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16k miles in a 35is

Specific discussion about the E89 2009 Z4 (sDrive35is, sDrive35i, sDrive30i, sDrive23i)
Busterboo
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16k miles in a 35is

Post by Busterboo » Tue Jan 23, 2018 11:53 pm

16k miles in a 35is.

A silly person opened his o/s/r door into my passing 4.2 Jaguar on the Wednesday and my 996.2 C4 (89k miles, had it for 5 years) blew up on the Friday (no, not IMS bearing). So, car-less, but with a grin – chance to buy another car. Out of the blue, wife gave me £15k: “A presie. Towards … er … ?” Me: “Never had a folding roof … or a BMW, come to think of it.” Wife: “Whatever.”

Started reading Z4-forum and looking around. Found 35is in Glasgow, 300 miles away. Few in big dealers, over-priced. About to buy train ticket, when ‘2011/good spec & colour/18” wheels/20,400 miles’ appeared at small dealer’s 9 miles down the road. Went to see it. Almost immaculate. Drove it. Bought it.

Drove it for a week. “Bo//ocks. Made a mistake.” Very good engine, very quick, well-made car, but crap road-holding, especially at speed, and tram-lined like it should be on the prom at Blackpool. So crap that considered selling it. Searched Z4-forum again. Dumped Bridgestone rfts (2 were new). Put on Pirelli P Zeros. £453. (‘XL’ – stiff-walled – to replicate in part the rft-to-suspension match). Outcome – with BMW-recommended 36psi front & 44psi rear – it’s the car the 35is should be. Taut & stable at speed (140+), agile & secure otherwise, comfortable in ‘Normal’, but sharper in ‘Sport’ and, best of all, ‘Sport S’. Contrary to some reports (on marshmallow pressures?), excellent steering/tyre feedback. Regular Hunter geo checks. Pirellis performing & wearing very well.

Drove 16k miles in the first 12 months. 95RON. 25.4mpg. Less than 0.5 litres oil/10k miles. All for fun, no commuting, rarely trips of more than 80 miles. A & B country roads, almost no M-ways. Lots of fun. Favourite 48-mile 'bumble' route – Me: ‘Just going out for some milk, love.’ She: ‘Be careful, dear.’ – includes about 10 miles of quite narrow, twisting/undulating, just-about-A, country road that starts outside the suburbs of a city. Target, rarely achieved, is to keep above 70 for this 10 mile section without braking. 'Manual' (paddle) gear-changing allowed, of course, but no braking. Not easy. Well, not for me, anyway. 60’s hard enough.

Problems/Solutions. The roof has stuck half-open twice, because stuff in the boot moved. Moved stuff. Two front bulbs have gone. £15 ea. One shredded-by-6”-bolt rear tyre. Replaced both rears. £252. And I dropped a box of ammunition on passenger sill guard, denting it (£80).

Dislikes. Rear blind spots at angled intersections. Not being able to change into R having stopped in Sport S – potentially dangerous. Pause in pick-up from zero in traffic sometimes – potentially dangerous. Poor low-speed/front end visibility. Lack of dipstick. Boot lid awkward to open/close. Poor reversing light. Z4 logo on boot, now gone. Although not much, too much Alcantara in cabin, especially when it's Ivory White. Dull cabin/poor boot carpets. (Put American liner in boot.) Orange speedo/rev dials in Melbourne Red car – needs blue or green. Bad bonnet reflection driving directly into sun. Cup-holders secure but badly placed. Heated seats too hot. Handbook – too many/not enough details in places. (Still don’t know/can't remember/don’t care what some buttons do/can do.) And that’s about it.

Likes. 95%+ of the car. Especially the surprising power/speed throughout rev range. Suspension/steering/power in Sport S really excellent. (Brakes seem good, but haven’t tracked car. Haven't used Launch Control, either.) DCT is very good. Unless you've driven one for at least several days, don’t knock it. Takes time to learn it. Wouldn't go back to traditional manual (but I don't knock those who do). Engine noises very good, especially in 'M(anual)' Sport S & change-downs. Have up-&-down-on-both-sides paddles. Prefer them to left-down, right-up that I've had elsewhere, because you can change both up & down with one/same hand. Rarely use stick to change. No LSD, so needs good right foot. Steering wheel excellent. Other driving controls fine, especially cruise control. Sports (a bit hard) seats excellent, bar Alcantara bits. 'German' (Chinese) fitted luggage makes boot big enough for a week away for 2 with roof down. Roof down superb (to 120). Wind deflector quite good. Leave it in, roof up or down. Roof-up boot big for small car. Strange lights behind seats. Prefer wooden dash/door inserts to metal option - give depth. Leather fascia/door caps & interior well done. Ski hatch unused: can''t ski. Hi-fi/radio etc. adequate – never listen to it in concert hall conditions. Generally, good quality, very quick car. Wife likes it.

Would I buy another? Yep.

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Last edited by Busterboo on Thu Jan 25, 2018 7:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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JimsZ
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16k miles in a 35is

Post by JimsZ » Wed Jan 24, 2018 12:10 am

Enjoyed reading that, thank's for sharing :D
E89/28i Msport gone :( .. Zx10r track bike gone… time for a KTM 350 exc-f and some green laning and dirt bike excursions…. Let’s see how this goes… : :evil:

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buzyg
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16k miles in a 35is

Post by buzyg » Wed Jan 24, 2018 12:21 am

Good little write up and what a great wife. :thumbsup:
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Nanu
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16k miles in a 35is

Post by Nanu » Wed Jan 24, 2018 8:52 pm

Wife likes it, big plus. Happy wife equals happy life. Sad but true. Enjoy it even more when the sun starts to shine and weather gets warmer.
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maxman
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16k miles in a 35is

Post by maxman » Wed Jan 24, 2018 9:10 pm

Good insight into 35is ownership . :thumbsup:

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16k miles in a 35is

Post by mcbutler » Thu Jan 25, 2018 10:24 am

Thanks for taking the time to do that, interesting and encouraging. I am a 23i owner. next time round will be the 3.5is.
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techathy
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16k miles in a 35is

Post by techathy » Thu Jan 25, 2018 11:09 am

Busterboo wrote: Tue Jan 23, 2018 11:53 pm Dislikes. Rear blind spots at angled intersections.... Poor low-speed/front end visibility... Poor reversing light.
:-?
Compared to other cars I've driven recently I'd rate my Z4 35iS well above average for these points...
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16k miles in a 35is

Post by Lazza » Thu Jan 25, 2018 11:59 am

techathy wrote: Thu Jan 25, 2018 11:09 am
Busterboo wrote: Tue Jan 23, 2018 11:53 pm Dislikes. Rear blind spots at angled intersections.... Poor low-speed/front end visibility... Poor reversing light.
:-?
Compared to other cars I've driven recently I'd rate my Z4 35iS well above average for these points...
I haven't noticed any rear blind spot in mine, helped by sitting so far to the rear of the car. I do have an occasional problem with the front though. There is a particular corner on a junction on the way home from work where I turn in and just have to hope that I have got it right as there is no way to see the tall kerb on the left once I've started turning. To be fair, it's not a lot better in any car but the long high bonnet does make it a little more difficult.
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16k miles in a 35is

Post by Vonlipvig » Thu Jan 25, 2018 5:48 pm

Sounds like it has made a good impression on you, great to hear.

On the blind spot, I know what you mean. Pulling out at a junction where the angle is < 75 degrees ish to the left hand side, the passenger headrest and rear roof (when up) really do obstruct the view, even worse when someone is in the car. Meet a couple of junctions like this daily and in all honesty, I do what I can to avoid them for this exact reason
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Busterboo
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16k miles in a 35is

Post by Busterboo » Thu Jan 25, 2018 7:13 pm

Exactly.
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16k miles in a 35is

Post by Smartbear » Thu Jan 25, 2018 7:24 pm

I’m often curious how the 35is feels, sounds like you’re keen on yours & have bonded with it Buster :driving:
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e89 Sdrive 30i, this ones busted, pass me another...
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Kugaman1
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16k miles in a 35is

Post by Kugaman1 » Thu Jan 25, 2018 7:47 pm

Id love a 35is, luckily, prob can afford to trade up into one also.

However, Im just too worried about big bills down the road....

I adore my 20i, but always hold my breath when raising/lowering the roof.....its not given me any issues but nevertheless, I dont know quite what I will do if it does.

