[moldcad]

Well, not the entire car - but what would you guys do if your rotors and exhaust tips looked as on these pictures? During my last warranty service (we only have 2 years factory warranty here), my Dealer said they won't replace them... Comments, please?

Piotr

[DanielGr]

Exhaust tips doesn't look like rust - more like corrosion and/or caked on soot from the exhaust from lack of cleaning.

Brake rotors always rust after rain or washing the car - not sure what you're concerned about here. It's just surface rust.

What I'd be more concerned about is why your pad is not sweeping the entire surface of the rotor.

[ORIGIN M.]

Not really /

[moldcad]

Originally Posted by red-sauerkraut

Not really /

Would you care to elaborate? TIA,

Piotr

[ORIGIN M.]

Tail pipes I'd replace by pulling them off after I found a replacement I liked.

The roter hats rust and you can always paint those as well as the edge with high heat paint to keep them from rusting. However after looking it appears your pad is not making complete contact in that picture you posted. Might need new pads mate!

[moldcad]

iDrive says still good for 60 kkm...

[BMWZ4]

Originally Posted by DanielGr

Exhaust tips doesn't look like rust - more like corrosion and/or caked on soot from the exhaust from lack of cleaning.

Brake rotors always rust after rain or washing the car - not sure what you're concerned about here. It's just surface rust.

What I'd be more concerned about is why your pad is not sweeping the entire surface of the rotor.

Agreed on why the pad isn't sweeping the entire rotor. I'd get that looked at for sure. As for the rust...I've got 3 bmws...the rotor HUBS are all rusted (surface). I could remove the tires and paint them, just don't feel like it. For the tips...get some new ones and if you clean the new tips every week, you won't get that caked on soot as others have mentioned.

[Rayscott]

I have black tips and clean and polish them regularly. They look new, no soot. I painted my calipers black. Rust goes away on rotors. A little TLC and your problems are solved.

[Maynard]

I have the same issue with my tailpipes, and it isn't exhaust residue, it is corrosion of the black powder coating down to the under-metal. I've read that some have gotten replacements from dealership (in the USA - if Poland is shorting you so bad on maintenance, they probably also stiff you on this stuff). Come springtime I am going to try to get a replacement, or turn them upside down to show the fresher side. I don't wash/polish every week, but I'm pretty good about it, and I DK what would work as a protectant under these conditions (and not light on fire - don't want to look like one of those flamin' Lambos on the Fail videos).

In the winter I try not to look at the car with 'detailer eyes' so DK about my rotor hats, but I have seen fully rusted hats (no silver left) on even the nicest BMWs (i.e. 5 and 7 series), so I figured this is in our future someday. You should check out the pad coverage w/ the dealership - the maintenance interval is just a computer guess on pad thickness, and the pic looks like it may be something mechanical that is out of shape (but to be honest I'm just assuming the pad should sweep most of the disc, and not leave such a big ring outside - are all 4 wheels showing the same pattern?).

[bimmerfile]

Originally Posted by moldcad

.................................................. .....(we only have 2 years factory warranty here),............................................ ..................

Piotr

You only get a 2 year warranty on the 2-series?
Or are you referring to the "free" annual maintenance (oil change, etc)?

[crqflier]

I'd take it to a different dealer if the current one didn't notice what others have pointed out about your pads. Typically there's maybe an eighth inch lip that isn't covered. If they didn't see that as a problem (Not of rust but of possible brake function issues) and at least inspect the brakes, I wouldn't trust much of what they say.

[moldcad]

Originally Posted by bimmerfile

You only get a 2 year warranty on the 2-series?
Or are you referring to the "free" annual maintenance (oil change, etc)?

Unfortunately so

You can buy the "extended warranty" for up to 3 additional years (5 years in total), but its limited in many ways compared to the 2-year factory warranty.

Piotr

[amw896]

I was thinking something totally different when reading the subject. The rotors are common and if you want to prevent the tailpipe soot, then get them coated in cquartz or similar. I give mine a monthly wipe down and it comes off like dust! good luck man.

[Dylan86]

Tailpipes need a proper cleaning is all..

Rotor hats are aluminum, so they can be srcub'd with an abrasive cleaning pad and some aluminum wheel cleaner. Did mine before storage and they look better than new, almost polished. Aside from that, this is just lack of due diligence in the cleaning dept. We're all guilty of it, but some let things go longer than others and sometimes the corrosion is so bad you need to replace pieces..

The rotor surface has an issue and should be addressed, as your pads are not making complete contact with the rotor, as stated above.

[moldcad]

Originally Posted by Dylan86

The rotor surface has an issue and should be addressed, as your pads are not making complete contact with the rotor, as stated above.

The only thing that puzzles me is that during the 2 years of rather spirited driving (and thus hard braking from time to time), my rotors looked normal. After the last washing and storing for 10 days, ALL of them seem to only be partially cleaned with normal braking (didn't cover much distance yet, so not too much heavy braking after the rusting). BUT: would ALL pads go wrong simultaneously? And believe me, the outer areas are still rusty on all 4 wheels, and on both rotors' sides...

Piotr

[allthatisntnow]

Originally Posted by moldcad

The only thing that puzzles me is that during the 2 years of rather spirited driving (and thus hard braking from time to time), my rotors looked normal. After the last washing and storing for 10 days, ALL of them seem to only be partially cleaned with normal braking (didn't cover much distance yet, so not too much heavy braking after the rusting). BUT: would ALL pads go wrong simultaneously? And believe me, the outer areas are still rusty on all 4 wheels, and on both rotors' sides...

Piotr

Do some urban driving (100 miles or so) with moderate braking to see if you can get the pads seated properly again. It seems odd that all of them would shift just sitting for 10 days though. I wouldn't worry about the tailpipes. Look no worse than mine when i let the soot build up.

[moldcad]

Originally Posted by moldcad

The only thing that puzzles me is that during the 2 years of rather spirited driving (and thus hard braking from time to time), my rotors looked normal. After the last washing and storing for 10 days, ALL of them seem to only be partially cleaned with normal braking (didn't cover much distance yet, so not too much heavy braking after the rusting). BUT: would ALL pads go wrong simultaneously? And believe me, the outer areas are still rusty on all 4 wheels, and on both rotors' sides...

Piotr

Also puzzling is the well-defined, precisely circular, boarder line between the part of the rotor surface that the pads are touching (and cleaning from rust), and the outer band which remains rusty - meaning there is no contact with pads whatsoever! How would you explain that?

Piotr

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by moldcad

Also puzzling is the well-defined, precisely circular, boarder line between the part of the rotor surface that the pads are touching (and cleaning from rust), and the outer band which remains rusty - meaning there is no contact with pads whatsoever! How would you explain that?

Piotr

The taper on the expansion spring on the outer edge of the pads will tend to spread the pads very slightly more on the outside than the inside of the pad, so when brake pressure is released there will be a bit more pad drag on the inside of the pad than the outside, cleaning the rust off sooner towards the centre. A couple of hard applications of the brakes should clean off the rest of the rust.

[moldcad]

Originally Posted by aerobod

A couple of hard applications of the brakes should clean off the rest of the rust.

Unfortunately, it didn't

To the service it goes today...

Piotr

[moldcad]

So now I'm even more lost: they disassembled the brakes and inspected everyting: apart from the rotor still looking as in the picture above, all the pads are like new; no dirt or other debris; no discoloration or other changes on the pads' surface; the surface is perfectly planar... Go figure...

P.

[Corinne]

Just a thought... could someone have fitted the wrong pads (too small) ?

[moldcad]

No, the pads are OK and original. Besides, I used the car for 2 years w/o such a thing ever happening to my rotors

P.