Rust on your E30?
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Simon
- E30 Zone Team Member

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My touring is mostly rust free, tiny scab on the sunroof, and that's it, tourings are normally very good.
M3 did have quite a few rust problems, all the major areas have been sorted, the usual problem where the exhaust manifold comes close to the chassis leg still exsists though, and that will be an engine out job.
M3 did have quite a few rust problems, all the major areas have been sorted, the usual problem where the exhaust manifold comes close to the chassis leg still exsists though, and that will be an engine out job.

Touch wood mine only has a tiny spot of rust under the tailgate (not visible when shut)Simon wrote:My touring is mostly rust free, tiny scab on the sunroof, and that's it, tourings are normally very good.
Oh and the many stone chips that are starting to turn orange

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Jesus325iTouring
- Frog freak !

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I've a tiny bit on the tailgate,only minor surface and barely noticable,the bottom of the drivers door needs a bit of attention,again,not really noticable and finally that tiny hole recently discovered on the front suspension turret.
Overall my Tourers pretty remarkable for the miles it's travelled.
Underside is absolutly mint,I scraped and re-undersealed it about 2 years ago,and also it's had a fine layer of oil spread over the chassis's entirety which has kept any rust away,one advantage of having an engine which p1ssed oil out!
When my insurance job goes through all the niggly bits will be done,be back to totally rust free again

Overall my Tourers pretty remarkable for the miles it's travelled.
Underside is absolutly mint,I scraped and re-undersealed it about 2 years ago,and also it's had a fine layer of oil spread over the chassis's entirety which has kept any rust away,one advantage of having an engine which p1ssed oil out!
When my insurance job goes through all the niggly bits will be done,be back to totally rust free again

X5 V8 for thrills, CRV for chills, Range Rover P38 V8 for sooooo much aggravation...
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stuartgallafant
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Jesus325iTouring
- Frog freak !

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Was this the M3 you looked at before you bought it that had the scary looking rust under the front wind screen Si?Simon wrote:My touring is mostly rust free, tiny scab on the sunroof, and that's it, tourings are normally very good.
M3 did have quite a few rust problems, all the major areas have been sorted, the usual problem where the exhaust manifold comes close to the chassis leg still exsists though, and that will be an engine out job.
How did you deal with it?
Confusing question now I've read it back,but i'm sure you'll know what I mean!

X5 V8 for thrills, CRV for chills, Range Rover P38 V8 for sooooo much aggravation...
My Touring did me the favour of only rusting in panels that could easily be replaced and where spreading wouldn't occur. The tailgate looked rust-free, but had bad rot hiding behind the license plate trim, and the sunroof panel was toast. Nothing else. I've had all the door and boot trim off and there's not even any surface rust where metal meets metal. By the time BMW built the E30, they'd come a LONG way from their rust-prone 2002s. I fought rust on a '72 for 13 long years!Simon wrote:My touring is mostly rust free, tiny scab on the sunroof, and that's it, tourings are normally very good.

-KDS in Vancouver ('88 325i Touring)
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Simon
- E30 Zone Team Member

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Not confusing at all!Jesus325iTouring wrote:Was this the M3 you looked at before you bought it that had the scary looking rust under the front wind screen Si?Simon wrote:My touring is mostly rust free, tiny scab on the sunroof, and that's it, tourings are normally very good.
M3 did have quite a few rust problems, all the major areas have been sorted, the usual problem where the exhaust manifold comes close to the chassis leg still exsists though, and that will be an engine out job.
How did you deal with it?
Confusing question now I've read it back,but i'm sure you'll know what I mean!![]()
Yes, same car, bodyshop cut out the end sections of the scuttle panel, from about where the scuttle grills are either end, and replaced with the parts from a new scuttle I bought from BMW, luckily for me the rust was located down low on the scuttle, not under the windscreen seal.

