12-23-2011, 01:21 AM | #1 |
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Rusty spots on my garage floor under my new X3?
It may seem trivial to some but this is the most I've ever paid for anything but my house and to have wet rusty drip spots on the garage floor after only 400 miles is like getting a piece of sand when eating an oyster. It turns out the two muffler hangers are not painted or coated with anything and have already rusted. I'm sure I can clean and brush some heat resistant paint on them to correct the problem but it seems weird that they are bare metal. I've inquired with my dealer to see if my muffler is defective but haven't heard back yet. Anybody else notice this on theirs?
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12-23-2011, 02:02 PM | #3 |
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Pics as requested.............it's worse than I first thought.
The entire leg of the exhaust system aft of the mid muffler/cat? is rusting in various spots. In addition the bottom of the muffler is rough and whatever is making it feel rough doesn't just come off by wipping with my hand like I would think 400 miles of road dirt would. Almost feels like flaking.
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12-23-2011, 10:20 PM | #5 |
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12-23-2011, 10:47 PM | #6 | |
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12-23-2011, 11:54 PM | #7 | |
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There is no possible way BMW can design the components of the car to last for such a specific period of time. Obviously, the way the vehicle is driven and its environment can have a huge impact on the lifespan of any part. As such, BMW has to design the vehicle for some of the harsher conditions. And it represents a much larger profit to the company to have brand reputation as being a reliable car than it does making a buck from repair costs for now unhappy customers who will be looking elsewhere for their next car... On a site note I would be intrigued to know what the "industry standard" is for driving conditions (loads / cycles / temperatures / ect) as well as the factor of safety used across the car. |
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12-24-2011, 01:36 AM | #8 | |
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12-24-2011, 09:26 AM | #10 |
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While there is some joking by Lotus, he has a very valid point. Car companies could design a car and its associated parts to last 50 years if they wanted. However, its not in their best interest to do so. I work in aerospace, we do the same thing. The length of time we build a component to last is a combination of warranty expectations in conjunction with "common" usage and environmental conditions. We do use super computers to predict how long something will last and then we prove it by doing highly accelerated stress testing. I have no doubt that car companies engineer its cars in a similar method.
In my opinion, brand loyalty is more about the experience while the car is under warranty. It seems that most people that do buy a BMW, or any new car for that matter, will not typically keep this car for the life of the car (probably estimated between 10-15 years). Most people that buy new cars will keep the car for the length of the warranty or slightly outside of it, and then buy a new one. In my opinion, this is where brand loyalty is important, not in how long the components will last once outside the warranty. |
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12-24-2011, 01:57 PM | #11 |
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No salt.............maybe pepper?
As far as I know they only use sand or a deicing chemical in my area. The car has been garaged (insulated and dry garage) when not being driven. One thing I did notice is that after being driven in wet conditions, there would be quite a bit of water under the rear of the vehicle. An amount that I would expect from snow melting that was caught up in the under carriage. Since it was not driven in the snow, I think water can get trapped under the many underbody heat shields, insulated panels, and plastic covers. So when the exhaust cools, instead of remaining dry, this water drips down on the exhaust and the result is accelerated rusting. If the exhaust is truly not protected with corrosion resistant paint or other coating as designed and built, I will end up using a rust converter and high temp coating in these areas. This rust issue is certainly souring our new car experience even if it's nothing to worry about structurally or functionally.
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12-24-2011, 11:18 PM | #12 |
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This is the very reason I have my cars sprayed at krown.com
My sales guy recommended that we not spray a bmw... the posted pictures suggest otherwise. |
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12-24-2011, 11:34 PM | #13 |
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Apparently the scrap steel from my '67 many-windowed VW Micro Bus has had the good fortune to be reincarnated as a BMW exhaust system.
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12-25-2011, 01:11 AM | #14 |
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So what does this have to do with my rusty exhaust?
The Krown process does not cover the exhaust system or other drive train parts. It is for the body and frame. Or do they just forget to mention treating those areas on their website?
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12-25-2011, 07:52 AM | #15 |
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nop krown sprays all the exposed underside... in just burns off of the brakes and exhaust.
In any case I hope this rusting exhaust is isolated... |
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12-30-2011, 12:26 PM | #16 |
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So no one else has rust like this on their exhaust?
Could some of you please look at yours and/or take pictures of the same areas please. I'm trying to figure out if I have a unique situation or if all X3 exhaust systems will rust in this way. Thanks in advance.
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12-30-2011, 11:27 PM | #17 |
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Wish mine looked like that.
Your photo only makes my situation seem more unique not the same. The rust that has already developed on my exhaust is flaking layers of material off. Yours looks very light and surface only. Mine might look like that after I wire brush it. Thanks for the photo.
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12-30-2011, 11:32 PM | #18 |
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More photos please.
I could really use some more photos showing the same areas of the exhaust that I have taken. It's really hard to talk to the dealer and explain why I think this is unacceptable if I have no comparison photos. It took me just a few minutes, a piece of cardboard, and a digital camera. Thanks in advance for additional photos.
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01-10-2012, 06:46 AM | #21 |
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OK, here's mine. It's a five month old 2.0d, lives outside all the time. Roads not salted but I live on a small island and there is always a lot of salt in the air.
Hope this helps. |
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