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Exhaust rusting on my 2017 R Nine T

5K views 16 replies 13 participants last post by  14060M 
#1 ·
So the exhaust on my 2017 R Nine T was starting to show a lot of surface rust. I've ridden the bike in the rain twice, it's stored under cover in a garage both during the day and night. Clearly BMW used only the finest quality steal to make these exhausts (sarcasm). I shudder to think of the poor quality angle iron the world was denied for these fine pieces of engineering.

Anyway...I took it to BMW in Perth in December 2020 (where I bought it and where it had been serviced from new since Jan 2018 or so) and they put in a claim with BMW Australia. BMW Australia denied the claim, stating "lack of maintenance" despite it having all its required services on time. When I queried this, the reply was a firm no. BMW Aus' recommendation was to use autosol to polish the rust off....of a satin finish exhaust...I decided to not take their advice in that.

The next day the dealership manager sent me a text that they had a few used exhausts of other R Nine T's I could have, this was their show of good faith and nothing to do with BMW Aus. Good on them for trying to make it right and help out.

I decided to do some research to see if there's anything that might help. After chatting to some sandblasting places nearby that clearly wasn't the right option. So chemical treatments it was. After a lot of digging, and watching way too many YouTube clips about cleaning rusted tools and bolts. I eventually came across two random clips about an Autosol product called Metal Life Saver.

I managed to get some and gave it a bash today. The results were outstanding, the exhaust looks like new. 3 easy applications left for 1-2 minutes per application and the exhaust looks like new. All the water spots and surface rust just wiped away. Definitely one to consider if this happens to your bike.
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#4 ·
Keep air moving over the bike. I live in a valley along a river. I keep my bike in a shed. I always had condensation on the bike, just about every day. Chrome started to suffer. I bought a bike bubble that has a fan at one end to keep the bubble inflated. Air keeps moving over the entire bike. I leave the zipper on the other end open about a foot to provide an exhaust. No condensation, no discoloration or rust since. I have used it for 10 years+. The R9T resides in this bubble now. If you don't want to go the bubble route get a small room fan and keep it on and under the cover you use. Probably will help.
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#7 ·
Keep air moving over the bike. I live in a valley along a river. I keep my bike in a shed. I always had condensation on the bike, just about every day. Chrome started to suffer. I bought a bike bubble that has a fan at one end to keep the bubble inflated. Air keeps moving over the entire bike. I leave the zipper on the other end open about a foot to provide an exhaust. No condensation, no discoloration or rust since. I have used it for 10 years+. The R9T resides in this bubble now. If you don't want to go the bubble route get a small room fan and keep it on and under the cover you use. Probably will help.
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Yeah, that's a cool plan. Perth is pretty dry so there's not too much in the way of moisture in the air. Nothing else on my R Nine T has tarnished, so I reckon it's just a poor grade of steel.
 
#5 ·
@srxywa did the Autosol Metal Life Saver remove any surface coating off the mufflers?
What will you use to protect them now?
I might just look for a bottle for future cleaning.
 
#6 ·
There is no surface coating on the mufflers, that's why it rusted. I'm going to see how it holds up, it it starts rusting again, I'll look for some kind of sealer. The Metal Life Saver is supposed to contain a treatment that inhibits further rusting. We'll see if that's true. Lol
 
#13 ·
X2....just looked on ebay and it seems only to be available in/from Australia........which is strange, as it's made in Germany!!

Bummer.
 
#12 ·
So the exhaust on my 2017 R Nine T was starting to show a lot of surface rust. I've ridden the bike in the rain twice, it's stored under cover in a garage both during the day and night. Clearly BMW used only the finest quality steal to make these exhausts (sarcasm). I shudder to think of the poor quality angle iron the world was denied for these fine pieces of engineering.

Anyway...I took it to BMW in Perth in December 2020 (where I bought it and where it had been serviced from new since Jan 2018 or so) and they put in a claim with BMW Australia. BMW Australia denied the claim, stating "lack of maintenance" despite it having all its required services on time. When I queried this, the reply was a firm no. BMW Aus' recommendation was to use autosol to polish the rust off....of a satin finish exhaust...I decided to not take their advice in that.

The next day the dealership manager sent me a text that they had a few used exhausts of other R Nine T's I could have, this was their show of good faith and nothing to do with BMW Aus. Good on them for trying to make it right and help out.

I decided to do some research to see if there's anything that might help. After chatting to some sandblasting places nearby that clearly wasn't the right option. So chemical treatments it was. After a lot of digging, and watching way too many YouTube clips about cleaning rusted tools and bolts. I eventually came across two random clips about an Autosol product called Metal Life Saver.

I managed to get some and gave it a bash today. The results were outstanding, the exhaust looks like new. 3 easy applications left for 1-2 minutes per application and the exhaust looks like new. All the water spots and surface rust just wiped away. Definitely one to consider if this happens to your bike.
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Well done, it was worth a try and probably why BMW refused to replace, at least they could have tried polishing the corrosion out. I suggest that when the bike is stored you wash the bike and then spray all metal with a very thin MPS oil that will prevent corosion on lomg run, even on the engine. Plus be careful of covers, often the cover keeps the moisture in. I just throw a light breathable soft blanket or some old bed linen over bike. If you can have a heater running or something to keep garage dry. Moisture does seep in. Locally we have a lot of moisture in the air and the MPS kept my bike corosion free. Salt in the air can be an issue especially close to ocean.
 
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