Yes, I would consider buying it. I'd see if I could get a really low price. Also, what's the overall condition of the car? If it is otherwise sound it may indicate that he babied the thing, but didn't change the oil. I would ask him about his reasoning. Maybe he was confused by the mileage to maintenance countdown indicator, but otherwise took care of the rest of it. Also, you can always have the car checked out. Things like manifold pressure, etc. If the check-up indicates "good to go," I'd give him a discounted offer and try to buy it. Z4 Pilot
4 years between oil change... would you buy it???
- Thread starter cooots
- Start date
lacroupade
Lifer
Taz x said:
I haven't got mine with me; what does it actually say in the handbook? I'm surprised that a service interval calculator would take time into account as well?
lacroupade said:
It does say in the handbook that the oil should be changed every 2 years regardless of mileage (haven't got the exact wording handy).
I too have no idea whether it's not build into the service interval calculator. There is after all the clock icon to show that brake fluid is due after 2 years.
If it helps the OP, BMW UK will still sell a car as Approved Used even if it hasn't followed the 2 year rule on oil changes, which in itself is a slight contradiction as the AUC terms state that all AUC vehicles have to have been services according to BMW recommendations.
Why do BMW state 2yrs for brake fluid and oil, no matter what, unless you need to do it?
It may as well have missed a whole service. Not just a late one, but totally missed one.
Under-used cars also suffer more with wear and tear of odd items.
I'd rather buy a higher mileage car with a tip-top service than one that has been under-used with a whole missing one.
Might be fine... but lets put it this way, BMW wouldn't warranty it if you took it to them I don't think. That might tell you something!?
Dave
It may as well have missed a whole service. Not just a late one, but totally missed one.
Under-used cars also suffer more with wear and tear of odd items.
I'd rather buy a higher mileage car with a tip-top service than one that has been under-used with a whole missing one.
Might be fine... but lets put it this way, BMW wouldn't warranty it if you took it to them I don't think. That might tell you something!?
Dave
You take a risk with any used car. There is no way of really knowing how something has been treated unless you buy it new - and even then you don't know if the guy who drove it off the transporter ragged the arse off it when it had 5 miles on the clock, bouncing it off the rev limiter. Or the mechanics at the garage have done similar. Or you have sent it to BMW for a major service but the person doing it 'forgot' to change the brake fluid as they were short on time and 'forgets' to tell anyone else.
Buy it used and there is a high chance it is hiding some sort of bodywork repair. How do you know when the tyres were last changed? If it has had punctures plugged, someone's mate has changed the brakes, the nice middle aged woman you bought it off has been lending it to her son who thinks he is Lewis Hamilton. The stamps in the book are fake and so on...
It is only a couple of services. By the time most cars get to 5 years old they are usually on the path to sketchy servicing anyway with either no maintenance or cheap 'specialist' maintenance.
Servicing on the whole is a big revenue stream for manufacturers - does anyone here actually think a modern engine from a major manufacturer that has been developed and stress tested over many years, running on synthetic oil and hardly used is going to be ruined because it has missed two services? And that crap about the brakes? Think about how many cars are running around out there over 5-years old that have not had the fluid changed in many years. All pass an MOT, all legal - I don't see cars parked in the hedge everyday due to brake failure. :roll:
Buy it used and there is a high chance it is hiding some sort of bodywork repair. How do you know when the tyres were last changed? If it has had punctures plugged, someone's mate has changed the brakes, the nice middle aged woman you bought it off has been lending it to her son who thinks he is Lewis Hamilton. The stamps in the book are fake and so on...
It is only a couple of services. By the time most cars get to 5 years old they are usually on the path to sketchy servicing anyway with either no maintenance or cheap 'specialist' maintenance.
Servicing on the whole is a big revenue stream for manufacturers - does anyone here actually think a modern engine from a major manufacturer that has been developed and stress tested over many years, running on synthetic oil and hardly used is going to be ruined because it has missed two services? And that crap about the brakes? Think about how many cars are running around out there over 5-years old that have not had the fluid changed in many years. All pass an MOT, all legal - I don't see cars parked in the hedge everyday due to brake failure. :roll:
Hmmmm...
So did your car come with a FBMWSH Petkiller?
There are lots of things we don't know, so any assurance is better than none. The car with missed services gives less assurance. That is why they are worth less.
If you can get £1000 off for a good warranty that will cover it despite having missed services, then go for it
Dave
So did your car come with a FBMWSH Petkiller?
There are lots of things we don't know, so any assurance is better than none. The car with missed services gives less assurance. That is why they are worth less.
If you can get £1000 off for a good warranty that will cover it despite having missed services, then go for it
Dave
No. Previous owner had it serviced at a 'specialist' for one of the services. I have had it done at BMW since - if it is any different is anyone's guess?!
