I finally bought a Z4 - Ownership thread!

[DaveP]

So, after coming close a few years ago when looking for a track car (https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=91202), which ultimately ended with me buying and pouring a load of money into a supercharged Mini...

...I decided at the end of last year that I was going to buy a Z4 over the winter (https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=132187), either to replace or live alongside my Mini.

I ended up buying a June 2003 3.0i auto in sterling-grau from a lovely chap in Surrey, who was selling to fund a house move. I wanted an auto because I was fed up with driving my (stiff, noisy, uncomfortable) Mini around SW London where I live. I do have a 2020 Volvo XC40 hybrid too, but it's very competent and not much fun.

A group of friends who I do things like trackdays, Le Mans trips, NC500 trips etc. with are booked onto a trip to Italy in June, so we can spend a week following the Mille Miglia around (in between vineyards and pasta binges, of course). My goal is to get it into tip-top shape for this trip (2500 miles, or so), and then work out whether I want to keep it or not when I get back (the MOT is due a week after we return).

The car had clearly been well cared for in its life. The bodywork was in lovely condition, the wheels were freshly refurbished and wearing matching Michelin Pilot Sports all round (always a good indicator), and the service history was so extensive that it came in a box!

It was also pretty much my perfect spec. Parking sensors, heated seats, xenon headlights, auto lights and wipers, electric folding mirrors, DSP stereo system, OEM wind deflector, no nav screen. The only thing it was missing was cruise control (more on that to come).

It had ~101k miles, which is a drop in the ocean for an M54-engined car.
Here it is (alongside the Volvo) on the day I picked it up, 3 days before Christmas last year.

 

[Barty]

Congrats, looks like a lovely example!

 

[DaveP]

Having owned a couple of E46 330ci Sports in the past, I'm very familiar with the drivetrain and its various foibles. It was encouraging to see that the cooling system had been given a pretty comprehensive overhaul in recent years, and the engine wasn't making any untoward noises. A tiny bit of mayo under the filler cap confirmed what the MOTs mentioned about it not doing many miles in recent years.

Front shocks and all four springs had recently been replaced, which helped assuage any concerns about snapping springs. Coming back to the MOTs, it had also enjoyed a really clean MOT history, with only a couple of comments about rust to rear springs (pernickety testers spring to mind). The owner also knew all about the roof drains, and went to great pains to demonstrate how they were clear of debris (pouring a bottle of water both on my viewing!).

I pressed it straight into service, pottering around town running errands (including a NYE booze shop), and doing a few longer drives to get a feel for it.


Three things quickly became apparent:
1. It really needed cruise on longer drives. The Volvo has a lovely adaptive system, and I'd become quite accustomed to it.
2. 70-85mph resulted in a wobbly steering wheel, suggesting that something wheel/brake suspension was in need of some TLC.
3. The aircon not working was going to be a pain in a summery Italy, and needed sorting.

So, on the advice of the Z4 group on FB (who I've found to be very helpful at times), I booked it in to RBM in Hampshire. I also asked them to tidy up the roof motor relocation while they had it, because it was just sort of tucked away on the side of the boot. I also wanted them to give it a good once-over and tell me everything that needed doing.

It's reassuring to see this when dropping off your car at a specialist. Tends to suggest you're probably in the right place...


A couple of weeks later, I picked it up with working cruise (the stalk was ~£100 from Park Lane BMW in Battersea), a tidied up boot area. They also spotted a tiny oil leak from the filter housing (classic M54), so I asked them to fix that while they had it.

They don't do aircon work, but diagnosed a dead compressor - the system is holding gas without leaks, but the compressor isn't engaging. They don't do wheel alignment, but reassuring suggested that all suspension bushes, balljoints and springs/dampers were in good condition and weren't causing the wobble.

Feeling buoyed by the positive feedback, I took it on its longest trip yet - down Bournemouth. While the cruise control doesn't have the finesse of modern systems, it's a definite improvement on the motorway.

 

[Zedebee]

You don’t see many sets of MV1s on Z4s. They look smart on your car.

 

[DaveP]

The Zed behaved itself for a few weeks while I pottered around, and the battery seems strong enough for it to be left for a fortnight in cold weather and start straight away. Always a bonus...

Then one day I had a knock at the door, and my embarrassed neighbour admitted to gently backing their SUV into the front of my car. I went out expecting carnage, and was greeted with this and a partly-detatched number plate being the only obvious damage.



£80 to a smart repair guy I've used in the past, a gentle nudge to reseat the grill, a new number plate sticky pad, and the car was looking as good as new.



The wheel wobble was starting to annoy me, so I'd planned a two-stage remedy. I'd start with balancing the wheels/tyres, and if that didn't cure it I'd get a full alignment done. The car tracked really straight and didn't pull noticably under braking, so I was pretty sure the alignment wasn't miles out.

A quick visit to my friendly local tyre guys showed that both front wheels needed weights to balance them. They just assumed that the refurb company didn't put them back on again, because they wouldn't look their best. A quick blast down the A3 showed that the wobble was completely cured! It's rare that anything with cars is this simple.

