sumpcracker
Member
I have started a thread with this title because when this title is put into google not much of any use comes up.
There are threads which cover some of the items if you do a search, but its not as good as a heads up for those doing the search before potential purchase.
I have bought and sold many Z4 E85/86 as well as running a few of my own. I also look after a few for servicing and repairs.
I'd have been happy to have found this thread when buying my first Z.
There are quite a few items I could list, but these have been present on most cars I have seen.
I have not included M cars as I have not tangled with any aside from test drives.
I'm not putting the E85/86 down, as its a great car, i'd say its the best all round sports car out there at the moment, but the owners tend to love their cars so much its hard to find the negative info.
I'm sure I will get the standard friction from the forum hero's, but maybe you could add to the list?
1) Rusty brake lines, quite a serious issue and doesn't seem to be relevant of age or mileage, I have replaced the rear set on a 36,000 car and most early cars need doing. My 2007 90k car is not bad enough to replace them, but if left as they were id give them a couple of winters.. If you have good ones it is a good idea to cover them in grease/spray grease to keep them coated from the elements. The problem is mostly at the rear, best seen with car on a ramp.
2) Broken rear springs, these break at the pigtail and again, not easy to see unless the car is raised, you may be able to feel the end of the spring if laying on the floor.
3) Headlights, these are pretty poor unless xenon equipped. The first Z4 I drove in the dark was a shock, worst lights I have seen on a modern car. A common upgrade is HIDs which are good but uprated bulbs make a difference, the problem on quite a few cars is made worse by the lenses being faded/glazed/matted. 2 hrs with some 1200 wet and dry paper and polishing compound can make them like new.
4) Mirror glasses fall out, The glass falls off the backing, and if you are unlucky - smashes on the floor.
Best to give them a pull/wiggle when you get the car and see if they are loose, if they are, remove and re glue, I use tiger seal.
5)Hood motors... I don't need to say this really, but in case you missed it - hood motors, water drains block, motor gets wet and dies... expensive fix and a bitch to DIY. On the subject of hoods, I have seen a couple of bent hood frames, (this may be where they have been forced shut) this is also a complex repair so unless its bargain of the century, id avoid.
6) Transmisson, not that anything fails often here, but a clunk when reversing after going forward is there on most cars from the diff input area, there are quite a few general transmission noises on higher mileage cars, slight flywheel rattle on idle can be heard, possible gearbox chatter too. The flywheels can rattle as you switch off the engine - depending on how severe, its not really anything that needs addressing, I have yet to see anything NEED doing aside from worn clutches. On a side note, the 6 speed cars don't feel great selecting 1st and 2nd gear, quite a clunker in a lot of cases. Also worth removing the clutch delay valve for nicer feel and longer lasting clutch, there will be a guide on this forum for DIY.
7) Poor handbrakes, bit of an obvious one but common - you can tell just how well the cars been serviced when it has full stamps in the book but the handbrake is facing the moon, just look at the interior pics of the cars for sale, it takes under an hour to adjust to a 2/3 click locker, so it shows you how little attention has been paid when its overlooked, also annoying when the car rolls away on 6 clicks.
8 ) Broken exhaust hangers, (forget which models this affects but its happened on both my coupes) the rear left hanger breaks off the rear exhaust box and rattles around, on my last car the box jumped out of the rubbers and fell down because of this. Its stainless steel so not and simple to get welded back on. Never ask how much a genuine new rear box is because you will die.
9) Foot well speakers, on cars with amplified foot well speakers the amp decides to turn on and off intermittently, usually the less power input the less likely they work, so turn up the stereo loud and they cut in. I am not sure there is a simple fit for this aside from bypassing the amp and running the speakers on their own.
10) Wiper motors, only seen this on 2003-2005 cars but it could be all of them. Wiper motor intermittent wipe fails/stalls, or in worst cases wipers fail all together. This is due to tiny bits of metal getting into the motors grease as it wears and making the grease on the contact strip conduct, ending the motors travel. Its a simple DIY strip down/clean re grease fix, I am sure there will be a guide on this forum, if not I can do one.
11) Fog lights on facelift cars, usually the reflector has become mould/mess and the lamp appears grey. They will probably still work and not relevant for MOT, and due to the size and location they do not look untidy, but they are about 80% more effective when replaced or repaired.
I will edit add/correct if I think of anything, but in summary-
There are no major fails, (which is more than I can say for its Boxster rival, engines much?) the only time I have seen a breakdown on a Z4 in all my years as a mechanic was a fuel pump relay on a 2003 car, water pumps are often overlooked but if a car has been serviced correctly it will have been replaced (check history). Things like Vanos soloinoids, cam sensors and on SIs the eccentric sensors can fail but none of that is common and won't leave you stranded anyway, its a well thought out very reliable car, with decent MPG and holding onto its value better than most.
There are threads which cover some of the items if you do a search, but its not as good as a heads up for those doing the search before potential purchase.
I have bought and sold many Z4 E85/86 as well as running a few of my own. I also look after a few for servicing and repairs.
I'd have been happy to have found this thread when buying my first Z.
There are quite a few items I could list, but these have been present on most cars I have seen.
I have not included M cars as I have not tangled with any aside from test drives.
I'm not putting the E85/86 down, as its a great car, i'd say its the best all round sports car out there at the moment, but the owners tend to love their cars so much its hard to find the negative info.
I'm sure I will get the standard friction from the forum hero's, but maybe you could add to the list?
1) Rusty brake lines, quite a serious issue and doesn't seem to be relevant of age or mileage, I have replaced the rear set on a 36,000 car and most early cars need doing. My 2007 90k car is not bad enough to replace them, but if left as they were id give them a couple of winters.. If you have good ones it is a good idea to cover them in grease/spray grease to keep them coated from the elements. The problem is mostly at the rear, best seen with car on a ramp.
2) Broken rear springs, these break at the pigtail and again, not easy to see unless the car is raised, you may be able to feel the end of the spring if laying on the floor.
3) Headlights, these are pretty poor unless xenon equipped. The first Z4 I drove in the dark was a shock, worst lights I have seen on a modern car. A common upgrade is HIDs which are good but uprated bulbs make a difference, the problem on quite a few cars is made worse by the lenses being faded/glazed/matted. 2 hrs with some 1200 wet and dry paper and polishing compound can make them like new.
4) Mirror glasses fall out, The glass falls off the backing, and if you are unlucky - smashes on the floor.
Best to give them a pull/wiggle when you get the car and see if they are loose, if they are, remove and re glue, I use tiger seal.
5)Hood motors... I don't need to say this really, but in case you missed it - hood motors, water drains block, motor gets wet and dies... expensive fix and a bitch to DIY. On the subject of hoods, I have seen a couple of bent hood frames, (this may be where they have been forced shut) this is also a complex repair so unless its bargain of the century, id avoid.
6) Transmisson, not that anything fails often here, but a clunk when reversing after going forward is there on most cars from the diff input area, there are quite a few general transmission noises on higher mileage cars, slight flywheel rattle on idle can be heard, possible gearbox chatter too. The flywheels can rattle as you switch off the engine - depending on how severe, its not really anything that needs addressing, I have yet to see anything NEED doing aside from worn clutches. On a side note, the 6 speed cars don't feel great selecting 1st and 2nd gear, quite a clunker in a lot of cases. Also worth removing the clutch delay valve for nicer feel and longer lasting clutch, there will be a guide on this forum for DIY.
7) Poor handbrakes, bit of an obvious one but common - you can tell just how well the cars been serviced when it has full stamps in the book but the handbrake is facing the moon, just look at the interior pics of the cars for sale, it takes under an hour to adjust to a 2/3 click locker, so it shows you how little attention has been paid when its overlooked, also annoying when the car rolls away on 6 clicks.
8 ) Broken exhaust hangers, (forget which models this affects but its happened on both my coupes) the rear left hanger breaks off the rear exhaust box and rattles around, on my last car the box jumped out of the rubbers and fell down because of this. Its stainless steel so not and simple to get welded back on. Never ask how much a genuine new rear box is because you will die.
9) Foot well speakers, on cars with amplified foot well speakers the amp decides to turn on and off intermittently, usually the less power input the less likely they work, so turn up the stereo loud and they cut in. I am not sure there is a simple fit for this aside from bypassing the amp and running the speakers on their own.
10) Wiper motors, only seen this on 2003-2005 cars but it could be all of them. Wiper motor intermittent wipe fails/stalls, or in worst cases wipers fail all together. This is due to tiny bits of metal getting into the motors grease as it wears and making the grease on the contact strip conduct, ending the motors travel. Its a simple DIY strip down/clean re grease fix, I am sure there will be a guide on this forum, if not I can do one.
11) Fog lights on facelift cars, usually the reflector has become mould/mess and the lamp appears grey. They will probably still work and not relevant for MOT, and due to the size and location they do not look untidy, but they are about 80% more effective when replaced or repaired.
I will edit add/correct if I think of anything, but in summary-
There are no major fails, (which is more than I can say for its Boxster rival, engines much?) the only time I have seen a breakdown on a Z4 in all my years as a mechanic was a fuel pump relay on a 2003 car, water pumps are often overlooked but if a car has been serviced correctly it will have been replaced (check history). Things like Vanos soloinoids, cam sensors and on SIs the eccentric sensors can fail but none of that is common and won't leave you stranded anyway, its a well thought out very reliable car, with decent MPG and holding onto its value better than most.
south yorkshire
