I dont recall this being a common problem. But I noticed when I got the car it has some rusting under the paint on the rear door just above the plastic trim skirts. Both sides are about the same. I would expect this in the rear fender area maybe, but the doors? Something I need to look for that is letting water in?

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1991 560 SEL / 185k miles
1992 750il / 17k miles - project car

Pull the plastic trim. Bet there's a lot more underneath.

Jim

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14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

I dont want to hear that....

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1991 560 SEL / 185k miles
1992 750il / 17k miles - project car

Pull the interior panel to see if it's rusting from the inside or just salt accumulating in the plastic panels causing the rust.

From the inside it is most likely a combination of the window weatherstripping and the drain holes in the door clogged. That's a bad thing because it makes the rust repair much more difficult.

I have also seen the panels being loose cause them to vibrate and rub into the paint. This causes the surface rust along the top of the plastic and eventually allows moisture to build up the entire length of the panels. This is not so bad since it is usually just surface rust. Much easier to sand, treat and re-spray.

I actually did look in the inside a couple days ago when I looked into my window failure. I did not see any rust on the inside but did not look very close. Soaked it all up with WD40 for now.

But to clarify, the rust is above the trim. Above the fold in metal. So about a half inch or more from the plastic skit. I will take a pic.

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1991 560 SEL / 185k miles
1992 750il / 17k miles - project car