Macd68 Posted May 1, 2011 Report Share Posted May 1, 2011 Hi, Hope some of you guys can offer some advise!! I have a 2001 325i, which Iæve been slowly upgrading - mostly mechanical. One front wing started rusting badly on the outer lip of the arch, and the other front wing was bubbling below the paint in the same place, so I've had two new wings fitted and the bonnet resprayed to get rid of stone chips, so she's looking pretty smart from the front. The rear wheel arches are also blistering. They are both rusting on the inner edge of the arch (the bit facing the tyres), and one of them has started blistering on the outer edge of the arch. I have asked the same body shop to tidy this up and though they are happy to do the work, they warn that they can't guarantee the longevity of the result, and that it could come through again after 6 months, especially if it is a harsh winter with plenty salt on the roads. They say they have never had great results with any of the "rust killers" available. Obviously this isn't an ideal solution. I don't mind paying to get the work done, but would hope that it would last a few years at least. Does anybody have a recommendation for a product or technique that will kill the rust and ensure that the repainted arches stay looking good for years rather than months? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momo Posted May 1, 2011 Report Share Posted May 1, 2011 Hi and welcome! Not sure there's much you can do with the rear arches im afraid.. I had mine done by BMW under warranty but they've started up again. I took mine back to them but they told me they won't honour the warranty on the repair! Lovely! Others on here have mentioned that getting the arches cut out and fitting replacements (not sure where to get them from) is the best thing.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pev84 Posted May 1, 2011 Report Share Posted May 1, 2011 Cut out and weld in fresh is the only long term solution and probably isn't cost effective. Prevention is better than cure, so all the people that will post on this thread saying that their arches are fine should take out the wheel arch liners and give it a good clean behind them before they start to rust through! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rm1 Posted May 1, 2011 Report Share Posted May 1, 2011 rust is like death and taxes it never goes away but a good fix will last a good few years if you keep the arches clean and put plenty of waxoil on them. The key here is getting it done right in the first place i find bodyshops that do a lot of classic car stuff have a more aggressive attitude to rust prevention and manage to keep it at bay longer; the guys who do mainly insurance jobs just paint it over and its back again a few months later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macd68 Posted May 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2011 Thanks for the welcome, and the replies. They seem to tie into what the body shop was saying, which is a bit of a sickner after the other work that I've "invested" in. The tip about using a classic restorer is good though, as I hadn't thought of that - I'll try and find one locally. I've had good success with Hammerite for killing rust for other domestic uses, but the finish is nowhere near good enough for vehicle use. Could it be used on the base metal though (almost as a primer), to hinder the return of the rust, and then painted over with as normal? Maybe not - a question for the body shop next time I am there. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leomurray Posted May 1, 2011 Report Share Posted May 1, 2011 I've had good results using Jenolite . I also believe it's the stuff the Navy use, that said just look at the state of the British Naval fleet! but worked well on my old beetle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickos Posted May 1, 2011 Report Share Posted May 1, 2011 check out the bilthamber products such as deox-c and the deox gel. Both products are the dogs danglies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_330CI Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 How long is the BMW body work guarantee? I think my cars just coming up to 10 years and I noticed a few bubbled on the front arch lip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autosri Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 (edited) A guy a work recomends the bilt hamber stuff he has a couple of old Opel mantas and is resoring them and uses some gel and he says it's brilliant stuff Edited May 3, 2011 by autosri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momo Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 How long is the BMW body work guarantee? I think my cars just coming up to 10 years and I noticed a few bubbled on the front arch lip. Pre Jan 2004 it'll be a 6year warranty.. Post Jan 2004 it bumps up to 10 (or maybe 12) years! Yip! Makes no sense to me either.. So if you bought a car with a Dec2003 built date, it's not covered any more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_330CI Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 Bummer. Is it an expensive job to have fixed? Thought I had a photo uploaded of it, but I dont It's 3 circular domes in the paint about the sixe of 5p's I presume it'll need to be rubbed down, filled, primered and painted again. Hoping it'll just be the flat face on the arch lip as I hate spraying (or having them sprayed) 1 panel - it never matches properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momo Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 If you're keeping the car long term the best thing to do is replace the front wings and get them done properly.. If you repair the existing wings (i've already had this done) it'll come back again.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_330CI Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 Really? Is that a BMW/E46 thing? I've had Renault arches repaired and they were fine for years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 Cut out and weld in fresh is the only long term solution and probably isn't cost effective. Prevention is better than cure, so all the people that will post on this thread saying that their arches are fine should take out the wheel arch liners and give it a good clean behind them before they start to rust through! This is probably what i would do if you want to completely get rid! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momo Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 I guess so! I've heard these BMW's have a pretty crap design for the front arches.. the arch lip curls up back onto itself so any crap that gets up in there will stay there. Also i've heard someone mention the arch liner rubs against it so removes the paint etc.. Tbh I think when I had mine done they didn't repair it properly because it went in with a couple of bubbles. A few WEEKS after the repair it had loads of them! By that time the bodyshop closed down.. I think its just the paint holding the thing together at the moment! lol. It was my fault for using them tbh.. I should've got it sorted properly 1st time around! I don't think they treated the rust properly etc.. However for peace of mind i'll be getting new wings and getting them sorted properly this time. Might even get the bodyshop to roll them flat and seal it up properly so there's no chance of it happening again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_330CI Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 I'll have to get it looked at sooner rather than later. I just despise having 1 panel painted, they all think it looks the same, it never does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidrichards27 Posted July 11, 2017 Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 Hi all This is my first post and it is about my wife's pride and joy - her E46. For a while now we have started to see a lot of bubbling rust patches around the rear wheel arches. She absolutely adores her car and wants to get this resolved. On the last visit to our local BMW dealer, the service manager talked about some arch repair kits to avoid replacing both the rear wings. Just wondered if anyone knows of these and if they are available and any idea on costs? Any help would be gratefully received. Many thanks David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasa Posted July 11, 2017 Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 nope but you can buy rear arch panel replacements for £30,but old metal has to be cut out,its the only way to do it,it will come back any other way(fact) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjn Posted July 11, 2017 Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 Cut out rusty metal, weld in new fresh metal, paint. Sorted. It'll cost you though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