The problems is this.....up here in NE Scotland, there aren't any independents that know anything about these roofs....my only choice would be to get it to John Clark BMW in Aberdeen, and they aint cheap for anything.....and theyre pretty bloody useless at fixing things......had a 120d Msport off them years ago........as part of the deal they put on 4 new tyres.....failed to actually balance any of them!!! Then bought an m135i brand new.....despite my insisting it came with Michelin tyres (an option) they decided runflats would be better for me and altered the order! I was furious so they swapped the tyres for Michelin pilot supersports as originally requested....and then promptly put all 4 tyres on backwards.... I kid you not.

Thats what holds me back from taking the plunge into a 35is......the concerns of possible roof, adaptive suspension, injector, coil pack, HPFP issues......all of which would be pricey fixes with no independents or alternative specialists nearby.

If I lived further south with a wider choice of indys, I would have one tomorrow, they look to be epic cars!

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16k miles in a 35is

Post by Z4M-2006 » Thu Jan 25, 2018 8:08 pm

Kugaman1 wrote: Thu Jan 25, 2018 7:47 pmId love a 35is, luckily, prob can afford to trade up into one also.

However, Im just too worried about big bills down the road....

I adore my 20i, but always hold my breath when raising/lowering the roof.....its not given me any issues but nevertheless, I dont know quite what I will do if it does.

The problems is this.....up here in NE Scotland, there aren't any independents that know anything about these roofs....my only choice would be to get it to John Clark BMW in Aberdeen, and they aint cheap for anything.....and theyre pretty bloody useless at fixing things......had a 120d Msport off them years ago........as part of the deal they put on 4 new tyres.....failed to actually balance any of them!!! Then bought an m135i brand new.....despite my insisting it came with Michelin tyres (an option) they decided runflats would be better for me and altered the order! I was furious so they swapped the tyres for Michelin pilot supersports as originally requested....and then promptly put all 4 tyres on backwards.... I kid you not.

Thats what holds me back from taking the plunge into a 35is......the concerns of possible roof, adaptive suspension, injector, coil pack, HPFP issues......all of which would be pricey fixes with no independents or alternative specialists nearby.

If I lived further south with a wider choice of indys, I would have one tomorrow, they look to be epic cars!
They can all happen on your 2.0.... apart from the suspension,which is no more complicated than standard suspension if it were to need changing.

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dario
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16k miles in a 35is

Post by dario » Thu Jan 25, 2018 8:27 pm

you forgot to mention the silly position of the heater vent just under the key slot. in my case it scalds my kneecap.

nice write up!

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16k miles in a 35is

Post by Smartbear » Thu Jan 25, 2018 8:35 pm

Z4M-2006 wrote: Thu Jan 25, 2018 8:08 pm
Kugaman1 wrote: Thu Jan 25, 2018 7:47 pmId love a 35is, luckily, prob can afford to trade up into one also.

However, Im just too worried about big bills down the road....

I adore my 20i, but always hold my breath when raising/lowering the roof.....its not given me any issues but nevertheless, I dont know quite what I will do if it does.

The problems is this.....up here in NE Scotland, there aren't any independents that know anything about these roofs....my only choice would be to get it to John Clark BMW in Aberdeen, and they aint cheap for anything.....and theyre pretty bloody useless at fixing things......had a 120d Msport off them years ago........as part of the deal they put on 4 new tyres.....failed to actually balance any of them!!! Then bought an m135i brand new.....despite my insisting it came with Michelin tyres (an option) they decided runflats would be better for me and altered the order! I was furious so they swapped the tyres for Michelin pilot supersports as originally requested....and then promptly put all 4 tyres on backwards.... I kid you not.

Thats what holds me back from taking the plunge into a 35is......the concerns of possible roof, adaptive suspension, injector, coil pack, HPFP issues......all of which would be pricey fixes with no independents or alternative specialists nearby.

If I lived further south with a wider choice of indys, I would have one tomorrow, they look to be epic cars!
They can all happen on your 2.0.... apart from the suspension,which is no more complicated than standard suspension if it were to need changing.
I think it’s the cost of the adaptive suspension that’s the issue :o
I get that the 20i can suffer from the maladies mentioned above, but it seems to be the n54 cars that repeatedly have these issues-I don’t recall reading of hpfp/injector problems on the forum? Were these parts changed for the 20i I wonder?
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e89 Sdrive 30i, this ones busted, pass me another...
e85 3.0si sold

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