Engine corrosion, any interest from BMW at 4.5 years old/17k miles?

Borderbob said:

Never ceases to amaze me. Even with my relatively limited knowledge of metallurgy, chemical reactions but plenty of experience of running bikes in all seasons, I'm not at all surprised. This looks pretty normal to me. If you are going coat fast cutting aluminium alloy with paint, constantly heat it up and cool it down in wet, dirty conditions, you are going to get corrosion starting immediately. The fact that you only begin to see it after four years is pretty amazing. Far better if engines weren't painted. Like airheads for example. Just ride it.

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Aluminum alloy was a better quality years ago too although casting technology/methods are better these days. Other manufactures seem to be relatively unaffected by this but I take your point. Curiously, it's the fourth fin in on each cylinder and nothing on either side.

An interesting read throughout and and I did chuckle at some of the comments too (sorry).

I bought a used BMW car from a 'stealer' 6 years ago (I'm over it now) and the very next morning in the early sun I noticed a subtle dent in the bonnet that I did not see at the time of the test drive and collection.

I quietly chastised myself for not spotting it but did not for one minute think I had a chance in hell of getting any recompense for the aforementioned dent.

I sold the car last week with the dent and the new owner didn't notice it either (fnaar,fnaar).

I bought a new (to me) BMW X1 yesterday and before shaking the salesman's hand I had a good look at the bonnet. Perfect!

I'm sure there is a proverb or a lesson in there somewhere......

Sporall said:

Aluminum alloy was a better quality years ago too although casting technology/methods are better these days. Other manufactures seem to be relatively unaffected by this but I take your point. Curiously, it's the fourth fin in on each cylinder and nothing on either side.

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I believe you are correct in that the composition of the alloy used is different these days. I recall a conversation I had a retired academic I met on a bike trip. He was a metallurgist and suggested that it might well be due to the use of an alloy that has been modified for CNC machining ie much faster cutting speeds. Engine blocks/crank cases etc used on airheads were of course machined using manual milling processes. I'm not familiar enough with other manufactures to be able to make relative comparisons. I think the biggest determinant is how much a bike is used, in what conditions and how well its cared for. That said, I did over 70k miles from new on my 1150 GS Adv SE. It was well cared for but out in all weathers. The engine corrosion that was exposed when I saw the pics of it being rebuilt on here by Nin were amazing.

@batman1 I've ordered the wire brushes that you recommended, found them from the same seller easily enough so thanks for that.
The dealer's response was to repair the area so I'll do it myself as it's more convenient than getting the bike to them for a day mid week.
I think I have the paint already so that'll be some Christmas garage time sorted out

@batman1 I've ordered the wire brushes that you recommended, found them from the same seller easily enough so thanks for that.
The dealer's response was to repair the area so I'll do it myself as it's more convenient than getting the bike to them for a day mid week.
I think I have the paint already so that'll be some Christmas garage time sorted out

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Just a bit of advice - if the dealer offered to sort it for you but you have decided to do it yourself did you consider telling the dealer this and asking them to cover a courtesy cost by giving you a credit on your account - it could cover the cost of or partial cost of your next service and the dealer can discount his labour time or parts to compensate you in a way that keeps you and them happy. I have found that dealing with issues like this politely and making sure they understand that you plan to have service work done with them in the future usually yields a positive response. After all their absorption rate is not only important to their profit margin it is also a measure in their Dealer Standards from BMW.

Riktus said:

Just a bit of advice - if the dealer offered to sort it for you but you have decided to do it yourself did you consider telling the dealer this and asking them to cover a courtesy cost by giving you a credit on your account - it could cover the cost of or partial cost of your next service and the dealer can discount his labour time or parts to compensate you in a way that keeps you and them happy. I have found that dealing with issues like this politely and making sure they understand that you plan to have service work done with them in the future usually yields a positive response. After all their absorption rate is not only important to their profit margin it is also a measure in their Dealer Standards from BMW.

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Thanks for this, I haven't told them what I plan to do yet so I'll definitely keep this in mind

JohnnyBoxer said:

On a 4 year old bike?

It’s a chip of paint, FFS

Wear and tear - same as a stone chip on a car bonnet

Stop frothing crap

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and the real answer - they are designed to just about look OK at 3 years, fall to bits by year 4 and scrapped by year 5

welcome to the new world - lease a new one, no one has any problems - then let the slaves get in debt buying above their pay grade

botus said:

and the real answer - they are designed to just about look OK at 3 years, fall to bits by year 4 and scrapped by year 5

welcome to the new world - lease a new one, no one has any problems - then let the slaves get in debt buying above their pay grade

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and to put it in context at least they aren't abandoned by the dealer and manufacturer from new
https://youtu.be/sP_m9XAKle4

even honda make junk now - if you can't beat them join them

seems to be a race to the bottom - maybe they had an annual competition between BMW, KTM and Ducati for the most recalls in a year, and Honda decided to compete this year ?

https://www.femamotorcycling.eu/consumer-information/rapid-alert-system-recalls/

botus said:

even honda make junk now - if you can't beat them join them

seems to be a race to the bottom - maybe they had an annual competition between BMW, KTM and Ducati for the most recalls in a year, and Honda decided to compete this year ?

https://www.femamotorcycling.eu/consumer-information/rapid-alert-system-recalls/

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Doesn't look good for a few manufacturers - recalls since 2020. Honda in first place, followed by Ducati/KTM and then Triumph.

