2.5 si 2006

W

wemendum

New member
Hi i am new to this forum and looking to buy my first ever beemer, and am looking at a z4 2.5 si, have been googling for a few weeks now and came across this excellent forum. I have read the" what to look for" thread and specs on Autotrader. The numerous pics i have seen on the net seem to show the drivers seat as a weak point. The drivers side leather side cushion seems to wear quite a bit. Is this just me looking at the wrong cars/pics and if it is common is it an easy fix and how much would it cost to fix.

Thanks in advance for any help on this, and i cant wait to get a Z
 
Hi there,

Welcome to the Forum. Hope you find the Zed you want - lots out there.

If you are looking at an 'si' version it will be 2006 or younger. The seat bolster issue is common due to the nature of the seats (especially the 'sports seats' which have higher side bolsters) and they wear through the action of getting in and out the Zed. It makes sense that the raised bolsters by the door will take the impact and abrasion when owners get in and out the car. I now get in my Zed left foot first and brace my back in the centre of the seat sliding down into the centre of the seat, hoping to avoid the wear on the door side bolster.

As for repair - I've given my seats a good clean and lots of leather balm on the worn section. I also think it helps to keep the seats shiny so that you slip in and out of them without drag (as long as you've got the sport seats as they will hold you in place). My seat bolsters are not bad at all so good cleaning and balm application should keep them ok (together with my seating technique).

Others may have more to add about repair as there are specialist companies that will sort them if needed.

Why are you considering a 2.5? If you can, go for the 3.0, as resale will be easier - the 3.0si are sought after. If it's cost then do consider the pre 2006 3.0i as it's equally as capable and well thought of by owners. A well maintained and cared for pre facelift (pre 2006) 3.0 litre is a great buy as is the facelift 3.0si.

:driving: :thumbsup:
 
Hi and welcome. If the booster has only flight cosmetic damage it's easy to fix, and can be re dyed at minimal cost.

Have you got a link to the one your looking at?
 
Hi,
Welcome along!!! - The issue with worn seat bolsters is nothing to do with quality of the leather, but more a consequence of getting in and out of a low sports car.
Unless the leather is very badly worn it can be easily repaired with a leather dye kit. Apart from the seat bolsters and steering wheels controls (Again relatively easy and cheap to fix), the interior of the E85 is pretty robust and wears it age quite well.
All the best with your search, we expect to see some photos of your new car soon :thumbsup: .
Stu.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum. The M sport seats do suffer from bolster wear, regardless of mileage. If you are looking at black seats, then the repair is easy. Just buy a dye from a supplier like Dynamix for circa £15, lightly sand the worn area with wet & dry, clean with white sprit, allow to dry, then apply the dye - very easy and cheap. If another colour, then the success of this approach will depend on the colour match with the dye. Worst case, you will need a pro to visit and spray in the bolster leather, only circa £50, so not a disaster.

Other things to check / consider;
- have rear springs been replaced ? (known early life failure issue)
- have front wishbones been replaced ? (again known early life wear issue)
- check fog lights and headlights for moisture (fog light seals can be an issue and headlight covers are difficult to get back on correctly when bulb are replaced)
- ensure electric windows run smoothly (regulators can be an issue)
- if fitted with run flats, ensure car tracks straight (worn run flats can lead to tram lining)
- ensure air in and heated rear window work correctly (flat batteries can cause the car to go into transport mode - no issue to clear but will need a visit to dealer / specialist to reset the mode in the ECU)

I recently bought a 2006 2.5si roadster and it is great. Very well made (albeit with the usual rattles that plague roadsters) and mechanically, issues above aside, the Z4 is very strong.

Hope this helps.

Happy shopping, James
 
jnwright71 said:
Hi and welcome to the forum. The M sport seats do suffer from bolster wear, regardless of mileage. If you are looking at black seats, then the repair is easy. Just buy a dye from a supplier like Dynamix for circa £15, lightly sand the worn area with wet & dry, clean with white sprit, allow to dry, then apply the dye - very easy and cheap. If another colour, then the success of this approach will depend on the colour match with the dye. Worst case, you will need a pro to visit and spray in the bolster leather, only circa £50, so not a disaster.

Other things to check / consider;
- have rear springs been replaced ? (known early life failure issue)
- have front wishbones been replaced ? (again known early life wear issue)
- check fog lights and headlights for moisture (fog light seals can be an issue and headlight covers are difficult to get back on correctly when bulb are replaced)
- ensure electric windows run smoothly (regulators can be an issue)
- if fitted with run flats, ensure car tracks straight (worn run flats can lead to tram lining)
- ensure air in and heated rear window work correctly (flat batteries can cause the car to go into transport mode - no issue to clear but will need a visit to dealer / specialist to reset the mode in the ECU)

I recently bought a 2006 2.5si roadster and it is great. Very well made (albeit with the usual rattles that plague roadsters) and mechanically, issues above aside, the Z4 is very strong.

Hope this helps.

Happy shopping, James
Click to expand...

Don't forget to check the roof also. And when you do get one, first job is to check the roof drains are clear.
 
Hi, don't be put of by the 3.0, I have a 2007 2.5 si and it is awsome can't recommend it highly enough it's plenty powerfull for every day use 0-60 around 6.5 sec and nearly 150 mph what more do you want? Go for it. Don't worry to much about the seat that can be repair if you want? Go for it. I love mine! :thumbsup:
 
Also don't be put off the 2.0lt SPORT (not Si)
Yeah it can't go 150mph, but would u if it could??
2.0lt is plenty fast enough too 100mph (if u wanted to drive that fast), but it's a Roadster. It's about Roof Down driving with great drive & feed back.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
welcome wemendum.

The 5.5SI is a great car but also look at the 3.0Si. I didn't assuming it would be a fiend as a daily driver but appears insurance is less and fuel economy is about the same, if not slightly better (depending how you drive it).

I have a 2.5Si so if you have any questions drop me a message and I'd be glad to assist.

Thanks

Dan
 
Hi all thanks for your responses on my question, I'm looking at this colour scheme and trim but would like different alloys like the second link

Maybe the 2.5 is a forum members car, but I'm like a kid in a sweet shop at the moment, so many different options I want to get the right one

Thanks in advance for all your advice
Garry


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201407205962932/sort/priceasc/usedcars/maximum-age/up_to_8_years_old/maximum-mileage/up_to_80000_miles/keywords/Si/postcode/po317ha/make/bmw/radius/1501/onesearchad/used/model/z4/page/1/quicksearch/true?logcode=p


http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/bmw/z4-roadster/superb-bmw-z4-3-0l-si-sport/2453055
 
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