Z4 2.0 N46 Vale Stem Seals in London/South East?

W

wolverine2k

Member
 Hainault IG7
Hi all

Can anyone recommend a garage in the South East that can do this job for a reasonable price? Local quotes I'm getting is £1200+ at the moment!!

I have a friend who used a garage in Nuneaton I think he said and they did it all in for £350 but I can't get up there, a bit too far for me with a car that has no MOT...

Has anyone passed an MOT with leaky valve stem seals? I'm thinking of putting some 10w40 or even 10w60 in there just to get it through an MOT for now and drive it up to Nuneaton if I can't find a local garage.

Thanks!!
 
There was a discussion last year about this and a link shared for a garage in nuneaton http://pmp-cars.co.uk/our-services
Looks like a very keen price and this might give you some leverage for a garage closer to you.
There was also chat about Forte seal conditioner - some rate it others....
 
Z4paul said:
There was a discussion last year about this and a link shared for a garage in nuneaton http://pmp-cars.co.uk/our-services
Looks like a very keen price and this might give you some leverage for a garage closer to you.
There was also chat about Forte seal conditioner - some rate it others....
Click to expand...

Thanks!

Might be the same garage my friend used. I was sure he said £3 something. I doubt I can find anyone local to beat that...

Forte I believe you need to drive it 400 miles for it to kick in? Gonna be a bit tricky getting 400 miles out of a car that has no MOT, my drive is only 4m 😂.

I think I want to just get it through it's MOT and then I'll drive it up to Nuneaton. Wife's from Brum so I can drop it off and carry on to Brum.

I think I'm gonna change the oil to 10w40 and still chance the Forte. It's either that or liqui moly... Might even go 10w60 as it's only gonna be temporary.
 
Lots of decent indy bmw garages - colleagues have used Dukes Park Automotive in chelmsford. Ex syntner team there i believe and great reviews with few exceptions. Perhaps get a price from them ?
Good luck with this :thumbsup:
 
Z4paul said:
Lots of decent indy bmw garages - colleagues have used Dukes Park Automotive in chelmsford. Ex syntner team there i believe and great reviews with few exceptions. Perhaps get a price from them ?
Good luck with this :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Gave them a try, they're £935. I think best option is gonna be that Nuneaton place.

Gonna risk it and order some 10w60 and the Forte to get it through the MOT for now.
 
I’d be getting a proper quote from the place in Nuneaton as that seems a very large difference as the only thing that should really differ is the hrly rate.

Buy the time you add in the travel, new oils/additives etc if there quote is more in line with the others it may be as well sorting locally for the sale of a hundred pounds or so??
 
Hi, sorry I don’t know anything about the N46, but I’ve never heard of a car failing an MOT for valve stem seals. Is this issue causing excessive emissions or smoke, or is there something else I’ve missed?
 
Zedebee said:
Hi, sorry I don’t know anything about the N46, but I’ve never heard of a car failing an MOT for valve stem seals. Is this issue causing excessive emissions or smoke, or is there something else I’ve missed?
Click to expand...

One of the items on MOT is visual inspection of smoke from exhaust I think? Car smokes every time accelerator is pressed if it's been idling for a minute. It doesn't smoke while constantly driving.

I know it won't fail on anything else as I've sorted everything else out.
 
White smoke and burning smell could well be valve stem seals or worn piston rings, but unlikely head gasket I think. Thicker oil can help, but that is an expensive and very short term fix. Depending on where you are on the South East, RBM in Hook has delivered excellent service for many forum members, including me. Owner Ross is Bowser134 on here.
 
Zedebee said:
White smoke or blue smoke? Is there a lot of it? “Burning clutch” smell?
Click to expand...

Hmm not so much burning clutch smell actually but slight burning oil smell if that makes sense? That seems to be more from the oil leaks in the bay though I think?

There's no smoke on startup and a ton of water spraying out of the exhaust.

The smoke is definitely more white than blue but since I had my eyes lasered, I'm no good at subtle colour changes!

Here's some clips:
Startup (I rev it at 45s):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BSweRwBEiR-S6VEMVsvkU-GhefCdGotn/view?usp=sharing

After a couple of minutes of running:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BSOBEkqCuxnhlPD9BOZA7vxBHpb94W4H/view?usp=sharing
 
Zedebee said:
White smoke and burning smell could well be valve stem seals or worn piston rings, but unlikely head gasket I think. Thicker oil can help, but that is an expensive and very short term fix. Depending on where you are on the South East, RBM in Hook has delivered excellent service for many forum members, including me. Owner Ross is Bowser134 on here.
Click to expand...

My local mechanic has some fully synth oil for £30 for 5 litre so not too expensive for a short term fix to get it through it's MOT considering the repair is gonna be £500ish including VAT.

