What's it worth?

[Jeverson28]

Hi all!

I was wondering if you had any idea how much a 2003 manual 3.0i with a suspected blown head gasket might be worth? It has about 112k miles on it. I loved this car it's such a shame this happened to it

Spec:
Maldives blue
SE steering wheel and seats.
Sat nav
Aux in
I believe the stereo isn't the top end one but is above the standard spec. Not 100% sure on this one
Wind deflector, roll hoop inserts and boot brackets (might sell this separately)
Genuine ZHP 6-speed knob (might sell this separately)
Auto xenon lights and wipers
Retrofit cup holders
Retrofit cruise control
Bilstein B4 + Eibach springs all round. Less than a year old
Front lollipops replaced a year ago, along with rear lower control arm outer bushes
107 style wheels (need a refurb) with brand new Michelin PS4 on the rear (less than 100 miles on them ). Fronts are Goodyear Asymmetric 5s with a good amount of tread left. All tyres non-runflats
Some bubbling driver's side front wheel arch
Paintwork otherwise in reasonable enough condition considering the age and mileage. Could do with some love!

I'm finding it pretty difficult to price due to the engine issues, any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[MKZ4000]

Its probably worth more in parts. I'd say around £1500 if the HG has definitely gone.

Has the HG definitely gone? Is the car overheating? have you done a sniffer test? Is there a lot of white smoke out of the exhaust? Are you losing coolant?

HG failures are quite rare.

 

[MKZ4000]

You've got some good parts on there. Xenon's, 107's Tyres, Bilsten B4's. Id make sure the HG is gone before selling it too cheap

 

[MKZ4000]

If the HG is ok, I reckon you could ask for £4-4.5K

 

[Jeverson28]

The local garage seems to think it's gone yeah. It appears to overheat and then suddenly drop back to "normal" temperature. I've got the "mayo" under the oil cap, white smoke on idle. Also no heating which is strange. Apparently the garage couldn't get the coolant moving around the engine, which might explain why I wasn't seeing the coolant drop. I must admit I'm not the most knowledgeable on this kind of thing so any advice would be appreciated too.

 

[roblightbody]

What would a good independent (BMW specialist) garage charge to fix this? Someone must have had the same thing done.

 

[Jeverson28]

If it is the head gasket I was told a couple thousand to fit a new one, or about the same for an engine swap. My local garage refuses to touch that work unfortunately! Maybe a BMW specialist might?

 

[Umfaan]

What about a new engine transplant ...you can pick up an engine relatively cheap.

 

[Mr Tidy]

The "mayo" is sometimes just a result of limited use and only driving short trips.

I've only suffered 2 blown head-gaskets but both times the temperature didn't return to normal it just kept going up, and it was steam coming out of the exhaust not smoke.

But I'm no expert! Personally I'd get a diagnosis from a BMW Specialist.

 

[Jeverson28]

The "mayo" is sometimes just a result of limited use and only driving short trips.

I've only suffered 2 blown head-gaskets but both times the temperature didn't return to normal it just kept going up, and it was steam coming out of the exhaust not smoke.

But I'm no expert! Personally I'd get a diagnosis from a BMW Specialist.

This has given me some hope! The reason the car was in the garage was because one of the radiator hoses unattached itself causing a coolant leak and the guy said it was because there was loads of pressure which forced it open. Anyone know why that would happen? A friend suggested it could be a faulty water pump?

 

[skelters]

Trade it in?

We buy any car?

Spares or repair?

eBay?

 

[Mr Tidy]

Overheating followed by a drop to normal might be a sticking thermostat. A lack of heating and water circulation sounds like a water pump problem.

From what I've read M54 engines aren't known for having head gasket failures - fingers crossed!

 

[PAKZED]

The "mayo" is sometimes just a result of limited use and only driving short trips.

I've only suffered 2 blown head-gaskets but both times the temperature didn't return to normal it just kept going up, and it was steam coming out of the exhaust not smoke.

But I'm no expert! Personally I'd get a diagnosis from a BMW Specialist.

This has given me some hope! The reason the car was in the garage was because one of the radiator hoses unattached itself causing a coolant leak and the guy said it was because there was loads of pressure which forced it open. Anyone know why that would happen? A friend suggested it could be a faulty water pump?

If it's had a coolant leak has the cooling system been bled properly/fully when topped up??

 

[Jeverson28]

The "mayo" is sometimes just a result of limited use and only driving short trips.

I've only suffered 2 blown head-gaskets but both times the temperature didn't return to normal it just kept going up, and it was steam coming out of the exhaust not smoke.

But I'm no expert! Personally I'd get a diagnosis from a BMW Specialist.

This has given me some hope! The reason the car was in the garage was because one of the radiator hoses unattached itself causing a coolant leak and the guy said it was because there was loads of pressure which forced it open. Anyone know why that would happen? A friend suggested it could be a faulty water pump?

If it's had a coolant leak has the cooling system been bled properly/fully when topped up??

The garage said he put some more in but because the water wasn't moving around the engine properly he couldn't bleed it properly

 

[PAKZED]

This has given me some hope! The reason the car was in the garage was because one of the radiator hoses unattached itself causing a coolant leak and the guy said it was because there was loads of pressure which forced it open. Anyone know why that would happen? A friend suggested it could be a faulty water pump?

If it's had a coolant leak has the cooling system been bled properly/fully when topped up??

The garage said he put some more in but because the water wasn't moving around the engine properly he couldn't bleed it properly

Water pumps need changing around 80,000.

 

[Jeverson28]

If it's had a coolant leak has the cooling system been bled properly/fully when topped up??

The garage said he put some more in but because the water wasn't moving around the engine properly he couldn't bleed it properly

Water pumps need changing around 80,000.

I think I'll replace both the water pump and the thermostat and see if that fixes the issues. It would be nice if it wasn't the head gasket! Since I've got the E89 now at least the car can live on with someone else then

 

[PAKZED]

The garage said he put some more in but because the water wasn't moving around the engine properly he couldn't bleed it properly

Water pumps need changing around 80,000.

I think I'll replace both the water pump and the thermostat and see if that fixes the issues. It would be nice if it wasn't the head gasket! Since I've got the E89 now at least the car can live on with someone else then

Yep, not cheap tho'.

 

[Argyll Andy]

If it's had a coolant leak has the cooling system been bled properly/fully when topped up??

The garage said he put some more in but because the water wasn't moving around the engine properly he couldn't bleed it properly

Water pumps need changing around 80,000.

It’s been a while since I’ve had a HG replaced but £2k seems VERY expensive if it’s just a gasket change with no other repair imo

EDIT: removal of possible pish information

 

[bigwinn]

The garage said he put some more in but because the water wasn't moving around the engine properly he couldn't bleed it properly

Water pumps need changing around 80,000.

If it’s the water pump it’ll be throwing up error codes, [ref]Jeverson28[/ref], have you had the car scanned yet? If not suggest that as your starting point.

Thread here showing error codes expected if water pump

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=133163

It’s been a while since I’ve had a HG replaced but £2k seems VERY expensive if it’s just a gasket change with no other repair imo

Think its an M54 manual pump Andy- will that still throw codes?

 

[Argyll Andy]

Water pumps need changing around 80,000.

If it’s the water pump it’ll be throwing up error codes, [ref]Jeverson28[/ref], have you had the car scanned yet? If not suggest that as your starting point.

Thread here showing error codes expected if water pump

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=133163

It’s been a while since I’ve had a HG replaced but £2k seems VERY expensive if it’s just a gasket change with no other repair imo

Think its an M54 manual pump Andy- will that still throw codes?

That’s what I get for not paying attention no fecking idea so I’ll change my original post :lol: