Rusty E46

[SaBBz]

I was washing my 3 series yesterday and noticed some rust behind the rear drivers side wheel. It's where the bumper joins the body, and has spread about 3 inches along the join with some paint having flaked off whilst the rest of the affected area has turned the paint a slightly rusty colour. For now I've covered the affected area in vaseline to stop any more moisture getting in.

Just wondering how much it's likely to cost to have this fixed? Unfortunately I think the rust warranty is only 6 years on the E46 and mine has just turned 8 years old today.

Is it worth buying some silver Hammerite to put on the affected area and using a cutting compound to get it smooth?

Thanks.

 

[cdcopyman]

if its just surface rust then should be easy to sand it out , but if its rusted through i should imagine it will have to be cut/replaced.

Every car i own , i always underseal it with POR 15 , it applys thick and stays a bit sticky for awhile but does the job

 

[lordrobs]

Is it worth buying some silver Hammerite to put on the affected area and using a cutting compound to get it smooth?

Nope.

You will need to rub it down to expose all the rust. I've highlighted all because I treated some rust on our Polo, didn't rub back enough of the paint around it and now less than a year on it is back.

Once you have exposed it all and sanded it back you need to treat the rust with something like kurust then apply primer and repaint. Silver is a PITA though and if you want the car to look half decent after I would go to a bodyshop to get it looked at.

 

[SaBBz]

Nope.

You will need to rub it down to expose all the rust. I've highlighted all because I treated some rust on our Polo, didn't rub back enough of the paint around it and now less than a year on it is back.

Once you have exposed it all and sanded it back you need to treat the rust with something like kurust then apply primer and repaint. Silver is a PITA though and if you want the car to look half decent after I would go to a bodyshop to get it looked at.

Any idea how much it's likely to be at a bodyshop? Like I say, it's about 3 inches long by maybe an inch across.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Joe T]

My e46 is doing the same. I had a crack at it myself, but the rust is coming through in other places now. Need to get it done properly this time. Not had a quote yet though, so am interested in this thread!