hole in my arch!

[wullie325i]

hi

just found a hole in one of my rear wheel arches.

its just underneath the inside of the petrol filler pipe and its quite a big hole.

im pissed off to say the least as i have spent quite a bit of money on the car on engine work when really i should have done the body first

suggestions and comments welcome!

[march109]

Its going to be an expensive fix, its a petrol tank out job too, rear inner arches are a pig to sort.

Would you be happy with just a patch up job or replace?? Whatever you do though remember even once you've repared it rust always returns to the same area, so fresh panel is best.

[wullie325i]

hi

im going to get it sorted right i guess as theres no point in patching it up but i feel like i have been kicked right in the stones!

[oakey]

mate I'm in the same position. I'll be buying new inner arches Vsoon

[wullie325i]

hi

if im going to get this sorted can somebody give me a ballpark figure of how much its going to cost and would it be wise to get both the rear arches done at the same time?

[wullie325i]

hi

just got a quote from my local dealer for nearly £350 for the inner arches and they put me through to the body shop who then told me they wouldnt do the work as they only do accident repair.

what a fucking joke

im getting really pissed now!

[wullie325i]

arrrgh

what pissed me off even more was the old git on the phone telling me i would need to take it to a specialist so wtf are bmw then

[march109]

yeah the dealers are going to be expensive, goto a reputable family run small body work garage who will take care and time in doing the job right, and it would still be cheaper than BMW anyway.

As for the panel try GSF, or http://bap.dominohosting.biz/bap/bapdb0 ... /83-05/91)

[wullie325i]

hi

bmw refused to do the work thats what got me angry.they will sell me the parts but not do the work.

the old git was waffling about taking the rear quater off and all sorts then told me no.

[march109]

alot of dealers are like that, in reallity he probably knew what an arse the job is and didn't want to qoute for it!

I never try my local dealer with this sort of work anway I don't have the pockets to pay for it so don't even bother! Given their hourly rate I expect it'd be worth looking for a new M3 instead!

Vote with your feet and don't use them again!

[wullie325i]

hi

damn right i wont be going anywhere near them again.

now i have to try and find somewhere decent to try and get this sorted otherwise im going to have to get another car.

[wullie325i]

arrgh

im going up there tonight and plastering all there cars on the lot with toilet paper its time to take it to the streets a revolution is brewing

[wullie325i]

take it to a specialist my arse im a specialist in pain and that old git is on my radar!

im going all randy savage with some macho madness oooooooooooh yeeeeah!

[oakey]

Do you have any mates handy at welding?

[wullie325i]

hi

not really mate and i would want someone who is good with doing welding on cars to do the work.

i have phoned a few places and none of them want the job

[wullie325i]

arrrgh

every place i phone all say its too much hassle this is not looking good!

[hammoj28]

sorry if im hi-jacking the thread here but, how good are the company that march109 posted up? They are decent prices for panels it seems. Are the panels good quality?

[oakey]

^no inner arches though

[oakey]

hi

just got a quote from my local dealer for nearly £350 for the inner arches and they put me through to the body shop who then told me they wouldnt do the work as they only do accident repair.

Well....... you didnt deliberately let it rust obviously

has yours gone a bit rusty around the strut top mounts also?

[wullie325i]

hi

no just the inner arch.

[oakey]

hi

no just the inner arch.

Its part of the inner arch is it not?

[march109]

^no inner arches though

Phone them! you don't get if you don't ask, they might not advertise them but might be able to get them!

And I've never used the compan I posted the link too but when I was looking for panels they were recommended to me by another zoner!

[pacerpete]

Inner arches are main dealer only and lots of money. Surely with the way cars disolve in scotland there are lots of decent welders around who can sort it ? On a ramp with everything stripped out its not that bad a job. No need to go to the expense and aggro of replacing the inner arches if the rust is localised.

[wullie325i]

hi

no just the inner arch.

Its part of the inner arch is it not?

yeah sorry im still seeing red lol

its mostly around the filler pipe .

most places i have spoke to just dont want the work

[staffy]

sorry to hgijack lads but how big a job is this i have 1 side needing done as well but was just going to take to it myself as im quite handy with the old mig now im sort of put off is it a pro job or only for the brave

[oakey]

^are you planning on replacing the whole panel or patching it up?

[staffy]

replacing the whole panel im planning on keeping her so i will be replacing anything that needs it

[beardymat]

this job can be tackled without removing the rear quater panels but it takes a bit of patience and a little imagination, neither of which you will find in your average dealership reception.they wont take on this work as they can not guarentee it against further rust.if you check my thread in the link in my sig you will see that im doing this exact job on mine.

i doubt that you will want to drive down to sheffield but there must be more people with my kind of repair ethos closer to you.

people assume body repair is expensive but at an average cost of £25 per hour its a lot cheaper than most service departments charge for something which to be honest is not beyond the remit of the average enthusiast.

by the way,the inner arch panels are around £60 per side at the dealers

[wullie325i]

this job can be tackled without removing the rear quater panels but it takes a bit of patience and a little imagination, neither of which you will find in your average dealership reception.they wont take on this work as they can not guarentee it against further rust.if you check my thread in the link in my sig you will see that im doing this exact job on mine.

i doubt that you will want to drive down to sheffield but there must be more people with my kind of repair ethos closer to you.

people assume body repair is expensive but at an average cost of £25 per hour its a lot cheaper than most service departments charge for something which to be honest is not beyond the remit of the average enthusiast.

by the way,the inner arch panels are around £60 per side at the dealers

the quote i got from my main bmw dealer was £150 for o/s and slightly more for the n/s.

the problem i have is that nobody will replace the inner arches for me so i am going to have to weld them up

[oakey]

this job can be tackled without removing the rear quater panels but it takes a bit of patience and a little imagination, neither of which you will find in your average dealership reception.they wont take on this work as they can not guarentee it against further rust.if you check my thread in the link in my sig you will see that im doing this exact job on mine.

i doubt that you will want to drive down to sheffield but there must be more people with my kind of repair ethos closer to you.

people assume body repair is expensive but at an average cost of £25 per hour its a lot cheaper than most service departments charge for something which to be honest is not beyond the remit of the average enthusiast.

by the way,the inner arch panels are around £60 per side at the dealers

^ Are there not 2 parts to each rear arch Beardymat?

Any chance you could post up any tips/hints and they way you went about it?? It will be V. useful to me as a friend and I are going to tackle this soon. And we have V.little welding experience
I am also going to replace the two boxes at either side of the boot floor that hold the jack etc, the same as you have on your sport.
Am I attempting something well out of my depth?

[oakey]

the problem i have is that nobody will replace the inner arches for me so i am going to have to weld them up

Keep looking around mate. Go in and speak to people rather than call them. It will be harder for them to turn you away face to face.
Dont give up. If you are intending on keeping the car its worth getting it done properly so it doesnt come back. believe me, Ive been there.

[beardymat]

this job can be tackled without removing the rear quater panels but it takes a bit of patience and a little imagination, neither of which you will find in your average dealership reception.they wont take on this work as they can not guarentee it against further rust.if you check my thread in the link in my sig you will see that im doing this exact job on mine.

i doubt that you will want to drive down to sheffield but there must be more people with my kind of repair ethos closer to you.

people assume body repair is expensive but at an average cost of £25 per hour its a lot cheaper than most service departments charge for something which to be honest is not beyond the remit of the average enthusiast.

by the way,the inner arch panels are around £60 per side at the dealers

the quote i got from my main bmw dealer was £150 for o/s and slightly more for the n/s.

the problem i have is that nobody will replace the inner arches for me so i am going to have to weld them up

he has quoted you for the inner part of the inner arch, what you actually need is the outer inner arch as in parts 7 & 8 in this picture

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=41&fg=25

like i said they are around £60 each and will make a better job of repairing the damage than patching it up.

im at work doing the offside arch on mine so i will take some progress photos and try and put a more step by step guide in my thread for you brave chaps

[e30bmlover]

lol, bmw told me i would need new rear quaters and the rate is £90 an hour! got a quote for £300 a side and im going to take advantage of that price, so that when and if i sell the car people will know its a good one, i couldnt sell a car knowing that something was wrong with it.

[470813]

Hi Wullie, don't know if theres any way you can check but there was a pair on ebay a few weeks ago that didn't sell. How are the missus and baby??

[wullie325i]

hi

good mate thanks for asking although my other baby is not so good at the moment!

the 325i has some serious rust problems that i want fixed properly but nobody wants to do the work unfortunatly and theres no way im letting some garage cowboy near it with a welding torch!