Hello all, thank you in advance for any replies!
I am looking to purchase my first Z4, I would like to get a facelift E85 30Si. I have been searching for a while and keep coming back to the same one, the trouble is a couple of red flags in the cars MOT history. I wonder if anyone would be able to help clarify whether this is a major red flag or really quite a normal thing.
I'm going to try and attach some pictures to aid my explanation. So in the first picture is a screenshot of the 2017 MOT the car went through in which in the advisories you can see a few corrosion comments- the last one being all of the vehicles underside!!
I will also copy and paste the advisories incase the image does not show:
Advisory notice item(s)
Nearside Rear Brake pipe slightly corroded flexi to caliper (3.6.B.2c)
Offside Rear Brake pipe slightly corroded flexi to caliper (3.6.B.2c)
Offside Front Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)
vehicle underside all has surface corrosion including all suspension components
Not sure if the way I am trying to add these screenshots will work or not.
Then in 2018 it passed its MOT with minimal comments as to any corrosion.
Advisory notice item(s)
Bonnet retaining device slightly deteriorated safety catch (8.4.2)
Nearside Rear Nail in tyre ()
Offside Front Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)
Then in 2019 it failed MOT and one of the failures was:
Repair immediately (major defects):
Nearside Rear Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength floor (5.3.6 (a) (i)).
The person selling the car now only bought the car in January this year, and says that they do not know that much about what was done to fix the 2019 MOT failure if anything. Only suggesting that it may have been a very particular MOT-er that picked up on all these things and made issues out of them. He has been very helpful though and has sent me the best images he can of the underside. However I find it hard to spot much, the shock absorbers are all covered in surface rust which does not bother me too much but the rear subframe does look a bit more rusty than just a bit of surface- again i will try to add a picture but not sure if it will show.
I have owned Land Rovers before and seen a lot of the undersides of them so I am not too put off by seeing a bit of rust under a vehicle, and I am also capable of wire brushing and undercoating it.
In my experience Subframes have also been made out of pretty thich metal and can handle a bit of rust.
What I am wondering though is if this is an abnormal amount of rust, the vehicle has done 90,000 miles and is 2006. Or is this something that most Z4's of this age will have but you just wont know or hear about due to not all MOT inspectors being as rigid with their checks.
Apologies for the long post, I just wanted to include as much information as i could!
I am looking to purchase my first Z4, I would like to get a facelift E85 30Si. I have been searching for a while and keep coming back to the same one, the trouble is a couple of red flags in the cars MOT history. I wonder if anyone would be able to help clarify whether this is a major red flag or really quite a normal thing.
I'm going to try and attach some pictures to aid my explanation. So in the first picture is a screenshot of the 2017 MOT the car went through in which in the advisories you can see a few corrosion comments- the last one being all of the vehicles underside!!
I will also copy and paste the advisories incase the image does not show:
Advisory notice item(s)
Nearside Rear Brake pipe slightly corroded flexi to caliper (3.6.B.2c)
Offside Rear Brake pipe slightly corroded flexi to caliper (3.6.B.2c)
Offside Front Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)
vehicle underside all has surface corrosion including all suspension components
Not sure if the way I am trying to add these screenshots will work or not.
Then in 2018 it passed its MOT with minimal comments as to any corrosion.
Advisory notice item(s)
Bonnet retaining device slightly deteriorated safety catch (8.4.2)
Nearside Rear Nail in tyre ()
Offside Front Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)
Then in 2019 it failed MOT and one of the failures was:
Repair immediately (major defects):
Nearside Rear Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength floor (5.3.6 (a) (i)).
The person selling the car now only bought the car in January this year, and says that they do not know that much about what was done to fix the 2019 MOT failure if anything. Only suggesting that it may have been a very particular MOT-er that picked up on all these things and made issues out of them. He has been very helpful though and has sent me the best images he can of the underside. However I find it hard to spot much, the shock absorbers are all covered in surface rust which does not bother me too much but the rear subframe does look a bit more rusty than just a bit of surface- again i will try to add a picture but not sure if it will show.
I have owned Land Rovers before and seen a lot of the undersides of them so I am not too put off by seeing a bit of rust under a vehicle, and I am also capable of wire brushing and undercoating it.
In my experience Subframes have also been made out of pretty thich metal and can handle a bit of rust.
What I am wondering though is if this is an abnormal amount of rust, the vehicle has done 90,000 miles and is 2006. Or is this something that most Z4's of this age will have but you just wont know or hear about due to not all MOT inspectors being as rigid with their checks.
Apologies for the long post, I just wanted to include as much information as i could!
