Hello!
A Facebook member on the BMW Z4 Owners Club (US) Facebook Page recommended in a comment to my post that I join this forum so here I am.
It is now three weeks since I purchased a 2004 Z4 E85 with 78,000 miles. I found the vehicle while browsing Facebook Market Place. This has been on my wife’s bucket list for many years, so we purchased the vehicle. You know what they say; “Happy wife, happy life.”
A recent tornado funnel cloud with hail the size of baseballs totaled our 2015 Toyota Prius and caused $13,000.00 in damage to our 2014 Dodge RAM 3500 not to mention the damage to our home. We have a new Toyota on order but will not get it until some time in June, if we are lucky, due to factory vehicle shortages. That was another reason why we got the Z4. Something to drive instead of filling up the RAM at over $160.00 per tank.
Back to the Z4. We test drove the car and liked it. At the time it had the “Low Tire” and the “Service Engine” lights illuminated. I was able to reset the tire monitoring system and the light went out. I found the problem with the “Service Engine” light to be caused by a vacuum leak in the air intake boot. A new part corrected the problem. I also replace the windshield seal and the Cowl as both were weather worn. I also removed those grommets at the bottom of the drain holes. They were not clogged, and both appeared to drain as designed. It appeared to me those little slits in the bottom of the drain grommets were another design issue, so they were removed.
The third break light lens on the trunk lid (boot) was cracked and broken so I replaced it with a new part with clear lens with red LEDs. The trunk has a curve, and the lights are straight so there is a preload on the plastic when they are installed. Just a matter of time before this one will break!
When we purchased the car, the owner noted the top needed assistance to open. It appeared to me the problem was the interior headliner bunching up on the air dampener assembly that was mounted over the roll bars. After the top and bunched up headliner cleared the roll bar it operated normally. The roof would deploy with no issue.
Well, a couple of weeks later the top would not deploy. The motor would run for some time and then you could hear it come under a load and the top would come up. Then it stopped working and I put it in manual mode. The motor still runs! My thought was for some reason it was low on hydraulic fluid.
Later, when I was changing the oil, I found hydraulic fluid had drained out of the car through the right-hand drain hole. That indicates to me that the hydraulic cylinder on that side has blown seals. That solves the mystery to what happened to the fluid.
As soon as we get our new Prius, I will remove the top, send both cylinders out for rebuild and relocate that God awful design pump location to the trunk (boot) by getting longer lines. I know people have relocated the motor and pump without longer lines but the videos I saw looked like the lines were stretched to an unacceptable point.
My 43 years as an Aerospace Engineer rub on my conscience when it comes to a good design. I had rather spend the money for some longer lines and get the pump located in a good place, so maintenance access is easy and unencumbered.
I know of two companies in the U.S.A. that rebuild the cylinders. One is Cabrio Hydraulics in Florida, and the other is TopHydraulics in Oregon. They both charge about the same amount for the hydraulic cylinder rebuilds and lines.
Does anyone have any insight on these companies? Is one better than the other?
Other subjects I am researching is transmission fluid change and rear end gear oil change.
I hope with was not too long. Glad to be part of the group and look forward to meaningful conversations.
A Facebook member on the BMW Z4 Owners Club (US) Facebook Page recommended in a comment to my post that I join this forum so here I am.
It is now three weeks since I purchased a 2004 Z4 E85 with 78,000 miles. I found the vehicle while browsing Facebook Market Place. This has been on my wife’s bucket list for many years, so we purchased the vehicle. You know what they say; “Happy wife, happy life.”
A recent tornado funnel cloud with hail the size of baseballs totaled our 2015 Toyota Prius and caused $13,000.00 in damage to our 2014 Dodge RAM 3500 not to mention the damage to our home. We have a new Toyota on order but will not get it until some time in June, if we are lucky, due to factory vehicle shortages. That was another reason why we got the Z4. Something to drive instead of filling up the RAM at over $160.00 per tank.
Back to the Z4. We test drove the car and liked it. At the time it had the “Low Tire” and the “Service Engine” lights illuminated. I was able to reset the tire monitoring system and the light went out. I found the problem with the “Service Engine” light to be caused by a vacuum leak in the air intake boot. A new part corrected the problem. I also replace the windshield seal and the Cowl as both were weather worn. I also removed those grommets at the bottom of the drain holes. They were not clogged, and both appeared to drain as designed. It appeared to me those little slits in the bottom of the drain grommets were another design issue, so they were removed.
The third break light lens on the trunk lid (boot) was cracked and broken so I replaced it with a new part with clear lens with red LEDs. The trunk has a curve, and the lights are straight so there is a preload on the plastic when they are installed. Just a matter of time before this one will break!
When we purchased the car, the owner noted the top needed assistance to open. It appeared to me the problem was the interior headliner bunching up on the air dampener assembly that was mounted over the roll bars. After the top and bunched up headliner cleared the roll bar it operated normally. The roof would deploy with no issue.
Well, a couple of weeks later the top would not deploy. The motor would run for some time and then you could hear it come under a load and the top would come up. Then it stopped working and I put it in manual mode. The motor still runs! My thought was for some reason it was low on hydraulic fluid.
Later, when I was changing the oil, I found hydraulic fluid had drained out of the car through the right-hand drain hole. That indicates to me that the hydraulic cylinder on that side has blown seals. That solves the mystery to what happened to the fluid.
As soon as we get our new Prius, I will remove the top, send both cylinders out for rebuild and relocate that God awful design pump location to the trunk (boot) by getting longer lines. I know people have relocated the motor and pump without longer lines but the videos I saw looked like the lines were stretched to an unacceptable point.
My 43 years as an Aerospace Engineer rub on my conscience when it comes to a good design. I had rather spend the money for some longer lines and get the pump located in a good place, so maintenance access is easy and unencumbered.
I know of two companies in the U.S.A. that rebuild the cylinders. One is Cabrio Hydraulics in Florida, and the other is TopHydraulics in Oregon. They both charge about the same amount for the hydraulic cylinder rebuilds and lines.
Does anyone have any insight on these companies? Is one better than the other?
Other subjects I am researching is transmission fluid change and rear end gear oil change.
I hope with was not too long. Glad to be part of the group and look forward to meaningful conversations.
