rust under rocker panels on 89 325i: dealbreaker?

[mark1991]

I do not know how to do any kind of rust repair myself. What's the reality of the repair if it really is just the rockers? How difficult is it to have them repaired and have it done well? Is it going to cost way more than I should spend on the car?

Seems to me the car needs nothing else at the moment and the asking price is quite low (about $4k). So I wouldn't mind putting some work into the body if necessary.

To have a professional job done including removing all of the rust you cannot see can easily cost more than what the car is really worth. The old metal will have to be cut back to solid metal and replacement panels will have to be cut to fit and welded in. Many hours will be spent finishing off the repair with paint which will need to be blended in to match the existing paint.

As others have noted, you are better off spending more than the $4k on an example from a "drier" and less salty state. This is true even if the rust free car has a tired engine and drive train. It is always easier and less costly to "restore" the mechanicals on an older car such as the E30 than it is to get into major rust repairs.

[TobyB]

if it really is just the rockers?

From growing up in the NE, if the front rockers are that bad, there will be more.
Probably quite a bit more. That looks like a car that's seen 3-5 winters in Western NY State...

The E30's not yet a 'rare' car- if you want to learn how to work on cars, find something
with less body rust, and travel for it. Then fix it mechanically.
If you don't want to learn, buy the nicest car you can find in California, pay the price
once, and find a good garage...

t

[NVJ]

Helpful advice all around. Thanks, everyone.

I've been searching nationwide with special attention to drier climates, and believe it or not this is one of the nicer stock examples I've found (except for this rust issue).

My question now is: I'm planning on using this car as a daily driver, year round, parked outside, in the northeast. If I brought a rust-free car here from elsewhere and drove it when and how I intend to through all of New York's weather, am I going to run into this same issue? Maybe $4,000 is too much for this car with the rust problem, but price notwithstanding, if the problem's inevitable, why go through the trouble of finding a 100% rust-free car?

[Das Delfin]

^ by that logic, why bother spending more than 2k?

[Stanley Rockafella]

^ by that logic, why bother with an e30?

[supermansocks95]

Buy a decent E30 and garage it. Buy shitty car to keep outside. There ya go.

[Kershaw]

But don't spend good e30 money on a shitty e30.

[jhaurimn]

That is some serious rust, there is plenty more where you cant see.

[mark1991]

Helpful advice all around. Thanks, everyone.

I've been searching nationwide with special attention to drier climates, and believe it or not this is one of the nicer stock examples I've found (except for this rust issue).

My question now is: I'm planning on using this car as a daily driver, year round, parked outside, in the northeast. If I brought a rust-free car here from elsewhere and drove it when and how I intend to through all of New York's weather, am I going to run into this same issue? Maybe $4,000 is too much for this car with the rust problem, but price notwithstanding, if the problem's inevitable, why go through the trouble of finding a 100% rust-free car?

IMHO, keeping a car outside does not, in and of itself, cause a car to rust. Allowing salt laden snow, ice and dirt to sit against even painted metal will eventually start the rusting process. This is why you should always hose down a car and spray the underside and wheel wells with a strong spray of water to get all this bad stuff off the car even if you are keeping the car in a garage.

Also, the E30 had some rust protection but not as much as the newer cars. Body crevices were not, as I understand it, completely coated with a wax based rust preventive coating. On any older car, I would access as many of these areas as possible and coat them with a modern anti-rust coating such as 3M rust fighter. Clean off the entire underside and suspension attachment areas and coat these areas as well. You want a flexible coating which will not harden and crack and trap moisture,salt and dirt. 2002 owners in the New England states were known for literally coating the entire undersides of their cars with motor oil as at least a temporary measure of preventing rust. The oil would get into the cracks of the old hardened undercoating and seal these areas against moisture intrusion. I would imagine that simply spraying WD-40 on the problem areas would offer some protection if done often enough.

Obviously, clean up the battery area and coat this area with an anti rust coating. Keeping the door drain holes, the sunroof drains and the areas underneath the door seals, trunk seals clean etc. will also help.