Watch out for residual salts on car from NE winter (archive)

I have 2 E28's in S. Florida, an 88 528e, and a 85 535i. The 88 is a native bought locally, it is Cirrus Blue and the paint is still near mint. The car is usually garaged, hand washed and waxed 3 to 4 times per year.

The 85 is Bronzit Beige and was originally from Puerto Rico. I've had it for about 2 years, it had been repainted at least once prior to my getting the car. The paint is showing signs of cracking that must have been there prior to the repainting. My goal for this spring is to straighten the dings and minor dents, sand through the layers of weathered paint, seal and repaint the car.

Neither car has any rust. The things you need to look out for with the sun in Florida are rubber and plastics, and the interior. I would make sure to have your windows tinted (UV film) and use quality vinyl and leather care products on a regular basis.

The biggest concern I'd have however, is the potential of the effects of residual salt/sand materials encrusted on the car from NE winters. The warm humid air in Florida is ideal for the chemical reaction of metal oxidation known as rust. I've cars transplanted from the NE go to pieces. My neighbor's kid brought a Buick Grand National down from Boston, the minor lower door panel rust turned to gaping holes within a year. If the car currently has rust, it will certainly spread at a quicker rate here than it would in the NE. If you move here, I would spend enough time, an entire weekend or more, if necessary, to throughly wash and desalinate the car.

I'd put it up on jackstands, remove the wheels and clean the fender wells with a toilet brush and detergent and would remove the plastic panels behind the front wheels to clean behind there. I'd do the same with the undercarriage. I'd pull off the taillamps, license plate retainers, power antenna and backup lights and clean the body and rubber/plastic pieces to remove salt. Remove the door panels and door mouldings and clean inside the bottom part of the door and check that all drain holes are free, and clean the interior portion of the door around the rubber seal area, and the door opening (same with hood and trunk openings). Pop out the louvers in the hood and clean there, and bewteen the rubber pads and the hood under these air intakes. Clean around the sunroof and flush drains. Clean around and inside of gas door. I'd also remove the plastic headlamp grills and clean all areas around them. Every little nook, cranny, opening or body perforation is a place for road crud to have accumulated and moisture to remain.

This may seem a bit much but, the point is, if you care about the car, and plan to keep it, it is worth the effort. Don't forget, like Neil Young says, "Rust never sleeps". Wash, wash, wash.

A good example of an E28 will remain so in Florida with general routine care (little extra with plastic rubber, and leather), unless you're living right on the coast. If you're a couple miles inland, the salt water effects don't come into play.

Follow Ups:

Thanks much, this is what I was looking for. Tony 11:31 3/15/2001 (0)

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