My Z4 3.0 2003 is falling apart

A

alhattab

Member
I have bought a 2003 Z4 3.0 last month with power top not working and few lights on dashboard " Airbag, ABS, DTS, Brakes" milage 130K. it was a very cheap deal and I had my eye on it for a while, so I decided to take it and spend the difference in price fixing it. NOW i'm totally lost and disparately need help from you owners....

I have fixed the power top, cost : almost $2000
then ABS sensor behind the tyre, cost: $200 ----- it was responsible for the ABS, DTS, lights
changed brake pads with their sensors because previous owner killed the sensors too -.-, cost : $ 180
xenon light right with controller and right mirror changed , cost : $600

------ still to be fixed -----
AC stopped working suddenly , they said they need to change the compressor and condenser and some valve , cost: $1000
wiper motor , cost : $30
then i found that the gearbox is leaking oil - very little - some rubbers need to be changed, estimated cost : $300
today i took it for a little ride and my steering stopped working, dashboard light is on and it is very very hard to move .. cost : unknown

I NEED you advice ... shall i fix what is left and you think that this will be all of it --from your experience nothing else is likely to fall apart--- or should i sell right now and let go ???? please HELP
 
Before you panic about the power steering this happened to me. Went over a bump and total loss of power steering. I had lights on the dash and the sport button didn't work.

Get under the dash on the drivers side. You need to take the trim off that goes around the pedals and is screwed with 3 screws to the plastic dash lower dash.

Next crawl in and you should see a thick red and thick brown wire going up to the steering motor. Make sure this is connected well and not loose.

Mine was the smallest bit loose if you just looked it seemed ok but a little poke and it clicked on and that solved the issue for me
 
Is this 130km? Which implies 80k miles, not excessive for a Zed.

People often sell cars to let others have their woes... admittedly with the air con not working not ideal, but it's a roadster so I ask could you live without it - the only time I really use my climate control is during the winter months, otherwise it's intermittently when it's raining.

The thing that pi$$ed me off about my Zed was I had to spend money on the suspension when I bought it. I thought BMW's were all about driving machines & wasn't expecting the lollypops/tie rod ends/drop links/arb bushes were weak points &o seriously needed attention... but at 60k they did.

I can only suggest you get it professionally inspected (yup another cost) but at least then will give you an informed decision about whether you continue
 
I think the OP is in the UAE so air-con would be essential right now!

Personally I'd keep it. The money you've spent is sunk capital, you won't get it back if you sell it and you're well on the way to getting it sorted. Perhaps make sure it has a good service too so that you can start to get ahead of the game and spend money on preventative maintenance rather than reactive maintenance.
 
+1 ....what he said. Anyway, the amount you have paid to fix some of these things ... like the DSC sensor -- seems very reasonable ... consider yourself lucky it was not the board.
 
Id finish the job and enjoy the car over time- the money you have sunk is already lost. Fix the jobs that are urgent leave those that can wait.
 
There are always 2 ways to buy a car - buy cheap and fix up, or pay top money and have no worries. You can't have it both ways unfortunately.
 
I personally think you're mad for paying what you have to fix certain things. Like the roof, £200 and then fit it yourself, instead of 10x that.

You've made a bit of a rod for your own back if I'm honest, it's only worth buying a "fixer upper" if you can fix it up yourself!
 
edd_jedi said:
There are always 2 ways to buy a car - buy cheap and fix up, or pay top money and have no worries. You can't have it both ways unfortunately.
Click to expand...

+1

On most things (not just cars) I subscribe to the old phrase "You buy cheap, you buy twice."

edit: I found this out the hard way with my old E46 - got it for what I thought was an absolute steal (£1k) - 6 months later it basically fell apart, stopped running and I've just got £150 for it scrap.

It did, however, speed up my Zed buying process, so every cloud and that...

Hope you get the car sorted.
 
domsz4 said:
Before you panic about the power steering this happened to me. Went over a bump and total loss of power steering. I had lights on the dash and the sport button didn't work.

Get under the dash on the drivers side. You need to take the trim off that goes around the pedals and is screwed with 3 screws to the plastic dash lower dash.

Next crawl in and you should see a thick red and thick brown wire going up to the steering motor. Make sure this is connected well and not loose.

Mine was the smallest bit loose if you just looked it seemed ok but a little poke and it clicked on and that solved the issue for me
Click to expand...

+1


Thanks, i will check it over the weekend
 
original guvnor said:
I think the OP is in the UAE so air-con would be essential right now!

Personally I'd keep it. The money you've spent is sunk capital, you won't get it back if you sell it and you're well on the way to getting it sorted. Perhaps make sure it has a good service too so that you can start to get ahead of the game and spend money on preventative maintenance rather than reactive maintenance.
Click to expand...


Exactly! Temperature here is above 30C almost all year long, except for few months. AC is probably the most essential part for me :fuelfire:

I guess you are right. It's better to keep and fix rather than selling it.

Thanksss
 
RJS-Z4 said:
I personally think you're mad for paying what you have to fix certain things. Like the roof, £200 and then fit it yourself, instead of 10x that.

You've made a bit of a rod for your own back if I'm honest, it's only worth buying a "fixer upper" if you can fix it up yourself!
Click to expand...


I have fixed most of things myself. The roof whole hydraulic system was corrupt, the pump and the two hydraulic hinges which is very expensive parts i only paid few for the guy who helped me take it of and on.

Most of the other stuff seems reasonable , but im worried that every few days i get something new like the air con and power steering!! I'm afraid that things will keep arising like suspension ppl are talking about all over the forum and other stuff too.

The parts prices are more expensive than any other bmw and very hard to find here. Couldn'd find any Z4 in scarab :thumbsdown: and stealer don't have them in their stores and must order on 15 days delivery .
 
domsz4 said:
Before you panic about the power steering this happened to me. Went over a bump and total loss of power steering. I had lights on the dash and the sport button didn't work.

Get under the dash on the drivers side. You need to take the trim off that goes around the pedals and is screwed with 3 screws to the plastic dash lower dash.

Next crawl in and you should see a thick red and thick brown wire going up to the steering motor. Make sure this is connected well and not loose.

Mine was the smallest bit loose if you just looked it seemed ok but a little poke and it clicked on and that solved the issue for me
Click to expand...


heyy... i have done what you said ... apparently i didn't recognise the cables you talked about. i took some photos one beneath the steering wheel and one deeper towards the pedals. i tried to push all the wires in there to their ends, but it seems i didn't do the right job coz the steering is now worse. could you point them out please... thanks

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