Guys urgent advice - Viewing a Z4MC Now purchased

P

Paza3

Senior member
Guys

I'm going to view a Z4MC tommorow night so bit short notice...... and yes I know :oops: , but life to short and I want an M it was either this or I was buying a 997 for 28k, and am having a complex spending that much.

Right I need a must check, check list , been on youtube re-vanos etc what else do I need to check treat me as a newbie.

What are the big items to check , what do I need to look for , what the exact service etc etc... the basic stuff am fine with but M related stuff is a new world

And yes I have only had my coupe for 6 months but sod it my baby will be up for sale very soon I expect .....

Oooo excited :D viewing after work will update

Thanks in advance guys

Patrick

P.s am expecting some ..... :poke: :poke:
 
Can't help you I'm afraid other than the generic, go with your gut, there are plenty around! Fair play and good luck! :driving:
 
brake discs are a packet so check for wear on them. tyres are a packet so check for life on them. if these two things are nearing the end of their life that's a £2k bill straight off..

check the service has been done when and by bmw or decent indy, they only run on castrol edge 10w60, anything else is bad news. check for 1200 mile running in service, if it's not there you'll struggle to shift it should the need arise.

bushes and the diff all have a shorter life than can be expected, and the clutch can wear too, try accelerating in 6th from about 2k revs, it should still pull reasonably.

if it's a private sale don't max out all you have available, chances are a bill's round the corner!

good luck!
 
JaEdBa said:
brake discs are a packet so check for wear on them. tyres are a packet so check for life on them. if these two things are nearing the end of their life that's a £2k bill straight off..

check the service has been done when and by bmw or decent indy, they only run on castrol edge 10w60, anything else is bad news. check for 1200 mile running in service, if it's not there you'll struggle to shift it should the need arise.

bushes and the diff all have a shorter life than can be expected, and the clutch can wear too, try accelerating in 6th from about 2k revs, it should still pull reasonably.

if it's a private sale don't max out all you have available, chances are a bill's round the corner!

good luck!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice , tyres and disc all done also has a warrenty on it. I need to look at this service history for sure make sure it has all the current ones , what is the list

Run in
Inspe 1
Inspe 2
Inspe 1

That sort of thing?
 
Paza3 said:
Thanks for the advice , tyres and disc all done also has a warrenty on it. I need to look at this service history for sure make sure it has all the current ones , what is the list

Run in
Inspe 1
Inspe 2
Inspe 1

That sort of thing?
Click to expand...

Run in
Oil
Inspe 1 with valve clearances checked
Oil
Inspe 2 with valve clearances checked
Oil
Inspe 1 with valve clearances checked

often sellers say valves are only checked at ins 2 but should be all ins
 
Thanks your a star! :thumbsup: , well it had inspec 2 done at 44k and he has had another inspect 1 done just recently at 55k, as he wanted to sell it he said it seemed a good idea instead of just a oil service. So next would just be another 1
 
Servicing as per all Z4's with condition based servicing so low mileage vehicle may have more oil services between inspections.
 
sounds about right..i'd find the name of the garage and give them a call. you never know they might give you a few comments.

hope it goes well. remember, any doubts, leave it!! :)
 
Well played Paza!!

First service interval 1200 miles which is the most important walk away otherwise.

Obvious car checks, suspension probs one, check the strut braces these can crack near the strut tops, creaking at the back can mean worn anti roll bar bushes but theres nothing really that is renowned for going wrong. Their pretty bullet proof, service intervals are very important as long as the history is good I would say go for it. Get one with the best pos spec obviously lol!

Have a quick shifty at brake pads you can see the depth if you turn the wheel to its furthest point and get down close, and obviously the discs these can have lips and a full replacement is expensive. Obviously tyres make sure they have good tread because again another extra you don't want to pay for, and they are suitable for the vehicle. Just obvious stuff.

Servicing if it is low milage see when the next service is, low milage and long periods between services can be worse than higher milage cars that have have had more attention. Especially if there isn't much warranty because if it needs some parts. Also Check when the Inspection 1 or 2 is due depending on milage. Mine had 46k when I bought it and was due at around 52k I think but because it is lower than average milage and costs £800+ and the service interval was quite large I got them to do the service simply because I didn't want to pay for it a few months down the line and they could fix unnoticed problems before pick up.

Check the alloys for erosion mine had a lot of pitting so had them refurb them before pick up too.

My only advice is get one with a warranty because these cars aren't getting any younger and other things crop up, usually not mechanically.

Mine has already had around £1500 worth of warranty work done only had it 6 months. It may take a while to iron out the creases. New ECU, new drivers window motor, new front left calliper, also had lots of reprogramming etc because of elec problems, keys have been pretty poor too all done under warranty but is perfect now no problems at all touch wood. Mine is a 56 plate and has just turned over 50K but I managed to wangle a 2 year warranty which is why I bought it, otherwise I probably wouldn't and would have kept looking. Feels like new to drive tho so I'm very happy :)

Simple stuff really! Hope this helps and hope the car is a belter. Only problem is you will end up buying one in the next few months if you test drive one. When I test drove the Z4Mc the 3.0SI just wouldn't do. The noise, drama, power, engine and all the typical M stuff is an awesome experience!

Life is too short enjoy mate!!
 
tomscott said:
Well played Paza!!

First service interval 1200 miles which is the most important walk away otherwise.

Obvious car checks, suspension probs one, check the strut braces these can crack near the strut tops, creaking at the back can mean worn anti roll bar bushes but theres nothing really that is renowned for going wrong. Their pretty bullet proof, service intervals are very important as long as the history is good I would say go for it. Get one with the best pos spec obviously lol!

Have a quick shifty at brake pads you can see the depth if you turn the wheel to its furthest point and get down close, and obviously the discs these can have lips and a full replacement is expensive. Obviously tyres make sure they have good tread because again another extra you don't want to pay for, and they are suitable for the vehicle. Just obvious stuff.

Servicing if it is low milage see when the next service is, low milage and long periods between services can be worse than higher milage cars that have have had more attention. Especially if there isn't much warranty because if it needs some parts. Also Check when the Inspection 1 or 2 is due depending on milage. Mine had 46k when I bought it and was due at around 52k I think but because it is lower than average milage and costs £800+ and the service interval was quite large I got them to do the service simply because I didn't want to pay for it a few months down the line and they could fix unnoticed problems before pick up.

Check the alloys for erosion mine had a lot of pitting so had them refurb them before pick up too.

My only advice is get one with a warranty because these cars aren't getting any younger and other things crop up, usually not mechanically.

Mine has already had around £1500 worth of warranty work done. New ECU, new drivers window motor, new front left calliper, also had lots of reprogramming etc because of elec problems, keys have been pretty poor too all done under warranty. Mine is a 56 plate and has just turned over 50K but I managed to wangle a 2 year warranty which is why I bought it, otherwise I probably wouldn't and would have kept looking.

Simple stuff really! Hope this helps and the car is a belter. Only problem is you will end up buying one in the next few months if you test drive one. When I test drove it the 3.0SI just wouldn't do. The noise the drama the engine and all the typical M stuff is an awesome experience!

Life is too short enjoy mate!!
Click to expand...

Ideal Tom thats great ....

If all goes to plan I will be buying it Tomz, well put depsoit down and collect on the weekend or something not urgent I collect this weekend still have my coupe. Gives me time to do some home work on history get Bmw to look over it , options to extend the warrenty etc make sure shes a cracker not a smashed bag of craps.
 
Ye make sure it is a cracker at least if you buy it from BMW you get some piece of mind instead of an empty wallet if something does go wrong.

Was ideal in my situ because if I had bought it private and something went wrong the cost of repair would simply ruin the experience. Warranty has been a lifesaver so far, or it would have been stuck in the garage for a while. Although private you will save probs 1500-2000.
 
regarding the warranty, if you can save £2k upfront, and on higher mileage cars i think these warranties can be upwards of £60 a month - over a 3 year period of ownership that's c£4k of definite cost.

if it is an older car with >60k miles, i would elect to have it inspected prior to purchase, stick your upfront saving in a bank account, put your warranty cost in there each month and get it serviced at a reputable indie. easier said than done i suppose...

they make cash on the warranties, so unless you buy a dog i don't see how you can make from it. everyone i know who has one invarably lists a load of things that didn't really need doing as proof it 'paid' for itself.

a lot depends on what you're using the car for, how much the warranty costs and what your own financial situation is, not everyone has a war chest floating around. I think if it is <60k miles and you pay monthly for the warranty, you don't get stung when the mileage creeps up.
 
Mmmm good advice its on 55k so boarder line I know it come with a standard parts and labour warrenty 6 mnths need to check. I think I just up my car savings pot by another 60 pounds a month ....
 
It depends I payed a premium of £1500 extra on my car buying from BMW vs private sale.

But I also got Inspection II for free
Set of pads all round and front discs free
brand new Pilot sports
Full alloy refurb
2 year BMW warranty which is worth the earth imo
I also negotiated a reduction in price of the car by £1000 because it was over priced

So warranty worth £1200, Inspec II £800+, set of pilots £1000, pads and discs £500+, alloy refurb £250, reduced price by £1000

£3750... Def worth it IMHO.

I no BMW will absorb these costs and it wouldn't cost them as much to do this but as a customer these are number which I would have had to fork out on top of the car if I had bought it private to get it to my standards.

All due to BMW making sure its what the customer wants before pick up and tbh I wasn't an easy customer to please and took about 2 weeks of negotiation to get what I wanted.

Also over £1500 of warranty work already done within the first 6 months to get the car how it should have been when I bought it or to my standards.

£650 sounds about rite. So really it will cost you £1300 over the same 2 years as me so my car didnt cost any more than a private car and it is now problem feee. But BMW will only give you a warranty if all the maintenance has been carried out by them, even MOTs that haven't been done by BMW can be a reason for them to say no on the warranty side. This happened to my uncle so had to go with a third party warranty firm.

Not scare mongering im just explaining my situation at the time of buying.
 
tomscott said:
It depends I payed a premium of £1500 extra on my car buying from BMW vs private sale.

But I also got Inspection II for free
Set of pads all round and front discs free
brand new Pilot sports
Full alloy refurb
2 year BMW warranty which is worth the earth imo
I also negotiated a reduction in price of the car by £1000 because it was over priced

So warranty worth £1200, Inspec II £800+, set of pilots £1000, pads and discs £500+, alloy refurb £250, reduced price by £1000

£3750... Def worth it IMHO.

I no BMW will absorb these costs and it wouldn't cost them as much to do this but as a customer these are number which I would have had to fork out on top of the car if I had bought it private to get it to my standards.

All due to BMW making sure its what the customer wants before pick up and tbh I wasn't an easy customer to please and took about 2 weeks of negotiation to get what I wanted.

Also over £1500 of warranty work already done within the first 6 months to get the car how it should have been when I bought it or to my standards.

£650 sounds about rite. So really it will cost you £1300 over the same 2 years as me so my car didnt cost any more than a private car and it is now problem feee. But BMW will only give you a warranty if all the maintenance has been carried out by them, even MOTs that haven't been done by BMW can be a reason for them to say no on the warranty side. This happened to my uncle so had to go with a third party warranty firm.

Not scare mongering im just explaining my situation at the time of buying.
Click to expand...

Cheers dude , am spending next few hours doing a "buyers M car checklist" from all the info i have found/recieved... :sos:
 
there's 4 cars AUC, the premium to me appears to be nearer £4-5k. the only reason for the warranty is if you've w@nked all your cash on the initial purchase, and the day to day running costs take up all your disposable income.

nothing's free!

just my opinion... :)
 
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