Lower Rocker Panel Rust

[nirvana19]

stupid sunroof drain design???
Dunno about sedans but Tourings drain into the rocker... I'm betting they are the same.

Yep its the same. Right through the jacking points.. some salt and dirt gets up into that hole and its all over.The rocker seems to be sold in two pieces, I think what I"m going to end up doing is replacing the rear half where the jacking point is gone and the metal is bent and rotted, and have the areas around the other jacking points cut out and patched. $$$ Unless someone in the DC area is in touch with someone who can do it for a reasonable price.

[lesage]

I noticed that the driver's side lower rocker is soft. There is a huge rust bubble behind that rubber coating. What is the preferred method of repair? Is there s set of M5 Side skirts in my future ?

My jacking points on the rhs of my (UK) 525iXT have serious rot and, having scraped the rear area clean, I can recognise that mine has the same disease as yours. What solution did you come to? The rotted area seems too big for a patch to be welded on...although Ive been told that it can be done but would not look pretty. The alternative seems to be a new sill ( I think the part no is 41008181707 or 8, based on realoem website). Is that what you have gone for?

[attack eagle]

If you guys have to replace sills, consider modding the sunroof drains to connect to a nipple or something so they drain OUTSIDE the rockers... instead of directly into them.

[E34-520iSE]

What a simple but brilliant idea! Extending the drain tubes to poke out through holes drilled in the low front & rear wheel arch area would probably do the job nicely, keeping those inner sills bone dry. Once the extended tube is fed through the new hole it could be permanently sealed in place with some sikaflex (or whatever it's called - that bodykit sealing mastic stuff).

Cheers,

Shaun M