Specks of frame rust, discoloring rubber....

[lewellen]

Hi, folks,

Well, I've had my bike for just over a year now, and The Little Things are starting to show up. I should mention that while I don't wash & wax after every ride, I do try to keep the bike clean. As she's my only means of motorized transport, she also gets ridden & parked in the rain.

That being said.... Anybody else notice any rust on their frame? I've started to see little specks appear, on the area just above the RHS swingarm pivot.

It's not bad yet, and not that noticeable, but still, it seems just a touch early for this sort of thing to start showing up. I'm just wondering if (a) anyone else has seen this, (b) any suggestions on dealing with it other than the usual (e.g. keep it waxed, which I try to do), and (c) if such things are usually covered under warranty.

On a related note, the rubber cover on my swingarm joint and the front fork slider "seals" have started to discolor from black / dark grey to a reddish brown color. I've never seen this happen to rubber before ... thoughts or comments?

And, for the finale note on rust, I've noticed it starting to appear on the steel pin heads in the hard luggage handle pivots. That's just annoying, and I can't see a (good) reason for those to have corrosion starting up. *sigh* Hadn't BMW heard about either chrome plating or stainless steel? Or good old aluminum?

Good roads,

- Lewellen

[AllanCook]

I've noticed both discoloration on the slider "seals" and cracking on the bits right at the top. I'm going to have them both replaced before my warranty runs in October.

[TinkerToy]

In my previous life I was employed by a international corp which employed stressed rubber parts and pieces. Stressed meaning pulled and tugged at: failures started to occur for what seemed no reason...their answer after the factories examination and research was air pollution, ozone the primary culprit...there answer was to change the materials in question. The change in the material was never mentioned..appearance, color, feel, were all the same. We knew the difference by the part number,If I remember correctly a close examination of the part would reveal a different "casting" number on the part. There may be other factors contributing to the problem...road-salt.. driving thru a area with some unknown "stuff"on the roadway...I'm picking at straws now... who is to say BMW ,unknown to them, something was or went wrong in the manufacturing process..,.good luck proving such

[deilenberger]

I'll second the possibility of ozone being a problem causing rubber bits (and perhaps steel) to deteriorate.

This is a common complaint on a BMW car list I run (for the E39/5-series). People who live in certain areas of the US complain of rapid breakdown of things like rubber window seals - while other people in other areas have these last about forever. Surprisingly - my area of New Jersey isn't a trouble point for ozone. I know southern California is.. and some parts of Texas where there are large oil refineries and other industrial centers. It appears some of the rubber compounds BMW uses are susceptible to attack by ozone.

Ozone can also be caused by having a brush-type motor in use in an enclosed area (the sparking from the brushes creates ozone) or by high-voltage electronic dust filters. Oh - also created by lightning (that smell after a lightning strike is ozone.)

To prevent the breakdown is actually fairly simple.. a coating of silicone grease (Google "Dow Corning Silicone Grease" for sources) blocks the air from access to the rubber surface, and protects it against ozone attack. A very thin coating worked into the rubber works fine and doesn't attract dirt. It is fairly long lasting - if not washed with harsh detergents, a coating will probably last 3-6 months.

YMMV - but no corrosion problems in NJ yet - and I live about 9 blocks from the ocean, so salt would seem to be a consideration, but I have nothing to complain about.