z30Norfolker
Member
Be warned - long story!
Not so long ago I found myself looking for a summer toy, and ultimately settled on a Z4. I had looked at an MX5, 350z and a string of Mercedes but the Z4 felt more sensible and less hairdresser. The car was advertised online for just one evening before I had parted with the cash, advertised as a non-runner, having not moved for 3 years, no MOT, and a failed steering motor. This low mileage, 3.0ltr, manual, with a working roof and M-Sport seats example, started first time from cold, with no odd noises, no smoke, no leaks. She also has a stack of history, which evidenced no expense had been spared for the majority of its life, with limited use via the current owner. Taking the car on face value, we keenly loaded on to the transporter and off she went to a local specialist for a recondition.
The specialist was given instruction to give the car a full check over, prep for and then fit the new steering motor, service and MOT, expecting to cost around £1000. In the back of my mind, I expected to need a braking system refresh, or an odd leak here or there that we would have to deal with... but it was much, much more than that... grab yourself a brew, and settle in for a story.
1. During the visual inspection, water was found in the passenger footwell, this rang alarm bells for us, considering it had a documented roof motor replacement in recent years and was working fine. A water test was carried out with no obvious signs as to where the leak was coming from, so out came the whole interior. With the interior out, we identified water ingress around the front wind shield, so this was removed. Upon inspection, it was evident that the rubber seal around the screen had a top to bottom cut in it, leaving the window poorly fitted and water was able to freely enter the car. The decision was made to replace the rubber seal and fit a new windscreen to guarantee the work. I am pleased to say this did stop the water ingress, but at great expense in time and labour.
2. In conjunction with issue 1, a diagnostics check identified a few issues, one of which was with the air bag system. The initial fear was that the entire airbag sensor system needed replacing at the cost of £1500 for BMW original parts. Thankfully, only one sensor needed replacing. On inspection, it was apparent that water had got into the passenger satellite sensor, raising a fault. This sensor has now been replaced and coded to the car, fixing the fault. I could not leave this alone.. surely the airbag warning light would have been present prior to purchase... so, the speedo cluster was inspected, and sure enough, the airbag light had been hidden.
3. The visual inspection highlighted two cracked alloys. Admittedly, this is my own fault for not checking the existing wheels correctly, at my own expense. Lesson learned as these had to be replaced. We have now fitted original Z4, used wheels, that I and the garage have inspected. The replacement wheels do look much better, so I am pleased with the result.
4. A culmination of the above has needed various other parts and ancillaries. Some essential and some my own doing to ensure the job was completed correctly. The essential minor works included the replacement of the Air Intake Manifold Boot Pipe, which had split, leading to the replacement of the DISA valve to an aluminum upgrade. I have also had to replace a DSC brake pressure sensor.
I shall refrain from including the cost of the car in the first instance and labour costs, as this makes makes me want to question the meaning of life. The following are headline costs which may give guidance to others in the future;
£360 - Transporter
£300 - Steering wheel motor repair
£288 - Front Windscreen replacement
£37.99 - Air Intake Manifold Boot Pipe
£40.89 - Aluminum DISA Valve Upgrade
£300.00 - Passenger Airbag Satellite Sensor
£600 - BMW Ellipsoid Alloys Wheels
£250 - Service
£40 - MOT
£40 - ABS DSC Brake Pressure Sensor
So, the question is, why take the risk and why commit a small fortune to a common car. Unfortunately, the car now owes me more than it is worth, which is often the way with our hobbies I suppose. I am comfortable in the fact that I have ensured the car has been commissioned to a very high standard, albeit at considerable expense. It is evident some issues with the car were hidden from me, and cost ££££s to correct. If the issues were known in the first instance, we would have spent less time chasing faults, saving money, time and stress. Honest sellers are becoming harder to find, please consider the consequences when hiding faults..
Should I have sold and cut my losses, should I even share my experience? This act would have lumbered someone else with these issues, continuing the cycle, which is not what I wanted and the car deserves better considering they are getting rarer and rarer. I have weighed up the costs and taken the opinion that cars cost money each and every year to run and maintain. In this instance, I have had all the costs in one hit, giving the appearance of a poor deal. This may be a way of finding the bright side of the situation, but I could have spent more money on the initial purchase and still have faults to fix.
In summary, the whole process has taken a month. Much time and money has gone in to the recommission, unexpectedly. I am pleased this car has been completed properly with no expense spared. The car has had a thorough go over, and is in fantastic condition despite all of the above. I fully expect forum members to question my motives, as I have personally done, and I hope this little insight can provide others with guidance. Those who have helped me to this point have my thanks. There is still more to do, such as a suspension refresh, sound system upgrade, but this is the fun stuff.
Was it worth it........ I dunno, I haven't driven it yet!!!!
Not so long ago I found myself looking for a summer toy, and ultimately settled on a Z4. I had looked at an MX5, 350z and a string of Mercedes but the Z4 felt more sensible and less hairdresser. The car was advertised online for just one evening before I had parted with the cash, advertised as a non-runner, having not moved for 3 years, no MOT, and a failed steering motor. This low mileage, 3.0ltr, manual, with a working roof and M-Sport seats example, started first time from cold, with no odd noises, no smoke, no leaks. She also has a stack of history, which evidenced no expense had been spared for the majority of its life, with limited use via the current owner. Taking the car on face value, we keenly loaded on to the transporter and off she went to a local specialist for a recondition.
The specialist was given instruction to give the car a full check over, prep for and then fit the new steering motor, service and MOT, expecting to cost around £1000. In the back of my mind, I expected to need a braking system refresh, or an odd leak here or there that we would have to deal with... but it was much, much more than that... grab yourself a brew, and settle in for a story.
1. During the visual inspection, water was found in the passenger footwell, this rang alarm bells for us, considering it had a documented roof motor replacement in recent years and was working fine. A water test was carried out with no obvious signs as to where the leak was coming from, so out came the whole interior. With the interior out, we identified water ingress around the front wind shield, so this was removed. Upon inspection, it was evident that the rubber seal around the screen had a top to bottom cut in it, leaving the window poorly fitted and water was able to freely enter the car. The decision was made to replace the rubber seal and fit a new windscreen to guarantee the work. I am pleased to say this did stop the water ingress, but at great expense in time and labour.
2. In conjunction with issue 1, a diagnostics check identified a few issues, one of which was with the air bag system. The initial fear was that the entire airbag sensor system needed replacing at the cost of £1500 for BMW original parts. Thankfully, only one sensor needed replacing. On inspection, it was apparent that water had got into the passenger satellite sensor, raising a fault. This sensor has now been replaced and coded to the car, fixing the fault. I could not leave this alone.. surely the airbag warning light would have been present prior to purchase... so, the speedo cluster was inspected, and sure enough, the airbag light had been hidden.
3. The visual inspection highlighted two cracked alloys. Admittedly, this is my own fault for not checking the existing wheels correctly, at my own expense. Lesson learned as these had to be replaced. We have now fitted original Z4, used wheels, that I and the garage have inspected. The replacement wheels do look much better, so I am pleased with the result.
4. A culmination of the above has needed various other parts and ancillaries. Some essential and some my own doing to ensure the job was completed correctly. The essential minor works included the replacement of the Air Intake Manifold Boot Pipe, which had split, leading to the replacement of the DISA valve to an aluminum upgrade. I have also had to replace a DSC brake pressure sensor.
I shall refrain from including the cost of the car in the first instance and labour costs, as this makes makes me want to question the meaning of life. The following are headline costs which may give guidance to others in the future;
£360 - Transporter
£300 - Steering wheel motor repair
£288 - Front Windscreen replacement
£37.99 - Air Intake Manifold Boot Pipe
£40.89 - Aluminum DISA Valve Upgrade
£300.00 - Passenger Airbag Satellite Sensor
£600 - BMW Ellipsoid Alloys Wheels
£250 - Service
£40 - MOT
£40 - ABS DSC Brake Pressure Sensor
So, the question is, why take the risk and why commit a small fortune to a common car. Unfortunately, the car now owes me more than it is worth, which is often the way with our hobbies I suppose. I am comfortable in the fact that I have ensured the car has been commissioned to a very high standard, albeit at considerable expense. It is evident some issues with the car were hidden from me, and cost ££££s to correct. If the issues were known in the first instance, we would have spent less time chasing faults, saving money, time and stress. Honest sellers are becoming harder to find, please consider the consequences when hiding faults..
Should I have sold and cut my losses, should I even share my experience? This act would have lumbered someone else with these issues, continuing the cycle, which is not what I wanted and the car deserves better considering they are getting rarer and rarer. I have weighed up the costs and taken the opinion that cars cost money each and every year to run and maintain. In this instance, I have had all the costs in one hit, giving the appearance of a poor deal. This may be a way of finding the bright side of the situation, but I could have spent more money on the initial purchase and still have faults to fix.
In summary, the whole process has taken a month. Much time and money has gone in to the recommission, unexpectedly. I am pleased this car has been completed properly with no expense spared. The car has had a thorough go over, and is in fantastic condition despite all of the above. I fully expect forum members to question my motives, as I have personally done, and I hope this little insight can provide others with guidance. Those who have helped me to this point have my thanks. There is still more to do, such as a suspension refresh, sound system upgrade, but this is the fun stuff.
Was it worth it........ I dunno, I haven't driven it yet!!!!
Finland
Scotland 🏴
North West Surrey
