Rust Around Front Screen : Advice Needed

Think if that was my car, i would want the screen out and all rust removed,I hate rust.

For give me if I'm wrong but it rubber surround looks aftermarket?, the rust is as bad as I've seen & my guess is you will find decay beneath , I guess the screen has been out previously & that replacement rubber seal is not doing it's job

See Angus Wolfs thread on his remedial action , should give you some pointers

Having checked I confirm the rear screen rubber is not standard & it seems to be blocking the water drainage channel?

I have the same problem, this is not an uncommon problem unfortunately. The proper cure involves taking the screen out and it will likely break during removal. I will be getting my car repaired in the springtime, have a word with Gerry at Phoenix, he has a good bodywork specialist that has previously successfully repaired this same issue on another club member's car. With the amount of bubbling evident on your car I can almost guarantee that you will have some holes underneath, you need to get this done otherwise it will only get worse. My car has reached the stage where water can now find its way into the car, you can feel the cover on the a post is damp.

Good morning James.

Yes its definately worth tackling and like some have said, as bad as ive seen on an 8!

i like others would expect to see some small holes in the metalwork nearer the window beneath the seal or at least heavy pitting. It may require some light welding so be prepared.

Deffinately a glass-out job here and as you suspect, the rust most likely caused by an improper R+R of a screen.

Easiest way to check if the screens been replaced is check for the BMW logo on the glass...if it has Pilkington on it its a replacement.

Your not too far from Gerry at Phoenix Motorsports... Id make an appointment with him.

Sorry but thats nothing i can fix myself... We will gladly advise though with your problem.

Ben.

Don't be too disheartened James, others have had this same issue, as I mentioned, one member had this work done by Gerry's tame paint man, here's the thread: http://www.8er.org/forum/showthread.php?t=7860

I have a theory!

I have a theory I'll share with you all. Most of the 8's that have roof rusting issues always seem to be the later models & never or hardly ever the models built between 91 & 95

The difference, well all the early models were built to order or each one built had a buyer waiting, after the heat had cooled sales were hard to come by & in many cases cars were stock piled untill dealers could find a buyer?.

All the standing around with moss growing from every gap may have led to these problems that many owners now find

just a thought

Agreed. Would be interesting to see how many fellow E31 owners have had the dreaded tin worm on the sunroof edge? I had mine redone a few years ago and all seems to be fine now

Your theory holds so far...my '97 has rust around the sunroof!

I met a fellow 8er the other day with a '96 and he had a tiny amount of rust on the sunroof, much less than mine but rust just the same......

Mine had the rusty sunroof, right at the back where the two ends of the seal meet. Something I insisted was sorted before buying the car.

I have since noticed one other area that needs treating, below the washer bottle which probably cracked and leaked, I have a flatmate who can tackle that though.

Could be an interesting theory - my car is a January 1997 built M73 and it's having the rust fixed on it right now - I am looking forward to collecting it again.
Ref the sitting around on a dealers forecourt theory, that would not apply to my car, it was built in Jan 1997 and registered with the dealer in March and first registered to an owner in July 1997. So a maximum of 6 months between being built and being used and the months being end winter, springtime early summer. (My car was delivered in Switzerland)

BTW E31, I'm glad to see you got your car fixed, looks like a pretty decent job.
Cheers

Ye olde girls also have the same rust spots at least on the roof but it is "commonly agreed" that from 1994 onwards BMW must have started using inferior steel.

The situation above the rear screen has been noted first in my surroundings maybe 5 or 6 yrs ago in a 1993 CSi and a year later a 1994 M60 - so the above theory really should be amended

The problem is that upon production the cavity sealing left quite a bit to desire in this area and it is not entirely unlikely that humidity gets into those cavities by way of the sliding roof.

I seem to be the only one with the plague in this spot or is it just that you´re too old to bend your knees ?

Passenger side door

Driver side door:

and you all should have a good pull on the boot rubber seal, especially where (not unlike the sunroof) the two parts meet just in front of the lock.
This is what it looks like if it is still OK - we have had one report where the seal would not go back on...

In case you ask yourself how it will develop if you wash your car with brine have a look at this fabulous specimen in the Gulf region. Click on the picture if you dare

Cheers
Reinhard

PS: my doors look more or less the same near 5 years down the road. I have made it a "rule" though to keep the area dry since...

Don't want to blow a hole in the theory but mine is a 93 and I had the sunroof and windscreen rust treated about 4 years ago.

I have a really tiny bubble on the front edge of my sunroof,Its really small but later in the year am going to buy a new sunroof rather than try to fix it,I hate rust.

Zitat von Herminator;75184

Mine had the rusty sunroof, right at the back where the two ends of the seal meet. Something I insisted was sorted before buying the car.

I have since noticed one other area that needs treating, below the washer bottle which probably cracked and leaked, I have a flatmate who can tackle that though.

I dont think the rust under the washer bottle is part of the bodywork as i took out my washer bottle and their seems to be a type of container with a couple of hoses coming from it,Wat is that container ?

johnnywas: That's the activated carbon filter (16 13 1 180 462).

Zitat von revtor;75221

johnnywas: That's the activated carbon filter (16 13 1 180 462).

Cheers i wonderd wat it was