E30 Zone

I'll post a picture and a question with a number. Reply on what feel like

1.

-The previous owner has tried to fix some paint scratches with the BMW touch-up spray, and failed miserably. As you can see on the picture it's a mess, and it hasn't helped with the scratch whatsoever. My question then is; would it be possible to sandpaper the spray paint down to the old paint, and then 'start over' with the scratch repair to make it less obvious?

2.

-Whilst removing the carpet in my car I found that the left footwell was soaked. After further research upon common repairs for this I've checked the sunroof drain without results, and although I did clean out the "elephants nose" or what you call it, I read that it would cause leaks in both sides of the car, so I ruled that one out. I then read that there could be rust around the rubber thingy by the bulkhead, but as you can see on the picture, it's perfectly rust-free. I also checked the color of the moisture in the carpets, and it's scent and color-free, so I dont think it's coolant. I'm running out of ideas, so I'd like other opinions.

3.

-This plastic thingy is what the black numberplate holder is screwed onto at the top. As you can see there is rust on the boot-side, so I'd like to remove it for further repair, but I have no clue on how to do this?

4.

-I dont know if you're able to spot it, but it's dripping blue coolant from the white pipe in the middle. Is this 'normal' ? Should I just gaffa it ?

Sorry for the looong post, but I didn't feel like spamming the forum with 4+ threads

Cheers mates.

hi nick.
firstly, you may be better off posting this in the "Technical Help" section, ( http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... wforum&f=2 ) but i'll give my thoughts now.

1. personally, i would initially try "T-cutting" the touch-up spray first, before going anywherer near the panel with sandpaper. go careful though, not too vigorous, patience, it will come off hopefully before you start rubbing away the factory finish!

2. have you prised off the left hand grille in front of the windscreen and checked the bulkhead for rust holes leading through to the footwells? they often rust in this place.

3. i think that once the number plate screw is removed, the "plastic thingy" can be pushed through from behind (inside the boot, as per your photo) with a firm shove,knock with a small hammer (don't dent the rear panel though).

4. i don't think you should worry too muych about the odd drip, but anything more warrants further action imo.

hth

adit wrote:hi nick.
firstly, you may be better off posting this in the "Technical Help" section, ( http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... wforum&f=2 ) but i'll give my thoughts now.

1. personally, i would initially try "T-cutting" the touch-up spray first, before going anywherer near the panel with sandpaper. go careful though, not too vigorous, patience, it will come off hopefully before you start rubbing away the factory finish!

2. have you prised off the left hand grille in front of the windscreen and checked the bulkhead for rust holes leading through to the footwells? they often rust in this place.

3. i think that once the number plate screw is removed, the "plastic thingy" can be pushed through from behind (inside the boot, as per your photo) with a firm shove,knock with a small hammer (don't dent the rear panel though).

4. i don't think you should worry too muych about the odd drip, but anything more warrants further action imo.

hth

1. Sorry, I have no idea whatsoever about what t-cutting is

2. I looked through the grille with a flashlight, and it was spotless !

3. I'll give it a shot

4. the fluid is very blue, so I might have to do something about it

and thank you ! appreciate any help I can get

Hi Nick,
1. Right, as adit says t-cut is your first option. It is an abrasive polish that cuts back paint (it is common to use it on basecoat/non metallic reds that have faded to bring the colour back). Personally I would try 3M Imperial Hand Glaze, it is slightly less abrasive and you will be able to see how much you've taken back. To be honest thought either will be ok. In honesty you are always going to struggle polishing out scratches that have been touched in on a flat panel without getting witnessing. You will only really get the result you want from respraying (sorry, probably nto what you want to hear). Also try getting some paint matched to your paint as there will be several shades of your colour that a paint supplier will be able to match.

2. This sounds like it is from your coolant in item 4. Check all around your mudflaps if you have them, and also the studs holding your heatshields on, these suffer sacrifical corrosion and can leak water. Check your window seals too.

3. It can be pushed through...go carefully the steel there is thin so remove the screw first.

4. Definitely looks like a leak. They are a b*gger to remove although you can get O-Rings to replace the old ones in the seals (Ironically Aldido a massiveset of different sizes for £7ish which work). It is worth also trying some radweld before you do this, it "might" just cure it. Euro Car Parts sell a stronger version of rad weld that claims to be a lot better at fixing leaks. It is about £8, but I have no experience of how well it works.

Hope this helps...

James

Nick91 wrote:
1. Sorry, I have no idea whatsoever about what t-cutting is

2. I looked through the grille with a flashlight, and it was spotless !

3. I'll give it a shot

4. the fluid is very blue, so I might have to do something about it

and thank you ! appreciate any help I can get

1. see this:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165527

2. prise the grille off and have a proper look (although judging by your footwell, your car does look rust free- are you sure it's an E30? )

you're very welcome nick

Jamese30 wrote:Hi Nick,
1. Right, as adit says t-cut is your first option. It is an abrasive polish that cuts back paint (it is common to use it on basecoat/non metallic reds that have faded to bring the colour back). Personally I would try 3M Imperial Hand Glaze, it is slightly less abrasive and you will be able to see how much you've taken back. To be honest thought either will be ok. In honesty you are always going to struggle polishing out scratches that have been touched in on a flat panel without getting witnessing. You will only really get the result you want from respraying (sorry, probably nto what you want to hear). Also try getting some paint matched to your paint as there will be several shades of your colour that a paint supplier will be able to match.

2. This sounds like it is from your coolant in item 4. Check all around your mudflaps if you have them, and also the studs holding your heatshields on, these suffer sacrifical corrosion and can leak water. Check your window seals too.

3. It can be pushed through...go carefully the steel there is thin so remove the screw first.

4. Definitely looks like a leak. They are a b*gger to remove although you can get O-Rings to replace the old ones in the seals (Ironically Aldido a massiveset of different sizes for £7ish which work). It is worth also trying some radweld before you do this, it "might" just cure it. Euro Car Parts sell a stronger version of rad weld that claims to be a lot better at fixing leaks. It is about £8, but I have no experience of how well it works.

Hope this helps...

James

1. You're probably right. I'll just leave it as it is for now.

2. The carpets are definatley soaked in rainwater, which is why I ruled the coolant leak out. What should I look for at the window seals?

hi guy - I'm new here myself so take my advice with a pinch of salt! Do you have a convertible? I've recently found this in my rear passsenger footwell:



Doesn't look much but was enough for the carpet to get wet - wonder if you have a similar but perhaps worse issue and the water has reach the front footwell? Basically what is the condition of the rear passenger carpet? [PS. if anyone knows the reason for these stupid things I'd be curious to find out!]

Nick91 wrote:What should I look for at the window seals?

Dry, cracked or brittle surface. Any imperfections in the outside edge will act as water traps, pulling water inside the seal and into the car. There's a crap seal on my rear passenger door - doesn't look that bad but it lets in pints of water!

A simple test might be to get the bottom of the car dried out and then hose it down well from outside. If it's soaked again, it's your seals or water getting in from somewhere. If not, go back to the coolant issue...

2 and 4. Isn't that the infamous heater matrix valve? They drip and drip... and your carpets get soaked eventually because they take forever to dry out. I had mine swapped for a known good second hand one for about £150 all in.

If you're convinced its rainwater (and 20 year old carpets do a good job of making coolant look/taste like manky rainwater) then pop the doorcard off and check that there is a transparent seal covering the gaps in the inner door panel. If not, it's worth improvising because the doors are designed to be wet on the inside and drain out of the bottom.