Z4/M Owners Thread

[Invertigo]

Cheers, £250 sounds a lot better than £500 It's more of a preventative, and also I'm not sure if it's in my head but low end grunt for me doesn't feel as impressive as it did when I first had the car two years ago, and I'm sure I can feel a surge of power as I get past the 2.5-3k rpm mark.

The DISA Rebuild kit is still on my list of things to do, Suspension stuff can be removed with the MOT only coming back with a worn inner tie rod which has now been replaced with a Lemforder part.

Edit

At 102k Mileage reckon it'll be worth just replacing the DISA valve altogether? I have no history showing it's ever been changed during its life and some posts on forums seem to suggest it'll be worth replacing after 80/90k

I've never heard of a new replacement, but rebuilds are common. Involves replacing the O-ring, flap and pin. The issue is the OEM design pin can work itself loose, and get sucked into the engine. That, and the flap is a brittle plastic so can get damaged. The o ring wears out over time as all seals can do.

From what I see it's a pretty simple diy job to take the old unit out, strip out the old parts mentioned above and replace with uprated components.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

Found the thread where he talks prices for the vanos = http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=98075&hilit=vanos

i've tried to get him to arrange a suitable time for work 2-3 times now with no reply. seems like he does it whenever he fancies doing it rather than as a job. it's cash in hand. i think i'd now rather pay a bit more and go to a pro that has done hundreds of them if not thousands.

 

[Uncle_Gravy]

I've never heard of a new replacement, but rebuilds are common. Involves replacing the O-ring, flap and pin. The issue is the OEM design pin can work itself loose, and get sucked into the engine. That, and the flap is a brittle plastic so can get damaged. The o ring wears out over time as all seals can do.

From what I see it's a pretty simple diy job to take the old unit out, strip out the old parts mentioned above and replace with uprated components.

I know the flap and pin are a danger on the original design, but I've heard the vacuum pump can fail and will stop moving the flap altogether.

I'm thinking ahead of myself and doing some preventative maintenance to avoid future headaches , It is an old sports car with 103K on the clock.


@Psycho Sonny If you come up with a price drop me a trust or something, If I have money left to spend next month (Mother's 60th birthday coming up) I'll have one off you, might buy the rebuild kit on it while it's not in the car.

 

[ultralaser]

A Z4 is sensible, assuming you only have one passenger.
What did you get ?

Civic

 

[Psycho Sonny]

I know the flap and pin are a danger on the original design, but I've heard the vacuum pump can fail and will stop moving the flap altogether.

I'm thinking ahead of myself and doing some preventative maintenance to avoid future headaches , It is an old sports car with 103K on the clock.


@Psycho Sonny If you come up with a price drop me a trust or something, If I have money left to spend next month (Mother's 60th birthday coming up) I'll have one off you, might buy the rebuild kit on it while it's not in the car.

i have no idea what they are worth tbh.

second hand one - say £55 inc delivery it's genuine BMW part - can't see this anywhere online they are rare

new third party one would be £65 inc delivery from what i can see online they are £70+

 

[Uncle_Gravy]

i have no idea what they are worth tbh.

second hand one - say £55 inc delivery it's genuine BMW part - can't see this anywhere online they are rare

new third party one would be £65 inc delivery from what i can see online they are £70+

If I still have some cash left next month I'll take the genuine part off you if its all working how it should.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

If I still have some cash left next month I'll take the genuine part off you if its all working how it should.

i remember now why i bought 2 of them. they are no longer made by BMW. i think the last ones that BMW had in stock or still do are/were priced at around £300 each or something stupid. so i decided to buy the third party one for cheaper before they decided to increase prices as they effectively hold a monopoly on them. i then saw a genuine one pop up for cheap and bought that as they are very rare.

i tested the vacuum and it works as it should. the flap also looks in good nick but you may want to upgrade it using one of the kits off ebay.

i think a DISA valve pump is good for about 100K miles. so it's something you should only ever really have to change once. unless your one of the few with 200K+ miles on it

 

[Uncle_Gravy]

My car is on 103k and I'm positive mine is rattling so makes sense to get a working part and get the upgrade done on it while it's out the car.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

My car is on 103k and I'm positive mine is rattling so makes sense to get a working part and get the upgrade done on it while it's out the car.

i upgraded the one in my car with a metal kit off ebay but i never knew i had to check the vacuum pump to see if it was still working right. so i'm going to have to take it out the car to check at some point to see if the vacuum is still good. i think my car is on 95K miles so the vacuum will likely go at some point soon if it hasn't already. so i bought a third party one as they were the only ones available then a used one popped up with low mileage and i snapped it up as they are rare.

