Rust on underside and engine bolts

N

NiteRide

Member
 London
Hi all,

I went to view (and hopefully buy) a BMW Z4 2.5L (2003) this weekend and overall was impressed with the condition. However, I noticed three bits of rust on the car.. The first was on a bolt at the front of the engine, the other two were on bolts connected to a bar on the underside in front of the rear wheels (pics attached - sorry for the blurriness).

I'm a relative newbie to cars and a total newbie on BMWs.

Should they be of any concern? And are they easy/cheap to fix?


Thanks.

z4-engine-bolt-rust.jpg


z4-lh-rust.jpg


z4-rh-rust.jpg
 
No, they all look like that and it's fine. The top picture is the threaded bolt for attaching a viscous fan, which the Z doesn't use so it always goes rusty like that.

The other two are under the car, not sure how you can avoid getting them dirty/rusty. Stop being picky. :thumbsup:
 
Quick fix is to spray some tectyl ML on the bolts (maybe not on the bolts from the pulleys). That will stop/slow down rust

Especially take a look at the rear subframe; that will corrode.
And while you're at it, remove the rear bumper to spray the underlying impact bar. That is a known rusty beam.

But hey, it's a car and probably stored outside in a nice cold wet climate :lol:

What you should do is spray the brakelines (the steel ones under the chassis) with tectyl. In time they will rust and fail. A lot of (even fairly new) cars have that problem.

Don't park your car on grass or under a tree. Those spots are alway's damp
 
Stratts said:
No, they all look like that and it's fine. The top picture is the threaded bolt for attaching a viscous fan, which the Z doesn't use so it always goes rusty like that.

The other two are under the car, not sure how you can avoid getting them dirty/rusty. Stop being picky. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

I do expect the underside to be rusty to an extent, especially for a 2003 car. But just wanted to make sure the rust wasn't on anything 'vital' or expensive to fix/replace.

Thanks for your feedback, it's assured me that it's OK. :)
 
GuidoK said:
Quick fix is to spray some tectyl ML on the bolts (maybe not on the bolts from the pulleys). That will stop/slow down rust

Especially take a look at the rear subframe; that will corrode.
And while you're at it, remove the rear bumper to spray the underlying impact bar. That is a known rusty beam.

But hey, it's a car and probably stored outside in a nice cold wet climate :lol:

What you should do is spray the brakelines (the steel ones under the chassis) with tectyl. In time they will rust and fail. A lot of (even fairly new) cars have that problem.

Don't park your car on grass or under a tree. Those spots are alway's damp
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips! Much appreciated. :thumbsup:
 
Ideally get under elevated car and remove all weather shield covers, dust off and brush on Finnigans Wax Oil on all fastenings, brackets, brake and clutch lines and body work that show signs of loosing manufacturers protective coatings this will keep things in good order all season and repeat once a year. Cheers Baz :thumbsup: :driving:
 
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