Corrosion/Rust Warranty?
 

PICTURES ON POST 14

Just getting some rust on my rear doors by the seals. UGH! so annoying, i love my car, but this is ridiculous! it starting to bubble thru on the edge and become visible to the outside.. I'm freaking out.

anyway, i brought it to Morristown BMW, they said a BMWNA rep needs to come look at it. (they were amazed to see rust on my "perfect condition" X5) Anyway, i want to be as educated on it as i can, so..whats the deal with a 2004 X5, just turned 90k miles?

:(


UPDATE: BMW is NOT covering the rust. very disappointed. but hey, i'm gonan have to just go out and pay to get this fixed now

I think the warranty is 5 years unlimited miles or 10 years unlimited miles. Check the owners manual, I think it is in the back. I am pretty certain about the unlimited miles though. Oh man, Morristown BMW gives me the creeps. Took the X for service one time, came out with more scratches then it did when i brought it in.

12years for facelift models.BMWNA should take care this no question ask.

thank the lord :thumbup:

i read somewhere that the 12 years is only for 2006+ models though.. i wonder if its for all facelifts..?

uh oh...

straight from the 2004 X5 Manual, do you think i could fight it?

Extensive corrosion protection measures
implemented by BMW now make it possible to
offer a six-year limited anti-corrosion warrantyagainst rust perforation on your SAV provided
that the SAV is maintained in accordance with
the provisions of the New SAV Limited
Warranty as outlined in the Warranty Section
of this Statement (page 27).

Check the VIN on that door panel - make sure it was never replaced or repainted.

will do tomorrow.

I have a pretty good relationship with my dealership.. Is this something that is "cut and dry" or do you think that BMWNA may find a way to work with me..?

Relationships are important, but it seems pretty cut and dried that your warranty was over two years ago.

Also note that the warranty is for perforation, not surface rust. In other words, it has to have rusted right through the panel in question. Yours sounds like it is on the seam.

To keep the rust warranty effective, BMW usually requires regular periodic inspections. Here, they are every two years. I always make sure the dealer does them during services. YMMV.

Finally, if the panel was painted or replaced at any point, manufacturers aren't likely to cover it even if it is within the term. They would point you to whoever did the repair.

Thanks for the info!

Anyway, the door should be original, I am 99.9% sure that it is. I have checked it with a paint thickness meter when I bought the car.

I have an 8/04 production, so I really lost by about 7 months--very unfortunate.

What's the best way to repair it myself if the dealer can't..?

Sorry, I thought it was five years instead of six.

More important, though, has the rust perforated the panel from the other side? In other words, can you see light through it? That is the requirement for coverage, even if you were in the time limit.

Standard body shop repair. It needs to be fixed properly, ie all traces of rust removed, down to sound metal; then built up or patched as necessary; and then repainted properly to match.

my 06 /04 X3 has a 12 year corrosion warranty . As I understand all 2004 model year on BMW have so your`s will be covered .

Warranties aren't from BMW AG, they are from each marketing organization, in this case BMWNA. Your warranty is from BMW UK. I know that BMW Canada went from 6 years to 12 years around 2004, but that won't help NAZ in the US. BMWNA advertise that they have had a 12 year corrosion warranty from 2006 models, 6 years prior to that.

Still waiting to hear if it is perforation vs surface rust, to know if the warranty matters anyway.

I am not sure the extent... But, where the sheet metal meets the frame on the rear door there is corrosion. The seal is destroyed and now starting to come apart. You cannot see through it, but I can basically rip off the seal where it is beaded to the frame.

I will try and get a couple photos today or tomorrow. There is corrosion on the seal, and bubbling is occurring from there to the corner of the door (making it's way to become visible to the outside when the door is closed).

Pictures:

That is most definitely surface rust. Going by what JCL said, it wouldn't be covered under warranty anyways.

-Cyrus

its starting to make its way onto the corners onto the outside of the sheet metal...

cant really capture a picture of that, its nighttime...

also, if i wanted to, i could literally pull the beading seal off..

Sure looks like surface corrosion. Perforation means that you would see it through the outer doorskin from the outside, when the door is closed.

I would get it fixed, and not let it go further. A body and paint expert could advise what that would take.

It never hurts to ask your dealer, but I would be asking them for some type of consideration based on it not meeting your expectations, and not trying to argue the specific warranty terms.

