Peeling engine paint

Took up the problem with BMW (bike still under warranty then) - BMW response was 'we don't do paint jobs' and the problem lies with the British putting salt on the roads in winter - No mention of their crap preparation prior to the original paint finish.

 

It can depend on the dealer!

I had similar, though not as severe, issues with my G650 GS. Paint bubbling leading to corrosion on the generator cover, due I think to water/salt pooling when sat on it's sidestand.

"Fortunately" the corrosion holed the generator cover, though I hadn't noticed it had got that bad. When the bike was in for it's 12 month service the workshop took me out back and "asked" me to point out the hole to them as that would oblige them to report it to BMW. Replaced free of charge under warranty a week or so later.

If you can get them to treat it as more than a surface finish issue you may have more luck!

 

Paint has been prematurely falling off F650GS engines since the first single cylinders arrived in the UK back in 2000. It is beyond my comprehension that, after 10+ years, the problem has not been fixed ?

My old 2001 F650GS is a great little bike for what it is but I certainly wouldn't spend a lot of money on a newer BMW because of build quality issues such as this.

"BMW response was ....the problem lies with the British putting salt on the roads in winter". If BMW bikes can't cope with just 2 British winters they shouldn't be sold in the UK !!

End of rant....

HH :riding:

 

"If BMW bikes can't cope with just 2 British winters..." - they can, if properly prepared and maintained. Mine's done two winters and the only places where paint's come off is in the grit-blast zone of the front of the frame and the crossbar of the centre stand. Think ACF50.

As for "never again", I suggest looking at other makers' bikes run under the same conditions. The casings of my last (Honda) bike were corroded, but that was before I'd made the discovery of ACF50.

 

My two pence worth.
I must say ACF50 a good product , (is it recommended by BMW it is not) what do they recommend ? for the British problem of salt then as we have been chucking it on the roads for many years. Is this also causing S1000rr sumps to corrode away by the drain bolt and lose oil or BMW's poor selection of materials / finishing ???

 

My two pence worth.
I must say ACF50 a good product , (is it recommended by BMW it is not) what do they recommend ?

Before last winter they were offering a steam clean & ACF50 treatment as pre-winter preparation. Wasn't outrageously expensive and I went and played with another bike while they did it.

To my knowledge (washed the bike Sunday and saw nothing untoward) my bike has no corrosion problems. (I also spray Scottoiler FS 365 onto relevant surfaces after every wash - before the bike is dry.)

 

The car industry seems to have gone a long way towards solving the problem of corrosion creeping under the paint after being punctured by a chip, by better preparation, but that's on steel. Aluminium seems to be more reactive and getting paint to stick must be harder. Once punctured, the corrosion quickly spreads under the paint surface, not least because the affected surface stays wet longer, under the paint. The same used to apply to underseal applied over factory paintwork on cars. It's most evident on forks with clear lacquer finish. ACF50 seems to have the property of sealing the site where the puncture occurred, so it can't spread.

 

Thing is guys there are no specific punctures, the corrosion all starts at the edges or where there are bolt holes which suggests to me the prep at the edges wasn't done properly, which is a production issue, not one of road damage.

 

There does appear to be a lot round bolt holes on the side casing, admittedly, which would be unlikely to be due to impact damage. BMW's defence seems to rely on you not making it worse by leaving the bike standing with baked-on salt. How much money have you got? You could approach a specialist for a professional report and nail BMW that way, if the paint processes were provably inadequate. One way might be to get a price from such a specialist, then go to BMW and tell them that if the professional comes up with a report that blames BMW, then you'll not only be after BMW for a paint job but the cost of the report as well - "you'll be hearing from my lawyer ...".

As for paint coming off the edges, that's where the paint will always be thinnest, no matter how well applied, and is one reason I avoid machined alloy wheels on the car.

 

My 2011 F650 had paint flaking from engine casings and BMW replaced the casings under warranty. Some dealers seem better than others. They do an ACF treatment in the winter months so can hardly reject claims from users of the stuff.

 

ACF50 is amazing stuff, my 2002 GS650 gets covered in the stuff, and the engine casings are near perfect, just a little corrosion / paint loss around the water pump hose, its used as an all year commuter and is not washed very often.

Compared to my Guzzi, and the engine paint falling of that desipite dry summer use only, BMW quality is 10 x better.

 

http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/ltnz-research/docs/issue-7-sep-2006.pdf

The attached link is interesting read.I did not know that salt had previously (pre 1980)been applied to icy/snow roads in NZ.D
Discontinued because of "environmental and vehicle corrosion concerns".
Calcium magnesium acetate(CMA) is now the preferred agent.
However the skid resistance is less for CMA so signage has to be better to warn motorists.
Wonder why CMA not used in UK?uzzled:

 

"Wonder why CMA not used in UK?" - My guess is that it's because road salt just has to be dug out of the ground, whereas CMA has to be manufactured, so more expensive. Any highways engineers out there?

 

No 1 son is a Roading Engineer (got a nice Wakefield lass,too)must ask him.