I left out the scooters.

typically Japanese, once they focus on things they tend to do very well - fancy doing a three year average and maybe rank how dangerous - I think BMW come out tops



don't forget - the world ended its all just shit now - its only marketing pretending there's a viable future



this is a nice one

Week 19 – BMW – R NINE T, R1250GS, R1250RT, R1250R, R1250RS, K1600GT, K1600B. The affected vehicles were manufactured between 31 October 2019 and 30 January 2020. Due to inappropriate materials’ characteristics, components may come into contact with the spokes of the rear wheel. This may lead to loss of control over the vehicle, increasing the risk of an accident.

Week 14 – BMW – C 400 X, C 400 GT. Production dates: Between 08.03.2018 and 18.01.2020. The position of the Bowden cables in the throttle grip allows water to accumulate in them. When driving at temperatures below freezing point, the cables could become sluggish or even freeze, affecting the throttle control and increasing the risk of accident.


or the year before

Week 43 – BMW – K 1600 GT, K 1600 GTL, K 1600 B. Model year: 2015-2019. The affected vehicles were manufactured between 22.09.2015 and 26.09.2019. The functional “shift fork / selector sleeve / gearwheel” group of the gearbox might become damaged. Consequently, two gears might be engaged at the same time causing the rear wheel to be blocked, or the teeth of the gears sheared off, increasing the risk of accidents.

Week 43 – BMW – S 1000 RR. Model year: 2018 to 2019. The affected vehicles were manufactured between 05.09.2018 and 27.08.2019. The strength of the material of the inlet and outlet hoses in the oil cooler is inadequate. Consequently cracks might build at the connection between oil hose and oil pipe, leading oil to leak on the rear wheel, increasing the risk of accident..

Week 39 – BMW – G 310 GS, G 310 R, C 400 GT, C 400 X. The affected vehicles were manufactured between 21 April 2016 and 08 August 2019. Surface corrosion could occur within the non-anodised calliper piston bore. Corrosion on the surface of the calliper could impair the piston’s clearance within the bore, affect brake performance and increase the risk of an accident.

Week 36 – BMW – S 1000 RR. The affected vehicles were manufactured between 9 May 2019 and 7 June 2019. Defective drill hole may restrict the oil supply to the gearbox. This could cause damage to the gears and blocking of the back wheel, increasing the risk of an accident.

Week 35 – BMW – S 1000 RR. The affected vehicles were manufactured between September 2018 and March 2019. Some of the supply and return pipes of the oil cooler were incorrectly moulded. As a result, the oil hose may become detached from the fitting and oil may leak out, increasing the risk of an accident and fire.

Week 15 – BMW – C 600 Sport, C 650 Sport, C 650 GT. The affected vehicles were manufactured between 09 February 2011 and 23 August 2018. The front brake hose may get damaged over time, which may lead to a loss of brake fluid. This can reduce brake performance, increasing the risk of an accident.

Week 4 – BMW – F 750 GS, F 850 GS. The vehicles affected were produced between 14.5.2018 and 12.11.2018. The connecting rods in the engine have not been correctly fitted and may lead to engine defects. This can increase the risk of an accident.

botus said:

typically Japanese, once they focus on things they tend to do very well - fancy doing a three year average and maybe rank how dangerous - I think BMW come out tops

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Pick whatever dates you like - I just happened to pick the last two because I couldn't be bothered to go back further.

How many times do Honda outsell the other manufacturers. Figures look to be in scale with units sold.

Dont get fixated on how bad a manufacturer is by the amount of recalls.

It's nothing to do with faulty manufacturing process's per se, but more of a damage limitation

If an oem voluntarily recalls a product, should any penalty be levied the resultant action is far lower than if they are made to carry out a recall


It's been standard fare since about 2000, The US, have a slicker system hence recalls for everything, yet we dont get the recall

How did you get with this in the end. I have a 2015 with some corrosion on top of the left cylinder. I bought it remotely (600 miles away!) and felt it was a bit small to reject it on but wondered what joy you got.

Geoffers45 said:

How did you get with this in the end. I have a 2015 with some corrosion on top of the left cylinder. I bought it remotely (600 miles away!) and felt it was a bit small to reject it on but wondered what joy you got.

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It was a matter of carrying out a local repair to the affected area. I decided I would do it as it's a bit more convenient.
Buying remotely gives you more options (distance selling) if you were inclined to raise it. If you want to keep the bike it'll be a local repair to the affected area I suspect.