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Rusted engine????????

2K views 9 replies 9 participants last post by  RoadRogue 
#1 ·
To continue the saga I am having with this F800GT; I finally managed to get a second Motor-rad dealer to perform the valeting I was promised by the first prior to buying the bike.
However, when the fairings were removed from the bike a number of areas on the engine showed signs corrosion beneath the paint. Has anyone else experienced this??

Amazingly, the dealer has stated that he will make a claim on my behalf to BMW and ask for an opinion. Hold on to your hat here, because he has suggested that BMW MIGHT authorise an engine replacement????????????? Statements involving flying pigs come to mind here, as I am absolutely astounded by this prospect.

Additionally, on the rear hub around the external Torx bolts the aluminium in showing obvious signs of oxidation as well?? Is this normal??

I have to comment that all things considered, especially the cost of this bike, I am more than a little concerned about the build quality.

Your thoughts ??

Regards Tedfred

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#2 ·
I seem to recall mention of poor engine finishing in the past, but I don't believe that anyone said that BMW replaced their engine because of that defect.
 
#3 ·
WOW that doesn't look to IMO. I have a 2016 that Ive owned for a year and a half. IN that time it has been in the rain numerous times. I have not babied it or pampered it. I can think of at least three days where i rode 350 to 400 miles in the rain and parked it without doing anything to it. Currently it still has some dirty places from the last long trip but absolutely nothing like what you show in the photos.

Looks like it has been ridden in salt water or spray. I had a motorcycle that I rode to the beach. We were staying in a place on the beach, I parked it behind the place and covered it with a cover. The cover didn't go over the bottom of the rear sprocket. While there had a couple of storms come in off the beach with lots of wind blowing salt spray inland. The bottom of the sprocket (aluminum with steel teeth) was discolored and had some minor bolt head rusting.
 
#4 ·
Mine lives in rain for 8 months of the year. In Seattle, it either has rained, is raining, or will rain from October till May. But we don't put salt on the roads.

Many of the F800GTs have the paint flake off the oil sump area. I just take a brush to mine to knock off the loose paint, and respray it with some paint made for aluminum. It seems to last well.

Chris
 
#5 ·
The dirty condition of the bike when you received it (including leaves in nooks and crannies), and the corrosion of the engine all show that the previous owner rode and stored this bike in wet conditions. It is also very likely that the bike was ridden when there was salt on the roads......or in a location where they got salt water on the bike. All motorcycles corrode badly when kept wet.....and especially when exposed to salt. Even something as simple as washing your bike and then pushing it into an enclosed garage without a proper ride to dry out all the water can result in corrosion - I always go for a 20 minute ride after washing my bike, and you would be amazed how much water sits on top of the engine and in the radiator fins of a freshly washed bike.

Your buying experience has been stressful, and is a good example of why it is not a good idea to buy any car or bike without seeing it in person. My expectations may be completely different than yours........what you consider acceptable may not be the same for me - and the same is true of anyone selling the bike/car. Years ago a fiend wanted me to go look at a "rust free" Porsche 914 with him that was 6 hours away - when we got there and I opened the front trunk I could see my shoes through the rust holes in the trunk bottom!

I hope that your adventure has a happy ending - but it could be that you end up with a "buyer beware" experience and have purchased a motorcycle that was rode hard an put away wet. Mechanically the bike may be sound and trouble free - but it sure appears the cosmetics have suffered from the previous owners neglect.
 
#6 ·
When my 2016 plate f800gt was serviced last year the dealer said (when I collected it) " we wont be long, just taking some pictures for the warrenty claim"
Claim? Says I .... what do you mean?
Turns out that the black powder coating on the engine had failed and peeled away. They replaced the sump, rt and lh engine covers, the cylinder head and the swinging arm! Apparently theres been a big problem with the coating failing.
Blimey -- some £4000 worth of parts on a bike worth £7500. It must have been borderline on costs to fit another engine.
I was astonished!!
So if its still in warranty you might be in for a shiny new engine or bits of! :)
 
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#7 ·
That doesn't look good at all Ted. These F models seem to suffer from paint flaking. My 2013 GT suffered from flaking engine paint on the sump and around the sump plug when it reached 5 years old. It was not ridden in winter and was looked after very well. By contrast, 15 years ago I used to run a couple of oil heads - rode them all through winter and never had a problem with flaking paint. This doesn't seem like progress to me. It may be due to the use of water, rather than oil based paints on modern bikes. Least that's what I've heard. Don't know how true it is. Hope BMW fix it for you - although there's no guarantee that any new parts will be any different.
 
#8 ·
Thank you for your thoughts .

I bought the bike from a BMW Dealer called Lind in Welwyn Garden City North of London. I did not see the blistered paint on the engine and to be honest I had some faith that the dealership would look after me. I admit I was stupid , You just can not trust anyone, can you. I am going to cane this dealership on social media.

I have this evening just been told by the Service Manager at Barhnstormer in Maidenhead, (the dealership that performed the maga valet that Lind failed to perform prior to delivering my bike ) that BMW have agreed to replace both the engine and the mono shock under the warranty.

I am at a loss for words.

Regards Tedfred
 
#9 ·
Well done on the outcome. I always never pay a penny over the odds for vehicles no matter what they are and if they were tatty then I’d still buy them but only so long as it’s priced for the condition. I’ve had also an experience that didn’t properly fulfil from a Main dealer but price reflected!!
 
#10 ·
Amazingly, the dealer has stated that he will make a claim on my behalf to BMW and ask for an opinion. Hold on to your hat here, because he has suggested that BMW MIGHT authorise an engine replacement????????????? Statements involving flying pigs come to mind here, as I am absolutely astounded by this prospect.

Best of luck with this!
 
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