Help with managing corrosion

Skipssong

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I would appreciate it if you would provide me with some advice regarding corrosion.

I have just written to BMW Customer Services with a formal complaint regarding the quality my 2010 Adventure (17,300 miles) and the degree of corrosion the bike is now suffering.

The first two images are of my left had rocker cover. Local dealer has said that this is due to stone chips and are refusing to help (the right is suffering no corrosion at all). Do you think I will get any support from BMW CS? If I don't any suggestion on how to remedy?

The second two images show some of the corrosion I'm seeing on the bike frame (this is just a selection, there's more). This doesn't look as serious as the engine corrosion but I would appreciate any advice on the best way of fixing it and protecting it going forward.

For what it's worth the bike was ACF'd last May (All Year Biker). I tend not to wash the bike once it's ACF'd until after the winter - mistake?

Thanks,

Mike
 

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I'd be very surprised if BMW do pay out, as the bike is 4 years old. Aren't you meant to rinse the salt off the bike with ACF50 applied, but NOT use soap?:nenau
 
Seen very similar on mine

Altough mine hasn't really seen winter appart from the late winter last year, so minimal salt but lots of wet, made a right mess of left hand rocker cover, which I believe is a magnesium alloy(??) which is far less noble or anodic (more reactive) than the ally alloy of the engine...

Corros1.gif


This is for immersion is sea water but constantly wetted with salty water will be similar

...so acts like a sacrificial anode as soon as there is exposed metal and wetted surfaces you get a current flow and greatly accelerated corrosion.

Perversely, this may have avoided further damage to the engine block??

It seems that BMWs are far more susceptible than any other bike I have owned so there is a trade off, clean the bike more than you ride it spending a fortune of protectants or accept you'll have little projects now and then.

BMW are probbably right in that it's caused by stone chips because as soon as any metal is exposed corrosion will set in beneath the paint and you won't notice until the paint starts to bubble,electrons are very small and determined little buggers.

However on my rocker cover I also got a spot between the rubber insert part of the crash guard and the rocker cover so that must have been a really small stone......or the finish BMW apply is sufficiently porous in places. :augie
 

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Both look pretty bad . ACF 50 is something that needs re applying , it wears off / gets washed off with time . that centre stand Jeeesch !!
 
I know, shame nearly made me delete that picture but it's mine and cleanings not my strong point.

Looks much better now. Without making too many ecxuses most of my problems are due to a leaky garage roof and carpet on the floor which kept the atmospere moist and the bike wet.

It looks much better now.
 
Get your self some tectane SL527 silicon spray

Supposedly stops corrosion in its tracks :)
 
Both my head covers suffered similar crusty corrosion when the bike was two years old and were replaced under warranty by my dealer without my even asking - They spotted it during a service and simply replaced them. The rear frame on mine is significantly worse for rust than the photos above (bike is now nearly three years old), and I have lots of peeling/corrosion of the front engine cover and one of the front fork lowers. It's crap, and much worse than the (usually much older) bikes I have previously owned. I don't have a garage and use the thing pretty much all year round without a great deal of washing - but every bike I've ever owned has been treated much the same. The only one I've ever had that was worse was a Honda 250 that I bought new in 1976 - The paint flaked off the frame under the overwhelming force of a garden hose...
 
iftikartaxis said:
Who sells this is it really that good
Click to expand...

Read this copy and pasted from a previous thread

"Just to say I use a Silicon spray (ensure its the conditioning type). I use TECTANE SL527 on black engine cases and on the wheels/spokes. Particularly the front cases where they suffer around the bolt holes. It seeps everywhere. It polishes a treat makes it look shiny if you like all that (I do as resale values are higher and the bike cost me money) and the silicon doesn't show at all. Mask your discs if your going mad with it as it "floats" in the air in a kind of mist. Kin brilliant at keeping two different metals from corroding. Salt hasn't touched it over winter, not a mark. Plastics done mark and look conditioned to.
People comment my bikes look new. Don't tell anyone all I do is spray and wipe lightly once its washed. Cheap too.
Its a layer on your screen too once sprayed and polished and all the flies and traffic wardens just seems to fall off with moist cloth and no scratching! I wiz it around the underneath of the bike and linkages and the dirt hasn't managed to stick.
Just thought I would say what I have found that works. If you want a pic of the Rocket 111 that was ridden all over the UK/continent in all weathers till I got the GSA I will post it. Looks absolutely brand new. 50K and mint. Yes I am a Virgo with OCD.
And all for a can for £5.00 once in a while. Just keep the garage door open cos its not good to inhale.
That's me done folks. Worth trying? What you got to lose?"

That was enough to sell me on it :) got 12 cans delivered today from germany but have since found out that you can buy it from toolstation in the uk for £2.60 odd a can with free delivery on orders over £10
 
Roymondo said:
Both my head covers suffered similar crusty corrosion when the bike was two years old and were replaced under warranty by my dealer without my even asking - They spotted it during a service and simply replaced them. The rear frame on mine is significantly worse for rust than the photos above (bike is now nearly three years old), and I have lots of peeling/corrosion of the front engine cover and one of the front fork lowers. It's crap, and much worse than the (usually much older) bikes I have previously owned. I don't have a garage and use the thing pretty much all year round without a great deal of washing - but every bike I've ever owned has been treated much the same. The only one I've ever had that was worse was a Honda 250 that I bought new in 1976 - The paint flaked off the frame under the overwhelming force of a garden hose...
Click to expand...

Anything will rust up or tarnish if you leave it outside in all weather and use it all year round with no TLC :nenau

I had a boss once who had a lambo and where two different metals came together there was corrosion trying to start....I have also like others had corrosion on my cylinder head covers

and replaced them myself and now just keep an eye on it making sure to try and keep them clean and dry. 6 months in there still perfect. My bikes an 09 GSA
 
Skipssong the appearance of your bike will degrade if you dont take care of it. You can rectify yours if you can be arsed with some elbow grease and some fettling.

The surface rust areas on the black frame can be polished off with some rubbing compound, a damp rag, and a toothbrush in the difficult corners polish it and spray
with WD40 (well thats what i use on the frame not used ACF yet!) I do this every couple of months the WD stops the rust returning.
I usually let the WD soak on the frame for a while before lightly wiping the surplus.

As for the Cylinder head/engine to fix the salty corrosion and chips you are going to need to sand down the affected area with 400 grit wet and dry till smooth and then
wipe with a clean cloth and thinners to remove any oil or greae deposits mask up evrything else. I use Hemmerite silver smooth aerosol it is an extremly close match to
the BMW silver finish. I have used it on my forks and the cylinder head guards works a treat if you do it right.
 
cammy5477 said:
Anything will rust up or tarnish if you leave it outside in all weather and use it all year round with no TLC :nenau
Click to expand...

Oh, for sure - but the bike I had before this was a F800ST. Admittedly I only had that two years but there was just a small amount of flaking/corrosion on the engine casings - none at all on the frame. Before that I had a 10 year old Kawasaki GPX750 and before that an even older 150k mile Honda VT500. All of them lived outside and were ridden all year with similar amounts of not-very-often washing and none of them had as much rust on the frame as this 3 year old, 27k mile GSA or huge chunks of peeling paint (if that's what it is) on the front engine cover.
 
Robbo1200ADV said:
Both look pretty bad . ACF 50 is something that needs re applying , it wears off / gets washed off with time . that centre stand Jeeesch !!
Click to expand...
+1 ACF50 is outstanding but it does need topping up. Buy a tin yourself and over salty winter periods, wash the bike off every couple of months of riding and reapply ACF50 and you won't get any corrosion. Doesn't require much finesse to do, just keep it off brakes and tyres. Well that's what I do and after 3 yrs and 30k miles the bike has no corrosion and in mid winter it sometimes looks white with salt but it all washes off.
 
Jersey_GS said:
Skipssong the appearance of your bike will degrade if you dont take care of it. You can rectify yours if you can be arsed with some elbow grease and some fettling.

The surface rust areas on the black frame can be polished off with some rubbing compound, a damp rag, and a toothbrush in the difficult corners polish it and spray
with WD40 (well thats what i use on the frame not used ACF yet!) I do this every couple of months the WD stops the rust returning.
I usually let the WD soak on the frame for a while before lightly wiping the surplus.

As for the Cylinder head/engine to fix the salty corrosion and chips you are going to need to sand down the affected area with 400 grit wet and dry till smooth and then
wipe with a clean cloth and thinners to remove any oil or greae deposits mask up evrything else. I use Hemmerite silver smooth aerosol it is an extremly close match to
the BMW silver finish. I have used it on my forks and the cylinder head guards works a treat if you do it right.
Click to expand...

Sound advice, thank you Jersey.
 
If any of you are worrying about corrosion then buy yourself a LR Defender. They are covered in aluminium which is wrapped around a metal framework. Where the two metals contact there is a corrosive reaction.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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