I checked under the cap and it's very very slightly milky but I've seen that on some BMs that have been sat a while and this one has been sat for over 6 months. Could all of this just be condensation in the system?? :D
 
Really am no mechanic but we have the same 2.0 car and i used mine very rarely over the oct 2020 to feb 2021 period.
Kept on the road and used x2 weekly minimum this winter and it has been much happier.
I can't help thinking seals and gaskets might have been affected by a long period without use. Try a few consecutive days taking it out for longer drives perhaps. Starting it up and running it on the drive/road for a few mins is not great....
 
Z4paul said:
Really am no mechanic but we have the same 2.0 car and i used mine very rarely over the oct 2020 to feb 2021 period.
Kept on the road and used x2 weekly minimum this winter and it has been much happier.
I can't help thinking seals and gaskets might have been affected by a long period without use. Try a few consecutive days taking it out for longer drives perhaps. Starting it up and running it on the drive/road for a few mins is not great....
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. No MOT so can't really drive it much.

Seller told me it had been sat for at least 6 months but I think it was sat for at least a year as the mileage hasn't gone up much at all since the October 2020 MOT!

I think I'll swap out the oil/filter and just let it idle. Will try and get some super unleaded in there as well as the petrol probably isn't great quality either.
 
wolverine2k said:
Z4paul said:
Really am no mechanic but we have the same 2.0 car and i used mine very rarely over the oct 2020 to feb 2021 period.
Kept on the road and used x2 weekly minimum this winter and it has been much happier.
I can't help thinking seals and gaskets might have been affected by a long period without use. Try a few consecutive days taking it out for longer drives perhaps. Starting it up and running it on the drive/road for a few mins is not great....
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. No MOT so can't really drive it much.

Seller told me it had been sat for at least 6 months but I think it was sat for at least a year as the mileage hasn't gone up much at all since the October 2020 MOT!

I think I'll swap out the oil/filter and just let it idle. Will try and get some super unleaded in there as well as the petrol probably isn't great quality either.
Click to expand...

The most common cause of oil burning for most z4’s is a gummed up ccv system, i wouldn’t let it sit idling for long periods - that’s not going to fix anything.
I’ve watched your videos & it just looks like condensation to me, not oil burning.
Rob
 
Smartbear said:
The most common cause of oil burning for most z4’s is a gummed up ccv system, i wouldn’t let it sit idling for long periods - that’s not going to fix anything.
Rob
Click to expand...

I've got replacement CCV pipes but looking at how many bolts are missing in the bay, I'm suspecting the previous owner already may have attempted to do that. Then again, they made a real hash of every repair so maybe they just removed the covers and didn't do them 😂

Idling was to run the Forte through it to try and sort out the seals.
 
wolverine2k said:
Smartbear said:
The most common cause of oil burning for most z4’s is a gummed up ccv system, i wouldn’t let it sit idling for long periods - that’s not going to fix anything.
Rob
Click to expand...

I've got replacement CCV pipes but looking at how many bolts are missing in the bay, I'm suspecting the previous owner already may have attempted to do that. Then again, they made a real hash of every repair so maybe they just removed the covers and didn't do them 😂

Idling was to run the Forte through it to try and sort out the seals.
Click to expand...

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with your seals
Rob
 
Smartbear said:
wolverine2k said:
Smartbear said:
The most common cause of oil burning for most z4’s is a gummed up ccv system, i wouldn’t let it sit idling for long periods - that’s not going to fix anything.
Rob
Click to expand...

I've got replacement CCV pipes but looking at how many bolts are missing in the bay, I'm suspecting the previous owner already may have attempted to do that. Then again, they made a real hash of every repair so maybe they just removed the covers and didn't do them 😂

Idling was to run the Forte through it to try and sort out the seals.
Click to expand...

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with your seals
Rob
Click to expand...

I hope you're right 😂 I'll give it a service anyway and swap out the CCV and see what that does. Did you see the videos?

Cheers!
 
wolverine2k said:
Smartbear said:
wolverine2k said:
I've got replacement CCV pipes but looking at how many bolts are missing in the bay, I'm suspecting the previous owner already may have attempted to do that. Then again, they made a real hash of every repair so maybe they just removed the covers and didn't do them 😂

Idling was to run the Forte through it to try and sort out the seals.
Click to expand...

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with your seals
Rob
Click to expand...

I hope you're right 😂 I'll give it a service anyway and swap out the CCV and see what that does. Did you see the videos?

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Yes, i mentioned watching them. It looks like it needs a decent run to get everything nice & hot for a while - prolonged idling will just fill the exhaust with more water :cry:
Rob
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom