What's the book value of a 150k mile Z4MC...

Been thinking about this fault and how the vanos may give the fault codes listed..

Theoretically the vanos could cause the valve to held open due to incorrect valve timing... It could cause huge valve overlap time, not fully closing the valve correctly on the combustion stroke..

But... The car would have low power and probably a lumpy idle too ( assuming the vanos had locked the timing fully one way)..
It would also have plenty of timing and vanos fault codes to back up the rich running codes..

Let me know how you go, and if possible how the tech has determined that the vanos is at fault..
I have heard of the vanos going faulty after a car has been stood for a while, but usually they are very reliable.. The drive breaking or the loose bolts fault they have wouldn't really twig the EML for rich running codes either..
 
Curiouser, and curiouser...

The owner took the car out for a drive yesterday after resetting everything (not sure how much they've done with the VANOS/timing yet), and said the engine felt/sounded fine - i.e. no flat spots, hesitation, lumpiness, etc. - just as I said it was, and just as it was when it was first test driven by them.

However, they just can't get the codes to stay off.

They thought it might be due to a duff remap, but mine's never had one in my ownership (i.e. since Nov 2008). So now they think it might be a DME fault and they're going to try to recode/reset that.
 
Timing wasn't the issue!

VANOS bolts were of the later design and the VANOS looked fine - but they replaced some seals whilst they were in there.

Final solution seems to have been to replace the MAF, which I would have thought would have been one of their first checks.

Anyway, pick it up tomorrow, minus the braided clutch hose as it still hasn't arrived from the US.

Will still be out of pocket for a tidy sum due to the amount of diagnostics labour to find the cause - but at least I'll be able to enjoy it for another 150k miles! It had just better not trigger another EML in the next week or the recovery truck will have a long way to drive it back.
 
Locating leaks on Blowing Exhaust Manifolds.
On old TVR's always found best way was to get 2 foot or so of 6mm/8mm fuel hose or similar. Shove 1 end where leak is thought to be, t'other end to an ear & listen !!
Works a treat !! Cheers Ian
 
mmm-five said:
Timing wasn't the issue!

VANOS bolts were of the later design and the VANOS looked fine - but they replaced some seals whilst they were in there.

Final solution seems to have been to replace the MAF, which I would have thought would have been one of their first checks.

Anyway, pick it up tomorrow, minus the braided clutch hose as it still hasn't arrived from the US.

Will still be out of pocket for a tidy sum due to the amount of diagnostics labour to find the cause - but at least I'll be able to enjoy it for another 150k miles! It had just better not trigger another EML in the next week or the recovery truck will have a long way to drive it back.
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Sounds a lot more feasible..

Wire on MAF could easily snap due to sideways impact.....


That would defo bring up the fault code you had.

Whoever said vanos needs a kick in the spuds..
 
Just picked it up and done a 100 mile road test.

No EML light, so new £250 MAF seems to have fixed it :thumbsup:

Pity about the other £500 worth of investigations to get to that fix, but that's the way these things go sometimes.

Will leave the Gruppe-M off as the garage have said it's probably that which has caused the damage to the year old MAF. The Gruppe-M filter hasn't even gone through one cycle of cleaning/oiling yet, so it is as it came from Gruppe-M.

Obviously these performance intakes are not suitable for daily use, despite their 50,000 mile between service assurances :thumbsdown:

Braided clutch hose has still not arrived - although I've paid in advance for it.



Scary to think that the main dealer cost for the same diagnostics/fix would have been closer to £3k :cry:

Still got the noise from the rear though - but having the stereo/throttle on drowns it out - will get some further investigations done when I have some spare funds after paying out a lot in the last couple of months...insurance excess (£500), Z4 wheels (£300), Z4 tyres (£300), EML/clutch (£1000), Alfa (£1300), insurance for Alfa (£900), tyres & brakes for Alfa (£600), failed rear suspension for the Alfa (£500), Z4 brake pads (£200), Z4 pre-Ring oil/brake fluid service (£150).
 
Bloody hell Tony! Have you got enough for gin? :D

Glad it's all working now and I am sure you will have a hell of a time at the ring :driving: :thumbsup:
 
AlfaScozzesi said:
Bloody hell Tony! Have you got enough for gin?
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I have the gin on a subscription plan :P

This month is Brecon Botanicals and Monkey 47.

It will all be forgotten once I swipe my Ring card for it's first lap :thumbsup:
 
mmm-five said:
AlfaScozzesi said:
Bloody hell Tony! Have you got enough for gin?
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I have the gin on a subscription plan :P

This month is Brecon Botanicals and Monkey 47.

It will all be forgotten once I swipe my Ring card for it's first lap :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

So you're going to make your Ring trip then?
 
Marlon said:
So you're going to make your Ring trip then?
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All being well with my pre-Ring inspection on Tuesday...then yes! Travel on the Wednesday and then 4 days of lapping (Thur-Sun).

The 15 hour / 900 mile drive from Liverpool to Launceston, Launceston to Dover, Dunkerque to Nürburg should also give me a chance to get used to the car again after 6 months of driving a 'floaty' Alfa JTD.

The worst case is that I don't take it on the track, but that's no worse than the position I was in yesterday.

Already started the prep:
  1. replaced the 2 boot struts that were getting a bit weak √
  2. created some MP3 CDs for the trip √
  3. track insurance √
  4. travel insurance √
  5. gin √
  6. chilli √
  7. ferry √
  8. hotel √
  9. spares (TPS, coil, oil filter, oil, brake pads, spark plugs) √
  10. fit the intravee/alpine I bought from another member (to do)
  11. fit the BMW strut brace I'm buying/oicking up from Scooba_Steve in Exeter on Monday (to do)
  12. fit EBC Orangestuff pads (to do)
  13. brake fluid change (to do)
  14. interim oil service (to do)
  15. suspension/alignment check (to do)
 
mmm-five said:
[*]track insurance √
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Is that insurance for touristenfahrten days or are you on dedicated track days? My understanding was touristenfahrten is impossible to insure for unless the car is registered in germany.
 
TomK said:
mmm-five said:
[*]track insurance √
Click to expand...

Is that insurance for touristenfahrten days or are you on dedicated track days? My understanding was touristenfahrten is impossible to insure for unless the car is registered in germany.
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1st party only for the tourist days.

Will still be liable for track damage, and 3rd party claims - but road insurance will look after the 3rd party and will then come after me for it :thumbsdown:
 
Applause for tenacity Tony & can only hope the car continues to thrill you .
I still havent changed my thoughts from the outset that you should have took the settlement & closed the door behind you :wink: any regrets yourself or happy with the outcome ?
 
mr wilks said:
Applause for tenacity Tony & can only hope the car continues to thrill you .
I still havent changed my thoughts from the outset that you should have took the settlement & closed the door behind you :wink: any regrets yourself or happy with the outcome ?
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Still not 100% happy, but I can work on the niggles as I need too & funds become available.

It also means I can start making the car a bit less road-biased, as it will be doing less road miles. Probably just bucket seats for now, but I'll put it only a limited mileage policy.

If the settlement had been guaranteed at £15k then I might gave taken it, but due to them raking 2 months just to get that far, i thought they might change their minds and give me the 'standard', unmodified valuation instead. Which would have meant me finding £10k to be able to get into the same spec/mods.

The £10k wouldn't have gotten me anything else I'd have been happy with, so either way I would have had to spend out, and might have ended up using the cash for a deposit on an F10 M5 - which I'd then start moaning about due to it eating tyres, pads, fuel, etc. :P

Better the devil you know :thumbsup:
 
Diff change has been authorised, with a 30% contribution from me - which is more than I'd want to pay, but understand it's classed as 'half worn' from the insurer's point of view :thumbsup:

Only bit I need changing now is the gearbox and I'll have had everything changed in my ownership :P

Hopefully this will be the end of a drawn out claims process and I'll get back to enjoying the car after 8 months :driving:

I can now also start thinking about getting the front-end respray and bucket seats I've been promising myself.
 
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