Battery Box Inspection

[bennybigb]

Hello Guys,


I am looking into 325 E30 ownership and I found a southern car on the other side of the country. I've asked the seller for empty battery box pictures to insure the car is rust free but he hasn't been able to provide them. He sent me a picture of the battery box with the battery in it and I was talking to HIS mechanic and his mechanic said he took the battery out and looked at the tray but the tray bolts were a little corroded so he didn't remove the tray. He said everything looked good from what he could tell.


Can you really tell the condition of the battery box with the tray still in place?


How hard is it to remove the battery tray? I see empty battery box pictures on BAT all the time. Buying a car sight unseen is kind of dodgy, I'm frustrated that this seemly simple request has gone unanswered.


Or is this not really that big of a deal and I am being a wuss?


Let me know what you think,


Thanks!


Ben

[roguetoaster]

Pull the battery, then extract two or so bolts, providing they are not totally wrecked. Will only take a couple of minutes.

Otherwise you will miss most of the rust.

[bennybigb]

Thanks, that what I figured.


It makes me wonder if they are hiding some rust there because they know I wanted a completely rust free example.


Bummer, it's pretty sweet car, but it is at the top of my budget. I'll be disappointed if I get it home and find a rusty battery box.

[e304lyfe]

You can usually tell the condition of the battery tray area by carefully inspecting the area under the tow hook outside, underneath the car, and inside the fender well. There is thick seam sealer inside the battery tray that can hide rust. This is a hard area to 100% eliminate rust from, so if there are signs of someone patching this area, then it very well may come back depending on the quality of the repair.