E30 Scuttle rust - urgent advice needed!
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Forum Name: BMW ///M Power
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URL: http://www.bavarian-board.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=12829
Printed Date: 05-May-2024 at 15:05
Topic: E30 Scuttle rust - urgent advice needed!
Posted By: Jim Bo
Subject: E30 Scuttle rust - urgent advice needed!
Date Posted: 19-December-2004 at 11:09
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Hi All,
I haven't posted here for sometime (since I sold my E30 Evo 2, infact). I'm teetering on the brink of rejoining the M Club, and have found a car which sounds pretty good. The only issue is the scuttle panel has some rust (no surprises there, then)! Does anyone have any actual, real world experience of rectifying scuttle rust on an E30? Obviously it is impossible to tell how bad the damage is until the screen is out, but here's a picture anyway. 
I have found this thread on S14.net http://www.s14.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3299&pe rpage=15&pagenumber=1 which has put the fear of god into me! Do I run away? Costs to repair (properly)? |
Replies:
Posted By: Nostrils
Date Posted: 19-December-2004 at 11:16
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I have done a small repair to mine and I was lucky that it had not spread too far.
All I can suggest is that you ask the current owner if you could have a look under the dashboard area from inside the car. I am sure if this person is genuine and not hiding anything, they would let you look. I wonder if those grills are easy to remove to look further... The cost of mine with the rear spoiler and front bumper sprayed cost only £400, which included removing the windscreen too (Bear this in mind because removal can crack the screen!) Others here do have experience, so expect more replies. As for if you should run away, only you could answer that if you can investigate more Good Luck ------------- Phil |
Posted By: BMG M3
Date Posted: 19-December-2004 at 11:26
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This is a good link to see how much work is needed to replace a complete scuttle . Not had mine done so can't help on the pricing . I believe the panel is £30-40 from BMW but will need to be stamped with the VIN number which can take some time.
http://www.davelength.net/car/m3/index.html - Scuttle link |
Posted By: Darren M
Date Posted: 19-December-2004 at 11:39
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The grills can be removed by pulling down from the top, pulling down towards the engine bay and prising the top outwards. The clips at the bottom behave like springs so you push against them and try to pop the top out while pushing towards the engie bay.
I believe if this job hasn`t been done then it will need doing on neasrly every M3 out there. If you see rust without moving the rubber, it is probably pretty bad in the groove where the rubber fits as this is where I think it starts. My old car had no visible rust but it still didn`t stop me putting a screwdriver through the metal when I had the rubber seal and screen out - ooops. So there was corrosion. IMO, if you like the car, factor it into the price. I`ve just bought an Evo II which will need this job doing soon, as well as a few other minor spots of rust here and there. |
Posted By: Jim Bo
Date Posted: 19-December-2004 at 13:26
Thanks for your help so far guys. 
Anyone else had this job done recently? Did yours look better or worse than "mine"? |
Posted By: Andyboy
Date Posted: 19-December-2004 at 19:26
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My black Sport Evo had a new scuttle from BMW just
before I bought as part of a strip down repaint. BMW are now making a real song and dance about supplying these and want your old one first. Also, you might have to have the car inspected by the Police, something becoming very common when changing a car body part involving the chassis number. Get the screen out and the rust repaired properly, you should be okay. An alternative is to cut a section of scuttle out of a scrap E30 shell (any will do) and use bits of it to repair yours - it's been done before. |
Posted By: JudgeBaxter
Date Posted: 20-December-2004 at 09:47
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Hi Jim,
Good to have you back in the fold (potentially anyway). I'm still taking good care of your old girl for you. Here's what I posted in response to the same question last week. I know your up in Yorkshire so the guys in Sussex aren't relevant, but everything else should apply. You just need to find a competant garage that has ideally done this work before!! I would say from the photo, that a new scuttle would be needed. Various people have said that it can take several weeks to supply from BMW. I didn't need one in the end as the rust in the EvoII was caught nice and early, however, Munich Legends reckoned they could get a properly stamped up one in around a week?? Never put that to the test, but it may be worth phoning them if you do look to go ahead as they may be able to source it and then ship it to you somewhat quicker. Cheers and Regards, David (JudgeBaxter) "Hi there, Assuming your replacing the scuttle only and that there is no rot anywhere beneath this that needs sorting.....your looking at approx £400 quid to supply, fit and paint from a bodyshop that knows what they are doing. This should include removing and refitting the screen. Double that at least if you take it to BMW. I recently had mine done at Crowborough Accident and Repair down in Sussex. They are the bodyshop that Munich Legends use for all there work (be it crash repair or comestic/restoration etc). I didn't need a new scuttle as the rot was caught in time, but they still had to cut out a section, let in new metal and then flatten it and paint it - a tricky job given that the area itself is curved and is where the bulkhead meets the screen pillar meets the wing etc. As far as I know you always have to pop the screen out when this job is done - regardless of whether you are putting in a new scuttle or reparing the old one. This adds a bit of extra cost, and if you have even a small crack in your screen, then it will almost certainly break when removed - so make sure your insurance is OK to get this done. I'm with Aon and they were great. They allow you to get the screen done with whomever you choose (as opposed to being forced to get it done by an Autoglass monkey and end up with leaks etc all over the place). It is seriously worth checking the specifics of this before you get it done. Most classic policies will allow you to get a new screen fitted by an independant specialist - most normal insurance policies insist on Autoglass (or RAC if your lucky) and they really don't know what they are doing with cars like this (IMHO). If you need a new screen - you neeed to factor in the policy excess, which is normally no more than £40/£50 quid. I'm very happy with the work they did on my EvoII. The colour is Misano Red which can be a pain to blend in, but the paintwork is seamless and the repair looks perfect. They also went around and touched up a few stone chips etc. and then machine polished the car - so it looked lovely when collected. If you are in the south of England - I would say they are the place to go, but I know that other people have had this work done recently and were happy with it, so there are some other options if you can't get to Sussex. Cheers, Dave. PS - If it needs doing - get it done now!! If you let this go untreated, then the rot can spread beneath the scuttle and get into the bulkhead and/or wings - this equals major surgery and major expense!! Very much an essential peice of preventative maintenance and arguably adds a bit of value to the car as it is a well known weak-spot on E30 M3's that any half-clued up potential buyer will likely know about. cheers, dave b (JudgeBaxter)" PS - It's pretty hard to tell if the rot has got any further than the scuttle, without actually taking the screen out and popping the wings back etc. You need to have must of the wiring loom and the dash half out to get right into the potential problems area's OR pull up the carpet from the passenger/driver footwells. ANY sign of damp, on either carpet in either footwell, is probably a bad sign, and grounds to either walk-away or INSIST that the car is fully inspected and you are allowed to remove the above items to have a good poke around. If the seller is iffy and or refuses - I'd personally walk away. I almost walked away from your old car over just a few bubbles in the corner of the scuttle - glad I didn't in the end, but it was a calculated risk based on the viewing I'd had before from when Bernhard owned the car!! - do be careful!! ------------- BMW E34 M5 (3.8) BMW E30 M3 EvoII Lancia Integrale EvoII "Perlato" Ltd Ed. Mk.2 Golf GTI 16V Mk.1 Scirocco GTI |
Posted By: dom_k
Date Posted: 20-December-2004 at 15:35
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has that car had paint at some point? seems 2 be overspray on the rubbern screen? or is that just my eyes goin funny? ------------- www.dkperformanceimports.co.uk |
Posted By: Robbie Bradford
Date Posted: 21-December-2004 at 12:35
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........well spotted Sherlock ------------- http://www.BMW-driver.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=21 - http://www.BMW-driver.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=21 |
dom_k wrote:
Posted By: Rhys
Date Posted: 21-December-2004 at 13:19
 ------------- V reg Rustbucket Merc C220 Cdi estate J Reg Saab 900i 16v '63 Ford Anglia 105e deluxe R reg Honda PC50 moped.. No BMW as yet... |
Posted By: Jim Bo
Date Posted: 21-December-2004 at 16:18
Thanks for all of your help guys. Looks like I've missed the car - someone has coughed up the asking price just before I put my sporting bid in  !
On with the search.... |
Posted By: Mike 90 M3
Date Posted: 21-December-2004 at 16:34
| Are there any reputable places people have used for this work in the cheshire area? |