Damaged or improved?

L

Lesley

Member
Hey guys,

First post here. Am considering a Z4, gonna take a look at it tomorrow, but it has a troubled history
I phoned BMW today to have a look at its file: apparently two years ago it drove over a stone that fell of a truck, as a consequence the following parts had to be replaced: oil sump, rear axle, wishbones, undertray, ... and probably some other suspension parts i forgot. Everything was done at BMW with an expert checking it afterwards, and a realignment of the car. Now the seller (together with the bmw-garage) was spinning it around by telling that the whole undercarriage consisted of new parts and that this was something to be glad about. Do you guys think that something like this is to trusted. :? Anyhow I'm planning on checking the alignment before buying, to check if something changed in those two years, if it's out again, then I think i would know enough and stay clear from it.
 
Since the repair was accomplished by BMW, it should be ok, not always but that depends on the dealer. And since the alignment was good after the repair the chassis was not torqued out of true, but I have a hard time beliving that driving over a big rock would do that kind of damage. It just breaks the breakables underneath. The alignment is a very good indicator.

Before you take the car for an alignment, find out when the last time it was aligned. If its been two years, I bet it needs one. Just from normal wear and tear... I have mine aligned every year.... and it is always out of spec.

Though, if you take it in for an alignment, tell the mechanic what had happened and ask if the 'movables' are somewhat centered or he has to move the 'movables' to the extremes to get it to align... if I explained that so you can understand it...

Take a look at the underside yourself. See if you see anything that looks just wrong.
 
An alignment every year??? :o That's a lot. With the movables, do you mean the different bolts and nuts with which you can change the alignment? I'm bringing it in at a bmw garage as well to have a look at the underside. Would it be unfair to ask the seller to knock a whole load of the marketprice for this kind of history?
 
Yes, the different bolts and nuts with which you can change the alignment...

I personally don't view this as that big a deal. The problem was not like the car was in an avoidable accident. It was a road hazard.

The basic 'body in white' (chassis) was not effected which really would effect alignment. If the BMW garage you are taking it to says that everything looks normal and aligns well, it most likely is.
If the repair put the damage back into OEM specs, and it drives well what would be the problem? Those are easily replaceable parts anyway.
But in the end, it is up to you. If you don't feel good about the car, then move on and find another one.

It the car priced over the current market value in your area?

At least the seller was upfront with the information.
 
If this was coming from a dealer backed by a warranty, I wouldn't be overly concerned. From an individual seller with this type of history and no warranty: Caveat emptor!
 
After market warranty???

Warranty Direct or US something or other..

I bought one when I bought mine since it was out of warranty.
 
Well , it's priced slightly under the market value already, but still it's a risk factor, so...
And no, it's an individual buyer, i agree, if there was a second-hand bmw warranty on, no problem, but in this case ...
The seller wasn't really upfront withthis information, i only found out after i phoned bmw to check the history.
 
So it's being sold as a benefit to have been damaged and repaired...lol
So if it had driven into the back of the truck and had a complete new front end would it be even better and more valuable?

Unless it's well below market price I'd walk away and find a perfect example. You'll worry about it constantly if it's 'right' and when you come to sell will have to go through the process of telling a buyer the same story (unless you lie and pretend it never happened).
 
Got the price down by about 2500€, so now it sums up to about 17000€, not bad I thought => Sold (well have to confirm on monday) I went to the BMW garage and talked to the guy who performed the repairs and he was very reassuring about it all, guaranteeing a problem free ride for the next years. Anyhow, I didn't check the alignment after all, as it seemed to be okay. The insurance had replaced anything with the slightest dent or scratch underneath, that's why it added up to 7000€. The only problem was the alloys: 108's. I'd heard that there were some corrossion problems, but what the hell!!!! :o
They were really FUBAR!!!
Here are some pics:
dsc00128l.jpg

dsc00129cyt.jpg

How the hell can BMW continue selling these at ridiculous prices!!!! wasnt there any type of recall on these or something like that!
 
What do you have to do to the wheels? I've always had alloys and never ever ever seen something like this, and some of my wheels went a whole winter without cleaning?!?
 
There is a lacquer coating on those wheels I think. The coating gets scratched and water gets in to start its work.
Do a search on the board here. Some members have had their 108's refurbished...
 
Glad you got a 2500E reduction in price.

Those wheels are the worst I've ever seen when you include the condition of the stars. Looking at the calipers, tyre wall damage and scored rotors the last owner just did not care.

Get ready to spend some money....
 
Cant be more then 500€ to repair that right? And what's wrong with the calipers? (was surprised about the calipers, didn't know that a Z4 had such standard and small calipers, really doesn't fit with the rest of the car)
 
Lesley said:
Cant be more then 500€ to repair that right? And what's wrong with the calipers? (was surprised about the calipers, didn't know that a Z4 had such standard and small calipers, really doesn't fit with the rest of the car)
Click to expand...


The calipers are filthy and clearly never had any cleaning, even superficial washing. The rotors/discs look deeply scored and imho should be changed and the pads too as a matter of course at the same time. The wheels need a full refurb. Let's say E500 for the wheels and another E500 for the discs and pads.

I agree that the OEM calipers look small, especially through the 108 rims, but work well enough. You can do an easy upgrade to larger E46 330 discs and calipers to improve look and performance.
 
apparently he didn't like looking after the car himself, but rather dropped it in at bmw every five minutes, it had a loooooong history and seemed to be well maintained
 
IMHO I would walk away from this deal, might spook you later on. Surely there should be other examples out there that you will be able to find.
 
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