Z4M Servicing

[srhutch]

What amazes me even more than people not getting these cars serviced is how people are more concerned that a 2 yearly oil or brake fluid change is 9 months late than the car has done so few miles.

What is important is how have the miles clocked up. Has it done regular short trips and parked outside in cold damp conditions or is it a weekend toy used for hi days and holidays living in a nice warm garage?

The service record doesn't tell you this.

I understand what you are saying but the fact we are talking about means its a concern so when you come to sell it will put people off. Also as I said it means a warranty is pointless if you want one.

 

[Mrbodger]

I'm discussing this cos I'm trying (with the benefit of the expertise of the people on this forum) to establish if a service being 8 months late is a deal breaker. The owner has obviously just followed the service indicater on the dashboard.

I'm not going to take out a warranty, I'd sooner put £100/month in an account and use it when necessary. Using this method usually covers tax, servicing and the odd upgrade/mod.

The cars mileage is low cos its been used as a weekend/summer car and that's how I intend to use it.

 

[Z4coupebeaver]

I understand what you are saying but the fact we are talking about means its a concern so when you come to sell it will put people off. Also as I said it means a warranty is pointless if you want one.

I think it could but buyers off but the reality is that it is unlikely that the mechanical life of any component would have been significantly compromised unless the car was being used for lots of very short journeys and it's to cover this eventuality that manufacturers stipulate time based oil services.

Even modern synthetic oils deteriorate with time when a car is not used but the effect on the longevity of the car would be minimal if any.

To answer the true question though, given 2 otherwise identical cars for sale, the car with the correct service history would be met with least buyer resistance. In reality though, it is not very often that a buyer is faced with identical cars to choose from and other factors come into play.

Would buyers treat the car as if it had a major flaw? Some would so if you want to avoid this possible situation then walk away but I suspect the majority would just choose the best overall car, putting their own value on the service gap.

Personally, it wouldn't factor high in my decision.

 

[Mrbodger]

Just viewed the car and everything seems in order. It's in good nick apart from a couple of marks on the front bumper and some kerbing. I was pretty much ready to make him an offer then I got a full report from the dealer it was bought from and it's had quite a bit of warranty work done. ie

New rear spring
New aerial for sat nav
One new ignition coil
O2 sensor
Repaired headlight cleaning system only a nozzle
Removing and installing or replacing final drive
New power steering pump
New front seat mechanism
Re routing control line to electric fuel pump

Is all this out of the ordinary bearing in mind mileage is 17k?

So, has it had everything done that's likely to go wrong or is it a time bomb?

 

[Andy]

New rear spring ✓
O2 sensor✓
Repaired headlight cleaning system only a nozzle✓

New aerial for sat nav - fairy uncommon
One new ignition coil - few replaced on here
Removing and installing or replacing final drive - slightly concerning?
New power steering pump - strange
New front seat mechanism - mine was always squeaky
Re routing control line to electric fuel pump - unheard of

Maybe the owner was uber-fussy & made the dealer change stuff?

 

[Mrbodger]

"Maybe the owner was uber-fussy & made the dealer change stuff?"

It seems you were right. I've just spoke to the owner and he says a few of them are related to each other. He had a rear end noise which they couldn't trace and started replacing bits. I know that dealerships can get a bit gung ho when it's a warranty claim cos they make money out of it.

 

[srhutch]

"Maybe the owner was uber-fussy & made the dealer change stuff?"

It seems you were right. I've just spoke to the owner and he says a few of them are related to each other. He had a rear end noise which they couldn't trace and started replacing bits. I know that dealerships can get a bit gung ho when it's a warranty claim cos they make money out of it.

My previous Z4 had lot of warranty work, most of which was me being fussy. I even ended up with a new windscreen after BMW chipped it trying to sort out a piece of trim that wasn't sitting flat. 2 sets of 108's new headlight, 2 x front fogs, new thermostat, new wiper motor, new wiper arms. Plus more which I can't remember. I sold a 27,000 miles

 

[srhutch]

I understand what you are saying but the fact we are talking about means its a concern so when you come to sell it will put people off. Also as I said it means a warranty is pointless if you want one.

I think it could but buyers off but the reality is that it is unlikely that the mechanical life of any component would have been significantly compromised unless the car was being used for lots of very short journeys and it's to cover this eventuality that manufacturers stipulate time based oil services.

Even modern synthetic oils deteriorate with time when a car is not used but the effect on the longevity of the car would be minimal if any.

To answer the true question though, given 2 otherwise identical cars for sale, the car with the correct service history would be met with least buyer resistance. In reality though, it is not very often that a buyer is faced with identical cars to choose from and other factors come into play.

Would buyers treat the car as if it had a major flaw? Some would so if you want to avoid this possible situation then walk away but I suspect the majority would just choose the best overall car, putting their own value on the service gap.

Personally, it wouldn't factor high in my decision.

I agree that it has little or no mechanical effect, just making sure the OP is aware that a warranty is worthless and it's something to consider when selling as other will be concerned.

I rejected my first one when finding out a warranty would be worthless even though the dealer offered 2 years which they said they would cover. When I bought my current ///M from a non franchised dealer I only had warranty for 3 months then never renewed as fingers crossed touch wood etc these cars a pretty bullet proof and if your into DIY then costs can be kept to a minimum.