E30 Zone

Just had a chance to take a look under my pride and joy - shock, horror....the battery tray is totally rotten at the bottom...yes it's a sport. Rust has also crept up onto the rear valance. My question is - what to do about it and how much will it cost.

No question about getting rid....financialy wedded!!

It will need cutting out and new steel welding in, price depends entirely on who does the work and how rotten it is

Have noted the same problem on my convertible, although the rust is only slight on the inner edge of the tray, which I have treated and repainted and at present this seems to have stopped any further rust development.
However this post made me look on BMW OEM for a part number for a replacement battery tray, and although I think I have found the part it says this part is no longer available for my car......does anyone know what the part number is and is there a substitute for the original BMW part.

To relace the full tray is a nightmare as its invoves drill out spot welds in some hard to get places.

The tray is a simple shape and hopefully the rotten peice can be removed and replaced leaving anygood metal in pace.

Again it depends on the how bad it is and who does it.

I am in the process of replacing this myself... it is call the Right rear side member and part number 41111961710...

It costs 70 pound

the tray isn't too bad to replace if you remove the chassis leg it comes with. remove 30 or so spotwelds and cut a hole big enough to get it out.

i also removed the towing eye and welded a flat panel across the hole. as its a terrible hole for rot behind the eye, for some reason only known to themselves BMW also put a lovely water trap between the two panels which can just about be made out in the centre of the fourth pic. makes the whole thing easier to weld back up too. sadly no more pics of the results as i lost 300 or so pics in a computer incident.

Couldnt agree with the decision to remove the toe eye more.

Bollox to anyone else one in the front is enough for anyone imo

the car is supposed to be a track car so i'll have to have a rear towing eye in case (very likely) i get stuck in the gravel or worse. i've not looked at it yet but i'm hoping to adapt a front tow eye to fit the back.

That's not a rusty battery tray!!

it wasn't fucked but it was certainly getting there.