About to dive into Z4 ownership and after advice

D

diceyDC

Member
 Taunton-ish, Somerset
Hi all - I'm about to get my first Z4, very likely to be a 30i, and was wondering about the perennial service history question??!
I've nosed about a bit, including here, but can't find anything definitive.

My short list has a couple of cars with up to 19k between services - is this likely to cause major issues if the car otherwise seems to be driving great? These are 2010-2011 reg examples.

I suppose a 'perfect' history would be one where they get fiddled with every year, but I haven't come across any with that yet - is that because they are the proverbial unicorns, or am I just not looking hard enough??

Any advice greatly appreciated. I used to have an old (997) 911 and I know the value of these forums for collective wisdom!
 
Hi and welcome to the forum.

2010-2011 30i Z4s will have the N52 engine that has condition based servicing, so when it is due depends on mileage but should always be done no more than 2 years apart. (35i and 35is models have a twin-turbo N54 engine).

The N52 engines seem to be pretty robust and potentially can go as long as 19,000 miles before the OBD say a service is due. My previous Z4 with that engine had services 2 years apart with just 7,000 miles between them but the OBD was still showing it had another 10,000 before a service was needed based on use rather than time. I'd be more worried if services were more than 2 years apart than about mileage between them.

They can suffer from oil leaks around the cam-cover and oil filter housing gaskets, and the electric water pumps eventually die - can be after as few as 60K miles or longer than 100K so evidence of a new pump having been fitted is a bonus as they cost the best part of £300. These engines can suffer from "ticking" sounds at the top if not used often but if the noise clears once properly warmed up it doesn't seem to cause any problems.

Anyway good luck finding the right one. :thumbsup:
 
Thanking you sir, very much appreciated - hadn't heard about the water pumps so will ask that question. I've steered cleared of the 35's as they seem to have bigger things to go wrong; after my last car developed the dreaded bore scoring, I think my wife would divorce if I purchased another liability...thanks again
 
diceyDC said:
Thanking you sir, very much appreciated - hadn't heard about the water pumps so will ask that question. I've steered cleared of the 35's as they seem to have bigger things to go wrong; after my last car developed the dreaded bore scoring, I think my wife would divorce if I purchased another liability...thanks again
Click to expand...
The engines in the E89, whether 6 pot, or 4 pot, (N54 possibly excluded as they can be an expensive mistress) are a much safer bet than a Porsche flat 6 IMO.
As Mr T says above! :)

As well as the engine, pay attention to things like roofs working properly and check boots for water ingress (or historical signs of as there are a lot of electricals in that compartment).

Otherwise, good luck finding what you want. They are pretty reliable cars TBH!
 
Great stuff, thanks again - all good to hear. No one has warned me off them yet, whilst a lot people did tell me that the 911 was a terrible (but brave) idea!
 
I would say you will find it hard to find an example which has been serviced (oil change) every year or every 5000 miles since as already pointed out officially BMWs of of this era are condition based service meaning they can go up to 2 years before being serviced and most people follow this as set by BMW. You would have to find an enthusiast owned car to find one that has been serviced more frequently. But has already pointed out the 30i is pretty bullet proof and nothing major to worry about. I have had mine 4 years now and it’s not cost me anything other than regular servicing and consumables. Regarding the ticking noise I thought this only applied to the 25i rather than the 30i, but I am not sure!
 
Thanks Silverstar, this forum does give me a warm, fuzzy Z4 feeling so hopefully I just dont pick a bad one...
 
Mine has been oil changed every 12 months - sometimes with as little as a few hundred miles between changes.

All at the BMW main dealer.

So they are out there if you look!
 
Silverstar said:
I would say you will find it hard to find an example which has been serviced (oil change) every year or every 5000 miles since as already pointed out officially BMWs of of this era are condition based service meaning they can go up to 2 years before being serviced and most people follow this as set by BMW. You would have to find an enthusiast owned car to find one that has been serviced more frequently. But has already pointed out the 30i is pretty bullet proof and nothing major to worry about. I have had mine 4 years now and it’s not cost me anything other than regular servicing and consumables. Regarding the ticking noise I thought this only applied to the 25i rather than the 30i, but I am not sure!
Click to expand...

As far as i know the hydraulic lifter noise affected the e85 si cars & not the e89 models, the cylinder head was redesigned to stop oil draining from the tappets & causing the annoying sound.
Rob
 
Well serviced / cosseted cars do exist !
My car for instance, has 16,700 on the clock and although only serviced every second year by the main dealer, the mileage in between has been well below specified BMW advice.

Probably as important, look at the use of the car, if my car isn’t going to get used up to full Temperature, it doesn’t get started.
 
E89's are brilliant cars, 3 years of ownership and she's been as sweet as a nut. But I personally think it's a good idea to try and find one that been regularly garaged and indeed garage your e89 if you can. My reasoning is two fold, 1. It saves the roof rubbers n seals from getting UV damaged and 2. Water ingress from driving or persistent rain......but that being said, I live in Wales.
Good luck with the purchase :thumbsup:
 
Thanks again all, great to hear - I think I've found one, 30i, great service record and looks in really good nick, albeit more miles than I wanted but I think a properly looked after one is more important. Will obviously update when trigger is pulled...(I believe pics are at that point obligatory)
 
I hope it works out. Mileage doesn't seem to affect N52 engines - my 330i has done 120K and runs like new!

And you're right about photos. :lol:
 
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