Naz, this is something that will need to be bead blasted and repainted to correct the problem. As JCL stated, warranty won't cover this but a reputable body shop should be able to fix it. Perhaps an insurance claim? Good luck

Thanks guys! I'm definitely going to get it fixed..I just have to wait thru the bureaucratic system of BMWNA. If they don't cover it, I will have it fixed by the end of may when I get home from school.

Maybe I'll go for an estimate from a body shop soon and see what it'll take.

So annoying bc I'm the most meticulous with my car. I literally wash it at least once a week by hand. Even in sub zero temperatures. It doesn't see salt on the paint for more than a couple days and is waxed regularly. Ugh

Well now you know why people pay more for southern cars ;) to an extent, it doesn't matter how much you wash or wax it, the fact that it gets salt = it will eventually rust.

-Cyrus

Another reason to dislike Cornell and Ithaca NY. Damn this place! Can't wait to graduate

Same spot same door like mine.... I left it that way for about two years .. The paint from the out side of the door start to peel ... Finally I did the repair last summer ..
Sand it down to metal and add some bondo to the surface to bring up the balance of the metal ... Tape up the left side if the car than start painting just the lower section of the door.

the rust may have started inside the door . in that case it has perforated . worth taking a look inside the door .

Naz, come on over to California, we'd love to have another meticulous X5 owner here!!!:thumbup:

Hey if i can find a good job out there in Finance and Real Estate, then Goodbye NJ/NY!

Cyrus, check your connections lol :D

Check out Marin County. Average house cost is $935,000. It's competitive but can be a lucrative option for those that work hard.

Will do.

however, i'm talking commercial real estate, I currently intern for the company that owns the NBC/Universal Building (10 Universal City Plaza) in Los Angeles.

But if i come out to CA, i wont be driving an X. You will see me in an M3!

Don't come up north to Canada, i have the same problem as you on all 4 of my doors! I got them fixed last year but after this winter it has come back, going to do another repair in the next month or two. I hate winter and salt :( Wish i could move to FL or CA.

What does the repair involve? and how much $ should i be expecting to dish out for it?

More than Brit6 paid most likely. If a shop does it on the cheap, and covers it up, it will look good for a while but the rust will come back in short order. You have to remove the rusted metal, and that costs more than just covering it up.

I actually talked to the BMW dealer and they said "sometimes we have to replace the doors" i was like ugh no.

I went to a body shop and i asked them to basically remove the surface rust, wire brush, etc and repaint. It cost me maybe $100-$150 per door, i got the rear hatch rust done at the same time.

I should take pics but it needs a touch up again this spring from all the salt from the winter.

Exactly my point.

I'd suggest that the required touch up isn't due to salt this winter, as much as it is due to them not removing all of the rust before painting over it. Properly applied paint on sound metal lasts more than one year.

So the BMWNA rep is coming to my dealer next wednesday. I'm going to drive home this weekend and drop my X5 off.

Any recommendations?

Update on post 1

Sucks bro..I have had plenty of cars many years through NE winters and no rust *knock on wood*... something isnt right

i agree. Theres something wrong here. Door has never been replaced. But maybe its just the ithaca winter. its pretty bad here. even worse than NJ. Plus, i have to park outdoors :(

That's rough luck Naz....FWIW mine is an '04 that is parked outside in Boston winter and no rust....seems odd to me

May be it's because of the white color; it absorbs less heat from the sun, more humidity around the panels.?

I had a white 4Runner 12 years ago, it was always rustproofed every year since new, and even then, rust was forming under the wheel arch mouldings and rear tail gate. I didn't have those problems with a black Toyota pick-up and other darker cars.

Would be interresting to hear from other white X5 in the rust belt.

interesting. i know another member has a titanium silver X5 and he has rust forming also. Maybe it is the lighter colors.

either way, i got quoted $577 to get it fixed. i'm not going to kill myself over it. going in on monday to get fixed

Just wanted to give a quick update guys.

had this repaired at Park Auto Body in Elmwood Park, NJ. $500 a door. The Owner (i think he was) Rich was a great guy. They did superb work too. I highly recommend them

Wow that would be like $2000 for me to do 4 doors, wayy to much to spend on this vehicle. Mine are worse than yours as well :(