After a couple of months of being back in the world of Z4's there are a few things I need some advice on from the wise Z4 people of this forum...
1. I potentially have a very minor oil leak (light misting) that Coopers BMW found while doing my oil change - they mentioned it on the paperwork but seemed surprised that I bothered to ask about and they didn't think it was an urgent issue but I'd rather get it fixed straight away regardless (I was considering changing a couple of the usual suspects anyway as preventative maintenance given the car's age and mileage. My car is under BMW approved used warranty until September, but I'm struggling to get an answer from BMW as to whether gaskets etc are covered or are under wear and tear exemptions - they just point me to a web page that refers to other documents that BMW claim don't exist
. Has anyone got experience of this? The work will be done regardless, but after a frustrating experience with Coopers (my only local Dealer) I'll probably take it to my local indie if not covered by warranty, or do it myself depending on exactly what needs replacing and whether I can find the time.
2. My battery appears to still be the original (7 years old). There has been absolutely nothing at all to suggest the battery is struggling or getting low and on other cars I would just wait until there are signs that it needs replacing, but with the well known issues on these if it goes flat I would rather be ahead of the game - 7 years seems a good time to put in a fresh one, particularly as it isn't my daily driver. Are there any tips specific to the e89 that I need to know to avoid anything very inconvenient happening when I change it, or is it just a case of making sure that I don't allow the boot to close until the new battery is fully connected and operational?
3. This is my first BMW with DAB radio - are they usually terrible or is there something wrong with mine? I get a signal less than 50% of the time (tried with both whippy and stubby) whereas my Focus of similar age never fails to get a signal. Normal FM radio is just fine.
4. I often give a wave to other Z4 drivers (when I'm in the Z4) but there is also a Valencia Orange 1-series near me and I often exchange a glance with the driver across a crowded street - is it normal to wave at other road users because they have the same colour car as you, or am I the only one who thinks he's part of the Valencia Orange Car Club? Sometimes I even feel like I'm part of an imaginary Unusual Colour Car Club and yesterday felt the urge to give a congratulatory wave to someone driving a brilliantly unnecessary lime green RSQ3, but I'm pretty confident that's not normal.
Many thanks in advance for any comments.
EDIT: I forgot number 5 - I had a windscreen chip repaired a couple of weeks ago (is it just me or do e89's attract stones to the windscreen like no other car?! Disclaimer: I always leave a VERY generous gap to the car in front) and as usual a few cracks came out when the chip was drilled, but one seems unusually noticeable rather than the expected can-only-see-it-when-you-know-it's-there-and-look-closely. I will try to get a picture but difficult to get it show up on camera. I've not experienced it before after a repair (only had one that needed repairing before - also an e89) Does that sound like a problem?
1. I potentially have a very minor oil leak (light misting) that Coopers BMW found while doing my oil change - they mentioned it on the paperwork but seemed surprised that I bothered to ask about and they didn't think it was an urgent issue but I'd rather get it fixed straight away regardless (I was considering changing a couple of the usual suspects anyway as preventative maintenance given the car's age and mileage. My car is under BMW approved used warranty until September, but I'm struggling to get an answer from BMW as to whether gaskets etc are covered or are under wear and tear exemptions - they just point me to a web page that refers to other documents that BMW claim don't exist
. Has anyone got experience of this? The work will be done regardless, but after a frustrating experience with Coopers (my only local Dealer) I'll probably take it to my local indie if not covered by warranty, or do it myself depending on exactly what needs replacing and whether I can find the time.2. My battery appears to still be the original (7 years old). There has been absolutely nothing at all to suggest the battery is struggling or getting low and on other cars I would just wait until there are signs that it needs replacing, but with the well known issues on these if it goes flat I would rather be ahead of the game - 7 years seems a good time to put in a fresh one, particularly as it isn't my daily driver. Are there any tips specific to the e89 that I need to know to avoid anything very inconvenient happening when I change it, or is it just a case of making sure that I don't allow the boot to close until the new battery is fully connected and operational?
3. This is my first BMW with DAB radio - are they usually terrible or is there something wrong with mine? I get a signal less than 50% of the time (tried with both whippy and stubby) whereas my Focus of similar age never fails to get a signal. Normal FM radio is just fine.
4. I often give a wave to other Z4 drivers (when I'm in the Z4) but there is also a Valencia Orange 1-series near me and I often exchange a glance with the driver across a crowded street - is it normal to wave at other road users because they have the same colour car as you, or am I the only one who thinks he's part of the Valencia Orange Car Club? Sometimes I even feel like I'm part of an imaginary Unusual Colour Car Club and yesterday felt the urge to give a congratulatory wave to someone driving a brilliantly unnecessary lime green RSQ3, but I'm pretty confident that's not normal.
Many thanks in advance for any comments.
EDIT: I forgot number 5 - I had a windscreen chip repaired a couple of weeks ago (is it just me or do e89's attract stones to the windscreen like no other car?! Disclaimer: I always leave a VERY generous gap to the car in front) and as usual a few cracks came out when the chip was drilled, but one seems unusually noticeable rather than the expected can-only-see-it-when-you-know-it's-there-and-look-closely. I will try to get a picture but difficult to get it show up on camera. I've not experienced it before after a repair (only had one that needed repairing before - also an e89) Does that sound like a problem?
