Z4/M Owners Thread

Psycho Sonny said:
How does parking on a slope help? also surely it would have to be in a particular orientation. as in upwards is beneficial but downwards isn't. how would you know which one is good or bad?



The seal on the back of my right headlight is knackered. Apparently you need to order a whole new back. It may be the same with you. Just need a new back. If you find the part number let me know. I spent 2 hours drying it out with a hairdryer for it to fill with water 4 days later. it's the seal that goes on them.
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It was fine before I changed the bulbs, and there was visible debris stuck to it when I removed it after it leaked so this would allow moisture in. I'm confident its okay, as it seems to have dried out alright in the sun yesterday with the back off, and stayed clear overnight.

I'm also planning to add some silicone grease to both of them at the weekend too, as an extra precaution. Should be able to inspect the light properly once its off the car too for any minor cracks etc.

For your benefit though, check this out.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=BT52-EUR-05-2004-E85-BMW-Z4_30i&diagId=63_0758

Part numbers for both covers are on there.
 
Keeping the drains clean is the way, so the water can run out and not collect where the motor sits. The only reason it fails is because of water collection and blocked drains. Bad design basically.
 
New Zed scrubbed up quite well :)

Scarlett2_zpsoxh5gpqn.jpg
 
Invertigo said:
It was fine before I changed the bulbs, and there was visible debris stuck to it when I removed it after it leaked so this would allow moisture in. I'm confident its okay, as it seems to have dried out alright in the sun yesterday with the back off, and stayed clear overnight.

I'm also planning to add some silicone grease to both of them at the weekend too, as an extra precaution. Should be able to inspect the light properly once its off the car too for any minor cracks etc.

For your benefit though, check this out.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=BT52-EUR-05-2004-E85-BMW-Z4_30i&diagId=63_0758

Part numbers for both covers are on there.
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Just bought a new back for mine. Cheers for the link £20 off ebay.

On another note some ***** stole my valve covers, all 4 of them. I only just checked and filled up the tyres about a week ago so it happened recently. So I have had the passenger door dinked by some ignorant moron getting out their car and now this all in the past 2 weeks.

I think this time I'll just buy some plain black plastic ones. Hopefully nobody will steal them.
 
Not sure if anyone is already going to this but I thought it's worth mentioning.

My friend who has the supercharged Z4 owns a watermill in Shepshed, near Loughborough. One day every month during the summer they open to the public.

Each month has a theme. Most months are old cars but on 20th August it's the Z4 meet. Last year there were around 80 cars, this year there should be around 150.

The venue is a great place to spend a few hours. Great location and loads of old technology including the huge waterwheel and milling stones. I help out so will be there to give people a tour.

shepshedwatermill.co.uk if you're interested :)
 
Changed to the ZHP gear knob, had it a few days now and would make the change immediately if I ever had another Z4M. The throw feels a lot shorter and more precise and you can rest your arm on the arm rest so much easier, much more like my old MX5 which has the best gear change I have ever experienced.

Just wish there was a way to get the Z4M to handle more like an MX5!
 
Thinking of a Z4, but only want to spend a ~£3K, for older and higher milage models are there specific things to look out for? Or are the engines in the Z4's pretty bullet proof?
 
ultralaser said:
Thinking of a Z4, but only want to spend a ~£3K, for older and higher milage models are there specific things to look out for? Or are the engines in the Z4's pretty bullet proof?
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Unless the VANOS seals have been replaced they'll be shot, isn't a reliability thing but reduces torque in the lower ranges

DISA valve should be replaced with aftermarket part, the OEM design can come loose and the pin get sucked into the engine, bad news! It's a £50 kit and a 30 minute diy job though

Valve cover gasket and oil filter housing gasket leaks are common, and reasonably easy to sort if you have basic skills and a decent tool kit

The ABS unit can fail, same as all BMWs of this generation. That's likely the worst case though

Steering column can have issues, but there's fixes now that don't involve replacing the column

I can't think of anything else? Suspension will be due a refresh no doubt, but the same would be said of any 100k car

The M54 is a pretty solid engine generally, there's a few things that MIGHT happen but not common, such as a torn intake boot leading to rough idle etc, but nothing particularly major
 
There is an argument for raising budget though, I got a solid 3.0 M54 engines example for under £4500, sure it has a few cosmetic things such as stone chips on the bonnet, but you'd expect such things with a 13 year old car that's never been resprayed.

It did however come with a very high spec with most options, and a full service history with other remedial work done to prevent common issues i.e. DISA flap changed to alloy and tension ring relocated on steering column.
 
thecremeegg said:
Because £3k is half £6k? That's like saying why buy a £3k computer when you can buy a £6k one? Typical OcUk :rolleyes::p
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£3K won't get a 3.0i. So your looking at the average versions where you will be struggling to keep up with a mini cooper SD.

3.0i is also the most reliable engine out of the bunch. 6 cylinders vs 4.

So your paying for more speed and more reliability. You then have to factor in how well it's been looked after. Someone who has spend £4-£6K on the car over the past couple of years making sure it's not wanted for won't be looking to sell for £3K.
 
It's a tricky one, when £3K becomes £6K then I start thinking why not a Coupe (better looking IMO) at £10K, then at 10K then I'm starting to think why not start look at spending that 10K on a new lease...... car buying is so tricky these days....
 
Psycho Sonny said:
3.0i is also the most reliable engine out of the bunch. 6 cylinders vs 4.
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While I agree with the rest, the 2.2i and 2.5i are both 6 cylinder engines too, in fact all three of these are the M54 engine, just with different outputs.

The 2.0i is the 4 pot and the one to avoid. Aside from being a 4 pot in a car built around a straight 6, it also has a lot more documented issues.
 
Test drove a few today I think the 2.0i felt a little underpowered. Still a little surprised at the expense of more modern Z4's (13k for a 2009 23i with 35k on the clock seemed expensive!)
 
ultralaser said:
It's a tricky one, when £3K becomes £6K then I start thinking why not a Coupe
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Because the coupe defeats the object of a Z4 and gives you most of the downsides without the major advantage.

5k or so buys as nice an example as you can hope to find if you want a pre facelift, bearing in mind these are seriously old cars now. Never buy from the bottom of a market especially not a performance car.

If finding an extra 2k isn't an issue then it's a sensible move. If it is an issue then playing with old performance cars is probably a silly idea anyway.
 
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