Z4 Winter Storage and spring maintenance

C

chutley

Member
I am fortunate ( or stupid) enough to run a Z4 Roadster 3.0Si for Sundays and summer use. My car is 3 years old and has just 6,000 miles. Before you howl in rage, I've just done 8 months in Afghanistan and that wiped out this year with pre-training in Poland etc. I intend to keep it until death us do part - just love top down summer driving. The rest of the year I drive a Vito van - bought for motocross, but now like the ability to abandon it where I like and never worry about scratches and dings!

Anyway, my question regards maintenance. I have removed battery, polished it and its in the garage under a bespoke breathable cover. When I bring her out in March/April what should I do regarding oil/brake fluids? It' s never had a service apart from the initial lookover. Anything else I need to do?
 
chutley said:
I am fortunate ( or stupid) enough to run a Z4 Roadster 3.0Si for Sundays and summer use. My car is 3 years old and has just 6,000 miles. Before you howl in rage, I've just done 8 months in Afghanistan and that wiped out this year with pre-training in Poland etc. I intend to keep it until death us do part - just love top down summer driving. The rest of the year I drive a Vito van - bought for motocross, but now like the ability to abandon it where I like and never worry about scratches and dings!

Anyway, my question regards maintenance. I have removed battery, polished it and its in the garage under a bespoke breathable cover. When I bring her out in March/April what should I do regarding oil/brake fluids? It' s never had a service apart from the initial lookover. Anything else I need to do?
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A full service at the very least - asap! Cars don't just require servicing based on mileage but also time as certain consumables degrade. You may think that you'll keep the car forever but if you don't, the service history will look pretty shoddy to any potential buyer. I wouldn't buy a car that's gone 3 or 4 years without an oil change, regardless of the mileage.

Welcome to the site by the way. :)
 
My dad bought one of the first ones in the UK, 03 reg and I think it only just clocked 20K last month, I thought it was low mileage but even that is high compared to your's Chutley!

Definitely get it serviced ASAP though, the Z4 is due one every two years regardless of mileage.

As I say, my dad's is very low mileage and last year in the cold weather it seized solid, apparently due to condensation in the oil which froze in one of the pipes, causing a build up of pressure which flooded the cylinders with oil. Repair bill in excess of £2K to have the engine stripped only to find that nothing was actually wrong! (it had thawed out by then) This made me very aware of the need to change the oil regularly on low-mileage cars!
 
Thanks, I'm glad I found this friendly forum.

I suspected a service would be in order, but since it has a Service Indicator (that is not asking for one) I didn't know what to do. I'll arrange for a service and take it straight to BMW when it comes out of hibernation.

I don't have any pictures, I'll get some in the Spring. She's a beauty though - Silver, Black upgraded leather, 18" AC Schnitzer Alloys and alloy pedals, upgraded Hi-fi, powder-coated brake calipers and chromed clips.

Planning on taking her across to Sout of France next year so will put a few miles on then, but I hope to keep her as a summer fun car and run my van or another car for everyday drudgery.
 
That's the way forward like, I love my Zed but would really, really like to have some big barge to run alongside her! :wink:
 
I would echo Blue's comments, I wintered classics for 25 years and learnt the hard way.

Definitely change oil filter and brake fluid before laying up. Brake fluid absorbs water molecules and will cause calliper pistons to seize.
Trickle charge the battery with a good quality unit, preferably off the car.
Wash & polish, but only cover it if necessary, and only with a good quality cover (which it sounds like you have); I ruined the whole top surface of a car because the material 'etched' the paint. I never had paintwork ruined leaving it uncovered indoors.
Don't jet wash a car or use de-grease anything, particularly the engine bay or underside before storing. A thin layer of grime will do no harm and freshly cleaned metals will corrode like mad (aluminium to steel surfaces in particular). Jet washers get water in places you don’t want it sitting.
Fill the tank with petrol to avoid condensation in the tank.
Silicone based polish on door seals keeps them fresh (household will do)
Pump up the tyres to 40-50 psi to prevent flat spots developing or remove wheel and put the body on stands ( :? better actually to put in on stands then remove the wheels).
But never put a car away if it’s even slightly wet from washing, better to leave it dirty. I’ve done the seized/corroded calliper, suspension strut, handbrake mechanism, linkage thing and it hurts to pay for parts because you were looking after your motor. Always give it a good hot run, use plenty of brake/handbrake and put it away hot and dry. Don’t cover it for few hours to avoid condensation under the cover.
Personally I now try and use a car as frequently as possible on dry/unsalted days through the winter even if it means it’s not always gleaming, which is easier with a modern car like the Zed than a classic.
 
That's a lot of trouble mate for a modern car! Maybe it would be cheaper to hire a Thai girl to clean and polish it every day? Lol
 
Shidevil said:
That's a lot of trouble mate for a modern car! Maybe it would be cheaper to hire a Thai girl to clean and polish it every day? Lol
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Modern car or not it's all the same, a partial re-spray, battery or a set of callipers aint cheap for the sake of an hour’s effort! and to be fair doing nothing is better than washing it with good intentions and storing it wet.
 
Ewazix said:
I would echo Blue's comments, I wintered classics for 25 years and learnt the hard way.

Definitely change oil filter and brake fluid before laying up. Brake fluid absorbs water molecules and will cause calliper pistons to seize.
Trickle charge the battery with a good quality unit, preferably off the car.
Wash & polish, but only cover it if necessary, and only with a good quality cover (which it sounds like you have); I ruined the whole top surface of a car because the material 'etched' the paint. I never had paintwork ruined leaving it uncovered indoors.
Don't jet wash a car or use de-grease anything, particularly the engine bay or underside before storing. A thin layer of grime will do no harm and freshly cleaned metals will corrode like mad (aluminium to steel surfaces in particular). Jet washers get water in places you don’t want it sitting.
Fill the tank with petrol to avoid condensation in the tank.
Silicone based polish on door seals keeps them fresh (household will do)
Pump up the tyres to 40-50 psi to prevent flat spots developing or remove wheel and put the body on stands ( :? better actually to put in on stands then remove the wheels).
But never put a car away if it’s even slightly wet from washing, better to leave it dirty. I’ve done the seized/corroded calliper, suspension strut, handbrake mechanism, linkage thing and it hurts to pay for parts because you were looking after your motor. Always give it a good hot run, use plenty of brake/handbrake and put it away hot and dry. Don’t cover it for few hours to avoid condensation under the cover.
Personally I now try and use a car as frequently as possible on dry/unsalted days through the winter even if it means it’s not always gleaming, which is easier with a modern car like the Zed than a classic.
Click to expand...

All good stuff! I disconnect the battery and just leave it in the car as it's probably the safest place to store it and put it on a trickle charger. Make sure your storage area is free of vermin as in the winter mice like nothing more than a warm cosy under-bonnet sleeping area where they can merrily chew the wiring... :(
 
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