[snowghost]

Originally Posted by knightsabers

I have the same rust, so I pointed it out during servicing and advised they will clean it up.

They will fuck up the cabin if they're not careful removing and replacing the seats. The seats are heavy and the prescribed procedure is two guys need to remove them. The factory has a hydraulic lift. Warn them to be careful. I've already been through the misery.

[knightsabers]

In the end they did nothing. The service department said they attempted to remove it but was unable to get it off.

Service Manager said it was surface rust not corrosive. hmm..too much of a pain to follow through just got to be more careful next time I purchase a new car to remember to check underneath the seats for rust.

[inChargeOfIT]

I am afraid to look :/

[overcoil]

Hadn't read all the post so hope I'm not repeating, so here goes.

About 23 years ago when Lexus first came out with the LS luxury sedan that was refined and undercut the Mercedes S class by a large margin. CAR Magazine U.K. did a comparison.
CAR pulled apart both the Lexus LS and Mercedes S Class to the extent that they disassembled the front seats. What they found: in the Mercedes the seat frame beneath the leather and padding was completely painted and the adjacent butt joints of the pieces were nicely and cleanly welded ( I'm not 100% certain on recalling the weld quality ).
In the Lexus the seat frame was not painted and there was I believe surface rust.
The engineers with an accountants mindset deduced that the extra expense and time needed to paint and beautify parts that were either never seen or were figured to be obscured in the final product - was the best way to keep cost in check but still deliver a superior overall package.

[snowghost]

Originally Posted by inChargeOfIT

I am afraid to look :/

If you are 11/12 production or later the problem was resolved around then.

[scgcorti95]

Yes, seat base rusting is a problem with the F30 for the 2012 and possible some 2013 production years. The dealer should replace or clean, preferrably replace the entire bases under warranty. Good luck.

[CHCCubs]

Originally Posted by snowghost

If you are 11/12 production or later the problem was resolved around then.

Yup no problem with this issue on my 11/12 build.

[AZ330FZL]

Originally Posted by therudies86

I've just taken deliver of a new 320d - my first BMW and first new car.

I found an interesting issue - there was rust in the hinges of the sports seats. Spoke to the dealer, they too were surprised, and are having the seat bases replaced.

There was a thread about this quite a while ago, it is pretty widespread. My 335 has it as well as many others that are on here. Glad your dealer is doing something about it. Nothing happened for mine.

[J2G!]

How can I tell if my f30 is a Munich build or SA build? The reason I ask is the build quality of mine is terrible. Rust recall somewhere under the boot, rusty hubs, corroding alloys , 3 sets of rear lights due to condensation, noisy whining turbo ( just the way it is apparently) rusty seat bases. General squeaks and rattles around air vents and the arm rest, particularly in summer months when the cheap plastic heats up. No where near as good build quality as my e90 and unfortunately probably my last BMW for a while which is a shame. Too much nonsense to deal with on a near 40k car. This car has the same hall marks as the w210 merc e class which rusted all over and I think it was SA built models in particular that rusted

[snowghost]

Originally Posted by J2G!

How can I tell if my f30 is a Munich build or SA build? The reason I ask is the build quality of mine is terrible. Rust recall somewhere under the boot, rusty hubs, corroding alloys , 3 sets of rear lights due to condensation, noisy whining turbo ( just the way it is apparently) rusty seat bases. General squeaks and rattles around air vents and the arm rest, particularly in summer months when the cheap plastic heats up. No where near as good build quality as my e90 and unfortunately probably my last BMW for a while which is a shame. Too much nonsense to deal with on a near 40k car. This car has the same hall marks as the w210 merc e class which rusted all over and I think it was SA built models in particular that rusted

My first F30 was a Munich build and had rusty seat pans.

[S4NoMore]

Originally Posted by therudies86

I certainly could smell the "chemical aroma" of the surfacing.

This is my main fear. I glanced under my front seats (4/2012 build) and there is minor surface oxidation. I'll have to check out the rear seats. I'd like to treat it myself (rather than trust some dealer techs to use extreme caution when dealing with my interior) but the smell of what products I know is a concern.

Anyone have photos of the dealer "repair" results vs. replacement?

[snowghost]

Originally Posted by S4NoMore

This is my main fear. I glanced under my front seats (4/2012 build) and there is minor surface oxidation. I'll have to check out the rear seats. I'd like to treat it myself (rather than trust some dealer techs to use extreme caution when dealing with my interior) but the smell of what products I know is a concern.

Anyone have photos of the dealer "repair" results vs. replacement?

The photos you'll see from dealer repair will be cabin and door sill damage from them removing and reinstalling the seats. That being said the replacement pans were fine. But if I had it to do again I wouldn't have the dealer touch them.

[Sharp_Cai]

Just found both two front seats have rust underneath. Took in last week for MPPK, and ask dealer to fix it. Got the reply from my service rep "Sorry we are not able to fix it, it is normal that the metal exposed to moisture will rust if not protected. If we replace it, it will rust again. I also looked at a brand new 2014 335i, and its rusted. The car has only 3 miles on it."
What should I do next to solve this issue? Call BMW??

