[Gray_Panther]

Hey guys, 1 series owner here and looking to go down to one car which means driving the 1er for the first time all year long.

How has everyone’s car held up now that the platform is at most 18 years old.

I have had my 128i for 11 years now with 82k miles and wondering how many more years I can get out of it before it turns into swiss cheese from the rust.

[mecheng77]

Zero rust, the body is amazing on these E90 cars and I drive in the winter. I wax the car once per year

The rear subframes rust so I wire brushed it,
Used rust converter and then greased it

[NikMN]

Here in MN I don't see cars made in that era with body rust unless it was poorly repaired at somepoint. It will make working underneath the car a pain. (Speaking from experience) Suspension, brakes and so on

[e90yyc]

I think in general, with exception of rear subframe, the Exx cars hold up well from rust.

That said, I have a spot appearing on front fender and I think another small one somewhere else. My hood is fucked in one spot on the leading edge but I *think* that’s because the PO was in a fender bender and there may have been some paintwork done. Not certain as I’d expect a bent hood would be easier to replace entirely, but that’s my theory.

Overall they hold up really well. I think my case is somewhat of an exception.

[eljay]

Originally Posted by Gray_Panther

Hey guys, 1 series owner here and looking to go down to one car which means driving the 1er for the first time all year long.

How has everyone’s car held up now that the platform is at most 18 years old.

I have had my 128i for 11 years now with 82k miles and wondering how many more years I can get out of it before it turns into swiss cheese from the rust.

Many more years before it's swiss cheese, not too many years before underneath needs a little TLC. Do that when you will be refreshing suspension bits and bushings, which is likely soon at that mileage.
The body panels on E9x hold up very well relative to other German cousins (VAG group cars) and E46 generation.

[andy_06xi]

Mine is just over 17 years old and used as a daily driver in the Northeast. Some rust on the rear subframe, but nothing alarming. I'm thinking its good for at least another 5 years. Body is great. I tried to get it washed after every snow fall -- but no grease or paint treatment of the subframe. The oil pan gasket has been leaking for about 10 years -- so maybe that has helped.

[mecheng77]

The key is catching the rear subframe rust before it gets bad. After you do rust conversion I coated with marine grease which will not wash off. Where I could not access I sprayed with rust check.

There was no serious corrosion as I caught it early. If you don’t treat the subframe it will need replacement in the rust belt.

Interesting fact that my M235i uses a steel front subframe so it was double the work!

[ErnieCS]

My son's 2006 is parked outside all the time, and it doesn't have any rust on the body. The steering tie rods were a completely different story. The rust fused those parts together.

[2one3E90]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

My E90 is 17 years 3 months old and 421,000 miles. It was for 15 years my daily driver in the Mid- Atlantic USA. I never noticed until a year ago that the battery box is rusting on the forward edge behind the wheel. What happened was the plastic panel that covers the EVAP pump somehow broke, causing exposure of that part of the battery box. It's not too bad and repairable with Sanding and painting.

With the recent revelation that the E9X rear subframe is prone to rusting, I checked mine and it is highly degraded on the left side where the exhaust pipe is. Mine has sections of the subframe rusted away. It requires replacement. I bought a used subframe and will be installing it soon. If you plan on keeping your car for a long time, even if your subframe is not in bad shape, it may get there someday when good used parts are no longer available, so it might be prudent to get one now.

how is the 325i holding up. Trans and engine? Any cat codes? Does the cats hold up that long?

[2one3E90]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Holding up pretty good. The cats are original. I'll get a cat code periodically if I have a combination of short runs between frequent engine start stops. I have no idea what causes it, but the MIL (malfunction indicator light) will reset upon the next few engine starts, or I'll clear the code with a scan tool. The car has been doing this for 5 years or so. I don't worry about it since my county in Virginia has no emissions requirements (i.e. the County doesn't scan the ECU). Virginia does have an annual safety inspection. I only run top-tier gas in it and BMW oil. The engine uses about a quart/liter every 2,800 miles. Interestingly the engine is on 3 of the 4 original lambda/O2 sensors. I've replaced just the Bank 2 Position 1 sensor, but twice once at 122,600 miles and the 2nd time at 325,300 miles.

The car is still pulling mostly 27.3 MPG per tank, which is great because the use case has totally changed from my 165-mile a day commute that I did for 15 years. The radio face fades out in the heat. The AC is kaput at the moment. I may fix it someday once I get the rear subframe in and take an overall assessment of the car. The window surrounds for the rear glass and windshield could use a refresh. My daily commute is now a whopping 17 minutes one-way and 25 miles round trip.

My biggest issue is rodents. Rats. Last week the ambient temperature reading went to -40 which means the sensor malfunctioned. I've not had time to check but I'm 99% sure a rat chewed the harness. Also, last week the Z4 came up with ABS/DSC codes. Yep, a rat chewed the wire [...]

get a cT or use IRISH SPRING. They have not come into my z4 that sits for a week or two not getting driven. I use to see rat poop all the time but ever since i crunched up irish spring and toss it under the car and in the engine bay. No rats have come

[Gray_Panther]

Thanks everyone this makes me feel better about eventually driving in the winter!

