$5000 repair costs, only owned 6 months

N

nohoartist

New member
Hi everyone, new to the forum.
I had owned a 1996 BMW Z3, 4 cyl. Auto. for about the last 6 years with very minimal problems. When I got the car it has almost 300,000 miles, although the previous owner said the engine was changed and had about 114,000 miles.
I decided to get a car from this century, and focused on the Z4 Sdrive 35i, after doing much reading, and consumer reviews settled on a beautiful 2012 model with 50,000 miles.
3 months in I had to replace the Throttle body, and a fresh battery for $900
3 months later, I had to replace...
throttle position sensor,
6 injectors
spark plugs
coil packs
valve cover
2 oxygen sensors

Work was done by my mechanic or many years who is a friend and trusted. total was about $4000
the car cost me $20,000 6 months ago. (new it was $60,000)
My question is ; is this a common thing on these cars and only after 8 years?
I love the car, but expected to have some smooth sailing for a while, now I'm not sure I can trust it on long trips without some other surprise.
is it the newer technology that is more tempermental? Figured BMW was a reliable machine or are those days gone?
any help would be appreciated. thanks.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum
Unfortunately there are a few common problems with the 35, most of which you seem to have had, they also suffer from high pressure fuel pump failure and roof sensor, cable and fluid hose breaks, so there may be more expensive repairs to come, they also suffer from carbon buildup around the intake valves which requires the inlet manifold removal and the valve chambers wall nut blasting/cleaning, there’s also turbo waste gate rattle to watch out for, that may require the turbos replacing,
There was an extended warranty in the US on injectors and fuel pumps.
Hopefully you won’t get any other problems but it is something to be aware of, you do need to have deep pockets to run a 35, having said that I’ve had mine just over a year now and not had any problems, on 65000 miles at a he moment, I did clean the inlet valves but that was more a preventative measure,
Just try and enjoy driving it, there brilliant cars when working
 
The throttle issues aren't common and batteries are consumables. The rest is pretty normal though.

The only other thing likely to need looking at is the HPFP if it hasn't been replaced already.
 
With my MINI Cooper and my wife's Z4, these are BMWs and I came into ownership knowing they are not Toyotas, nothing wrong with that. They are just nowhere near as reliable. So, I own them both knowing that it is not a matter of if but when something will need to be replaced/rebuilt. My wife's Z4 is the turbo 4, so between it and my MINI, I can do just about all the repairs myself. But I am fully aware that those I can't do, will cost me. It is no different than a Toyota. The basics I can do but anything shop required and I am at the mercy of the shop and Toyota shops rates are no better than a BMW shop's rates, it's all just the price of ownership in my book.

For reliability I bought my wife a 2014 Lexus GS 450h. That thing is bullet proof and I don't see having to do anything but routine maintenance for it's lifetime. However, it is nowhere near as fun as my MINI or my wife's Z4. :driving:

Your last statement "Figured BMW was a reliable machine or are those days gone?" has me puzzled. Since the introduction of all of the plastics parts, my experience with BMW was that you are buying a ticking time bomb. For some reason, BMW plastic just does not hold up to the heat environment as well as Japanese plastic parts. For this reason, any BMW after the 1990s I would not consider as "reliable" in any sense of the word. I would not buy a modern BMW if I were in the market for a daily driver, I would lease it. After 3 years, get a new one and let someone else deal the failing parts that will probably start occurring at year 5 and beyond.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies, always good to hear I am not alone.
My dilemma was holding out for so many years before I bought something expensive and newer and thinking , Newer is better and more reliable . But my mechanic said it best, "these things are not made to last that long, as the older cars were". "you pay the price for more luxury and twin turbo, more speed, more heat."
I have a 71 Corvette that I have restored and that thing has it's quirks, but solid. in the BMW family I've owned from 70's - 90's , everything from 318, 320, 325, 2002, 3.0, 6 series, and now z3, z4, the older ones were great. .
 
There's a sweet spot with reliability regarding age in my eyes.

If you want truly headache free reliable motoring then you want a car post 2006 so rust isn't an issue but you want to avoid the EU5 emissions crap that came along in 2009.
A 2006 320d is perfect example as they don't rust and the engine is bomb proof (m47n) as they fixed the swirl flap issues and it's pre 2007 so has no DPF.

Niche cars like the Z4 are a bad place to begin for reliable motoring. No worse than any other 2 seater though. Performance cars also need more maintenance, so if you pick the performance version of a car then it's going to cost more than the boggo models.
 
Hi OP,

The injectors and coils are pretty standard. I have copy and pasted a list of common issues on the 35is I made on another thread below. The 35is does have some niggles as does any car, but when it runs it is just fantastic!

Here is a list of common faults on something like a 35is:
Injectors (New index 12 are much better)
High Pressure Fuel Pump
Oil Filter Housing Gasket
Valve Cover Gasket
Valve Cover Plastic Cracking (The replacement is expensive, garbage plastic with weak casting from BMW)
Turbo Wastegates
AC Pulley
Worn Engine Mounts
Adaptive Suspension Leaks
DCT Oil Weeps / Leaks
19 Inch BMW Alloys Cracking
Click to expand...
 
sunnydays said:
Hi OP,

The injectors and coils are pretty standard. I have copy and pasted a list of common issues on the 35is I made on another thread below. The 35is does have some niggles as does any car, but when it runs it is just fantastic!

Here is a list of common faults on something like a 35is:
Injectors (New index 12 are much better)
High Pressure Fuel Pump
Oil Filter Housing Gasket
Valve Cover Gasket
Valve Cover Plastic Cracking (The replacement is expensive, garbage plastic with weak casting from BMW)
Turbo Wastegates
AC Pulley
Worn Engine Mounts
Adaptive Suspension Leaks
DCT Oil Weeps / Leaks
19 Inch BMW Alloys Cracking
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Glad i had a 23i. 87k miles no engine transmission issues.
 
If it makes you feel better im 2k into my 2006 Z4MR atm after only doing 1500 miles, probably at least another 2k spend without doing things I want like suspension refresh, paint refresh etc Plus need new tyres and im zeroing in on an inspII which will be another 15-1800 for both.

At the end of the day its not a daily and old cars need attention. Hopefully once done it shouldn't need large spend out of its usual regime until I have the bearings, engine bolts and gearbox/engine mounts done. Probably another £1500.

That doesn't include £585 for tax and £600 for insurance £1200 before its even on the road :rofl: :rofl:

Fun times
 
There was a class action lawsuit against BMW on the HPFP issue in the United States. As a result, BMW extended the warranty to ten years on the HPFP - in the US only.
I suggest investigating this with a BMW franchised workshop and getting the issue sorted out for free whilst your car is less than ten years old. It is a large job to do.
 
Thanks everyone, now I see I'm not alone and know what to expect. I guess I was expecting a similar "almost problem free " experience as with my 1996 Z3, But you can't compare the 2. My 2012 is light years away from the Z3, and I love to watch how the hardtop folds. Can't get enough of that dual turbo boost!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom