Component wear

R

Riccardog

Member
Hello All,

I'm currently looking at buying myself one of the earlier (03~05 reg) Z4s as a fun summer weekend car. I have an E39 (530i Touring) that has been quite reliable and I love the engine, so I'm thinking for sure a 3.0 Z4 (or maybe well equipped 2.5).

One question I have though is, when looking at some of the slightly higher mile cars (say, 60k and above), would there be any items which would be good to see that the vendor has already replaced (or, alternatively, factor into the budget)?

I'm thinking things like brakes / clutches / various suspension components (bushes, etc) / radiators & water pumps, etc.

For instance, on the E39 I'd reccomend to have the thermostat and coolant pump replaced, maybe the radiator. For an auto the gearbox oil, and so on.

Thanks for any tips! :thumbsup:
 
Welcome to the forum, I would correct you on 60k mileage as "higher" mileage when you ask about 10 or 11 year old cars. Mileage is second to condition, many cars on here may be garage queens during the winter but as many are daily drivers. Buy from an active forum member and it should beat many others for sale. Things like rear springs, roof motors, are often repaired in their lives but I wouldn't search out these repairs as a necessity. Timely Servicing is what all these cars need for your peace of mind. I hope this helps you find your perfect z4. Brings facelift gets great feedback from many knowledgeable forum members.
 
Nothing on these cars to worry about - they are good for 200k miles

Roof motors go but they either work or don't
Front bushes, wishbones and drop links need changing to keep things tight, but not expensive
Rear springs break.

Rest is just normal on cars based around care of the owner.
 
Thanks guys (also for the welcome).

Its reasurring to know that there aren't many issues with these cars. Makes a change compared to the other car I am looking at (Boxsters) which have considerably more expensive issues by the time they reach 70k miles.

I've seen Bing's famed car (I've checked the ads section daily since joining in March) but I'm not a fan of black and wouldn't want an auto on a 2 seater conv. I was interested and dealing with APB but that has fallen through.
 
Riccardog said:
Thanks guys (also for the welcome).

Its reasurring to know that there aren't many issues with these cars. Makes a change compared to the other car I am looking at (Boxsters) which have considerably more expensive issues by the time they reach 70k miles.

I've seen Bing's famed car (I've checked the ads section daily since joining in March) but I'm not a fan of black and wouldn't want an auto on a 2 seater conv. I was interested and dealing with APB but that has fallen through.
Click to expand...

Only had mine 3 years. But in that time not so much as a light bulb has failed. Just routine servicing tyres, break disks & pads & lots of lovely petrol. In adition to thing above, I have heard of a few cases of cracks in the engine bay strut brace, at the bulk head end, so worth a quick look.
 
I'd definitely recommend replacing the bushes.

I had some of mine done yesterday and the guy who replaced them said the old ones fell apart when he removed them. They had done 90k miles and been in for 11 years!

Other issues i've had and replaced were thermostat and expansion tank both leaking, arb drop pinks and starter motor failed.

All relatively cheap fixes. Each part never cost more than 100 quid.
 
Riccardog said:
Thanks guys (also for the welcome).

Its reasurring to know that there aren't many issues with these cars. Makes a change compared to the other car I am looking at (Boxsters) which have considerably more expensive issues by the time they reach 70k miles.

I've seen Bing's famed car (I've checked the ads section daily since joining in March) but I'm not a fan of black and wouldn't want an auto on a 2 seater conv. I was interested and dealing with APB but that has fallen through.
Click to expand...

Famed :oops:

Don't dismiss the auto, the two people who have driven it recently have been pleasantly surprised... Though I understand why many just wouldn't go auto full stop. Black is difficult to look after, but it's one of the most rewarding colours when it's clean - I will really miss it.

The guys have pretty much detailed everything you need to worry about above, so good luck with your search :thumbsup:


Mine has had the roof motor done and springs replaced with Eibachs though... And it's having it's expensive insp 2 done on Monday...
 
I bought mine at 70k two years ago a 2007. Since ownership, I've had to replace roof motor, control arm kit, rear springs, horns, wing mirror glass, all common to these Zeds. Only half the heating elements work on the rear glass which I also believe is common, not something I would normally test at point of purchase!

You probably already know oem tyres are crap and it would be handy to have had them changed, along with aftermarket springs and a recent roof motor if it has been kept outdoors.
 
Mechanically mine hasn't missed a beat but the electric steering column cost me a fortune when it went, as did an airbag system failure (2 of the 3 control units) especially as the short circuit took out all of the electronics so they had to find the fault using an oscilloscope and multimeter rather than a simple code reader job. Later cars 2006 on seem to have come with different part numbers for all these components so I assume they are less fault prone.
 
Thanks for the replies guys, I just realised that I hadn't replied to thank everyone.

I've had an S2000 in the past (ie: no issues at all) and more recently a Porsche (ie: every issue at least £500, and there are some!), so it would seem that the Z4 sits somewhere in the middle, possibly on the more reliable end of things depending on the actual car.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom