almost there, just a few questions from a buyer

[cragswinter]

as stated in the market place board i'm currently looking at getting hold of a nice Z4M coupe. looked at a few now & close to putting in some firm offers but just a few quick questions.

every one i've so far looks at has a diesel type rattle to the engine when you turn it of that i simply don't remember my old CSL having. something to look out for (vanos) or do they all do this?? it is just literally when the engine cranks to a hault when you turn the ignition off.

i mentioned on other forums about the poor quality of BMW paint but some of these cars do show up scratches very easily (my CSL was saphire black & was the same) have any of you had any good results with DIY detailing products?

anything else i need to really look out for? one car had some rust on the inner door shut that was creeping out from behind the latch that the door locks on to- a common spot or something to worry about? the car in question hadn't had any paint (according to my trusty paint depth guage) but it's not something i would expect of a BMW.

i'm adamant any car i get will have sat nav but how easy is it to update the maps? can you buy snide ones off ebay or do you need to go to BMW for a disc?

rusty rear springs? i'm just jacking the rear up to inspect them on drop, any other hints or tips greatly recieved-i've got another 2 or possibly 3 to look at this week

oh yeah, & if anyone has any 18" staggered split rims that would fit i'd be very interested!

 

[mmm-five]

Was your CSL an SMG version or manual? If it was SMG then it explains why you're not hearing the clutch chatter when you switch off.

Standard paint is not very good, very easy to get swirls & fine scratches in it (I've got Ruby Black), and a fair amount of orange peel (BMW blame having to use water-based paints, but so do Mercedes and they seem to get by). You can get really stunning paintwork with a bit of work (or work from your local detailer), and a good few people on here have electric sanders (DA polishers) for the job.

The only 'common' rust area (i.e. 4 or 5 cars on here) I've heard of for rust was on the underside of the hatch on coupés, but everyone I've heard about has been repaired by BMW under warranty.

Sat nav is great for the extra functions it gives/shows rather than for the sat nav function itself - it's okay, but if you can save £1k by not having it, you won't miss it, especially if you pay £200 for a good TomTom with live HD traffic. However if you do get one with sat nav, then of course you can buy dodgy copies or download & burn them yourself and save £30.

Springs may have surface corrosion and still work fine. A lot of people have had them replaced under warranty when they've snapped - but they're not that easy to see as it's usually the bottom/top half coil that breaks and flies off down the road.

AlanJ has a buyer's guide you should check through too.

 

[cragswinter]

excellent reply mmm, all CSL's were smg so i'm guessing that's the difference then-oi didn't realise it was clutch chatter.

the paint is a pain isn't it? i would never use an orbital or any other mechanical polisher myself but i tried various swirl/cutting polishes on the CSL & nothing did the trick. up here in carlisle there's very little in the way of professional detailers so i'm not sure i'd trust someone i didn't have good recommendations from.

i'll have a look through the buyers guide linked above- i did a little search but nothing came up

 

[Anonymous]

Clutch rattle is normal on switch off. Just hold the clutch in when you switch off and the noise wont happen.

I have the Carbon Black and you only need to accidentally rub your finger nail against it to create a scratch. It is not a scratch as such, just a mark, but still looks like a scratch. I have to use a DA to remove it though.
I just have to be very gentle with the paintwork whenever I go near the car, almost afraid to touch it sometimes.

If BMW paint is so hard, why does it mark so easily but has to be worked for ages to be removed. I would rather it be the other way round.
Roll on soft paint thats hard to mark and easy to remove.
Silver coloured cars wont show up marks as much.


Maps are easily updated whether you use BMW or not, that is not for me to really advise on this forum.

Remember if you don't have SatNav make sure it is reflected in the price you pay for the car, as it will be reflected in the price you are offerred in selling on. Any excuse to offer lower will be thrown at you.
Make sure the 1200 mile service has been carried out, It will be difficult to shift the car afterwards, regardless even if it runs like a dream no one else will touch it.
Make sure there is no full stop showing between the mileage indicators as this means the mileage is not true.

Forum checks are good cos you can see some that have been tracked, and some that are kept just for road use.

