Considering Z4M - few questions *Z4M pics added*

SO8

Active member
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Hi, 1st post so please be gentle :D

I am looking at Z4M Roadsters and had a drive in one today ..... but have a few questions.

The one I drove was in the blue metallic and had sat nav / cruise and reversing sensors for £25K with 19,000 miles on it + presumably FSH on an '07' plate.

It was fairly mint and drove well ... apart from the gearbox which was notchy to say the least. I loved the car as a whole but didn't like the gearbox one bit. Are they all notchy and obstructive or was this a one off ? The car has done 19K and, as I say, looked totally mint from the outside.

I let it warm before putting my foot down and was out for about 20 minutes with roof up and down + no rattles at all. It was a really nice place to be .... apart from the gear change and one other thing -

On my return to the garage (who had been kind enough to let me out on my own) there was smoke coming from the back of the bonnet. On putting the bonnet up the 'smoke' seemed to be coming from the back of the engine - couldn't see where but coming from base area at back i.e. the windscreen end. It smelt kind of plastic / oily but I couldn't be sure.

Now, should I let them get it repaired or just look for another (the dealer are a small independent - not a main dealer). The salesman said he would book it into the local BMW dealership but he felt it was where they had sprayed engine cleaner on it and the car hadn't been used ....

It the smoke just bad luck ? Is there something down where it was coming from that is a common problem ? Does it indicate the previous owner may not have looked after it ? I was gentle with it; only flooring it once warm and in straight lines .... so know it wasn't anything I did ! The 'smoke' seemed at odds with the general condition of the car but why isn't an '07' for sale at a main dealer ? Do people think this means anything ?

Sorry for the long post - I have tried searching for some help but haven't got too far .... other than finding the 1200 service is vital and some seem to have issue with the gearchange !

Comments welcome .....
 
Hi and welcome, no problems with my gearbox what so ever so sounds a bit strange.
 
i know 2 people that have boxes changes in warranty, but they were "spirited" driers!

but then both had diffs and new disks and calipers LOL

so make your mine up.

a friend has one for sale at good money, if you want to know about it PM me.

BTW this is not one of the cars i am referring to above!

Dario
 
In my opinion it is notchy but only really in 1st and 2nd.
Smoke could be engine cleaner but obviously get it looked at before parting with any money.

G
 
GarethZ4MC said:
In my opinion it is notchy but only really in 1st and 2nd.
Smoke could be engine cleaner but obviously get it looked at before parting with any money.

G

try another at another garage, if in doubt walk away!
 
dario said:
GarethZ4MC said:
In my opinion it is notchy but only really in 1st and 2nd.
Smoke could be engine cleaner but obviously get it looked at before parting with any money.

G

try another at another garage, if in doubt walk away!

Thanks for the comments - I will be trying another ... which is 'older' on a 56 plate but with less miles ...

Oh, and it was only really 1st to 2nd which was an issue. I had to let the car warm up and he said it had been standing for a couple of weeks without being used.

I know with both my old S2000's they were a different car gearbox wise when the gearbox oil had warmed up a bit .... much smoother .... but then, that's cars - each one is different :D
 
Drove one myself this weekend. I also found the gearbox very notchy, but that's part of the charm in my opinion.

I'd be more worried about the smoke from the engine.
 
pvr said:
Hi and welcome, no problems with my gearbox what so ever so sounds a bit strange.


Don't believe you.... every Z4m is the same. 1st and 2nd is terrible even with the CDV removed.

OP - I would avoid there are others around and £25,000 for an 07 is quite pricey imho.
 
GarethZ4MC said:
I'll sell you mine...but it's a Coupe which IMO is way nicer :D
If you're Interested then fire me a PM.

Gareth


There was a 2yr old coupe one in our local paper this weekend for £27k I heard Gareth, did you see it?

Can't believe the prices have risen so much.
 
daz05 said:
GarethZ4MC said:
I'll sell you mine...but it's a Coupe which IMO is way nicer :D
If you're Interested then fire me a PM.

Gareth


There was a 2yr old coupe one in our local paper this weekend for £27k I heard Gareth, did you see it?

Can't believe the prices have risen so much.

Good used cars holding strong money for sure.
I was close to buying a SLK55 for £22k. Guy pulled out after pressure from his wife.
Just noticed it's on PH for £27k 6 months later.
 
daz05 said:
pvr said:
Hi and welcome, no problems with my gearbox what so ever so sounds a bit strange.


Don't believe you.... every Z4m is the same. 1st and 2nd is terrible even with the CDV removed.

OP - I would avoid there are others around and £25,000 for an 07 is quite pricey imho.

Funny - can't remember giving you the keys to my car ...
 
here is a nice one if you are interested. it belongs to a friend of mine.

Yes I’ve still got it. Full spec attached! It’s up here as well: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1214164.htm

It’s got MOT until March 10, Tracker till June 10, It's just about to get tax for 6 months and it’s going in for a oil service this week at the dealer. He will start discussions at £19,500K but as always he's willing to discuss.

If you want to know anything more just ask call him on the number supplied!
 
So how noisy should a Z4M gearbox be? Should it be noisier than a standard 3.0Si? Are cars with good gearbox's being dismissed because they just have noisier gearbox's than expected.

When I bought mine, I was told that the M box's are different and the grinding you get in 1st and 2nd at slow speed is normal?
 
There seems to be a confusion here. Daz05 is stating that all gearboxes are bad for 1st and second, then refers to the CDV which is clutch related and will only assist with the kangerooing of the car (clutch release related), not grinding of gear boxes.

As stated, my gearbox does NOT grind in first / second what so ever.
 
In my experience of E46 M3's and now the Z4MC, these gearboxes are notchy in 1st and 2nd. This is more prominent when cold and does improve as the engine warms up. No disrespect to your view PVR but I think the notchy nature of the gearbox is widely acknowledged. That said there may well be a problem with the car that was driven. My own car is in the dealers just now having the gearbox removed for inspection after it became very noisy when warmed up and the gear change became slightly more difficult.
 
That's true but the OP mentioned notchy changes so I just wanted to clarify that that is normal up to a point.
 
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