An hour's welding work by a friend sorted it out. Don't hide the rust with trims if you want to keep the car!

HTH,

Shaun M

[nirvana19]

I had a rust bubble appearing on my r/h sill, just in front of the rear wheel. After I had a bit poke around I found the metal had rusted away, leaving a fist-sized hole to be plated. An hour's welding work by a friend sorted it out. Don't hide the rust with trims if you want to keep the car!

HTH,

Shaun M

Oh I can assure you I have no intention of covering anything up! Maybe that dent on my hood.. but I don't have any intention of ever getting rid of this car and this would be a worthy investment. I need to do SOMETHING about it, but I believe I can get it done RIGHT for less than the 1400 I'm looking at now. I'm looking at $355 shipped for the factory rocker on that side, I'm just trying to cut down my external labor costs since I can do part of the job myself. I think I want a professional to do the cutting and welding if I change the whole rocker because I've just never welded anything on an auto body before.

Patching is a possibility. Theres not much of a hole now but around as I peeled away the rust protective coating on that side (it was coming off) the area looks bad. I found all this after the jacking point there failed.. want that restored too.

[E34-520iSE]

I had no idea mine was as bad as it was. It was just a little rust coloured patch coming through the rubber rustproof layer. When I finished poking at it this was the result:




http://www.geocities.com/stereowizard2004/Holed-sill.jpg

[attack eagle]

stupid sunroof drain design???
Dunno about sedans but Tourings drain into the rocker... I'm betting they are the same.

[525i winter driver]

Oh I can assure you I have no intention of covering anything up! Maybe that dent on my hood.. but I don't have any intention of ever getting rid of this car and this would be a worthy investment. I need to do SOMETHING about it, but I believe I can get it done RIGHT for less than the 1400 I'm looking at now. I'm looking at $355 shipped for the factory rocker on that side, I'm just trying to cut down my external labor costs since I can do part of the job myself. I think I want a professional to do the cutting and welding if I change the whole rocker because I've just never welded anything on an auto body before.

Patching is a possibility. Theres not much of a hole now but around as I peeled away the rust protective coating on that side (it was coming off) the area looks bad. I found all this after the jacking point there failed.. want that restored too.
jack-job gone bad? i had something similar and bought a bottle jack instead of getting the jack supports fixed.. just had all the rust cut off and patched it and put on a new fender (that got trashed by a mechanic two weeks later... nice). the jack fits in the same spot in the trunk since i took out the metal support for the "widowmaker".

[nirvana19]

stupid sunroof drain design???
Dunno about sedans but Tourings drain into the rocker... I'm betting they are the same.

Yep its the same. Right through the jacking points.. some salt and dirt gets up into that hole and its all over.The rocker seems to be sold in two pieces, I think what I"m going to end up doing is replacing the rear half where the jacking point is gone and the metal is bent and rotted, and have the areas around the other jacking points cut out and patched. $$$ :( Unless someone in the DC area is in touch with someone who can do it for a reasonable price.

[lesage]

I noticed that the driver's side lower rocker is soft. There is a huge rust bubble behind that rubber coating. What is the preferred method of repair? Is there s set of M5 Side skirts in my future ?
My jacking points on the rhs of my (UK) 525iXT have serious rot and, having scraped the rear area clean, I can recognise that mine has the same disease as yours. What solution did you come to? The rotted area seems too big for a patch to be welded on...although Ive been told that it can be done but would not look pretty. The alternative seems to be a new sill ( I think the part no is 41008181707 or 8, based on realoem website). Is that what you have gone for?

[attack eagle]

If you guys have to replace sills, consider modding the sunroof drains to connect to a nipple or something so they drain OUTSIDE the rockers... instead of directly into them.

[E34-520iSE]

What a simple but brilliant idea! Extending the drain tubes to poke out through holes drilled in the low front & rear wheel arch area would probably do the job nicely, keeping those inner sills bone dry. Once the extended tube is fed through the new hole it could be permanently sealed in place with some sikaflex (or whatever it's called - that bodykit sealing mastic stuff).

Cheers,

Shaun M