1998 BMW M ROADSTER Structure Problems

RATTLING NOISE FROM BACK OF VEHICLE. LOCAL SHOP REPLACED WORN EXHAUST BRACKET; DID NOT FIX PROBLEM. SHOP LOOKED MORE CLOSELY AT CAR AND SAW CRACKS IN DIFFERENTIAL BRACKET AND CRACKS IN REAR SUBFRAME. TOOK CAR TO LOCAL FRAME SHOP AND THEY ALSO SAW POPPED TACK WELDS. QUOTED $1800 TO FIX. ADVISED CAR IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE IN THIS CONDITION. I SAW THE CRACKS AND I AM INCLINED TO BELIEVE THEM. CAR CREAKS, GROANS, AND RATTLES A LOT WHEN BEING DRIVEN. *TR

Mileage: 135,000

MY 1998 BMW M ROADSTER, WITH UNDER 71,000 MILES, IS SHOWING SIGNS OF REAR SUBFRAME FAILURE. I AM AWARE THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED ON MANY OF THEM THAT WERE DRIVEN HARD ON TRACKS, BUT THIS CAR HAS BEEN USED ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY FOR DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY TO/FROM WORK AND BETWEEN CHATTANOOGA AND ATLANTA. AFTER RECENTLY HEARING SOME MORE RATTLING FROM THE REAR, I'VE LIFTED THE TRUNK MAT AND FOUND THE TELL-TALE SIGN: POPPING SPOT-WELDS. I'M NOT SURE HOW SEVERE IT IS AT THIS POINT, AND AS A STUDENT, I CAN'T AFFORD TO TAKE IT TO A DEALERSHIP OR OTHER SHOP TO HAVE IT CHECKED YET, BUT IT WILL BECOME A SEVERE PROBLEM, AND I HAVE HEARD THAT BMW IS UNLIKELY TO OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. I WOULD LIKE ANY ADVICE YOU CAN OFFER. *TR

Mileage: 70,000

MY BMW M ROADSTER HAS SUSTAINED A MASSIVE CHASSIS AND SUBFRAME FAILURE MAKING THE CAR UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND INOPERABLE. *TR

Mileage: 114,640

2 MONTHS AGO MY EXHAUST SYSTEM DROPPED ON MY CAR, AND WAS RUBBING ON THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL. I TOOK IT INTO A SHOP, AND THE EXHAUST BRACKET WAS MODIFIED TO CLEAR THE DIFFERENTIAL. I WENT IN TO HAVE MY BELTS REPLACED YESTERDAY, AND FOUND THAT THE ENTIRE REAR SUBFRAME OF MY CAR HAD TORN AWAY FROM THE BODY. THIS IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. *TR

Mileage: 128,780

I HAVE A 1998 BMW M ROADSTER. THE SUBFRAME IS STARTING TO RUPTURE (TEAR) AND WELDS IN THE TRUNK ARE BREAKING. IF THIS CONTINUES THE RESULT COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THE PROBLEM WAS JUST DIAGNOSED SO NO REPAIR ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN. *NM

I READ ABOUT THE REAR SUBFRAME TEARING OFF OF BMW Z3S AND M ROADSTERS AND DECIDED TO HAVE A LOOK AT MINE. FOUND THE WELDS HOLDING THE SUBFRAME ON WERE FAILING BADLY AND THE BRACKET HOLD MY REAR DIFFERENTIAL WAS SPLITTING. THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM I GUESS. *NM

1) DRIVING, SUB-FRAME WELD SEPARATION (SEAM AND SPOT WELDS) AND DIFFERENTIAL MOUNT CRACK. 3) ONE FAILED ATTEMPT AT RE-WELD BY BODY SHOP. *JB

Mileage: 75,000

I HAVE A 1998 BMW M ROADSTER WITH 101,000 MILES ON IT. THE REAR OF THE CAR HAS MANY CRACKS IN THE REAR SUBFRAME AND TRUNK AREA, INCLUDING THE DIFFERENTIAL MOUNT. THE CAR WAS NEVER RACED OR AUTOCROSSED, BUT IS MY DAILY TRANSPORT TO WORK. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS, AS THE TRANSAXLES COULD EASILY FALL OUT OF THE CAR AT SPEED. FORTUNATELY, I SPOTTED IT WHILE REPLACING THE EXHAUST AND NO ONE WAS HURT. I AM A PHD MATERIALS SCIENTIST AND SPOT THIS AS METAL FATIGUE. *NM

