Engine Plate Corrosion

[team duvet]

Hi all,

Had mine changed this week will keep an eye on it

TD

 

[Capt Over-reaction]

Does anyone have a picture of this corrosion, so we know what to look out for?

Ta much!

Our 05 R1200RT has bubbled up badly, I know of six other owners, 5X12 RT 1X12 ST, that also have this problem,,, as for a pic, feast your eyes on this beauty..... It is black by the way, just the camera flash makes it look grey. Grey ,grey, nealry black,,,OH GOD not Black

 

[steve16]

Any...

.....idea where I can get my hands on some Starbrite (London area) for when my plate is changed in September ?

Cheers
Steve..

 

[oblertone]

Google is your friend

.....idea where I can get my hands on some Starbrite (London area) for when my plate is changed in September ?

Cheers
Steve..

Chandlers - 2.7 miles N - 85-87 Bayham St, London, NW1 0AG - 020 7424 7870
Chandlers - 5.3 miles S - 64 Moyser Rd, London, SW16 6SQ - 020 8677 7894
Ocean Leisure Ltd - 0.4 miles N - 11-14 Northumberland Avenue, London, WC2N 5AQ - 020 7930 5050

 

[yellofello]

Can anyone tell me what bolts to apply the duralac to. Is it just the bolts holding the black plastic coer or should it be to all bolts holding the engine cover on.

Cheers

Y

 

[steve16]

Wondering..

..if LANOCOTE will be ok to use ?

Cheers

 

[Pukmeister]

It says it will prevent electrolytic action, so it should be suitable.

If you notice the picture of the corroded black engine cover in the posts above, the corrosion starts beneath the plastic guard where the bottow guard mounting screw penetrates the cover itself. This is where the steel bolt is fitted into the (unpainted tapped hole threads) alloy. Both of my failed engine covers started to corrode in exactly the same place.

The presence of a tiny amount of water (eg rain) tracks up the threads by capillary action and starts an electrochemical reaction like a battery where the alloy becomes sacrificial, corroding more readily than the steel. This results in bubbling beneath the paint, allowing more water to collect and continue the process. Eventually the corrosion expands far enough to literally "burst the bubble" and the paint flakes off.

http://www.berkeleypoint.com/products/install/lanocote.html

http://www.mailspeedmarine.com/BrandList/mcs/Brand/Duralac/referrer/googleBRDH

http://www.starbrite-europe.com/index_cat_en.htm

 

[Buckhouse]

CW Dorchester inform me that a fix is on the way.Was due for replacement next week,will now wait for redesigned one.Bike 23 months old and corroision just starting,probably due to no salting of roads over here in the winter.Also being done under warranty.............Gear box oil seal leak,new tank and new horse shoe bracket for rear light lense.CW very helpfull as always!!!!

 

[NorthernBoy]

While applying the first coat of ACF50 to my Sep 05 bike, I noticed that my front plate was going. I took off the black cover to remove the spongem and it is a real mess underneath.

So, off I tootled to the local dealer...

...to be told that they did not think it was a warranty issue, as the previous plates that they had replaced were heavily corroded around the bolts holding the plate on (i.e. not creeping out from behind the black cover), and mine was just cosmetic.

So, once again, those who say things like "BMW will replace these before you even get to the end of the sentence mentioning it" are a bit off the mark.

I wonder if the belief that BMW dealers are great is similar to the "BMW have top noth build quality" that we hear.

i.e. a little rose tinted.

I am getting my service done 1000 miles early, as I do not trust the bike to get me to the alps and back at the moment.

I am getting a bit disillusioned right now.

 

[MIKE R]

So, off I tootled to the local dealer...

...to be told that they did not think it was a warranty issue, as the previous plates that they had replaced were heavily corroded around the bolts holding the plate on (i.e. not creeping out from behind the black cover), and mine was just cosmetic.

I think you have a 'dealer problem'.

Would wax oil applied to the bolt threads solve the problem?

Mike R

 

[NorthernBoy]

I think you have a 'dealer problem'.

Would wax oil applied to the bolt threads solve the problem?

Mike R

I have put ACF50 all over everything, so hopefully that will stop it getting worse too quickly.

I am getting it serviced tomorrow before a big trip, so I will ask them to have a more careful look behind the cover. It only shows a bit right now, but it is very bad behind the plastic cover.

 

[GrinningGSer]

Washed my bike, for the first time in a few weeks, last week and saw this :

Dealer was extremely helpful and replaced the cover very quickly indeed at short notice (cos my warranty runs out tomorrow). It is a 2.5hr job, for which BMW will only pay 1.5hrs !

Following suggestions on here, I visited my local chandlers... a tube of Duralac costs £16, but he gave me this little sachet of Duralac for 50p and I was so pleased that I gave him a tip :

I have dipped the three lower plastic screw threads in Duralac and now hope for the best... but what about all of the remaining front cover engine screws? The corrosion does not seem to be related to those at all, unless anyone knows diffently. It always seems to be in the area of the lower plastic cover screw.

 

[Pukmeister]

Both the covers I had replaced on my 1200 engine were corroding on that dreaded bottom screw for the plastic cover. Touch wood, since using starbrite and ditching the foam rubber pad behind the cover, things have been good.

I have seen 1150 engine covers corroding around the outer cover screws but oddly not yet on any of the 1200 models.

 

[Happyhenry]

I have a 15-month old bike with corrosion much worse than the GrinningGSer's and spoke to a local dealer today who looked at it and immediately said that he would replace it under warranty - he had done two this week already. He also advised that if I was planning to keep the bike and could live with it, I should get it done at 23-months old - which seems like common sense but also saves BMW the risk of replacing it more than once! Like the idea of the Duralac/Staybrite/Lanocote solution.
The only other corrosion on the bike seems to be the front disc bolts - any ideas?

 

[gavin@iow]

The only other corrosion on the bike seems to be the front disc bolts - any ideas?

I changed my disc bolts for stainless items, button head M8 X 20mm - use these guys, fast, efficient and any quantity you want, recommended. - http://www.stagonset.co.uk/fasteners?output_frontpage=yes&cart_id=7663940_16699

 

[JohnC]

Just noticed my cover has started corroding at 7 months old with 8000 miles

I knew about the problem and took all the bolts out from new and applied ACF-50, obviously no no avail

 

[BBB61]

The only other corrosion on the bike seems to be the front disc bolts - any ideas?

I have the ACF50 grease which I have very carefully coated over the disc bolts, and it seems to have worked so far.

 

[k12pfc]

I bought a used 54 12gs with this problem in April 06, SPC changed the plate no problem, then in november 06, just after the original 24 month warranty the new plate was corroding, I asked Vines to sort it but they said corrosion wasn't covered on a BMW extended warranty!

 

[Nate]

A warranty is merely a statement of their commitment to repair/replace problems within a certain time period. As far as consumer law is concerned, any magistrate would look at what is reasonable. For example, our wishwasher broke out of warranty, but with the help of Which Legal Service we argued that the item should have had a longer life, and we got a replacement.

Tim

You wash your wishes??? Damn, no wonder my new GSA and Elle McPherson havent turned up yet...

Can I ask how you wash your wishes? Can i post here or should I start a new thread???

Nate

 

[BigAlMacMac]

Mine is the same and since I noticed, it seems to have got worse day by day.

Spoke to the dealer who has asked for a courtesy replacement from BMW since I amout of warrenty.

Interestingly.... he said was a known problem and he recommended getting the replacement one powder coated... cost about £20.... recommended because a replacement would just go the same...