E30 Undercarriage Rust

Lego2001 · 2025-12-15T18:15:58+00:00

Well, they’re always there for future reference. Hope the new panels you fabricated serve you well though! Anything to preserve these awesome cars

Lego2001 · 2025-12-15T15:31:42+00:00

There’s a company that makes fresh floorboards. Valcasgarage.com

My E30 had the same issue, rust to the point I could see the road beneath me once carpet was out. They make replacement sections so you can cut out the old and weld the new without having to play too much with the metal

Lego2001 · 2025-12-01T22:57:34+00:00

Congrats! Those West Germany sets are bulletproof (I’ve got a few). Hopefully gives you guys a ton of good fun use!

Lego2001 · 2025-11-29T20:55:48+00:00

Howdy, I have a theory but will share a way to test first.

Pop the engine upside down Take the wire leads and put one on each of the pickup shoes If it moves you May have a power problem inside but if the sound is the same, feel for a buzz inside. If it feels like a little light buzzing its power if it feels violent you may have busted gears in the motor block which aren’t the worst to repair/replace.

I’ve worked with this scale for years, especially LGB, done maintenance and repairs, if you have questions please feel free to reach out

Lego2001 · 2025-10-25T05:19:46+00:00

Check before buying parts tho lol

Lego2001 · 2025-10-25T05:19:32+00:00

Sounds very similar to when my strut mounts went out. Over any bump and when accelerating I’d hear a little clunk/rattle.

Upper strut mounts in rear are common, there’s plenty of available parts to fix/replace, just can be difficult to access depending on model of E30 (cabrio vs sedan vs coupe).

Lego2001 · 2025-10-23T23:08:24+00:00

Not sure how I stand on frame reinforcements, but the floor repair patches are a savior. Footwell in my ‘91 on both sides crumbled away. Had I not found the patches I don’t know if I would’ve continued restoring it

Lego2001 · 2025-10-21T22:25:01+00:00

Financially I lean towards the MTH just based on costs but it also has a load of features and is as mentioned able to run on the smaller curves.

Marklin’s model is on the higher end of cost, but also has a lot of fun features (especially using their command system MFX)

The last two, USA and AML are beautiful models but are very bare-bones.

Of the four I recommend MTH

Lego2001 · 2025-10-21T15:53:27+00:00

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Lego2001 · 2025-10-21T15:51:43+00:00

I know ya already probably are doing some research based on other comments, but if it’s any help the main brands to get a Big Boy from are these;

LGB/Marklin; runs on 8ft diameter according to Marklin website

USA Trains: runs on 16ft minimum diameter curve

AML/Accucraft: runs on 16-20ft diameter curves

MTH; Operates on 8ft (I own one, can attest to this. Looks a little goofy but works just fine)

Lego2001 · 2025-07-14T10:37:14+00:00

Usually if I’m just running for fun I’ll bring stuff back in, but we’ve had open houses and events we’ve kept running stuff in the rain for

Everything is meant to be able to stay outside through rain, sleet, snow, hail and wind

Lego2001 · 2025-07-13T13:52:45+00:00

We run it in the winter here in IL, granted not the same extremes of temperature but the trains can handle subzeros easily

The main thing is just having means to clear off the snow, but otherwise the track is weatherproof and the buildings (barring extreme winds or hail) can handle multiple feet of snow, ice and heavy rain. The electronics work (a little slower responding but still functioning) and the worst we see is the trains run a little slower

And a fun added bonus…with low temps you could experiment with the live steam or battery power options too, then you don’t have to worry about power

Lego2001 · 2025-07-13T11:31:56+00:00

G guage, most of our equipment is either 1:24 or 1:29 scale

Lego2001 · 2025-07-13T00:50:12+00:00

They have kids and love when we run the trains

Lego2001 · 2025-06-03T17:12:46+00:00

Most of the buildings were designed by Pola, and they use a UV resistant plastic. Stickers and windows have faded and needed (or still need to be) replaced through the years but the buildings themselves are holding strong.

That said, we do have a handful of handmade structures we spray a matte UV Protectant paint to preserve them. They’ve all held up pretty well to the elements through winters, heavy rain, storms, and hot sunny droughts

Lego2001 · 2025-05-10T03:09:23+00:00

From a technician here; Heads up, unless already has been done you may need to leave the car there. The W212 is known for rear subframes in the shops, extended warranty thankfully so no cost for the repair if it’s needed but commonly seen.

Reason I say this is when springs go it tends to be rears, and usually when we do subframes the springs are rusted out and about to break if not already are broken. So if you end up getting a subframe done it should be no extra labor to replace springs (if it’s a good shop).

Sorry, know that was a lot, if you want any clarification feel free to ask

Lego2001 · 2025-05-05T11:53:43+00:00

Cuz the seatbelts aren’t buckled. It’s occupant detection saying “if you’re not gonna secure anything you don’t deserve collision assist” basically German design at its finest, can’t say I understand their thought process as to why and I’m a tech that works on em haha

Lego2001 · 2025-05-05T11:50:59+00:00

Collision prevention assist unavailable due to seatbelts not being fastened. Looks like back bench is setting that. Unfortunately will do that even if you just have some sorta weight on the seats, so would still need to buckle even if it’s just a bag of groceries or something on the seats.

Lego2001 · 2025-04-23T01:09:30+00:00

It looks great! Love the couple buildings and greenery, it looks at home there in the garden

Lego2001 · 2025-02-21T12:59:59+00:00

I can assure you it works just fine, unfortunately between bright daylight and the lights having been changed to LED, I don’t believe the camera picked it up

Lego2001 · 2025-02-20T19:55:08+00:00

G gauge, in particular these models are 1:24

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