E89 - Problems 3 weeks in

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Having owned the car for three weeks, I have encountered a few issues

1. Rear lenses keep taking on water - progressing with dealership but out of warranty
2. Front inboard PDC sensor failed yesterday - without any obvious reason
3. Had a scare last week when the car decided it had insufficient oil and threw all sorts of warnings whilst driving. Been fine since I added 1/2Ltr although the level was OK beforehand.
4. Rattles (with roof up). I think I have more rattles than not... I have added foam pads to most of the touch points as another poster recommended which has helped a little.
5. Multi Function Display. Silent when opening, sounds like an old washing machine when closing.

Apart from that I love it

I do have a couple of questions though:

Do I need to remove the front bumper to replace an inboard PDC centre?

How difficult is it to remove the Multi Function Display so I can try and lubricate the gearing?

 

[Paul c]

Rear lens are a known issue should hope they will fix for nothing rattles they creak and rattle a bit at times its a covertable depends how bad they are, others will am sure help with the rest some on here are very good at sorting probs ps never put any oil in mine in the time had it.

 

[Anonymous]

A quick update on the above problems.

1. Partial Front bumper removal is required due to the sensor being located in a cut out in the Polystyrene block below the grill. The removal process is fairly straight forward once you know which bolts/clips to remove. Is it worth me creating a quick guide for this as I am sure others will need to do this in the future?

2. It looks like my rattling is due to the rear roof section touching the metal strip near the rear screen. It is possible that the rubber seal weakens with age (Early 2009) causing it to sag slightly. I spent a fair while trying to ascertain which bolts/bumpers need to be adjusted but I can't seem to be able to adjust anything that makes a difference?

3. Rear Lenses. I am hoping to get a partial goodwill claim from BMW as the chrome inside the lenses look awful, like they are 10+ years old. I have been asked to provide evidence of the engineering bulletin that acknowledges the issue:

2010 BMW Z4 Technical Service Bulletin 2010/11/01 NHTSA #: 10041281
Service Bulletin #: SIB-63-14-10
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS: BMW: THE REAR LAMP IS NOT WATER TIGHT DUE TO CRACKS DUE TO STRESS. WATER MAY ENTER THE LAMP. *RM



I will update once I know more.

Gary

 

[Maniac]

1. Yes guides are always helpful to people on here. Sooner or later someone else will be helped by it.

2. Its possible yes, mine lifted slightly in the middle (the rubber) in time, as its two layer it didn't let any water in. I took off the metal strip on the boot lid and put felt in the middle to raise it slightly which made it seal better, just in case of water ingress. Proactive rather than reactive.

3. Good luck. Its a known issue.

 

[Anonymous]

Re the Roof:

I initially added the foam/felt to reduce noise but I think it has caused the roof to move somehow. I have subsequently removed the felt but the roof now fouls the rear deck. I tried adjusting the rubber bumpers but it made no difference to the height. If I added felt between the deck and metal strip, I think it would make matters worse, I think I need to reduce the height by about 2-3mm. The roof lands on the rear deck perfectly but the final locking stage pulls the roof and deck together causing the problem. Any idea which adjusters would make a difference? 4 bolts were mentioned in an old post but I can't work out which ones could affect this?

Also, does the BMW online Service portal provide the equivalent information to the old TIS system? If so, I am tempted to pay the $30 odd for 24hrs access and scrape as much useful service info as possible. (I.E. Roof Adjustment)

 

[Maniac]

Not sure on the portal access,never used it. Clearance between the deck and roof is controlled (in my experience) by the rubber stops on the roof mech arms. You need to tighten these well to prevent them moving when the rear shell closes.

 

[Anonymous]

Yep, pulled them all the way out. (I had to remove the plastic cover to get access to the T30 retaining screw) I only adjusted the lower of the two on the basis that this would be the ones that would make a difference. They seem to work but there's a final step in the closure process that seems to pull the whole lot together. If you watch closely, right at the end of the closure process, you will see the rear deck pull up against the roof. It seems to be the hydraulics in the back section of the roof that completes the process. What I can't work out is: a. Where the deck gets it height from? and b. where the roof height is controlled? I think it is the two large claws and stops half way down the boot for the boot/rear deck and the whole roof mechanism mounting in the boot for the roof. There are two large locking bolts with round heads inboard but they look like they also control the reach for the whole roof in relation to the front/rear alignment. I might try lifting all four rubbers but I suspect this will result in a step between the front and rear roof sections

Its all a learning curve though, I have spent more time in the garage than driving it so far, but I am not complaining as the alternative is watching crap on the TV with the Mrs

 

[Maniac]

Right then, there are two elements that I've meddled with in order to get the roof spot on. The first is those rubber stops, the second and this may address your issue, is the actuating arms inside the rear clamshell. There are indeed pistons that actuate two mechanisms, one piston each side. These are bi directional and push one way to raise the clamshell forward and over the forward part of the roof, they push the other way to actuate claws that clamp the clamshell down against the cast roof mech arms. You can alter the level of 'clamp' from these claws by adjusting the corresponding arm between the piston and the claw concerned. Again there are 4 clamps in total, two either side, one at the front on the clamshell and the other at the rear/lower. As I don't have any pictures, you'll need to study these arms and look for the one that attaches to the rear clamshell claw. There is a nut and nut shaped bar that adjusts the actuating rods that control the claws, you'll need to open the nut to allow you to rotate the nut shaped bar which will push or pull the claw dependent which way you turn it. Make only minor adjustments and try the mechanism, tightening the nut to lock the nut shaped bar when you've done what you want. Don't go too mad, as straining any component, I would imagine, would be very expensive to sort out. I made a tiny change in mine to actually clamp slightly tighter in my pursuit of roof silence.

 

[Anonymous]

Awesome, that's sorted it. Haven't driven it yet but I now have about 2-3mm of space and if I press down on the roof, it doesn't touch the deck.

I have taken a photo to assist anyone else with this issue. The upper arrow shows the location of the Hex bar which adjusts the level of clamping and the lower two arrows shows the location of the rubber landing pads.

Note: The locking nuts on either end of the hex bar, one seems to be left handed so don't force it! The rubbers made little difference for me but lengthening the locking bar by about 2-3mm has done the job

Thanks, Maniac.

 

[3rdPillar]

Thats some good old engineering working out.. Well Done..
Mine was under warranty, they replaced all the seals, then did the adjustments...Squeek free Z4's are a delight.... Next stop replace the run-flats as Blackburn Roads have 4000 holes.

 

[Maniac]

I knew all my hard work would help someone lol

I've still got a click I can't find .. Aarg!!

 

[Anonymous]

Quick update on the Rear Light water ingress issue.

Having assumed it was the seals, I had a closer look and have realised that it is actually due to the clear lens separating from the main body around the lower edge! It looks like the radius of the clear lens is greater than the main shell and they have separated for about 40% of the length. This explains why I always get water in them after washing it but not normally when it is raining. Is this a different fault to the normal seal problem? If I push the lens back in, when released it makes a sound like the adhesive is 'unsticking'. At least I may be able to repair them if the warranty claim fails...

The BMW Technical Bulletin refers to:

Service Bulletin #: SIB-63-14-10
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS: BMW: THE REAR LAMP IS NOT WATER TIGHT DUE TO CRACKS DUE TO STRESS. WATER MAY ENTER THE LAMP. *RM

This makes sense based upon what I have found...

At least I have clear evidence when I visit the dealership now, and it will be easy to fill them up to demonstrate

 

[Maniac]

I'm not sure if that's the issue I've had, they've been *touch wood* faultless since a 'sealing kit' whatever that is, was added to some replacement lights. 'Foil and Grommets' was on the work sheet. I never studied where water got in, I just had it back to them to fix.

 

[strugglinauthor]

I knew all my hard work would help someone lol

I've still got a click I can't find .. Aarg!!

Maniac - heard you mention this before. Does your 'click' only happen with the roof in place or with the roof down as well? I get a click/crack over certain bumps (not all) and particularly when the chassis flexes on a camber. I always thought it was due to the roof panels but have now determined that it happens all the time - it's just that with the roof down the wind noise tends to drown it out. Problem is I've now tuned in to it!

 

[Maniac]

I knew all my hard work would help someone lol

I've still got a click I can't find .. Aarg!!

Maniac - heard you mention this before. Does your 'click' only happen with the roof in place or with the roof down as well? I get a click/crack over certain bumps (not all) and particularly when the chassis flexes on a camber. I always thought it was due to the roof panels but have now determined that it happens all the time - it's just that with the roof down the wind noise tends to drown it out. Problem is I've now tuned in to it!

Yes clicking, only on roof up, when chassis flexes or on very rough surfaces.. Sounds very similar to yours.

 

[strugglinauthor]

I knew all my hard work would help someone lol

I've still got a click I can't find .. Aarg!!

Maniac - heard you mention this before. Does your 'click' only happen with the roof in place or with the roof down as well? I get a click/crack over certain bumps (not all) and particularly when the chassis flexes on a camber. I always thought it was due to the roof panels but have now determined that it happens all the time - it's just that with the roof down the wind noise tends to drown it out. Problem is I've now tuned in to it!

Yes clicking, only on roof up, when chassis flexes or on very rough surfaces.. Sounds very similar to yours.

Mine clicks roof up or down. For some reason I suspect the rear deck, but it's only a suspicion. One thing I do know is that the acoustics of a car mean the source of the noise may be nowhere near where you think it is. I'll keep hunting... :roll:

 

[Anonymous]

Another quick update.

New PDC sensor sourced from Ebay for 19.99 delivered. Looks like a clone of the original Bosch unit but works perfectly. I have taken some photos of the process (front) should anyone else need to change one in the future.

Also, I can confirm that my rear light clusters do indeed ingest water from the lower seam. Might be worth people with cars getting near to the end of their warranty checking theirs? If you push the clear lens in the middle at the bottom it will move slightly if the weld/seal has failed.

 

[bigendbob]

If the seal is split at the bottom then that should loose the water out.
Think you will find like mine its the rear seal. If the units are splitting then thats another design or manufacturing fault.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes the water does run out of the seam, but as my drive is sloped, it collects quite nicely until I drive off

Not quite enough to keep fish in though...

 

[Anonymous]

Another update...

Car went into Sytner Leicester on Friday to have both rear lenses replaced. BMW agreed to fund 70% of the parts cost despite the car being almost 4 years old which seems fair. Retail Price is £212+Vat each! I then called the supplying dealer (Sytner Select) and explained that the issue was present when I purchased the car so they should for pay the Labour + the other 30%, and they duly agreed. I am now problem free.

Now a happy bunny (almost) as I do need to sort out a full machine polish to rectify my clay bar mishap.