Hello! Looking at a Z4 tomorrow.

[rich1068]

Hi all.

I've decided to treat myself a little and after initially looking at Z3s but not really finding anything suitable, I've decided a Z4 could be just the ticket. A friend had one and loved his so, you know...

I've read through a million posts here and elsewhere and watched many YT videos. Of varying quality. I'm off to see an '05 manual 2.2i SE tomorrow and on paper everything checks out. Price is good for a dealer, sub-60k mileage, very good MOT history, one owner from new and according to the seller, stacks of paperwork. I'd really appreciate a top 5 of things to look out for if someone could impart their wisdom?

The only thing that's giving me slight pause is that on close inspection of the pictures there looks to be paint bubbling on the O/S front wing. I only spotted it after agreeing to go and look. Any thoughts on this? I do know a very good body shop that I've used many times after cheap car purchases but I'd hate to think this is one of those where if it's got this far then the car's knackered. No mention of underside corrosion on any of the MOTs.



Many thanks in advance.

 

[bigwinn]

Front wings are fairly easy to replace (repair is unlikely with that level of rusting) but Titan silver can be difficult/challenging to find a perfect match

The rears are the ones to watch as they are harder to replace

 

[rich1068]

Thanks. I read about there being a bit of a moisture trap behind there but don't know how true that is. Unless it's poorly repaired accident damage?

The car is over 20 years old so I don't expect mint condition, just don't really want anything serious.

 

[Mr Tidy]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I think bigwin has covered your question about the wing. They do have a lip on them where the arch liner sits so if the liner wasn't located quite right I suppose it's possible there would be a build up of road dirt.

The only other common corrosion issue seems to be the rear brake pipes, especially just in front of the rear passenger side wheel. You probably won't be able to inspect them, but if it is had an MOT advisory for them they'll need replacing. My last two Z4s have both needed that.

Make sure the electric roof works properly. Where BMW put them they often end up sitting in a pool of water from the roof drains. There are a few people who specialise in relocating them into the boot out of harm's way for £200 or so.

Other than that it's only really checking what you would check for any older car, although thankfully the 6 cylinder engines are pretty bulletproof.

 

[rich1068]

Thank you.

Apart from the usual rear spring issues there is a mention of the rear brake lines in 2016 but nothing since.

And regarding the roof, I've seen this mentioned more than once. My mate with the Z4 had to take a trip to Zed Shed when he had his. But I've since spoken to the seller and there's an old bill for about £1k to get this sorted. Sounds like a dealer job to me

 

[enuff_zed]

Thank you.

Apart from the usual rear spring issues there is a mention of the rear brake lines in 2016 but nothing since.

And regarding the roof, I've seen this mentioned more than once. My mate with the Z4 had to take a trip to Zed Shed when he had his. But I've since spoken to the seller and there's an old bill for about £1k to get this sorted. Sounds like a dealer job to me

A dealer will remove the roof and fit a brand new motor back in the dark wet dungeon. Several of us can relocate the motor to the boot without all that rubbish, and also without using the ZedShed method of levering the casing until the cable ties snap and the whole lot crashes into the hall sensors. @Number5 is the roof king (Bristol), followed by @bigwinn (Lincoln), @Street (Newcastle) and me near Norwich. Apologies to any others I’ve forgotten.

 

[MikeyH]

Hello welcome to the forum from a fellow 2.2i owner. I bought mine from a forum member in Sheffield 4.5 years ago and still love it. That sound pulling in 2nd gear is amazing. Enjoy your new car and this amazing forum.

 

[paddy wright]

Welcome along- and particularly welcome to the exclusive 2.2 club

 

[rich1068]

Hello welcome to the forum from a fellow 2.2i owner. I bought mine from a forum member in Sheffield 4.5 years ago and still love it. That sound pulling in 2nd gear is amazing. Enjoy your new car and this amazing forum.

Welcome along- and particularly welcome to the exclusive 2.2 club

Sheffield/South Yorkshire/2.2i connections everywhere. Maybe we should start our own v.v.exclusive forum?

Assuming I buy it.

 

[rich1068]

Travel arrangements made. Meeting a mate in York and on from there in his E39. Seems appropriate.

 

[Micke]

Lovely e39! If you end up buying the Z4, don’t forget to post some pictures of it here

 

[bigwinn]

Once you’ve sent if you need an opinion share the details and we can have a look

 

[paddy wright]

Lovely e39. Hope you like the Z. Post pics!

 

[rich1068]

I bought it. Not putting myself through an hour on a train and then coming home empty handed. From York the E39 was lovely but the train to York was grim. Anyhoo, no real pictures yet apart from this one from the original ad...



...and this one when I got back



Everything works (ish) and it drove extremely well back from Redcar. A19, A1, M1, into Sheffield. It sounds absolutely glorious and the 170bhp or whatever it is seems more than adequate with the 5 speed manual. I haven't had a manual for quite some time (do like my autos) but I did spend about 30 years driving them so I'm sure that 1st to 2nd will get a little more refined!

Issues. The exterior driver's door handle seems a little reluctant to work on occasion and there's some god awful rattling from inside the driver's door panel. Related? Who knows? I'll investigate. And there's a knock from the N/S rear on bumps which I thought could be spring/suspension/exhaust related but it's not there when I drop the roof so probably not as serious as I originally thought. That's about it for now. Oh, and it's on run flats which do nothing for the ride. Lovely on a smooth stretch. Awful on anything else. Plus all the tyres are 9-10 years old.

Needs cruise too.

The history file is something else. There are reams and reams of paper for everything since 2005. To be honest it's a GDPR nightmare. But I'll be destroying that stuff. The PO spent thousands on this car and I'm not exaggerating. Not sure whether that's a good sign or not

One last pic. It still has the original dealer tax disc holder (and number plates) so this is going back in.

 

[rich1068]

I should say, this is a very basic E85. The previous owner clearly wasn't bothered about anything else other than the fancy staggered wheels. I admire him for that. There are literally no other options on the car. Suits me. No heated seats, no parking sensors, no auto-dimming/folding mirrors etc etc. All stuff that goes wrong on a German car of this age.

(I buy a lot of Japanese stuff. Don't judge me )

 

[Mr Tidy]

Welcome to Z4 ownership.

Removing the Clutch Delay Valve should improve the 1st to 2nd gearchange.

Door handles are often a bit reluctant to open the lock. This might help.

D

Post in thread 'Help & Advice needed Drivers door wont open'

Jul 6, 2020

Sorry to hear about the bereavement mate.

I've been battling with the locking mechanism not working in my Z4 which I got recently too. From what I can gather though your locking mechanism works (i.e the central locking will pop the pin on the inside so you should be able to open the door, but the handle itself is not working, correct?).
I've spent a lot of hours researching this and there's a few things I've found. Bearing in mind I am a new owner myself an in no way a Zed expert and most of what I've learned has come from this forum.
Anyways,

As mentioned, it might simply be grime...

• danrowlands27

Personally I'd be keeping all that historical paperwork as it suggests the previous owner was fastidious with upkeep, and would be helpful when you eventually come to sell.

Time for some new non-runflats by the sound of things!

Cruise can be retro-fitted but the control stalk is horribly expensive from BMW. There is a cheaper option here.

D

Post in thread 'Help & Advice needed Drivers door wont open'

Jul 6, 2020

Sorry to hear about the bereavement mate.

I've been battling with the locking mechanism not working in my Z4 which I got recently too. From what I can gather though your locking mechanism works (i.e the central locking will pop the pin on the inside so you should be able to open the door, but the handle itself is not working, correct?).
I've spent a lot of hours researching this and there's a few things I've found. Bearing in mind I am a new owner myself an in no way a Zed expert and most of what I've learned has come from this forum.
Anyways,

As mentioned, it might simply be grime...

• danrowlands27

 

[rich1068]

Welcome to Z4 ownership. ...

Great stuff. Thanks for the links.

I've seen the clutch delay valve mentioned. I'll look into that a little further.

I'm not dumping all the paperwork, just the personal stuff. For example, the car apparently has a Tracker fitted and in the paperwork I have the previous owner's name, address, joint account holder names, bank branch, account number, sort code etc. If I wasn't an honest man...

Run flats will be off as soon as funds allow

 

[MikeyH]

Yes, keep the paperwork, it shows the car’s life. Mine also had loads of paperwork and now it’s got more of mine. Must be something about Sheffield owners liking paperwork.

 

[rich1068]

Yes, keep the paperwork, it shows the car’s life. Mine also had loads of paperwork and now it’s got more of mine. Must be something about Sheffield owners liking paperwork.

My two favourite things about buying older cars. Apart from driving them obviously. One, diving into all the paperwork and getting everything in date order. Two, I think it's referred to as "carcheology". Going through every square inch of the interior and finding all the detritus from the last 20+ years. It's amazing what can be found.



This sort of stuff. Found in an LS400 a few years back