Mileage: 101,000

(1)I NOTICED THERE WERE CREAKS COMING FROM THE TRUNK. I SAW FIVE SPOT WELDS PULLED THROUGH THE SHEET METAL FROM THE MIDDLE TO THE LEFT SIDE, AND THE SHEET METAL WAS SEPARATING ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE TRUNK. (2) AFTER BRINGING IN THE '98 M-ROADSTER IN TO A BMW DEALERSHIP FOR AN ESTIMATE I WAS TOLD THE CAR WAS NOT SAFE IF I WERE TO BE INVOLVED IN A REAR END ACCIDENT. (3) THE TRUNK WAS RE-WELDED, BUT NOT REINFORCED. *NM

Mileage: 79,553

TEAR IN SUBFRAME OF REAR DIFFERENTIAL SUPPORT. *JB

Mileage: 132,000

CAR IS A 1998 BMW M ROADSTER. SPOT WELDS ATTACHING THE SUBFRAME AND DIFFERENTIAL MOUNTS TO THE CAR ARE SEPARATING, CAUSING AN UNSAFE STRUCTURAL SITUATION. *NM

Mileage: 29,990

REAR SUBFRAME WELD FAILURE ALLOWING THE DIFFERENTIAL TO DROP TO THE POINT THAT THE ONLY THING HOLDING IT IN ARE THE HALFSHAFTS RESTING ON THE FRAME RENDERING THE CAR UNDRIVEABLE

Mileage: 28,470

1998 BMW M ROADSTER REAR SUB-FRAME FAILURE (1) NORMAL DRIVING (NON-RACING) LED TO A TORN REAR DIFFERENTIAL MOUNT AND SUB-FRAME CRACK. (2) CAR WAS UNDRIVEABLE AS THE REAR AXLES WERE RUBBING ON THE EXHAUST AND THE DIFFERENTIAL WAS 5" FROM TOUCHING THE GROUND (3) I HAD A PRIVATE MECHANIC DO THE REPAIR WORK WHICH CONSISTED OF REPLACING THE WHOLE REAR SUB-FRAME AND PUTTING IN A NEW, REINFORCED ONE. *NM

Mileage: 76,550

THE CHASSIS IS DEFECTIVE. THERE ARE CRACKS, PULLED SPOTWELDS AND SEPARATION (DELAMINATION) OF UNIBODY IN THE TRUNK AREA. THE SEPARATION CAN LEAD TO CATASTROPHIC FAILURE, AS THE DIFFERENTIAL WILL BECOME DISCONNECTED FROM THE CHASSIS.*AK THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH BMW Z3 CARS. MORE DETAILS OF THE PROBLEM CAN BE FOUND AT HTTP://WWW.368S.COM/INDEX.PHP?P=23 PLEASE REQUIRE BMW TO FIX THIS DESIGN DEFECT BEFORE IT CLAIMS A LIFE. # OF FAILURES IS ESTIMATED. ACTUAL FIGURE IS PROBABLY HIGHER AND BELIEVED TO BE DOUBLE DIGIT PERCENTAGE OF VEHICLES PRODUCED.

Mileage: 55,000

IN REGARD TO ALL MODEL YEAR Z3 BMW AUTOMOBILES. LATELY, INCLUDING WITH MY CAR, BMW Z3'S AS WELL AS ///M ROADSTERS AND COUPES (LIKE MY CAR), HAVE BEGUN EXPERIENCING HORRIFIC FAILURE IN THE REAR END DUE TO THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL CRACKING AWAY FROM THE CHASSIS. COUNTLESS OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING LARGE CRACKS IN THEIR FRAME NEAR THE DIFFERENTIAL, CAUSE THE CAR TO BECOME LOOSE AND RESULT IN A POTENTIAL CRASH. MANY OWNERS HAVE EVEN SEEN THEIR ENTIRE TRUNK FLOORBOARDS BEGIN TO SEPARATE FROM THE CAR DUE TO WEAK WELDING. BMW HAS FOR THE MOST PART BEEN EXTREMELY UNRECEPTIVE TO OWNERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THESE PROBLEMS, BLAMING THE FAILURES ON DRIVER ERROR. IT IS NOT DRIVER ERROR, AS THERE IS CLEAR AND CONVINCING EVIDENCE THAT BMW ITSELF ACTUALLY REINFORCED THE PROBLEM AREAS IN 2001-2002 WITHOUT ACTUALLY ACKNOWLEDGING THE PROBLEM. AS OUR CARS GET OLDER, MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE NOTICING THIS DEFECT WHICH CAUSES THE CAR TO BECOME UNSTABLE. PLEASE HELP. *JB

Mileage: 44,000

CROSS MEMBER OF THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE BROKE. *AK

Mileage: 45,000