Edit: I like the idea of getting a used subframe and I think I will keep it in the basement.

[2one3E90]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Holding up pretty good. The cats are original. I'll get a cat code periodically if I have a combination of short runs between frequent engine start stops. I have no idea what causes it, but the MIL (malfunction indicator light) will reset upon the next few engine starts, or I'll clear the code with a scan tool. The car has been doing this for 5 years or so. I don't worry about it since my county in Virginia has no emissions requirements (i.e. the County doesn't scan the ECU). Virginia does have an annual safety inspection. I only run top-tier gas in it and BMW oil. The engine uses about a quart/liter every 2,800 miles. Interestingly the engine is on 3 of the 4 original lambda/O2 sensors. I've replaced just the Bank 2 Position 1 sensor, but twice once at 122,600 miles and the 2nd time at 325,300 miles.

The car is still pulling mostly 27.3 MPG per tank, which is great because the use case has totally changed from my 165-mile a day commute that I did for 15 years. The radio face fades out in the heat. The AC is kaput at the moment. I may fix it someday once I get the rear subframe in and take an overall assessment of the car. The window surrounds for the rear glass and windshield could use a refresh. My daily commute is now a whopping 17 minutes one-way and 25 miles round trip.

My biggest issue is rodents. Rats. Last week the ambient temperature reading went to -40 which means the sensor malfunctioned. I've not had time to check but I'm 99% sure a rat chewed the harness. Also, last week the Z4 came up with ABS/DSC codes. Yep, a rat chewed the wire [...]

Is your cat code p0430 and p0420? Ill get that code periodically and it will disappear after driving it more. I do long commutes with it and it has been coming on here and there. I changed the top two 02 sensors with genuine and still get it. No loss of power and gas mileage is great.

[Tambohamilton]

Rusty rear subframe (but not terrible yet), and some signs of rust under the underseal around the rear subframe too. Bolt on steel parts like the front v-brace are pretty rusty too.
2007 e91, 160k miles.

Had a bit of rodent damage in the last year, but thankfully (I think!) nothing more major than the injector leak off line (chewed to the threads, but didn't leak), bleed nipple covers, some nibbles at coolant hoses which I'll replace sometime. I tried eucalyptus oil, which they didn't like, but it didn't make them leave. Got a sound/light deterrer under the bonnet now, though I didn't get around to it until after the fact. Trapped 2 mice with a spring trap, and that was the end of it really.

[Dirtleg]

06' 325i.

Rust nowhere except rear subframe and inside the rear wheel hubs.

A little surprised actually. I am in Virginia but cars history has it in Illinois when new.

[e91Owner]

Both my 2010 e60 and 2011 e91 are southern cars, so as you’d expect, little to no corrosion on all but high temperature parts. Strangely, though, last year I had to replace a rear axle on the e60 (x-drive) and the axle nut had turned to dust. That $1 part turned into a much more costly and time-consuming repair as I had to replace the entire knuckle just to remove the axle. If I could turn back the clock, I would have just unstaked the nuts and replaced them at intervals.

In any case, something to keep an eye on, especially if you’re driving in a more corrosive environment.

[Tambohamilton]

My solution for the rusty rear subframe problem will probably be to fit an M3 one. I'll need custom/adjustable toe arms, but everything else will bolt in fine. The M3 frames look far less susceptible to rust, to me; almost entirely tubular construction. Hopefully I can pick one up cheap sometime

[Fordguy]

I just recently bought a southern 2011 335d, but I live in the rust belt. I also apply fluid film undercoating professionally. Glad I found this thread, I'll be spending extra time with the cavity wand inside the rear subframe!

[fnaf]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

My solution for the rusty rear subframe problem will probably be to fit an M3 one. I'll need custom/adjustable toe arms, but everything else will bolt in fine. The M3 frames look far less susceptible to rust, to me; almost entirely tubular construction. Hopefully I can pick one up cheap sometime

The 128i has no rust on the bodywork, but the subframe does rust a lot. I replaced the old subframe with an M3. Now it looks almost like a new car. Hopefully, its rust rate will decrease. Many thanks.

redactle unlimited

[AWD Addict]

139k miles in Boston, 15 years young.

I had a small spot of rust on a rear fender, and both my front and rear subframes were rusty. The latter were replaced with used units that was treated with POR15.

[jsunma]

Rust on the lift gate on my 230K 2008 E91.

It's pretty terminal for the part, but apparently also pretty common. And this after parking mostly indoors for the 13 years that I've had the car.

Fortunately, I've found a replacement Southern part in the proper color for cheap. This is my winter project.

That said, having something this rusty on my car...where I can poke off pieces and hear/see them fall off...is a bit disconcerting.

[Tambohamilton]

That is gnarly!

[jsunma]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

That is gnarly!

Yeah, it didn't actually bust through (the rust) until a month or two after the "12 year rust through warranty" expired. After that, it took off at a pretty good clip.

I guess those Bavarian metallurgists really know what they're doing.