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bmwsport
- E30 Zone Camper

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Is the fuel tank vapour bottle really neccessary or can it get binned?WillG wrote:front jackin points have all started to go by now from what ive seen, ive repaired 3, thats where they start and then they go along where the seam where the floor pan joins bulkhead, mnst have gone above the fuel vapour bottle thing in drivers side rear inner arch aswell i expect
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munky30
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Inner arches? - Clear
Outer arches?! - Clear
Sunroof panel? - Clear
Inside sunroof? - Haven't dared to look
Doors? - Front two at the bottom corner
Inside boot? - Clear
Under carpet? - Clear
Scuttle? - big hole
None anywhere else.
Outer arches?! - Clear
Sunroof panel? - Clear
Inside sunroof? - Haven't dared to look
Doors? - Front two at the bottom corner
Inside boot? - Clear
Under carpet? - Clear
Scuttle? - big hole
None anywhere else.
duke wrote: I could throw a spastic round a corner with better precision
- touringandy
- E30 Zone Regular

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- Location: liverpool,driving 325i touring and
rust two places tailgate and just under the windscreen by the plastic vent
"great" failing that dont really want to start searching for any appears free any were else
"great" failing that dont really want to start searching for any appears free any were else
Tiny blister about the size of a 5p piece on the NS arch lip..thats it!
Getting sorted in winter.
Getting sorted in winter.
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My tailgate is absoloutly hanging, along with the sunroof inside. New tailgate getting fitted after my hols though. God knows what multitude of sins the tech II kit is hiding, but the rest of the car is rot free !!
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02' 530i Sport Saloon
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02' 530i Sport Saloon
52' 330i Individual Touring
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HairyScreech
- Engaged to the E30 Zone

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how in the name of jesus did you get it rusting like that!?
mines fairly clear, been under everything and all i can find is a little in the front left wheel arch where the turret meets the chassis rail, shouldnt be to bad to sort that either. (well not for me, i have a mig and im not afraid to use it)
mines fairly clear, been under everything and all i can find is a little in the front left wheel arch where the turret meets the chassis rail, shouldnt be to bad to sort that either. (well not for me, i have a mig and im not afraid to use it)
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- Kos
- E30 Zone Team Member

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there is always more than what you think there is, when you take the car apart you find it, often its hidden.
i know for a fact that my M3 is rust free
jaimie, your dad should have put in a new scuttle
i know for a fact that my M3 is rust free
jaimie, your dad should have put in a new scuttle
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snoops
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on the car I just broke a facelift 325i there was only rust on the front jacking points and rear of both sills, everything else was clear and much to my surprise the sunroof panel looked like new! was expecting to find holes and lots of rust under the carpet but only slight by the jacking points, rear arch had bubbles but that was it
- fozzymandeus
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Mine has very little rust on it, but unfortunately somebody fitted front mudflaps in the past 
Removing those revealed corroded front wings, which I'm repairing myself... so it'll probably come back straight away!
Removing those revealed corroded front wings, which I'm repairing myself... so it'll probably come back straight away!
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StriderDriver
- E30 Zone Newbie

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- Location: Cardiff
'88 325i Touring
Inner arches? tiny bit of bubbling on the inner lip
Outer arches? none
Sunroof panel? none
Inside sunroof? none
Doors? none
Inside boot? none
Under carpet? none
Scuttle? none
Tail gate? tiny bit of bubbling above the badge
Inner arches? tiny bit of bubbling on the inner lip
Outer arches? none
Sunroof panel? none
Inside sunroof? none
Doors? none
Inside boot? none
Under carpet? none
Scuttle? none
Tail gate? tiny bit of bubbling above the badge
My chrome 2dr E plate 318i is rust free bar a 10p size scab on a rear arch. And I mean no rust anywhere else, not in the sunroof, under the carpets, jacking points, scuttle panel and it has never been welded.
Rust free examples do exist!
Stewart
Rust free examples do exist!
Stewart
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pictonroad
- E30 Zone Newbie

- Posts: 226
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- Location: Worthing. Innit.
Nowt.
Not anywhere, I've had all the trim off, bulkhead revealed, carpets up etc......
Non, nada, nothing, zero and none.

Not anywhere, I've had all the trim off, bulkhead revealed, carpets up etc......
Non, nada, nothing, zero and none.
- Brianmoooore
- E30 Zone Team Member

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- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm
Even the plastic bumper looks likes it has rust bubbles on it! Or resprayed in the middle of a dust storm.Danhbmw wrote:I've got a little bit on the bonnet that just needs touching in!!
Mines never been welded as yet, rear valence has a bit of crust and theres a bit of surface rust on one of the jacking points and sun roof but otherwise clear.
My old tech 1 ODE, was a different story
My old tech 1 ODE, was a different story
my rear arches show some bubbles. there were two buckets of dirt trapped behind them. cleaned and painted with hammerite. 2 spots in the doorsills with some slight bubbling around them, which i have yet to take care of. otherwise it's pretty much rust-free