Car has had 6-owners before me. I have no idea whatsoever who they were or how they drove. Had 38k on the clock when I got it and now has over 60k. It was bought when I was first setting up my business as a stop-gap runaround as I needed something economical to run, reliable, comfortable on long journeys. It has been all of those things. Servicing at BMW is cheap, it uses a lot less fuel than my previous cars, only non-consumable cost I have had is a water pump. 20-something thousand miles - a set of tyres, front and rear brake pads, a major service (next one is a minor and still 6k away). Most reliable car I have ever had.
12,000 mile car? Wouldn't of thought there is much to worry about there.
Car has had 6-owners before me. I have no idea whatsoever who they were or how they drove. Had 38k on the clock when I got it and now has over 60k. It was bought when I was first setting up my business as a stop-gap runaround as I needed something economical to run, reliable, comfortable on long journeys. It has been all of those things. Servicing at BMW is cheap, it uses a lot less fuel than my previous cars, only non-consumable cost I have had is a water pump. 20-something thousand miles - a set of tyres, front and rear brake pads, a major service (next one is a minor and still 6k away). Most reliable car I have ever had.
12,000 mile car? Wouldn't of thought there is much to worry about there.
liamconnolly
Member
This a really interesting post - I just tried to get my Z4C servided at my local dealer this afternoon. They turned me away and told me to come back in 6k miles!
I was a bit confused as i've had the car 1 year, i know it wasnt serviced immediately before i got it, so therefore thought at least an oil change would be required.
As soon as i got back in the car i checked the service book to see when the last FBMWSH stamp was and was surprised to find it was the delivery check!
The car is 4 y/o and has 23k miles. Despite my onboard telling me i've got 6k more miles to go, surely a time based service would also be required?
Liam
Ps - to answer the o/p it may not be too uncommon for a BMW supplied car to have a potted official service history, but i don't think it's good practice. axle stands and a few pints of magnatec this weekend for me i reckon!
I was a bit confused as i've had the car 1 year, i know it wasnt serviced immediately before i got it, so therefore thought at least an oil change would be required.
As soon as i got back in the car i checked the service book to see when the last FBMWSH stamp was and was surprised to find it was the delivery check!
The car is 4 y/o and has 23k miles. Despite my onboard telling me i've got 6k more miles to go, surely a time based service would also be required?
Liam
Ps - to answer the o/p it may not be too uncommon for a BMW supplied car to have a potted official service history, but i don't think it's good practice. axle stands and a few pints of magnatec this weekend for me i reckon!
liamconnolly said:
Does it say OILSERVICE or INSPECTION when you start it up? It MUST have already had an oil service, as the computer couldn't possibly be suggesting you can get up to 29k with no service at all...
Straight from the Z4MC manual:
Calculation of the Service interval covers almost all operating situations. However, if you drive only very low annual distances, you should have the oil changed every 2 years at the latest, since it ages regardless of the distance the car has covered
Direct from my 330ci manual (should be same as 3.0l Z4):
Under 10000km annually Calculation of the service interval covers almost all operating situations. if you drive very low annual distances well below 10000km (approx. 6000 miles) you should have the engine oil changed every 2 years regardless of the distance the car has covered
Brake Fluid - Both cars:
The date of the next brake fluid change - month/year - can be called up by pressing the right hand key in the instrument cluster. By pressing the key a second time, you can toggle between the residual distance display before work is required and the date when the service is next due. As soon as brake fluid service is required the clock symbol will light up.
Hope all of that helps, i'd be dubious of a non serviced car having covered only short distances over many years. On a large engined car, the oil/bf may not have had the chance to correctly warm up and burnoff condensation. Just my opinion.
Calculation of the Service interval covers almost all operating situations. However, if you drive only very low annual distances, you should have the oil changed every 2 years at the latest, since it ages regardless of the distance the car has covered
Direct from my 330ci manual (should be same as 3.0l Z4):
Under 10000km annually Calculation of the service interval covers almost all operating situations. if you drive very low annual distances well below 10000km (approx. 6000 miles) you should have the engine oil changed every 2 years regardless of the distance the car has covered
Brake Fluid - Both cars:
The date of the next brake fluid change - month/year - can be called up by pressing the right hand key in the instrument cluster. By pressing the key a second time, you can toggle between the residual distance display before work is required and the date when the service is next due. As soon as brake fluid service is required the clock symbol will light up.
Hope all of that helps, i'd be dubious of a non serviced car having covered only short distances over many years. On a large engined car, the oil/bf may not have had the chance to correctly warm up and burnoff condensation. Just my opinion.
liamconnolly
Member
glastoveteran said:liamconnolly said:
Does it say OILSERVICE or INSPECTION when you start it up? It MUST have already had an oil service, as the computer couldn't possibly be suggesting you can get up to 29k with no service at all...
