WARNING....SPLASH SHIELD CAUSES RUST TO SUB-FRAME!

[X53Jay4.8is]

Originally Posted by craigsx5

What a disaster.....!

A couple of weeks ago, I accidentally dropped a hose clip down into the engine bay. Looking from the top of the engine bay, I couldn't find it anywhere! So, I decided to look underneath and figured it may be sitting on the topside of the engine splash-shield/guard.

So, after removing the 14 bolts/screws from the shield, and dropping it down, I finally found the clip. But what else I found was shocking!

The whole of the front of the sub-frame and the splash tray mounting-bar had been heavily rusted. In fact, the front mounting bracket for the LHS torsion strut (lower control arm) had completely rusted away! (see photos 1 and 2 attached).

How did this happen? Well.........it turns out that the plastic splash-shield has moulded wells in it, which are mounted flush around the front of the sub-frame (large bar and control arm mounting bracket); and the splash-shield mounting bar. Also, the bumper acts as a funnel for rain water, to flow onto the topside of the splash-shield.

BOTH OF THESE PLASTIC WELLS HOLD POOLS OF WATER, AND HAVE NO DRAIN HOLES! ANOTHER BMW DESIGN FAULT? If you live near a beachside suburb like I do, or drive on salt-laden roads in the winter, these wells could be full of salty water!

Anyway, to fix it, I had to buy a rust-free sub-frame from a wrecking yard and have the rusted section cut out and replaced by an expert welder.

The whole procedure took about 2 weeks to organise and about $700 to repair. I spent about 4 hours removing and replacing the splash-shield, splash-shield support bar, brake/transmission cooling duct and bumper. All caused by having no drain-holes in the splash shield....NOT HAPPY!

Needless to say............ my splash shield now has 4 new drain-holes to clear the pooling water away from the frame components (see picture 3.)

This is a warning for other e53 owners. If your X5 is around 10 years old, you should remove your splash-shield, check for rust on the metal frame and create some drainage points.

Let me know if you have experienced a similar problem.

I really do not think there is a design flaw here for all of the North East vehicles would have exhibited a similar effect. Something out of the ordinary has occurred with your vehicle. That sub frame has spent some time in an immersed environment with corrosive properties. Interesting none the less

[Scott ZHP]

Originally Posted by X53Jay4.8is

I really do not think there is a design flaw here for all of the North East vehicles would have exhibited a similar effect. Something out of the ordinary has occurred with your vehicle. That sub frame has spent some time in an immersed environment with corrosive properties. Interesting none the less

I'm in PA; we get plenty of snow/road salt. My front subframe is still pretty much perfect. I've had the plastic tray off a few times though.

Those photos around the front bolt were certainly . That level of corrosion is not normal.

[Dking078]

Originally Posted by SlickGT1

Holy shit. \.

+2

That is crazy rust!

[craigsx5]

Well, I finally got around to checking my brake lines as suggested by Clockwork! It took me more than 6 months to get around to it.

Incredibly, all the lines were clean and rust-free.

All I had to do was unscrew the 10mm screws from the long plastic sill cover running from the LHS front wheel arch to the LHS rear wheel arch (no need to remove all those plastic one-use rivets from the edge), then pry the cover down about 2-3 inches from the inboard side. This allows a fairly clear view of all the fuel lines and junctions.