i'm more inclined now to keep the genuine part for myself now that i have remembered why i bought it in the first place. in case i need it since they are so rare and i am unsure about build quality on the third party parts. i'm sure they are fine but i'd rather stick to genuine just to be sure. sorry for wasting your time. i totally forgot why i bought them as it was over a year ago and i've been too busy to check them out and sell the spare one on. now that i have remembered why i bought the genuine one after buying the third party. i wouldn't want to sell it and certainly not for cheaper than third party even with it being used as new ones were priced so high @ £300. i'll likely just put the third party one on ebay unless you want it? i'd take £50 for it just for wasting your time. i think i paid £70 for it and it's never been used.

you may want to stick a ebay saved search into your account so if a 3.0 disa valve does come up for sale you get an email. they are very rare now i imagine and especially one with low mileage. or maybe even try BMW official dealers to see if they have a new one? i'd be interested to know how much they are worth now if they do have any left.

my memory certainly does seem to be getting worse. 10 years ago it was practically photographic and i would never have forgotten why i had stuff like this lying around.

if yours is rattling i'd get it changed ASAP. it could kill your engine at any point if it breaks off.

 

[Uncle_Gravy]

No issue pal, One pops up every now and then on the Z4 forum, I'll be getting the rebuild kit next payday and do my own DISA, but won't hurt to have a backup just in case.

Cheers again.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

rear springs broken - failed MOT.

don't have the cash to get drop links done at the same time. so hopefully this garage doesn't rob me like it did last time. i think i've found a new garage to take it to in future. if this bill is above £350 i won't be using them again.

 

[Invertigo]

rear springs broken - failed MOT.

don't have the cash to get drop links done at the same time. so hopefully this garage doesn't rob me like it did last time. i think i've found a new garage to take it to in future. if this bill is above £350 i won't be using them again.

If you have the ability to take the wheel off it's a DIY job, it's seriously that easy. Suplex springs can be be had for around £50 a side off eBay and it's easy. Literally all you have to do is take off the wheel, unbolt the one 18mm bolt holding the strut to the hub and then just apply weight to the hub i.e. Get a mate to stand on it while you wiggle the spring out.

If they charge more than 1 hour to do both I'd be seriously questioning them. With a 2 post and garage tools anyone could have it done in less than an hour.

 

[[TW]Fox]

don't have the cash to get drop links done at the same time.

They are about 15 quid each btw, it's the cheapest thing on the suspension.

 

[grudas]

If you have the ability to take the wheel off it's a DIY job, it's seriously that easy. Suplex springs can be be had for around £50 a side off eBay and it's easy. Literally all you have to do is take off the wheel, unbolt the one 18mm bolt holding the strut to the hub and then just apply weight to the hub i.e. Get a mate to stand on it while you wiggle the spring out.

If they charge more than 1 hour to do both I'd be seriously questioning them. With a 2 post and garage tools anyone could have it done in less than an hour.

agreed I did mine in 30 mins if that. Both sides.

 

[Invertigo]

They are about 15 quid each btw, it's the cheapest thing on the suspension.

Indeed, I have a set I haven't got round to fitting yet and they were cheap. However, apparently they can be an absolute pig to get off the ARB, so I haven't felt the need to tackle it yet! (Assuming we're talking rears, fronts are easy)

 

[Psycho Sonny]

might just get them done too then if they are that cheap.

sachs springs are currently £45 on ECP (the only ones they have in stock) are they okay to use? 2 rear ones for that.

i'm going back to garage to pick car up. i'll ask for a quote there and then. should be what £150 for everything plus the drop links? as it's £75 for the parts if buying the above springs.

what rear drop links does a 3.0i need? link to ebay?

 

[grudas]

might just get them done too then if they are that cheap.

sachs springs are currently £45 on ECP (the only ones they have in stock) are they okay to use? 2 rear ones for that.

i'm going back to garage to pick car up. i'll ask for a quote there and then. should be what £150 for everything plus the drop links? as it's £75 for the parts if buying the above springs.

what rear drop links does a 3.0i need? link to ebay?

just make sure yo uget the correct springs..

sport and se are different heigh.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

just make sure yo uget the correct springs..

sport and se are different heigh.

it's an SE with the sport suspension I believe. will it matter what springs I use then?

anyone got a link for the correct drop links or springs? i think i might tackle this myself.

one of my rear jacking pads is also missing. i believe the dealer can sort me out with this. if anyone has a part number or a link to them online to compare prices would be great also.

 

[Invertigo]

Sport suspension uses different springs, shorter and with a higher spring rate I believe.

I've also read that the ECP parts are rarely correct, so perhaps get a part number from Sachs for the M Sport replacement and confirm before purchasing. Aside front that, https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Suplex-Coil-Spring-Rear-Axle-OE-Quality-06231-/292040912476 these are the replacement springs most use for the Sport suspension.
Rear drop links are these https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lemforder-...3A85f090f215e0a86bc46b9cb3ffe25e21%7Ciid%3A18

 

[Gaygle]

I got a pair of suplex springs for my M3. Seemed very good quality for a very decent price (£83 for both)