I get the INSPECTION pop up and the main dealer is correct - it's got a few thousand yet to run, the OILSERVICE has never appeared in my year of ownership!
I phoned the original supplying dealer and they gave me a detailed breakdown of their knowledge of the car - brake fluid change at 2 y/o and 12k miles, but still no record of an oil swap until their last record at Mar '10.
Looks lilke the previous owner took the "2 year change" to be purely guidance so I've booked it in with them for an oil service and will get them to print off all their history. I don't think i'll be back to main dealer who advised "don't do anything until the computer tells you"!
Thanks,
Liam
Hmm well it sounds like it's definitely had the service indicator reset as the first one would always be an oil service. Whether or not the service was carried out or the indicator was mistakenly reset when the brake fluid was changed wouldn't be possible to tell, but if I were you I would try to find out from the dealer or BMW as you really need that stamp in the book to say that it was serviced. Otherwise your service book is going to show 29k miles with only the brake fluid changed and that ain't good!
It's most likely a real bargain. Beat down the price by complaining vociferously - yes you heard me - vociferously - about the interval between oil changes etc. Modern oil - especially the high quality stuff used by bm will last easily - but for peace of mind - do change coolant, brake fluid, all the lubricants incl diff, gearbox, etc. Motorplan is supposed to be void on such a vehicle. 2007? - try taking it for a service - you never know - motorplan may be intact. My Z4MR 2006 had 26000kms on her when I bought her last year - also not driven very far but at least fairly often - I inquired at the agent and they said it was fine - renewed the motorplan for an additional year last week - no queries at all.
If the car was driven over weekends as you say - i.e. frequently without standing for months - better.
That said - i change the oil once halfway between the bm "official" oil changes on all my bms... since 1992.
Saw a M coupe with 10000km on the clock - blew head gasket - due to very infrequent use - gaskets need to be used or they dry out and become brittle - stood for months at a time - showroom condition - pity - an expensive mistake.
If the car was driven over weekends as you say - i.e. frequently without standing for months - better.
That said - i change the oil once halfway between the bm "official" oil changes on all my bms... since 1992.
Saw a M coupe with 10000km on the clock - blew head gasket - due to very infrequent use - gaskets need to be used or they dry out and become brittle - stood for months at a time - showroom condition - pity - an expensive mistake.
Guys, thanks heaps for the overwhelming response!
To answer some of your questions...
The owner had an Inspection 1 undertaken by a dealer just recently - which included oil change and brake fluid.
The car is in immaculate condition inside, out and undernearth and doesn't miss a beat. In fact it actually drove better than any other z4 i've driven (smoother and more powerful).
The owner seems like a pretty honest guy, not at all pushy or over eager to sell. He's one of those people who is not really into cars, but bought it because he had the cash and loved the look of it. This was evident by his responses to a couple of my questions... Does it still have the original runflats on it? runflats, what are they? Tyres that literally run flat - see you don't have a spare wheel. Oh f*ck, I didn't even know. After popping the bonnet I asked - Does it ever make any unusual ticking/slapping noises when started from cold? I don't know mate, this is the first time I've ever had the hood opened. Made me laugh to be honest.
I've managed to get him down AU$3k off his already high asking price, but he will not budge at all from there. But even with the $3k (2kGBP) off, its still about the maximum you'd want to pay for such a car - so there's no real bargain to be had here.
Having spoken to some dealers and indys, they told me that they wouldn't be overly concerned about the long time between services.
You guys are right about another one eventually popping up, because one just did... except the dealer is aking AU$10k more than this car! AU$59,000.00 (39,500.00GBP) It really is ridiculous over here.
To answer some of your questions...
The owner had an Inspection 1 undertaken by a dealer just recently - which included oil change and brake fluid.
The car is in immaculate condition inside, out and undernearth and doesn't miss a beat. In fact it actually drove better than any other z4 i've driven (smoother and more powerful).
The owner seems like a pretty honest guy, not at all pushy or over eager to sell. He's one of those people who is not really into cars, but bought it because he had the cash and loved the look of it. This was evident by his responses to a couple of my questions... Does it still have the original runflats on it? runflats, what are they? Tyres that literally run flat - see you don't have a spare wheel. Oh f*ck, I didn't even know. After popping the bonnet I asked - Does it ever make any unusual ticking/slapping noises when started from cold? I don't know mate, this is the first time I've ever had the hood opened. Made me laugh to be honest.
I've managed to get him down AU$3k off his already high asking price, but he will not budge at all from there. But even with the $3k (2kGBP) off, its still about the maximum you'd want to pay for such a car - so there's no real bargain to be had here.
Having spoken to some dealers and indys, they told me that they wouldn't be overly concerned about the long time between services.
You guys are right about another one eventually popping up, because one just did... except the dealer is aking AU$10k more than this car! AU$59,000.00 (39,500.00GBP) It really is ridiculous over here.
