What to look for when buying an E85

P

Pstearns

Member
Hello - brand new to this forum. Thank you for having me on board.

I am looking at a 2006 3.0si with 93000 miles on it. It is beautiful and appears to be in great shape and garaged most all the time.

I am looking for areas of concern to look at prior to purchasing.

1) I already noticed the small oil seepage from the valve cover casing which I understand is common.
2) Already has new rear springs and rear brakes.
3) Roof works perfectly.
4) After the car sat unused for three weeks, I started it and heard some slight ticking - unclear if that is an injector or a lifter. I will know more Monday.
5) I am driving it next week to a BMW dealer for a visual inspection. I am looking for brake line, fuel line, and exhaust condition as well as checking the drain plugs for the roof, and finally front brake and complete suspension condition.

Anything else "obvious" I should check or do you know of "known/common" issues I should inspect?

Thank you all - Phil
 
The n52 engine is well documented for having ‘ticky” lifters especially from cold. A couple of minutes driving around 2500rpm should circulate the oil enough to quieten is down. Not something I would be concerned about. Rocker cover leak is also common as you mention and a relatively easy fix.

Rust is most common on the front and rear wheel arches. Also around the roof base to the sides.

Check you have heat on the left vents. If not it’s likely a blocked heater matrix behind the dash. It’s the worst job on the Z4 as the whole dash has to come out :(

Damp under the carpets signals a water leak probably from the door membrane being compromised. Long term risk will be to electronics under there like yaw sensors.

Other than that roof motor relocation into the boot is common but not essential.

Everything’s fixable, the 3.0si is a belter of a car. Hope it’s a good one :)
p.s pics are essential if you get it. Welcome to the forum 👍🏻
 
Thank you Street. Good insight. I've owned several BMW motorcycles, but this is my first car. Diving in with a fun one.
 
IMG_2865.jpegIf you are going to get in the air on a ramp check the heat shields as they rot and then rattle

They are expensive from BMW

But I have repaired mine easy enoughIMG_2864.jpegIMG_2825.jpegIMG_2824.jpeg
 
Also the front corner under tray splash guards most cars will have broken ones but it is something to look at

Again expensive from BMW
 
Be aware that the 3.0l si requires a new set of cover bolts when fitting a new gasket to as they are alloy single use type.
Best to get the parts from BMW for this job,
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=BU52-EUR-06-2006-E85-BMW-Z4_30si&diagId=11_3737

Other gaskets on this engine that can fail are the engine oil filter to engine block, there are a pair of gaskets on the 3.0lsi, with repeated heat cycles they go hard and brittle just like the cam cover gaskets, any signs of a leak down that side of the engine would be down to those gaskets failing.
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=BU52-EUR-06-2006-E85-BMW-Z4_30si&diagId=11_3753
 
Check the shock absorbers all around, if they’re original they’ll be shot at 93k even if they look ok. Not expensive from a parts cost perspective , if bought from the right place, and will transform the ride when replaced.
 
Maybe worth checking out the oil pan / sump as well if it's made out of pressed steel. I think my car was a bit of a garage queen for much of it's life before I bought it and was stored in less than ideal conditions when the sun wasn't shining.
Back in 2020 a new sump cost me £382.50 ex VAT and I think the part number was BMW part No. B11.13.7.553.164
That was three years ago but I believe these items are pretty much impossible to get hold of now from what I see on line.
Robert.
 
Hello everyone.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I checked every single point and many others before I purchased the car. These cars are amazing and I should have done this years ago. It would appear I purchased a very well taken care of and garaged car as it shows well on top inside and underneath. I will post pictures in a week or so as after driving it 150 miles from the BMW dealership where I did my pre-purchase inspection to my home, the dreaded electric water pump failed and I had an overheating situation. It would appear as you know that this is fairly typical. First water pump at 93,000 miles and 17 years. Probably not a bad average.

Thank you all.
 
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