Hi everyone, new here. I just purchased an '06 Z4 M Roadster (LHD) that I've been eyeing for some time, and I have to say that I'm thrilled. I've been looking for something to scratch my roadster itch for years now and eventually came to the conclusion that and E85 M was the way to go. It's a hell of an upgrade over my R52 MINI, though I still love it.
It's got a little over 100k miles but the engine and transmission seemed to be in great shape, and the cosmetics are flawless. It's clear it was owned with love. The only real present issue I can tell from the vehicle is in regards to the shifter. The knob is coming off and it clearly has a lot more play than it should. I'm thinking about replacing the shifter + shift cables entirely. In addition to the little play that it has, it has sort of an elastic twistiness to it that I found odd. My MINI and all other manuals I've driven as far as I can remember might have had a little play, but they didn't twist around in their sockets like this. It makes for a strange feeling driving it. I've verified that it's not the knob, as the bare metal lever does the same thing.
Is this just a result of really worn bushings, something else, or just a quirk of the Z4? Any help diagnosing this would be much appreciated. What do you think I should replace with regard to my shifter and its linkages?
The clutch also feels a bit odd, though not necessarily worn. I discovered in reading the FAQ here that it's probably the clutch delay valve muddying things up. Truly a bizarre decision from BMW to put that in there. I'll be removing it immediately.
The post is getting long, but I do have one more question. One of the previous owners seemed to have installed a USB interface for the radio by means of a Lightning cable coming out of the ashtray. It works for playing audio from my phone when I connect it, but the cable is terribly short and very worn, making it kind of a pain to use. Aside from that, the audio also just sounds worse through the USB interface. It almost sounds like it's just not using the subwoofer for whatever reason. It feels like listening to the radio at the same volume provides a subbass response that just isn't there with the USB interface. Anyone have any issues like that?
It's got a little over 100k miles but the engine and transmission seemed to be in great shape, and the cosmetics are flawless. It's clear it was owned with love. The only real present issue I can tell from the vehicle is in regards to the shifter. The knob is coming off and it clearly has a lot more play than it should. I'm thinking about replacing the shifter + shift cables entirely. In addition to the little play that it has, it has sort of an elastic twistiness to it that I found odd. My MINI and all other manuals I've driven as far as I can remember might have had a little play, but they didn't twist around in their sockets like this. It makes for a strange feeling driving it. I've verified that it's not the knob, as the bare metal lever does the same thing.
Is this just a result of really worn bushings, something else, or just a quirk of the Z4? Any help diagnosing this would be much appreciated. What do you think I should replace with regard to my shifter and its linkages?
The clutch also feels a bit odd, though not necessarily worn. I discovered in reading the FAQ here that it's probably the clutch delay valve muddying things up. Truly a bizarre decision from BMW to put that in there. I'll be removing it immediately.
The post is getting long, but I do have one more question. One of the previous owners seemed to have installed a USB interface for the radio by means of a Lightning cable coming out of the ashtray. It works for playing audio from my phone when I connect it, but the cable is terribly short and very worn, making it kind of a pain to use. Aside from that, the audio also just sounds worse through the USB interface. It almost sounds like it's just not using the subwoofer for whatever reason. It feels like listening to the radio at the same volume provides a subbass response that just isn't there with the USB interface. Anyone have any issues like that?
North West Surrey
Finland
An earlier thread covering similar grounds here: