day 2 and honey moon period over

P

peter2704

Member
so had my first z4 e89 for 2 days now,first day spent looking at it and walking round it.day 2 and i found things that need attention
1) one key showing low battery,can i stick it on the toothbrush charger? is there a place that replaces batteries in the remote?
2) roof worries me ,it operates fine ,lifted the motor to see if wet,not soaked or sat in water but felt a little damp,so dried the foam out and sat it in a bag to keep water out until i can monitor the situation.
IMG_9514.jpg
3) so it appears there is an oil leak,not major i dont think, as a few mots have mentioned it,first job under trays off (fun job not) and clean the area.Its hard to see where its from as when driving its spread it all over,but clean and monitor.My first thoughts are,oil/water cooler or rocker cover,or possibly vanos? i feel start high and do the oil cooler
4) front brake check over and suspension,all seemed ok and no leaks from the shocks,did notice this little bugger broken though,anyone know what its called /part number ?linked an adjustable pot to the lower arm on the drivers side
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5) ordered 2 salmon relays just incase,what oil does the pump use?
6) locking wheel nut tool £40 from bmw WOW! wont lose that again
so thats it so far,knackered,
any advice or tips welcome........i still like the car though
 
That's not a great start, so it's just as well you still like the car!

I've read putting the key next to a toothbrush charger can help, although I've never needed to do it. But it will charge while you use it so maybe swap keys now and again.

I don't know if the 4 cylinder engines are the same, but the 6s often suffer from oil leaks due to dried out gaskets on the cam-cover and oil filter housing.

Sorry I can't help with your other questions, but hopefully someone can!
 
The broken part is the front headlamp level adjustment linkage ..you’ll need a fresh one…best check what caused it..

What engine is it ?
 
n52 6 cylinder engine, will see if i can find part number,to be honest i think the ball ends were very stiff and this may have stressed it.will see how bmw charge for that part
 
peter2704 said:
n52 6 cylinder engine, will see if i can find part number,to be honest i think the ball ends were very stiff and this may have stressed it.will see how bmw charge for that part
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The part is dirt cheap by bmw standards..n52 has cam box and oil filter house leaks which are easily rectified..
 
just ordered gen bmw rod £12,
looking at trying do do the oil filter one first, working out whether i need to drain coolant or just catch spillage if i tackle it
 
My Indy replaced the oil filter housing gasket on my 330i as part of a service, but I can't see why it would affect coolant. :?

Even if it did the N52 has an electric water pump and there is an electric cooling system bleed procedure.
 
peter2704 said:
2) roof worries me ,it operates fine ,lifted the motor to see if wet,not soaked or sat in water but felt a little damp,so dried the foam out and sat it in a bag to keep water out until i can monitor the situation.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't worry too much about a bit of 'moistness' in the foam. It can hold water forever unless dried out. Chances are the car has been to a 'taliban car wash' where they just fire everything with a pressure washer. Convertible cars are not good with water fired at them at high pressure. The rubber seals will let water by, easily. And remember that the vast majority of car owners will have never lifted the boot carpet, let alone checked for anything.
Check the rear light clusters for water, though, as these can be a weak point.
My advice would be to give all the rubber seals (and there are miles of the bloody things) a good dose of silicone-based rubber treatment. Gummi Pflege is the leading brand but is expensive. I use Autoglym 'rubber and vinyl care' stuff. It is cheap and brings old, crusty, tired rubber gaskets back to being as soft and pliable as an 18 year old's arse cheeks (although I'm struggling to remember that TBH). :D
 
Is the headlight level sensor arm from the front right or rear right. Front right is easy to replace. The rear right is a trickey. I have video for the rear level sensor, if you need it.
 
With regards the damp bit I’m not too concerned, like you mentioned jet washes are not the done thing with a convertible, may do the chalk thing to see if it shows anything, oil leaks will monitor , may do the oil filter one myself and see how hard the rocker cover is , don’t think it’s coming from the vanos , but may do them anyway . All a new learning curve, level rid was front so that’s a 5 min job
 
The N52 is a great engine but you need to be careful with the bolts, either single-use or aluminium. Plenty of videos on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI7dNxKOMR8
 
Mr Tidy said:
My Indy replaced the oil filter housing gasket on my 330i as part of a service, but I can't see why it would affect coolant. :?

Even if it did the N52 has an electric water pump and there is an electric cooling system bleed procedure.
Click to expand...
Oil filter housing has water cooling channels, so mixing could occur if not fixed.
My oil cooler housing leak was pointed out at mot.
Under tray covered in very thin film of oil.
There can be lots of little things to fix on any car, more so on these Z4's. Lost count.
In fact i have never done so much fixing and tinkering than any car i have owned, except clapped out TR7.
 
javis20 said:
Is the headlight level sensor arm from the front right or rear right. Front right is easy to replace. The rear right is a trickey. I have video for the rear level sensor, if you need it.
Click to expand...

Hi Javis,

Are you able to sign post me to this video please?

Everyone keeps flashing at me, mine must have snapped too!
It’s likely not the easy access one which has broken although not inspected yet!
 
That’s my issue people flashing , if high which sensor is it front or rear , front rod was broken but replaced and no difference
 
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