Vanos Bolts - Inspection / change

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nick_z4

Member
 Brighton
Hi all, ive got a 2006, pre 2007 ZMR and have read about the older style bolts for the Vanos being changed on 2007 models - this worries me a little. The cars going in for a service in the next few weeks (oil and brake fluid) and i was wondering whether its worth paying to get the bolts inspected / replaced as a few hundred pounds could save the engine down later on. Mines done 56k miles.

What are your thoughts and has anyone done this before (Sorry if this topic has been done to death on here...) :fuelfire:
 
Where is it being serviced? Speak to Reddish Motorsport regarding any vanos related questions. What they don't know literally isn't worth knowing.
 
It would appear from 07/07 they started using new bolts. On that basis at least half if not more Z4 ///M's I would say are running the original ones.

It's one of those things only you can decide. If it were me I would be keeping a close ear on it, and doing something if I heard a change in the sound of the Vanos. If you are going to do it though you might as well do the seals as well.
 
Its going to Walkers Autotech in Sussex, ive heard good things about them. I'm going to get a price just out of curiosity - if its mega money then as you say i'll keep an ear for any different noises or vibrations / changes, though hopefully for a few hundred pounds i'm half tempted to just get it checked / done - i love the car, its manic sports character and i plan to keep it for a while. Plus whoever gets it next will also get some peace of mind from me getting this done.
 
nick_z4 said:
Its going to Walkers Autotech in Sussex, ive heard good things about them. I'm going to get a price just out of curiosity - if its mega money then as you say i'll keep an ear for any different noises or vibrations / changes, though hopefully for a few hundred pounds i'm half tempted to just get it checked / done - i love the car, its manic sports character and i plan to keep it for a while. Plus whoever gets it next will also get some peace of mind from me getting this done.
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That's where I took mine for it's Inspection 2 back in March. Be interesting to see what they say.
 
Its going in on the 16th September for the oils etc.

They've said we can have a chat about these bolts and see if they need checking and have said about £150 for a couple of hours of labour. To be fair, itsnt all that much for what it could save.
 
There's no point just checking the bolts, if you're going that far you may as well replace them, only about £8 for a new set of bolts from BM. The old bolts will work themselves loose eventually as they're not fit for purpose, hence why BM replaced them in 2007. If one works it's way all the way out you can wave goodbye to the engine unless you're very lucky. Also the oil pump disc tabs will need checking as they can break off as well, another potential engine grenade. If you've noticed a louder VANOS rattle than normal then deffo worth checking.

As said though, you should also do the Besian rebuild while your in there, if your going that far. The whole rebuild will cost you over £500 in labour alone though, PLUS I'm sure your indie is good, but you really want someone who's done it before and knows what they're doing with it rather than a 'yeah we can give it a go for you' type attitude as it's not a totally straightforward procedure.
 
I'm going to talk to Walkers to see what they recommend for preventative work; In the meantime i found this if its any interest:

http://totalmcars.com/thread/3153/vanos-lockdown-using-beisan-systems
 
nick_z4 said:
I'm going to talk to Walkers to see what they recommend for preventative work; In the meantime i found this if its any interest:

http://totalmcars.com/thread/3153/vanos-lockdown-using-beisan-systems
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What a good read that is. Think someone on here had a full Vanos overhaul done at Redish Motorsport
 
So a quick update; I went over to Walkers earlier for my oil and Brake fluid change. They 'tested' the Vanos, drove the car, listened for knocks and checked engine fault codes. All was well, they told me that my Vanos was quiet as a church mouse and that normally you get knocks before things go seriously wrong.

The upshot being - I wont be changing any of the bolts etc just for now. They also said it would be around the £500 mark plus parts if you wanted to do an overhaul.
 
Another thumbs up for Walkers Autotech. I won't go anywhere else. Reasonable prices, great knowledge and very honest! :thumbsup:
 
RickRob said:
Another thumbs up for Walkers Autotech. I won't go anywhere else. Reasonable prices, great knowledge and very honest! :thumbsup:
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:thumbsup: I'm very pleased with the service and advice i got! I will definitely use them as my go to for any work in the future.

There's also a nice little pub round the corner and i had lunch by an open fire while i waited :)
 
Walkers are absolutely superb, Andy Walker and his staff are very knowledgeable and helpful. If you pick the right day you can also go across the road to Jonathon Pratts Bellmans Auction house and spend even more money on a few antiques for the house!
 
as long as those bolts are snug they won't be causing an issue, but if you in an inspection for example why not change them?? cheap insurance id say , they back on some, some cars get bearing failures, some don't.... this is luck of the draw I'm afraid and as with any high performance motor, draw backs to all that performance from a 3.2l high revving motor.
 
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