New here

[Norton750]

Hi All
Looking at getting Z4
Looking forward to learning and getting great advice
Riding the bikes less now but still want the wind in my hair lols
Just wondered best years for non turbo 3 litre
Are the automatics reliable?
TIA

 

[Mr Tidy]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

All of the non-turbo 3 litres seem to be pretty bullet-proof, both the M54 engines from 2003 to 2005 and the N52s from 2006 to 2011 although the N52 makes a bit more power and revs higher. It's only ancillaries that tend to die over time, like alternators, starter motors, radiators, coolant expansion tanks, water pumps, etc.

But I don't know about the Auto boxes - hopefully someone will!

 

[B21]

The ZF6HP fitted to later 3.0 NA is very reliable

 

[buzyg]

Welcome aboard. Has to be a manual. It's a sports car. That extra involvement is so important.

 

[Zedebee]

Recently there have been a few posts about problems with the gear selector switch, which is exposed to the elements, although I haven’t experienced this. The auto boxes themselves present very few problems. They are supposed to be sealed for life, but are coming up to the age now where the benefits of a fluid change outweigh the (slight) risk.

 

[Norton750]

Thanks for all the great advice
Do the sat nav in 2009-2011 models work by the old card system?

 

[Zed Baron]

Thanks for all the great advice
Do the sat nav in 2009-2011 models work by the old card system?

The sat nav updates on the E89's are downloadable and then you put the files on a usb stick and place it in a port in the glove box and then follow the instructions. They have a built in hard drive.

 

[Norton750]

Can you get a modern sat nav fitted?

 

[ARCS]

Plenty people on here (me included)have fitted mmi boxes that gives them carplay/android auto, etc. Brings the whole system up to date. Simple plug & play. Welcome to the forum

 

[Norton750]

Thanks
Any recommendations?

 

[B21]

So if you’re E89 is an early one..2009 ish then you can’t update the maps via usb…all later ones can be..

The most effective way of updating an idrive system is to add a MMI box which will then present car play or android auto on the existing screen….imho there’s no point throwing the old screen away if it is there and works..

Mr 12 Volt is the gold standard mmi box for the E89

Use the search function on Mr 12 Volt for copious write ups