 

[tomscott]

If you clutch in when turning off the car the noise disappears it happens on all the Z4Ms to my knowledge. With the paint.. it is very typical of black to swirl, doesn't matter what car you buy it is a negative effect of having black. Mine is silver grey and you cannot see a mark on it, no swirls & scratches are very minimal but with the age of the cars it is something you will find on all of them. I use the two bucket method, with micro-fibre mits and a buffing towel along with a range of Maguires products like liquid gold, ultimate compound, scratch x 2.0, ultimate polish and wax which you use with applicator pads. I cant recommend them enough. All mags products are non abrasive and its like magic, scratches just disapere then you dont have to put your back out by polishing out the tiny scratches like you do with T-cut. Have a look at my recent 3 day detail here to see the results, the car is spotless.

http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=33085

In terms of rust you shouldn't really be seeing any rust and BMWs come with a 10 year corrosion warranty. Seen as tho the M was introduced in 06 there shouldn't be any signs of rust and walk away if there is, as I would say they have had a hard life. If you are looking for an M I would advise you to buy one from BMW with a warranty, they are very reliable but if something goes wrong, 90% of the time its going to cost a fair amount to fix. Recently I have had a calliper replaced, window motor, new computer module and a full wheel refurb all done via my warranty. These cars aren't getting any younger. If i were to have paid for that It would be around £1500 out of my pocket so the warranty has already paid for itself. IMHO I wouldn't have an M car without the piece of mind of a warranty because im not mechanically enough minded to fix the problems myself. I bought my car with a 2 year warranty which was given for free after a fair amount of haggling with BMW.

The nav/maps are as easy as pie to update, download the firmware, burn to a disc and update and obviously buy the new map discs. IMHO def worth having the sat nav as its not just the nav it controls the whole system and is much easier to work through the screen. Although now old tech I was pleasantly surprised at how well it still works compared to the newer iDrive.

Springs are renowned for being crap. Most people on the forum replace them with Eiback or H&R springs. Both offering a slight lowering to the car givin it IMO a much better stance and the springs will last a lot longer. I have H&R springs on mine personal preference but the stance of my car is pretty sick

Another thing to look for is the upgraded 10 speaker system with DSP, the standard system is crap and the upgrade is much better but still lacks down low. But worth having, also cruise is quite a rarity depending whether you want that, Bluetooth and telematics is very useful I use mine all the time, heated seats, upgraded headlining, personally prefer the carbon leather interior dash, I dont think the piano interior suits the M but looks nice on the 3.0l SI coupes. Last thing I can think of is auto dimming mirrors.

Other things to think about after purchase:

• Engine strut brace - better handling
• Upgraded springs - Eiback or H&R - reduces the stance and looks much more aggressive as well as removing the problem of broken springs
• ZHP gear knob - weighted and shorter giving more precise shifts
• Tinted windows - suits the coupe
• Stubby arial - also looks much more fitting on the coupe although radio signal can be hampered depending where you are
• Aero Sills - A part of the aero kit that BMW should have added to the car as standard.
• CDV - clutch delay valve - most people have it removed as it reduces the notchyness of 1st-2nd
• Carbon rear lip spoiler - depending on taste - suits the lines of the car - more aesthetic than functional
• Induction Kit - Groupe M or other - gives the induction noise of the M3 CSL which is a much desirable noise, lets the car breath better and adds more power.
• Upgraded exhaust system - to add a better noise more boom and more power etc - I prefer the rasp of the OEM but a lot of people have had them upgraded with good effect.
• Upgraded brake pads - less fade on track days
• Updated Nav firmware adds new functionality like speed cameras etc depending what discs you have (more a non OEM feature depending how you feel about using edited discs, can cause the system to crash be warned)
• 19" wheels?? depending on your preference, again fills the arches better, looks more aggressive but gives a harder ride. most popular being OEM CSLs
• Skid plates - protect the under side of the front bumper
• RPI Ram Air package - air scoop and performance air filter
• Intravee iPod intergration - control your iPod through the Nav system
• Bosche wiper blades - much better than OEM
• An extra base unit - either two under the front seats or a single in the space next to the battery here is an interesting upgrade walk through - http://billswebspace.com/MZ4SubwooferInstallation.htm

Thats about as much as I can think of off hand. A lot obvious, but hopefully a few useful points

Welcome to the world of the Z4M the comunity and the modification addiction!

 

[Z4edmo]

Hi Craig . Still looking? . Having read that all m coupes rattle when start up? Not sure what they are talking about. Mine certainly doesn't , and I'm sure mine isn't a one off .happy hunting mate. Paul

 

[Z4edmo]

T
I meant turn off doh

 

[cragswinter]

Ate still looking though things have intensified since the 911 went to its new owner & I now have somewhere to store a car should I buy one!

Looked at two last week and another couple this week, I only buy the best of the best though do little things can put me off slightly.

Visually I like the dark colours the best though we viewed a silver/red car at the weekend & it looked lovely-and I normally hate silver cars. We're off to the ring/spa in April so I need to pull my finger out I suppose, I'll see how it drives on track first before making any changes but I fancy some bbs split rims to finish off the look-I'm guessing they're as hard to come by in Z4M/M3 sizes as they are in Porsche?!?

 

[Bradders75]

Tom - that was a sh*t load of effort for no thanks wasn't it?!

 

[tomscott]

Tom - that was a sh*t load of effort for no thanks wasn't it?!

Little bit!

 

[cragswinter]

Tom - that was a sh*t load of effort for no thanks wasn't it?!

Little bit!

i humbly appologise for my ignorance! :worshipbmw:

nice to see a fellow cumbrian though, haven't seen your car around so i'll have to keep an eye out-hope you don't mind but i added some of your pics to a pistonheads thread i'm a regular on
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=688109&mid=105268&i=8360&nmt=So+what+car+have+you+been+obsessing+about+today%3F%3F&mid=105268

 

[tomscott]

Haha I was just kidding.

Where abouts in Cumbria are you? You will have to join the Cumbrian run out this year when you get yours!

No I dont Mind... and thanks for the love hate comment ! haha

 

[Taz]

some excellent replies, all i can add is hello and welcome

 

[cragswinter]

Haha I was just kidding.

Where abouts in Cumbria are you? You will have to join the Cumbrian run out this year when you get yours!

No I dont Mind... and thanks for the love hate comment ! haha

carlisle,sometimes get out for a few runs & have organised a couple up this way but mainly do the ring/eurohoons throughout the summer when i get the time.

 

[goon]

only rust on mine was the oil breather bracket under the bonnet,now fixed,no rattles on start up or shut off either.

 

[Z4M_Trinity]

Welcome to the forums, doubt I can add much more than is here already. Especially Tom's post, which has just become my wish list!! Damn you!!! .

 

[M@r]{]

I'm after one at the moment too :driving: Perhaps we should join forces, might save each other some wasted trips!! What budget are you working to?

Have you been to see the black one in Rushden Northants? Its on Autotrader for 14995? Champagne leather? Went to see it on Sunday. Nice car. Had the running in service, the rest or the services bar the last one is all BMW. It has Sat Nav, Carbon Dash, Zenons and cruise control. Bit disappointed it didnt have rear parking sensors though. It did have a weird issue where it really was difficult to get into fourth whilst on tickover. Seemed ok when driving, well didn't notice it.

Guy won't budge on price though :headbang: He did offer to pay half of 6 months tax though :roll: (it hasn't got any tax on it)

 

[original guvnor]

{"] Bit disappointed it didnt have rear parking sensors though

I wouldn't get hung up on lack of rear parking sensors. The E85/86 has such a short space from driver seat to rear bumper that reverse parking is the easiest i've ever known in any car i've owned. It needs front parking sensors far more due to the long bonnet so i can't understand why they weren't an option from the factory. The rear sensors spoil the smooth line of the rear bumper too !!!

 

[M@r]{]

{"] Bit disappointed it didnt have rear parking sensors though

I wouldn't get hung up on lack of rear parking sensors. The E85/86 has such a short space from driver seat to rear bumper that reverse parking is the easiest i've ever known in any car i've owned. It needs front parking sensors far more due to the long bonnet so i can't understand why they weren't an option from the factory. The rear sensors spoil the smooth line of the rear bumper too !!!

Trust me, with my missus I need all the 'help' I can get to prevent this car getting more bangs than a tenner a go hooker

 

[tomscott]

Welcome to the forums, doubt I can add much more than is here already. Especially Tom's post, which has just become my wish list!! Damn you!!! .

Haha mine too!! ! Billswebspace.com has kept me wanting quite a lot! He really went to town on his Z4M. Thankfully my car came with most of the things on the list when I bought it. Which was a surprise I didn't really know... :?

To add to the list I want to have the roof wrapped in 3M carbon fibre, and going to have my CSLs resprayed in hyper graphite or shadow chrome haven't decided yet!

But those are definets next on the list is the aero sills... some kind of induction kit... maybe not quite as far as the Groupe M but it would be nice... and the upgraded sound system, just been on the phone with Autosounds of Newcastle to see what they can do for me, looks like I'm going down the under the seat twin base units!

Want to keep the OEM look, it will also have a base volume control next to the seat to ramp it up! Cant wait was really disappointed with the sound system when I got the car even tho it has the best upgraded system. The business 10 speaker system in my 3 series had better base but the surround in the Z4M is pretty awesome

Going to be a great year with the Z and I can't wait, just started snowing today tho ... :thumbsdown: hopefully the weather will improve.