New z4

W

willt

Member
Hi all

I've recently purchased a 2004 z4 from a private dealer. The car is an automatic, has done 48,500 miles, comes with 12 months MOT, has a full service history and had BMW Inspection II carried out by BMW Holland Park in March this year. The car is in great condition aesthetically but, to avoid any unwanted surprises, I'm thinking about buying a warranty.

My question: what are the common problems in z4s, particularly of this age and mileage? I want to make sure that the warranty covers at the very least the most common recurring problems.

Look forward to hearing.

Thanks.
 
Convertible roof/soft top motor by a mile. They're a known and expensive fault to fix. Caused by blocked water drains in the car, water fills around the motor, corrodes it and it dies. Most warranties have clauses for water damage, be sure to check that and see if it covers the roof motor in this instance. Other than that, rear springs are known to snap, and I'm sure others on here will chip in with anything else.
 
Thanks, Maniac. The car is parked underground in central London 99% of the time (not driven to work even) so hopefully that might lessen the risk of blocked water drains/roof problems. Fingers crossed.
 
Welcome to the forum :thumbsup:

As Maniac says, the roof motors are probably the most expensive problem to fix, because a new one is £300+, and if you're not able to change it yourself then expect another £350 to get an independent to fix it. Changing it - and even checking it - requires removing the whole roof assembly. There is a great guide on here though, if you are mechanically inclined.

Just remember that your treatment of the car is almost irrelevant - depends where it has been kept for the last nine years, and whether the drains have been cleared before. Again, good guide on here to aid clearing them. I had an AA warranty on mine thrown in by the dealer I bought it from, so you can get warranties that cover it, but it only covered the first 3 months... And the motor failed 12 months into my ownership after being garaged for 60% of the time I'd had it. It is garaged all the time now, so hopefully it will never go wrong again.

The only other major thing to watch for is rear springs snapping - very common as the OEM ones are not great, but not an expensive fix. Again, if you can change them yourself then even cheaper.
 
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