[AndDown]

Originally Posted by Sharp_Cai

Just found both two front seats have rust underneath. Took in last week for MPPK, and ask dealer to fix it. Got the reply from my service rep "Sorry we are not able to fix it, it is normal that the metal exposed to moisture will rust if not protected. If we replace it, it will rust again. I also looked at a brand new 2014 335i, and its rusted. The car has only 3 miles on it."
What should I do next to solve this issue? Call BMW??

Dang, I thought this rust problem had been resolved some time back when it was discovered that the seat frame manufacturer (Lear Corp?) had not galvanized the metal. Have they not corrected this?

[Feanor]

When I took my 2012 F30 in for its first service the other week I spoke to the dealer about a tiny amount of rust in the same position as the photo in the OP here and they said it's normal. It didn't look too bad though so I left it.

But a few days later my partner and I lost something and, in searching, looked under the seats to find the seat bases covered in quite serious surface rust - see attached.

Is this the same as all of yours? Or worse? Should I insist that something be done about it?

I'm taking it in again next week to get this and a problem with one of the air conditioning control flaps making an annoying clicking sound when the A/C is on max so it'd be good to know whether I can expect them to do anything about this.

[live4wknds]

Originally Posted by Feanor

When I took my 2012 F30 in for its first service the other week I spoke to the dealer about a tiny amount of rust in the same position as the photo in the OP here and they said it's normal. It didn't look too bad though so I left it.

But a few days later my partner and I lost something and, in searching, looked under the seats to find the seat bases covered in quite serious surface rust - see attached.

Is this the same as all of yours? Or worse? Should I insist that something be done about it?

I'm taking it in again next week to get this and a problem with one of the air conditioning control flaps making an annoying clicking sound when the A/C is on max so it'd be good to know whether I can expect them to do anything about this.

I have MY2012 328 base/no-line.

RE: rusty seats, I had rust but not nearly as bad as your pictures show. Tech at dealer tried to tell me this was 'normal'. I challenged him to find a non-3 series on the lot which had similar rust issues (he was able to find several 3's with rust). SA talked to Service Manager and ultimately scheduled an inspection by visiting BMWNA engineer. My seat frames were replaced under warranty. Prior to seat frame replacement appointment (the frames had to be ordered), I made sure to thoroughly inspect the door sill area, door panels, etc. for any scratches or damage prior to seat removal. I also made sure to have my SA acknowledge these areas were in pristine condition. This was over a year ago.

RE: AC noise, mine developed an unpleasant and noticeable 'clicking' sound when running fan motor at higher speeds. My SA immediately recognized the noise and arranged to have the motor replaced under warranty. Others on the forum reported that debris can enter into the fresh air intake for fan and cause problems.

Hope this helps.

[Feanor]

Thanks, very helpful . Car is booked in for Tuesday so I really appreciate you replying before then.

I'll definitely bear in mind what you said about getting them to look at other cars. If need be I'll contact BMW Germany - my partner's German so we're well placed to take this further if need be.

Interesting too about the A/C. Annoyingly, when I took it in the other week and tried to show the SA the problem it was fine!! As an engineer myself I completely understand that fixing an intermittent fault when it's not showing is near impossible but now I'm away from the dealership the fault seems pretty consistent.

[pflau]

The seat base WILL rust over time. I was the only rider 90% of the time in my last car that I drove for 15 years. The driver seat base had rust on it. The passenger seat base looked new. The bottom line is that if you let moisture get to it it will rust. So clean it regularly.

[snowghost]

I had the same thing on my first F30 that was eventually Lemoned. The dealer screwed up the cabin immensely.

I would find some other way to remediate it other than removing the seats.

[snowghost]

Was tempted to get another passive suspension M-Sport so I could do the M Performance upgrade at the VDC when I got the second F30. But thought the DHP package would more than suffice for a DD car. And overall it's pretty okay--better than the passive sports I had on the last car.

When I heard about the Dinan upgrade and ECU tune for Adaptive Suspension I had to get it. Haven't heard too much chatter about it here, but will post my observations when I get her back from the shop and put some miles on it.

[Feanor]

Originally Posted by pflau

The seat base WILL rust over time. I was the only rider 90% of the time in my last car that I drove for 15 years. The driver seat base had rust on it. The passenger seat base looked new. The bottom line is that if you let moisture get to it it will rust. So clean it regularly.

I don't see how I've allowed any moisture to get to it, beyond (or way less than) what can be considered normal atmospheric moisture. If the seat bases aren't made to cope with this then there's something seriously wrong IMO.

That said, I would like to know if you think that this means I'm unlikely to be successful with a warranty claim?

[Feanor]

So, BMW rang this afternoon to say that they're replacing the seats, and new ones will be arriving late next week! I haven't even had to argue the point with them. I just showed them the photos on my phone, they said they'd look at it, and then later in the week they told me they're sorting it. Result!

The SA even asked me to email him my photos from my phone and once he got them he printed copies for the file. I've a feeling they sent them to BMW Germany and have been in discussions with them since about what is surely manufacturing issue; I don't see why else it's taken them 4 days to get back to me. Luckily I don't really need the car.

I'm really glad for this thread - I don't know if I'd have paid any attention when looking under the seats if I hadn't already been aware of a potential issue.

I suggest everyone - especially everyone with a MY2012 - elevate their seats to the highest position possible to check underneath, at least before your warranty expires.