New Z4 Coupe

C

CoupeJ

Member
Hi all,

I'm picking up my coupe at the weekend and I'll be putting pics up once I've got her. It's an Auto on 125k, seems to have been pampered most of its life in terms of servicing and repairs (prev owner spent almost 3k unnecessarily repairing the steering rack) and doesn't have the usual skeptical 'me and my mate Dave ddid everything for the last 8 years' , but specialists and main dealers and always on time.

I'd love some insight into what you'd be checking. My list outside of the usual pre purchase check and it's mine will be:

Disa Valve - have it off and see if it's already been uprated, or if its almost going to die

Vanos - Not sure how to check this is in good condition other than how it runs, but nothing to compare it against to know

Waterpump - I assume at this mileage it would have been done by now, but other than keeping an eye on temp I suppose it's a wait til it happens and stop it right away for a tow

She looks good for rust, had major jobs done like rad, springs, brake lines, no oil leaks, rear springs are good, no run flats and spanking new fully stripped down 108s. Wish I could've stuck around for a montego blue but it wasn't to be!

Look forward to your replies and excited to pick her up!
 
You seem to have covered most of it already.

Water pump life seems to be pretty random though! My first 3.0Si needed a new one at 60K miles, but my 2nd was on the original at 91K. My E91 325i had one die at 135K but it may not have been it's first!

Some E86s had rust issues on the tailgate so open it and check around the edges.

Then enjoy collection day. :thumbsup:
 
Hey Mr Tidy,

I have spent a few months waiting for the right one to come up, so fingers toes and everything else crossed she's not too expensive to keep running so I can treat her nicely to continued premium maintenance.

I've heard the tailgate is pretty poor so had a video sent of that and it seems in great condition, as does the rest in terms of rust. Apparently the southern cars don't see rust half as much as those on the coast or in Scotland.

I'll be checking my Vanos solenoids and DISA valve myself. Can't find anything on YouTube but assume there are some pretty good guides on here so will have a look around.

Seems to be a trend round here that people have owned about 3 or 4. I've already had 2 Fiat 20vt because they're addictive, and I feel I've fallen for another similar car!
 
Hello and welcome from another coupe owner ( Montego Blue ) :poke: You will get used to our sense of humour :) Just dont tell me you bought a Sepang Bronze :rofl:
 
Welcome to the world of Zed ownership. Every one of these Zeds have their pros and cons. Altho I own a 05 after owning for a few years and reading hundreds of posts on this forum I long for the day I can upgrade. But that seems to be the case with zeds once in your blood you always want more. Seems you have done your homework on prepurchase checks. I hope the car is all you expect it to be. Enjoy the ride!!!
 
I admit to having no real experience of this engine, but I have read several times that when the water pump lets go there's no warning and you have preciously little time to react before it all overheats.
If you have no evidence of it being done I think I'd be tempted to swap it now, just in case it's not convenient to immediately pull over.
 
Zedebee said:
1536Z4 said:
Just dont tell me you bought a Sepang Bronze
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Ahhh, no it's a black on black which was my 4th choice colour but first choice of seats. I wanted montego blue, either grey then black. White is beautiful but I've sworn to never own another white car, however black is no better for staying clean haha.

On the basis it wasn’t OP’s first choice, he may be willing to swap with you :wink:
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Maybe after a month. One thing I will say though is anyone recommend switching out the 108s with CSL reps? The 108s are spanking, but I've heard such bad things about corrosion I'm thinking of just having them sat in the garage whilst I drive around on some reps, maybe one to consider in a few months when the weather gets worse.
 
Personally I think 108s look crap on the coupe, there’s just too much space in the wheels; although they can look really good on some roadsters. Generally speaking, they also have to look good to look good, and when they are in bad condition they look awful.

There are a lot of CSL reps around. They seem to be the de facto alternative to 224s on M cars, even though the 224 is a lovely wheel. CSLs do look good though.
 
My second Coupe had a clean set of 108s when I bought it and I quite liked them, but after reading about corrosion, etc. I bought a set of 295 off an E89 and sold the 108s while they were still in good condition.

My MC came with CSL Reps but I see so many Z4s with them I went back to 224s to be different!

This thread may provide some inspiration:- https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=107556

Any E46 3 Series wheels are also an option as they have the same sizes and offsets as E85/6s.
 
Hi everyone,

Bit of a heartbreaking day really. Travelled best part of 7 hours by train to collect, saw her and she's gorgeous, sounds sweet as a nut, pulls well etc.

Driving home and the EML comes up with error P0012, told the seller and he's being decent and sorting the money out. Assuming it's a VANOS solenoid? Reckons it had one previously due to an EML so maybe a cheap one was thrown in?

Other than that, the drivers heated seat illuminates all 3 lights but no heat, any ideas?

And the oil service light just came up, but it was serviced quite literally two days ago with the invoice and stamp to back it up.

Anyone know their way around these in Hull or the local area? More than happy to come across for your experience to have a look and reward with many beer tokens!
 
CoupeJ said:
Anyone know their way around these in Hull or the local area?
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Probably worth starting a new post with the problem and area in the title as people will just see this as a new member post by the original title :thumbsup:
 
That's a shame OP. :(

But on the plus side it sounds like you have already been smitten by the E86 bug. :wink:

It sounds like the OBD didn't get reset to reflect the oil service, so that shouldn't be a biggie.

Hopefully someone local can help out with reading codes for you - at least you don't need the heated seats just now!
 
1536Z4 said:
CoupeJ said:
Anyone know their way around these in Hull or the local area?
Click to expand...

Probably worth starting a new post with the problem and area in the title as people will just see this as a new member post by the original title :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Hey, I've just started a new post as this makes perfect sense, I think my brain panicking didn't help haha. Thanks once again!
 
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