Z4 pain!

[davewuyts]

Hi there everyone!

I've just bought a 2003 2.5 Z4 which is a cool drive - though I wish it had 6 gears!





However it has several issues which were not apparent when I bought it. The trickiest 2 are:

a/ The headlamps seem to cast their beam all over the place and unevenly. They also ship water. Not quite sure what to do about that, maybe replace them with second-hand? Not sure how to get the water out or stop more getting in.

b/ I have an airbag light which came on the way home. Since arrival home I've realised the roof is not tight enough at the front and water seems to creep in, resulting in water under the carpet - probably the cause of the light. Anyone know if the roof can be adjusted at all? the clamps go on properly but there does seem to be water coming through there and dripping out of the panel above the mirror too.

You're probably wondering how on earth I missed all of this! Me too. I forgot to check under the carpets. It has a new roof motor by the way.
Dave

 

[bigwinn]

Where you based Dave

You’ll need to scan the airbag code to see exactly what the issue is and see if it resets

Then of course get to the root cause of the issue which as you’ve said is water ingress

The lights on z4 are poor- if they are letting water in get them dried and get new seals on the covers that should solve that

 

[Mr Tidy]

Hi and welcome to the forum with your smart Z4 - even if it doesn't have 6 gears!

 

[Zedebee]

Hi and welcome to the forum. An early 2.5i is a great place to start with Z4 ownership.

Those lights don’t look like OEM to me, so if they are leaking badly it maybe best to bin them and replace with 2nd hand or a decent aftermarket option like 2Excites.

The roof leak is interesting. Z4s can let in water from many places, but rarely at the front of the roof. Check you are not missing any rubber seal that should be there. You can always post photos and ask for a diagnosis on here.

 

[davewuyts]

Thanks guys for the welcome and for feedback so far. After a rainy day (There are many here in South Wales!) there are large beads of water all along the front interior edge of the roof. I found out that the previous owner had the clamps fixed but didn't tell me. the water under the carpet might be from before that repair. Are there any drain plugs in the floor to help drain water?

Anyway, I've found instructions on getting seats and carpet out. I'd like to stop leak first! It's a bit disconcerting how many Z4 places seem to have potential leaks. One is the doors. But it seems dry on the sills and the immediate carpet by the door. It's definitely flowing under carpets and soaking upwards.

I also had a bit in the very left hand corner of the boot (UK!) Looks like I'll have to seal all the lights and aerial too. Can it get there from the roof?
Dave

 

[buzyg]

Welcome to the forum, from sunny Cornwall.

Where it never rains, Just like in Wales. :lol:

Hope you get those isues sorted promptly and can get on with the important stuff. :wink:

 

[paddy wright]

Looks well. Welcome along. Those are after market lights so maybe switch back to oem.

 

[jamie_z4]

Those lights don’t look like OEM to me, so if they are leaking badly it maybe best to bin them and replace with 2nd hand or a decent aftermarket option like 2Excites.

those lights look like 2excite to me, i have the same ones on my current Zed.

I'd be tempted to get a pair of OEM Halogens and fit some LED Headlight bulbs