new inner arch or patch?

[Tedswagon]

I got home from work yesterday early enough to take my new touring out of the garage for a rust inspection in evening daylight. (bought it without seeing it in the flesh ebay finest) I was told there was a hole in near the suspension mount and that is why it failed its mot a year and a half ago which is why it has been off the road all that time.

Below is a photo of the offending holes in the off side inner arch. Looks like the MOT insector marked them with yellow chalk.

My question - what has to be done to put this right? I know a guy who will be able to do the work but I need to get the car to him to inspect it without road tax that will not be easy. Do you think this is a cut out and patch or replace entire inner wing?

Just above the spring top. Hole above and below the loom.


Also a hole at the front at the base of the nsr arch

[gcs325i]

Dependant on the condition of the rest of the inner arch when you check it fully, I would be tempted to make up the repair panel and cut out the rot, weld it in then seal it up and fire on a new cover. The breathers and pipe work in the area would need to be striped out so may require a fair bit of labour. The nsr arch should be easy enough to shape a new plate and weld in, again if the rest of the arch is in good nick.

[Tedswagon]

Dependant on the condition of the rest of the inner arch when you check it fully, I would be tempted to make up the repair panel and cut out the rot, weld it in then seal it up and fire on a new cover. The breathers and pipe work in the area would need to be striped out so may require a fair bit of labour. The nsr arch should be easy enough to shape a new plate and weld in, again if the rest of the arch is in good nick.

Daft laddy question alert!!
What labour is involved?
Strip out all the inner boot panels - easy enough
Remove strut, spring - easy enough
Remove the breathers?? Never done that before any ideas where to start with that?? Fuel tank is pretty much empty,

[pacerpete]

When you remove the side skirt, a lot more grimness will no doubt become obvious

[daimlerman]

I needed to do a similar repair to my touring.Those breather pipes run between the fuel tank and the expansion tank up under the rear o/s wing and are a bugger to slide back into their conduit when you are going back!

Replacing that half ice-cream cone shaped bit was the tricky bit,as there is a cover plate that should slide into the end of it,looks like it has rusted away/fallen off completly on yours,you should find 4 studs for those 10mm plastic nuts that BMW are so fond of for holding lightwieght parts on with.

For a proper repair,there's upward of a half day's work there,plus re-finishing.

[gcs325i]

Dependant on the condition of the rest of the inner arch when you check it fully, I would be tempted to make up the repair panel and cut out the rot, weld it in then seal it up and fire on a new cover. The breathers and pipe work in the area would need to be striped out so may require a fair bit of labour. The nsr arch should be easy enough to shape a new plate and weld in, again if the rest of the arch is in good nick.

Daft laddy question alert!!
What labour is involved?
Strip out all the inner boot panels - easy enough
Remove strut, spring - easy enough
Remove the breathers?? Never done that before any ideas where to start with that?? Fuel tank is pretty much empty,

Yeah all straight forward to remove, rear bench removed too, but adds an hour or 2 each way if your getting charged per hour for it. Breathers are straight forward enough, disconnect and draw through the reinforcement pipe/cover. Looking at the nsr area needing sorted again i see what Pete mean's about possible trouble brewing behind the skirt, I thought it was small overhanging plate beside the rear mud flap