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F800GS (and 650) Engine Casing Corrosion

11K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  Older Goat  
#1 ·
As the F650 is basically the same engine block as the 800 I wanted to share with with you.

Also this was posted 3 years ago so I know 650 engines had the same issue.

http://www.f650.co.uk/forums/archive/index.php/t-8503.html

I would like to show you all photos of my 2010 F800GS
The story was a few weeks ago I noticed paint flaking off the side of the GS, to be honest I wasn't expecting it and never really did much about it.
Anyway I then decided to look into it a bit deeper and upon inspection with a tiny screwdriver found, what I thought, was a minor bit of bubbling turned into a massive corrosion problem.
All the paint was lifting around all the edges, including all the bolt holes, of the LH casing.
I then removed the plastic bash plate and the sump was even worse, coming off in chunks.
Over this time I contacted BMW and the dealer and after protracted 'discussions' was told it was my fault because I didn't wash the bike !
As you can see the rest of the bike is mint (for a 3 year old with 18k on the clock) so I asked them how can corrosion be so selective because all the other casings and the rest of the bike are untouched by it, they didn't answer, just repeated it was my fault due to my lack of cleaning the bike !
So if anyone is thinking about an F800GS (or a 650 because after some digging this problem was occurring to 650's in 2010 and BMW even then refused to admit it was a problem even after someone did a paint test and found the allow hadn't been prepared properly) then make sure you look really good at the casings or it will look ****e like mine !
Right Hand Casings are fine......
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Left Hand fine except casing
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LH Casing a mess
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Sump even worse
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Needless to say I won't ever be buying a BMW again, not because of the problem ( I really like the bike) but the way its been handled and they way they say its my fault.

They often say you only know how good a company are by the way they react to problems...........in BMW's case.........RUBBISH !!
 
#3 ·
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!
 
#4 ·
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 ? :(:confused:

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:
 
#5 ·
"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.
 
#6 ·
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 ???
 
#10 ·
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.)
 
#7 ·
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.
 
#9 ·
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.
 
#12 ·
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.
 
#13 ·
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?:puzzled: