[Needbmwpartzz]

Please do not rust proof a bmw.....these cars are pretty much rust-proof from the factory...save the money for in case you own a Kia or Hyundai,then you should rust-proof that low quality steel and even then your efforts may be futile as their steel is just that bad.
Bmw ftw in the rust dept

[Needbmwpartzz]

Originally Posted by Musashi

Spent an hour hearing Patrick Farray (http://www.fari.ca) discuss rustproofing. he charges $ 350+tax for a 335i xdrime MSport due to the requirements of opening the aerodinamic cover. His work is BMW warranty compliant, and both Ottawa BMW dealerships recommend him for rustproofing.

NO HOLES. NO POLYMET OR RUBBER STRETCHING COMPOUND.

Patrick has travelled to every major European and North American factory, including Munich, and is a luxury segment rustproofing expert. Patrick indeed agrees with everyone arguing that BMW's are built to last and not rust- but that is the frame, treated, and not the subframe and engine/sub chassis and lines. It is the linkages and lines that corrode. Interesting, it is not road water that gets them wet (plastic preventing that) but the road moisture and evaporation, and bits of salt, sipping through and just enveloping the undercarriage. Or, it is this very undercarriage that is not protected (in the factory videos it is the bottom part on which the frame is dropped in the 'merging' sequence.

What does it mean? Patrick points out that the line rust, e.g. brake lines, are $1500+ for a line failure and, item by item, pass year 5, the bottom of the chassis would require normal, routine repairs worth thousands of $. Although, indeed, most metal components in BMWs are zinc coated, ZINC COATING IS ALWAYS RATED AT HUNDREDS/THOUSANDS OF HOURS of exposure and NO more. This does not mean that the car is to be driven thousands of hours, but just SIT thousands of hours while moist in this brew. At 24 hrs, that is 166 days or less than two Canadian winters in a moist wet damp environment...

What Patrick does is remove the plastic - a lengthy process, then systematically treats the body and bottom of doors with the no-drip formula. His base rate of $150 is so high precisely due to the time requirements for a BMW. He will spend as much as 5 hrs on any such car, Audi, BMW Porsche etc and his $350 rate will not increase just because he found problems.

Once done, the plastic aero film is reapplied, and the bottom of the car is fully protected. Most specialized garages working on out of warranty BMWs tell that Farray's work is good for at least 2 years per application- although he says yearly remains a good option. The street moisture, crazy fluoride based salts etc does not deposit itself on the treated surface, and, best of all, the aerodynamic film PREVENTS THE SHEAR REMOVAL OF THE APPLICATION.

It is the very aerodynamic film that, according to Patrick, accelerates the rusting on luxury vehicles as once the moisture is in, even on drier days, the very film prevents the undercarriage from being ventilated and dried out think of an unvented, moist metro entrance, always smelling wet and moist even on cold days

Perhaps this begs the question, why does BMW not do this at factory? Unsure, a question for them.

Patrick is almost compulsive about documenting each vehicle, and proving he leaves it in a better state than he found it. Best of all, he proves, without a doubt, that expensive vehicle components, whether Porsche or BMW or Audi, are corroded aggressively by these substances.

I, in my ignorance, used to think Hey, if I get a Porshe and drive it in winter, no rust, as it is aluminium.. How about the carbon fiber i8?

Yes, in these two cars the body and frame will not rust, but the undercarriage will rot even worse due to the film. Even on the beautiful i8 which one would normally not even dream of driving in winter as it is RWD, but will still retain water and muck from 3 seasons worth of water.

His argument? Over 10 years someone may spend 3000$ on the undercarriage rustproofing, but $3000 + thousands more in repairs (starting years 4-5). Patrick, who saw the assembly treatment lines in Europe, told me that, ideally, the manufacturer would bathe, dip and treat the entire vehicle but they cannot for two reasons; would seal the undercarriage to the point of inability to loosen components for repairs, and, quite frankly, it is way more cheaper and profitable for the manufacturer to ship parts- the very thing they make money on more than anything.

Another bit: Patrick stated that every Germany-made car has a far superior finish than the North American/S African one. Yes, the whole 120mu bit and the USA factory clip, that job is inferior to the Germany one.

Why are the frames so well treated? Practical perfectionism: nothing destroys the body aesthetics of a car like evident rust spots. Solution: make the frame almost bulletproof unless exposed to an accident.

Finally, for all those still not believing this, Patrick has an impressive database of Before and After pics, exposing how vehicles from X Z 911, Lambos, Bentles etc just corrode in the seemingly most protected area, and why that acocunts for a lot of the expensive leakages and repairs in the 5+ year mark.




M

Who ever pays 350 for rustproofing is dumb......just saying!

[Zebra99]

This has been talked about many times over. Not required.

BMW has rust proofing from factory through their metal cleansing and paint process.

Also, YouTube the video and you'll understand why

[marcvtec]

so not needed, do not bother.
bmw parts are high end lots of galvanized and aluminum parts.
Ive had mine for 8 yrs now zero sign of rust just wash the car once in a while.

[E90Winter]

I bought this e90 328i RWD new in Montreal 2008 Sept.
I drove it everyday except it was garaged for winter 2012-2013 and used
in winter 2013-2014 sparingly as I rented cars during the big nasty storms when the city covers the road with salt. I cleaned the car and under carriage after every winter use..detailed wash, all panels dried.
When the roads are slushy with salt I rented cars. ( except the 2 winters that it was basically stored ( not a good thing for a car) it needs to be used, regularly.

The Car has been used from 2010-2014 to drive long distances highway, so it has been used..some of those years covering 200 km per day...

I was not planning on keeping this car beyond 5 years, however the new BMW 3 just don't handle they way I would like are not as tossable, feel large, and just don't feel like my e90.. so I decided to keep it. ( btw I have had many loaners while I bring my car for service, F30 320i, ( with sports seats and without) 328i luxury ... ( the seats are what I like most, beyond that the cheap interior just fails for me)

back to this thread: I would recommend having additional protection added to the rear subframe and any other exposed steel. The F30 has less aluminium then the e90 and WILL rust even if you wash the car religiously like I so ( I have a huge garage and can wash and wax every few weeks in winter) the car looks amazing even with 188,000 km ( 116000 Miles) .

See pictures: Get the car protected ( I would not recommend the rust spray mess, but having the car perhaps with Corroseal Seal and then repainted.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Corroseal...2331/202960541

[Captain Canuck]

I agree that getting these cars rustproofed at Krown or places like that is not worth the expense (or mess), but I did rustproof the front and rear subframes, exposed metal fasteners and any other parts underneath that had begun to rust last year with CorrosionX. There was enough rust already on an '09 with 75-80,00 km on it that for a few hours of work and the $20 for a spray can of CorrosionX it's well worth the time and effort.

[bob.g]

ive noticed some under the front driver side door. its an easy spot to reach since there are some drain holes, so ill pick up a can and spray. it has held up pretty well aside that.

[ians]

When I put the winter wheels back on the last weekend, I found my rear subframe is rusted badly! Am I need to worry about?