About to Buy a Z4 - Clutch Question

He's stalling, be very careful as after 4 weeks your chances of getting all the money refunded are very much reduced. Take it back to him & tell him to fix or refund.
Rob
 
Smartbear said:
He's stalling, be very careful as after 4 weeks your chances of getting all the money refunded are very much reduced. Take it back to him & tell him to fix or refund.
Rob
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I figure as it has a 3 month warranty that there would be little he could do legitimately to get out of the repairs. I also have emails with him agreeing to my terms (partially, only thing lacking is regarding where it is repaired).

I have had to leave it for this period of time as I'm currently taking my MSc exams so literally could not mess around with the car! He knows all of this by the way, if that makes any difference! :?
 
BMW will charge an arm and a leg if the box itself is at fault. Worst case is a recon box but not a £2000 job
http://www.reconditionedgearboxes.com/Manufacturers/bmw/z4/index.html
 
I have just changed my clutch. There where no signs of it needing to be done. A single mass and lightweight fly wheel became available on hear so I bright it.

Glad I did as when the box came off my old one was not much longer going to work. It was toast it had done 68k mikes but probably had a hard life. I have done a few track and drift days with it.
 
Definitely sounds like the dealer is stalling. Did you pay cash for the vehicle, or is there a finance element? I ask, as if there is finance, they (finance co) are fully responsible for sorting this, as it is THEM that have bought the car from the dealer, and are selling it to you. If there is no finance, did you pay ANY of the cost with a CREDIT card? Again, if so then you can make a "section 75" claim with the credit card co, as they are responsible for the FULL purchase price, regardless of how much was paid on the card.

It sounds like the 2nd gear synchro is failing, you SHOULD be able to change gear without using the clutch if the synchro is fine (need to know what you are doing re throttle etc) but that is the ultimate test for the synchro hubs. My van is now approaching 210,000 miles on it's original clutch, and I can easily change from 1st to 6th and back again once moving, without using the clutch. Must admit I have detected a slight occasional slip in the top 3 gears as of late, no doubt brought about by towing the Z4 250 miles on a trailer last year, but it's not gotten to the point where it's urgent. A job for the warmer weather, as I can "drive around" it, by avoiding 2,500rpm in those gears (max turbo boost/torque)

Mike
 
One of those things I guess that is hard to tell until the box is out and the clutch inspected. I once had a Honda Civic Type-R that had symptoms that I thought were gearbox related at first but turned out to be a bad clutch in the end. It would be difficult to shift at high RPM, often grinding, then began making funny noises etc. In the end the clutch plate springs were loose,rattling and causing havoc with the clutch/gearchange etc.

Although a Z4 and not a Honda, it may be worth contacting Grinspeed (https://grinspeed.co.uk) if it doesn't get resolved otherwise to see what they could do as the guys there are gearbox wizards
 
I did the gearbox oil at 70 k cause I don't have any faith in BMW fluids other than coolant. The redline was an immediate difference. The shifts have been way smoother and that was 30k miles ago. The diff fluid I feel also made quick shifts and shift under speed less harsh. I also removed the drive shaft and added a lubricant that prevent it from clunking. I think there is a tsb about it.

Bottom line of he's stalling and his dealer is stalling then back out and save yourself a lifetime of car trouble. My Z4 has been one of the better made. No broken springs no steering rack problem, really only maintenance stuff.
 
I'll bear all of those things in mind. Thanks guys. I don't particularly want to give the car back if I can avoid it, as with no issues, it was a good deal! I'm about to start negotiations again now I've finished exams so I'll keep everyone updated!
 
Don't think of it as negotiation:

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/the-second-hand--car-i-bought-has-a-problem-what-are-my-rights
 
Scooba_Steve said:
Don't think of it as negotiation:

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/the-second-hand--car-i-bought-has-a-problem-what-are-my-rights
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Oh for sure, he's trying to get me to allow him to take it to christ knows how many garages to rectify the issues, which is what I had tried to do before with no success. When I bought the car I asked where it would be taken in the event of a warranty claim, he said to your nearest BMW dealer.

I live up in Nottingham but the car is at home in Dorset, my rationale is that if the car was safe enough to drive, it would be up here and I'd have to take it to the dealer here, so should not be any different whilst it is in Dorset.

He also seemed to think BMW would diagnose the faults for free, which I told them they wouldn't, sure enough, £108+VAT per hour.
 
The difficulty is that you have to give the opportunity for them to fix it first. Let them be the guide, if they want it up there they can collect. If not then let them find somewhere local. If they can't fix it take it to BMW and send them the bill :)
 
So just a quick update. I agreed to them taking the car back for repair but it's a royal pain in the arse because I live up in Nottingham and the car is down in Dorset so I have to come back to sort it out. The dealer essentially said to me if they can't fix the issues for £250 then they will have to issue me with a refund.

I have decided now I just want a refund because I am not confident they will be able to rectify even half of the issues for that amount without cutting corners. I am waiting to hear today so will let everyone know what happens. Upon return I will also publish a post specific to the car to warn any potential buyers, seeing as the coupe market is pretty small, it's likely someone on here will come across it when it is resold.
 
Can appreciate your position as I've just gone through a similar encounter with a Z4C I purchased. I discovered the previous owner had taken out the xenon headlamps and replaced them with normal xenons, making a bad job of the wiring in the process. Thankfully I got a refund out it but it has added one to the avoid list of Z4C's. Hopefully it all works out for yourself
 
JoshW said:
Can appreciate your position as I've just gone through a similar encounter with a Z4C I purchased. I discovered the previous owner had taken out the xenon headlamps and replaced them with normal xenons, making a bad job of the wiring in the process. Thankfully I got a refund out it but it has added one to the avoid list of Z4C's. Hopefully it all works out for yourself
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Oh gosh, that sounds like a nightmare as well! But thank you, glad to hear I'm not the only one who has issues with this kind of thing!
 
Hey all. For those who are still following this topic, the ordeal is nearly over. After numerous failed attempts to collect or repair the vehicle, I ended up asking for a refund, a request which was denied by the seller, though I was within my rights to do this. I have just won a landslide victory against him in small claims court. As such the car should be being collected this week in exchange for a refund.

Now I don't want to insult the seller online, but I'd obviously like to make the community aware of this vehicle and this dealer. If anyone could suggest a good way/place to do this, that'd be great!

Either way, that's the Z4 dream over for a second time! :(
 
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