Z4M coupe heat resisting plates

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Z3andZ4
Joined: Fri 27 Apr, 2012 01:25
Posts: 215

  Z3 roadster 3.0i

Z4M coupe heat resisting plates

Post by Z3andZ4 »

Anyone else have any experience of these rotting?

Was under the car preparing it for the Concours at Gaydon 2015 last week and to my horror found that on both sides the final bolt holding the heat resisting plate in place left and right hand sides was not only rusty, but actually had given up the ghost and was not holding anything anywhere............

My guess is when it's wet the rain flicks up off the rear wheels and lodges in the arches.

Not so worried about the shields as they are about £55 each side, but it looks like a total dismantling of the exhausts/silencers etc etc and many hours of labour and all of the worries about putting it back properly, with the inherent exhaust leaks etc.

There might be an alternative solution perhaps of not taking it all apart and having a heat resistant plate welded in place in the corners only and fixing it all back in place - but if anyone else has any experience I would really like to hear from them. Thank you in anticipation - it looks like a build weakness.

My car is September 2006 and 27,000 miles only.

And - I did not defend my trophy successfully this year :( :( :(
2001 Z3 3 litre Sport Roadster - titanium and special
2006 Z4M coupe - Interlagos and red
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Brian H
Joined: Tue 16 Dec, 2008 19:55
Posts: 2505

  Z3 roadster 3.0i

Re: Z4M coupe heat resisting plates

Post by Brian H »

If you are talking about the aluminium heat deflectors, I have seen this before on a couple of different makes of cars, the aluminium around the fixing nut seems to rot away leaving a big hole with no material to fix it back with. I cut a large repair washer out of an old piece of sheet aluminium, removed the fixing nut and put on the large washer and then fixed back with the original nut. Some of the repair washers needed shaping to fit the contours of the original shield but it did work well.
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Southernboy
Joined: Thu 07 Oct, 2010 12:39
Posts: 6436

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Johannesburg

Re: Z4M coupe heat resisting plates

Post by Southernboy »

Amazing what two different metals and some mild acidic or salty water will do. Sets up an electrical charge and the aluminium is the one which yields first. It literally turns into hydrogen. I have noticed the nuts under my car are plastic with a small plastic washer between the ally heat shield and the steel pan of the car chassis. I've lost a couple of from speed bumps on occasion, and replaced with plastic nuts and washers again.
"Normal is overrated"
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Robert T
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Joined: Mon 12 Jun, 2006 10:35
Posts: 10170

  Z3 roadster 1.9
Location: Cheshire

Re: Z4M coupe heat resisting plates

Post by Robert T »

Southernboy wrote:Amazing what two different metals and some mild acidic or salty water will do. Sets up an electrical charge and the aluminium is the one which yields first.
This is why the aluminium outer panels are insulated from the steel body of the Austin-Healey 3000.

Cheers R.
Arctic Silver '99 Z3 1.9 & Black '59 Frogeye 1275cc
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peter2b
Joined: Sat 01 Nov, 2014 18:47
Posts: 963

  Z3 roadster 2.2i
Location: cheshire

Re: Z4M coupe heat resisting plates

Post by peter2b »

old range rover were prone to this on the front wings ,Ali outer wing bolted on to steel inner wing electrical corrosion sorted out with plastic top hat washers to stop metal to metal contact
peter2b
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