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      06-12-2014, 05:53 PM   #1
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Mysterious White Spots

Hello, I just purchased a Mineral Grey 335i M-sport last week and just had time to start playing around with it.

When I bought the car I noticed these white spots almost like salt water got sprayed on parts of the engine. Initially I noticed it only on the alternator and oil filter housing. These spots did rub off and turn into a powder so I didn't give much thought into it. The spots do however leave staining on the parts. They don't etch into the metal though.

Today I decided to get rid of the spots and got a toothbrush with a little water and began to scrub them off. Issue is after I removed the engine cover and air filter I notice that these spots are on almost all the metal parts of the engine. Initially my hunch was the dealer put some dressing on the engine but that makes no sense considering even the engine mount has these spots.

What is this stuff and is it corrosive?

Thanks!
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      06-12-2014, 05:56 PM   #2
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Might just be water spots. If you've ever opened your hood when it's wet and water drops on your hot engine, the water will almost instantly evaporate but the minerals and stuff will still be present. A possibility
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      06-12-2014, 05:58 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by Bmwman325 View Post
Might just be water spots. If you've ever opened your hood when it's wet and water drops on your hot engine, the water will almost instantly evaporate but the minerals and stuff will still be present. A possibility
I was thinking that as well but its only on the silver colored metal parts. The engine cover and everything else under the bay is perfect.
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      06-12-2014, 06:07 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by OneLittleX3 View Post
I was thinking that as well but its only on the silver colored metal parts. The engine cover and everything else under the bay is perfect.
Could that correlate with what gets super hot and what doesn't? Did you take any pics?
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      06-12-2014, 06:21 PM   #5
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      06-12-2014, 07:11 PM   #6
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It's aluminum oxide. The parts are aluminum, they are oxidizing. This is the rust of Al - but it's not as dramatic nor ugly.

I've already started looking around at how it can be handled, and of course it involves elbow grease and as much time as you are willing to dedicate to beautifying your engine. I haven't come across a quick fix. The surfaces need to be brushed/scrubbed and then protected to prevent further oxidation.

If anyone has good ideas or experiences I look forward to reading them.
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      06-12-2014, 09:55 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by S4NoMore View Post
It's aluminum oxide. The parts are aluminum, they are oxidizing. This is the rust of Al - but it's not as dramatic nor ugly.

I've already started looking around at how it can be handled, and of course it involves elbow grease and as much time as you are willing to dedicate to beautifying your engine. I haven't come across a quick fix. The surfaces need to be brushed/scrubbed and then protected to prevent further oxidation.

If anyone has good ideas or experiences I look forward to reading them.
My heart just sunk, now would probably be a bad time to ask about what would happen if this goes untreated. I'm gonna go back to the dealer b/c this is ridiculous considering the car only has 70miles on the ODO.

Those pics are after the oxidation has been removed. They leave a dark stain underneath. Sigh and I though my VW waterpump going bad at 18k was ridiculous
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      06-12-2014, 10:27 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OneLittleX3
Quote:
Originally Posted by S4NoMore View Post
It's aluminum oxide. The parts are aluminum, they are oxidizing. This is the rust of Al - but it's not as dramatic nor ugly.

I've already started looking around at how it can be handled, and of course it involves elbow grease and as much time as you are willing to dedicate to beautifying your engine. I haven't come across a quick fix. The surfaces need to be brushed/scrubbed and then protected to prevent further oxidation.

If anyone has good ideas or experiences I look forward to reading them.
My heart just sunk, now would probably be a bad time to ask about what would happen if this goes untreated. I'm gonna go back to the dealer b/c this is ridiculous considering the car only has 70miles on the ODO.

Those pics are after the oxidation has been removed. They leave a dark stain underneath. Sigh and I though my VW waterpump going bad at 18k was ridiculous
I don't mean to cause alarm, aluminum oxidation is totally normal and nothing to worry about. The oxide itself acts as a layer of protection. Brush away what comes easily and don't sweat the discoloration.
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      06-13-2014, 03:41 AM   #9
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Do you live near the sea and park your car in the open? That'll do it.
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      06-14-2014, 10:56 AM   #10
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I have the same thing on my car. It actually scared the crap out of me the first time I popped the hood because it looked like dried coolant sprayed around by the fan. I'm coming from an E39 which had a notorious cooling system so I'm a bit traumatized.
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      06-16-2014, 11:08 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by S4NoMore View Post
I don't mean to cause alarm, aluminum oxidation is totally normal and nothing to worry about. The oxide itself acts as a layer of protection. Brush away what comes easily and don't sweat the discoloration.
I definitely can rest a lot easier now knowing that my engine is not going to just disintegrate into dust several years from now. Though it is still a bit unsightly for a new car.

Quote:
Originally Posted by JJS View Post
Do you live near the sea and park your car in the open? That'll do it.
Nope, I do commute to the bay area but I garage the car both at home and in the bay area.

Quote:
Originally Posted by KGB_123_99 View Post
I have the same thing on my car. It actually scared the crap out of me the first time I popped the hood because it looked like dried coolant sprayed around by the fan. I'm coming from an E39 which had a notorious cooling system so I'm a bit traumatized.
I kinda thought it was coolant for a second since I did see stuff like this before on other cars. But it was everywhere not just attracted to the aluminum lol.

Thank You everyone.
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      09-23-2014, 02:40 PM   #12
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Glad I read this post.

I had the same observations, and compared my recently bought 2009 128i to a friends 2011 3 series. Both had similar spots. No longer worried!
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