Heard of it, but never specifically about an E53- and especially not a specific color. Had a buddy with a 1997 Estoril E39 and he never had paint peeling.

The problem comes as a result of a 'typical' bad respray. On the door sills, I have seen peeling from overspray that landed there from other body work. Over the years of sitting there, like any contaminate, overspray that sat atop the clear in the sills. Started with little bumps easy to remove with clay bar. Eventually pitted the clear underneath. Raised one or two bubbles and then started to peel for reel. If it was bad enough, you can probably run your hands lightly over the sills without peeling (yet) and hear a light swoosh as they pass the over spray. It takes a bit of a trained ear and touch, but it's easy to spot once you have it down.

Check for blue paint on the bodywork under the car by the affected doors. If they didn't seal the doors for over spray, they probably didn't seal under the body either.

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