New Z4 buyer - Inspection = Notchy gearbox & white smoke on cold start

M

mrlightyear

Member
Hi, im hoping to officially join the club and get e86 Z4C with 60k, RAC inspection came back with "gears notchy in operations" & "clutch noisy in operation" - rac man thinks the clutch noise is the clutch release bearing but said the notchy gears need further investigation...

He also came back with "Cold engine starting = white smoke". but coolant pressure test was good, needs further investigation.

any feedback would be much appreciated, obviously was hoping he would came back with a clean bill of health.

worst case how much is a new gearbox?

cheers
 
Gears notchy is a feature of the gearbox not a problem! :lol: Have you driven it, see what you think? I'd say that's highly likely normal, it's a well known BMW trait but an oil change might help it slightly, won't get rid of it though.

Clutch noisy, also normal if it goes away when you press the pedal in, will be the release bearing.

White smoke (or probably more likely a 'steam') is probably condensation, has it been sat for a while? As long as it cleared a few minutes after start up I wouldn't worry, and of course checking it wasn't coming from the back while accelerating once warm.

If that was all of the issues I wouldn't be worried in the slightest :thumbsup: Don't think I've ever heard of a gearbox change needed in a Z4, especially not at 60k miles. Sure it's happened but extremely rare. In any case something would have to have gone very wrong to need a whole new gearbox.
 
Notchy gearbox comes as a standard option. First few miles can be awkward , especially 1st and 2nd. I have done oil changes and is better and worth doing, but its not night and day difference. Using the engine revs a bit more helps, but obviously when not cold.
Clutch noises is usually the DMF , so pressing the pedal silences slightly , so no panic, unless you get 'lots' of noise and shuddering, then its a lumpy job.
As said above ref white steam.
RAC inspections arent worth much TBH. They need to find something, but not being the usual fodder they inspect have no ideas on the usual things to look out for, like handbrake operation and set up, brake pipes and specific bushes to keep an eye on.
In fact, mate had a garage and if a customer broke down, he would say just get recovered to here, dont let the recovery guy open the bonnet !! The issues he has seen of blown engines etc where owners have been told all is fine and then disaster struck.
I had an AA inspection done on a TVR a guy was buying. Said there was a pipe clip rusty on the radiator. They cut it off and then the coolant dropped out. Left me with the car as couldnt bleed it out. Bloke was driving it 200 miles home. Took me an evening and 6 ltres of coolant to resolve. They only needed to put a new clip next to the old one, cut the old one off and then fit another new one where the old one was. :roll:
 
I think it's all been covered now!

All I would add is that when I had the fluid in the gearbox of my 2nd Coupe replaced I also got the Clutch Delay Valve removed which improves the shift quality, particularly between 1st and 2nd.

Here's a thread on that topic:- https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=131349&p=1869839&hilit=cdv#p1869839

If the smoke/steam disappears once it's warm I wouldn't be put off.
 
Gents thanks very much for you fast and confident inspiring reply’s, much appreciated! 👍

Yes I drove it twice plus about 6 other z4c, I did notice it a bit hence I drove it again later, I’m up in Scotland so went down to England for a few days to test a few and compare etc and drove it again on the way back up the road. I kinda thought I was just not depressing the clutch fully on the first drive, moved the seat a bit an felt better - long travel on the clutch the thou? But when the inspection came back and reported this it’s raised concerns. Think have a independent specialist have a look at it and go from there...as this white exhaust is also concern, even thou I’m sure (hoping) it’s just water in the exhaust been sat outside not driven at the dealer.

Thanks again!!
 
Hi OP - I think we spoke on the phone, I test drove the one you're talking about down in Dorset. I must admit I didn't notice anything strange or noisy about the clutch operation when i drove the car, it felt fine to me. The white smoke is definitely a non-issue, I took it for a good long test drive, and on the return I left it idling for a good long while to check for any leaks underneath - there were no leaks and no more 'smoke' - as said above this was just steam from the system warming up. The oil filler cap was completely clear as well so no gasket concerns.

I'm sure this is just the RAC man being cautious and covering his back - like the survey on a house. My car on 52k has the same gearbox 'feature' and the clutch feels similar - it's just how they drive.
 
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