 

[DaveP]

This brings us pretty much up to date, and it's my intention to keep this updated as I go as a warts-and-all record of ownership.

I'm currently taking a bit of a career sabbatical (MrsP is calling it a mid-life crisis - potato/potato...), so I managed to spend much of February and March pratting around London with the roof off and enjoying the unseasonably good weather.



Then the Zed finally blotted its copybook. I was sitting in traffic on Wandsworth Bridge road, and the sun was beating down on me. Bliss. As the traffic cleared and I drove across the bridge, I heard a grinding/clicking noise and the car died as if someone pulled the battery cable.

I brought the car to a stop, and it restarted just fine, but then the griding noise returned almost immediately. I gingerly crept off the roundabout, and parked the car safely to lick my wounds. However, even when turning the car off the noise continued. Popping the bonnet showed that the starter motor was stuck on, and spinning itself into a frenzy. A common M54 issue, but annoying nonetheless.

I disconnected the battery (with the roof down - doh!), and walked down the road to my old local pub while I waited for The AA.


The lovely AA bloke agreed with my amateur diagnosis, which was reassuring if nothing else. So I've picked up a 'new' (remanufactured) Lucas starter from EuroCarParts for ~£80 (after I return my knackered one), and have a mobile mechanic coming around to fix it tomorrow. He reckoned he'd find it easier to do it by taking the inlet manifold off, but has still quoted a reasonable 2.5hrs to do the job.

Coming back to the point about disconnecting the battery with the roof down, I had to read the various tutorials online about raising the roof manually, but obviously I couldn't latch it properly without power. Luckily I live on a quiet residential road in SW London, and it was fine left overnight with the roof leaning on the windscreen surround.

After consulting the internet, I realised I could disconnect the starter power cable from the hardpoint under the bonnet, which would enable me to reconnect the battery and put the roof up properly, without it sounding like someone had trodden on a cat's tail under my bonnet.

God bless the internet, sometimes...

 

[DaveP]

You don’t see many sets of MV1s on Z4s. They look smart on your car.

They are a shade darker than OEM, and I think it suits the car colour well. I wasn't sure if I was going to like them, but they've definitely grown on me.

However, just like my E46, the ride is much too harsh on 18s. If I decide to keep it long-term, I'll be dropping it down onto a set of 17" 103s with some slightly chunkier rubber.

 

[DaveP]

Once the starter motor is replaced, I'm going to switch focus to the aircon. It looks like a 'new' (remanufactured) compressor is going to cost me somewhere in the region of £200-250, but I'm loathe to spend that much money on something I'm not guaranteed to keep.

I think I'm going to plump for a good used unit in the ~£80 region, and take the risk. It's easy to test the bearing and clutch before fitting, so I can be fairly confident I'm not going to pick a dud.

I'm trying to decide whether to use a mobile aircon specialist, or to find a BMW specialist in SW London who can do the work. Decisions decisions...

 

[sars]

Great story so far, I also love the MV1 and they really suit the car too, wishing you are very happy motoring experience together.

 

[Zedebee]

The lovely AA bloke agreed with my amateur diagnosis, which was reassuring if nothing else. So I've picked up a 'new' (remanufactured) Lucas starter from EuroCarParts for ~£80 (after I return my knackered one), and have a mobile mechanic coming around to fix it tomorrow. He reckoned he'd find it easier to do it by taking the inlet manifold off, but has still quoted a reasonable 2.5hrs to do the job.

Plenty of members (including myself and I only do the relatively simple stuff) have done this themselves without taking the manifold off, it’s fiddly but takes about an hour on a 2.5. I don’t see why a 3.0 would be much different unless the auto box makes it complicated. You are at risk of paying over the top and interfering with bits that do not need to be interfered with.

 

[DaveP]

The lovely AA bloke agreed with my amateur diagnosis, which was reassuring if nothing else. So I've picked up a 'new' (remanufactured) Lucas starter from EuroCarParts for ~£80 (after I return my knackered one), and have a mobile mechanic coming around to fix it tomorrow. He reckoned he'd find it easier to do it by taking the inlet manifold off, but has still quoted a reasonable 2.5hrs to do the job.

Plenty of members (including myself and I only do the relatively simple stuff) have done this themselves without taking the manifold off, it’s fiddly but takes about an hour on a 2.5. I don’t see why a 3.0 would be much different unless the auto box makes it complicated. You are at risk of paying over the top and interfering with bits that do not need to be interfered with.

Appreciate the points.

I get absolutely no pleasure from working on my own car where I live, so I'm happy to pay for the privilege of someone doing it. I'm not about to tell the mechanic how he should do it, particularly as he's done one before.

I may live to regret this, but I like an easy life.

 

[enuff_zed]

I've done a 2.5i auto M54 starter change in 30 minutes or so, without removing anything except the sound generator. Inlet manifold definitely sounds a bit sledgehammer/nut to me, but hey ho.

 

[Mr Tidy]

Welcome to the forum and Z4 ownership.

That's quite a journey you have been on with your Z4 but hopefully you can get it sorted. If it helps at all there is another ex-Sytner BMW & Mini specialist in Camberley, TWG Automotive run by Will. He changed the A/C condenser on my previous E86 and recharged the A/C on my current one last year - he can also do pretty much anything else you might want, including a 4-wheel alignment. Link here:- http://www.twgautomotive.co.uk/

Slightly off-topic but I love your plate (clue is in my user name)!

 

[DaveP]

Welcome to the forum and Z4 ownership.

That's quite a journey you have been on with your Z4 but hopefully you can get it sorted. If it helps at all there is another ex-Sytner BMW & Mini specialist in Camberley, TWG Automotive run by Will. He changed the A/C condenser on my previous E86 and recharged the A/C on my current one last year - he can also do pretty much anything else you might want, including a 4-wheel alignment. Link here:- http://www.twgautomotive.co.uk/

Slightly off-topic but I love your plate (clue is in my user name)!

Really helpful stuff, thank you. I might try them next.

The plate came with the car, and doesn't have any particular meaning to me. Would you like it?

 

[DaveP]

Well, mea culpa. The mechanic let me down, so I figured I'd have a go myself.

Turns out the inlet manifold absolutely doesn't need to come off, but I suspect I'd have made my life a lot easier if I did. Getting the starter out was easy, but manipulating it to try and disconnect the live and earth cables was just bloody annoying. I ended up disconnecting the alternator cable and threading it through under the inlet manifold (with a ziptie attached to retrieve it), so I had enough slack to make the connections easier.

I also removed the upper and lower intake boots to make access a bit easier, and was greeted by this on the small hose (that goes somewhere above the throttle body?) on the lower boot.


Cosmic. That said, I'm glad I spotted it. A new one was £26 delivered using a voucher code on eBay, so not the end of the world.

The old starter had some signs of arcing/burning on the side of the case, which suggests that all isn't well on the inside. Probable root cause here. Couldn't see any manufacturer stamp or part numbers, so I'm assuming it wasn't original.


Refitting is the reverse of removal, as the old Haynes manuals used to say. In my case, that meant more cursing and manipulating of the various cabling. But, all's well that ends well. The car started just fine a couple of times - I didn't run it for long because the throttle body was exposed.

All in, with swearing and tea breaks, that was about 2.5hrs. Probably quicker next time, as I'd remove the intake boots and alternator cable sooner.

Small victories, and all that.

 

[enuff_zed]

obviously I couldn't latch it properly without power.

Missed this the first time round.
I think if you look in your battery bay you should find a tool kit in a black wrap. In there you should hopefully have a cranked Allen key.
If you remove the centre panel from the plastic trim along the front of the roof you should be able to insert that key into the front locking linkage and turn it to lock the roof latches into place.
Obviously far too late now, but worth checking it out.

 

[DaveP]

obviously I couldn't latch it properly without power.

Missed this the first time round.
I think if you look in your battery bay you should find a tool kit in a black wrap. In there you should hopefully have a cranked Allen key.
If you remove the centre panel from the plastic trim along the front of the roof you should be able to insert that key into the front locking linkage and turn it to lock the roof latches into place.
Obviously far too late now, but worth checking it out.

Super helpful stuff. Thank you.

 

[DaveP]

Well, if a day could have been any less suited to working on a car outdoors, I'd struggle to imagine it. I eventually got the lower intake hose refitted yesterday, in 20min sunny periods between thunder and torrential rain, and the car is running again!

I don't know what the perished hose was feeding on top of the throttle body (DISA?), but my placebo-o-meter says the car feels a lot more sprightly at lower revs, where it felt sluggish before. Free power, basically...

And because no good deed goes unpunished, when I started the car back up there was an airbag light on the dash. I'm going to assume it got unhappy at sitting without a battery connected for a while, and either get it reset when it goes in for a service in June or buy one of those C110 scanners to do it myself.

To celebrate a partial victory, I took it to a decent local valeting place. Based in the shopping centre car park in Wimbledon town centre, these guys are a significant step up from the modern slavery places on old petrol station forecourts. They clean one car at a time, and in 40min can clean, decontaminate, polish and wax a car. All for £30. For a lazy git without the facilities to wash my car at home, this is a dream.

Smashing stuff.

 

[DaveP]

The paint is far from perfect, mainly because it's a 19yo car with 103k miles. But once you look past the touched-in stonechips and occasional swirl, it's in very good nick. I think the car has had a blowover paint job, but I'm struggling to find the evidence.

 

[DaveP]

Well, a fairly uneventful period of ownership where the car has just behaved itself. Only one small niggle where it will occasionally fail to unlock from the key. Cycling the central locking a couple of times from the button inside always resolves, so I'm hoping it's not the GM5.

My efforts with the wax proved fruitful, as a quick snowfoam and rinse brought it back to lovely and shiny.


I took it to a local place for an alignment, and got the chance to give the car a good look over underneath. It's generally in excellent nick for almost 20yrs old, and the bushes generally looked pretty good, but the front track rod arms were covered in rust. Balls.


It looks like the slight vagueness has been caused by the classic issue of the left-hand side bumping through drains, potholes and kerbs.