2011 Z4 3.5i | 100K KM + 14-Year Maintenance Checklist – Seeking Advice & Owner Experiences

[cevikfidan]

Hello fellow Z4 enthusiasts,

I own a 2011 BMW Z4 3.5i (E89), and my car has just reached the 100,000 km mark. I’m planning to carry out the regular maintenance, but considering the vehicle's age (14 years), I’d also like to approach this as a more comprehensive, preventative maintenance session.

While I’ll be covering the usual service items listed in the manual, I’m also looking to proactively address any age-related wear and tear that might not be obvious yet. Specifically, I’d appreciate your insights on:

• Parts that typically need replacement due to age or mileage
  Hoses, bushings, seals, or rubber components that degrade over time
  Known age-related failure points in the E89 platform
  Cooling system, suspension, oil leaks – what to inspect or replace?
  And any "I wish I had replaced it back then" kind of advice

My goal is to give the car the attention it deserves without going overboard, and I’d love to benefit from the collective experience of this community.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions and feedback!

[Chippie]

100k kilometres is about 62k mile, I’d be looking at changing the water pump and thermostat as they are a known failure item from around that mileage (and before).
Have a look for oil leaks around the oil cooler and the rocker cover (some say change the cover as well as they can suffer from cracking).
If it’s a DCT then consider changing the oil and filters and the rear diff oil at the same time.
The dampers may also be past there best, but weather or not need replacing just yet depends how you feel it rides/handles.
The engine would also benefit by having the valves cleaned (walnut blasting) as they get heavy carbon deposits on them restricting airflow, which eventually causes uneven idling and poor performance.
Early fuel injectors are also known for being unreliable (index 12 being the latest revision) but it’s a big expense to change if you aren’t getting any poor running/starting problems.
There’s also the high pressure fuel pump but again if it’s not broken why fix it.
Then we come to the folding roof.
The salmon coloured relays should be changed about every 6 years or so and expect micro switches and hall sensors to fail and breaking wires in the roof harness.
See below.

viewtopic.php?t=130932

The battery should also be replaced about every 6 years as that can cause all sorts of problems when it starts to fail.
Good luck and hope you’ve got deep pockets

[cevikfidan]

Thank you very much, Chippie, for taking the time to provide such a detailed and insightful response.

Your breakdown really helped me prioritize the more critical areas to look into — especially the water pump/thermostat, DCT service, and the potential roof-related electrical gremlins. I hadn’t considered the salmon relays or the roof harness issues until you mentioned them, and the reminder about valve carbon buildup is much appreciated as well.

I'll certainly dig deeper into the rocker cover situation and keep an eye on the injectors and HPFP, even if just for monitoring at this stage.

Thanks again for sharing your experience

[B21]

Chippie covers most of it..

A lot depends on the car and how and where it was used and it’s previous maintenance history or lack of..

I’d start with a regime of using API-SP oil every 10k km max or annually

Most other things should be really ‘on condition’ …as they wear then replace them..

You could spend lots on pre-emptive maintenance but..these cars vary enormously..some are really unlucky and lots go wrong others seem much better..

A decent fault code reader and tackle the issues when/if they come up…

Imho

[Busterboo]

I own a 2011 BMW Z4 3.5i (E89) ...

No, you don't.

[cevikfidan]

Chippie covers most of it..

A lot depends on the car and how and where it was used and it’s previous maintenance history or lack of..

I’d start with a regime of using API-SP oil every 10k km max or annually

Most other things should be really ‘on condition’ …as they wear then replace them..

You could spend lots on pre-emptive maintenance but..these cars vary enormously..some are really unlucky and lots go wrong others seem much better..

A decent fault code reader and tackle the issues when/if they come up…

Imho

Thank you, B21

You're absolutely right about usage history and vehicle condition being key variables. Mine has been well maintained so far, but I completely agree that these cars can vary significantly — what’s preventative for one may be excessive for another.

I’ll definitely look into using API-SP rated oil going forward, and I like your philosophy of condition-based maintenance supported by a solid fault code reader. That’s very sound advice.

Thanks again for sharing your perspective.