Rust and Rot

[joeadams1979]

Why are everyone so anal about the rust and rot on there e30 Fair anuff if it passes it mot each year but the roofs rotten. or scuttle as long as you enjoy driving it who cares. as theirs some people who spend a fortune on their beloved e30 but never really get to enjoy them.Unless enjoying them means just looking and cleaning them Who thinks with the mind set of who gives a F~~K. Not slanting any mint e30 out their enjoy them people!!!

[ross_jsy]

Because I don't like driving a rotten shit box?

Pretty simple stuff really, bodywork is part of the upkeep of a motor vehicle. Neglecting it doesn't bode well for the state of the rest of the car

[harry_p]

Because people like their cars and want them to last. It doesn't take long for a couple of scabs to turn into a couple of holes, and in turn an mot failure.

If it's just a cheap shed to smoke about in, then no, it doesn't really matter.

[Grrrmachine]

if it passes it mot each year but the roofs rotten. or scuttle

It'll pass the MOT this year, but not the next one. Once the roof starts rusting, that's it; you've got a ticking bomb that's counting down to a proper hole forming right above your head, which instantly condemns the car to the scrapheap.

Same with the scuttle; a small blister can turn into a proper hole in less than 12 months, especially in the damp and salty British climate. From there, you're looking at dismantling a large portion of the car to get it fixed.

Then there's the safety element. These cars don't have frames holding them together; the skin IS the shell, just like an egg, and a hole anywhere will compromise the overall structure, which you do not want in a car that's already a death trap compared to modern vehicles.

Finally, if the owner isn't looking after the bodywork, what else have they neglected? Brakes? Bushes? Tyres? Two decades of neglect will turn a previously sporty 80s saloon into a floppy sack of shite that handles like an Austin Maxi.

But yeah, "fair anuff", as long as you enjoy driving it who cares

[ross_jsy]

It'll pass the MOT this year, but not the next one. Once the roof starts rusting, that's it; you've got a ticking bomb that's counting down to a proper hole forming right above your head, which instantly condemns the car to the scrapheap.

It's alright, Joey knows someone

new roof 200 quid with labour from a local chap 150 and 400 on paint i would say

[Mitchen]

Because I don't like driving a rotten shit box?

[bss325i]

Rust is THE number 1 enemy as far as E30 ownership goes and is the most expensive and sometimes difficult thing to put right properly.

[polsta]

No one cares if anyone drives round and enjoys a rotten sh!t box, but with regard to roof rust its a killer that vastly devalues the car that a 2 post cowboy thinks is worth the banana boat price he puts it up for sale on here thinking its not an issue, and its rightly so that this is pointed out to potential buyers who maybe have joined here not knowing anything about the cars and to be a long term member looking to buy an e30 to look after and enjoy, and would be gutted if they spent 2-4 grand on a car with a rusty roof that's going to cost a lot of money to put right