I'll post it up tonight.
Buying a Z4 roadster. What to look out for?
- Thread starter Colossus
- Start date
I'll post it up tonight.
Soldato
If you want I have 2 A4 pages of what to look out for when going after a Z4..
That was from OcUK and Tommo's advice and I will be using it tomorrow.
Finally!!
Don't try to correct Fox on BMW specs.not cool.
I'll be honest. Every time I read a Fox post about specs it's as if I hear it in that Clarkson-esque adenoidal voice.
If you want I have 2 A4 pages of what to look out for when going after a Z4..
That was from OcUK and Tommo's advice and I will be using it tomorrow.
FINALLY
This is very useful...
http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15177
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
Nope, because none of his posts set of the 'What the hell!?
' alarm. Had he told us he earns £100 a month or lives in Vietnam or 'doesnt really care about cars but has 30k to spend' or something then he might have triggered that requirement 
Associate
3.0i is definitely worth it over 2.5i. I commute 36 miles a day at the moment - without hanging about too much - and I still return 32mpg. Insurance, if you're young like me, could be about £300 more per year, though.
The link Booner gave you is very good, but from personal experience watch out for:
- roof motors (as mentioned. A fully comp warranty with no excess will be £530 a year, ish. With a £250 excess it's about £320. I plumped for the excess option and have claimed twice so far
)
- springs (prone to going, similarly to the e46 of the time?)
- twitchy steering (usually solved by replacing runflats with normal tyres and having an alignment done)
- airbag light coming on (another common issue that I had recently. It can be a few quid to turn it off/replace the sensor, or you might need the entire control unit replacing like me)
- corrosion on double spoke 108 style wheels (basically, you'll need them refurbed every 12/18 months or you'll need to get a different set. Get original M ones like mine - they're great and fit no problem)
- seatbelts not returning (another BMW favourite, it seems. Easily solved by cleaning the extreme end of the belt and lubricating it with some silicone stuff from Halfords)
Just make sure servicing has been done on time. I wouldn't touch anything that has seen any action with anyone who isn't a main dealer or a reputable specialist. I've got an entire folder of past work to go with mine which I'll be using as a selling point at some point after July!
Any questions, feel free to ask.
(edit, in terms of optional extras):
- wind deflector. Vital.
- heated seats. Again, essential, if you ask me.
- uprated stereo. I think there are 3 levels of it (and I believe I have the middle one with 6 speakers). The bottom one sounds a bit tinny, by all accounts. Mine's stonking, no complaints.
- cruise. Vital, in my opinion.
- xenons. Again, vital. The halogens are cack.
- sports seats. Nice, but you won't find them on the older ones. A few people on Z4F have retrofitted from breakers and it's something I've considered.
The link Booner gave you is very good, but from personal experience watch out for:
- roof motors (as mentioned. A fully comp warranty with no excess will be £530 a year, ish. With a £250 excess it's about £320. I plumped for the excess option and have claimed twice so far
)- springs (prone to going, similarly to the e46 of the time?)
- twitchy steering (usually solved by replacing runflats with normal tyres and having an alignment done)
- airbag light coming on (another common issue that I had recently. It can be a few quid to turn it off/replace the sensor, or you might need the entire control unit replacing like me)
- corrosion on double spoke 108 style wheels (basically, you'll need them refurbed every 12/18 months or you'll need to get a different set. Get original M ones like mine - they're great and fit no problem)
- seatbelts not returning (another BMW favourite, it seems. Easily solved by cleaning the extreme end of the belt and lubricating it with some silicone stuff from Halfords)
Just make sure servicing has been done on time. I wouldn't touch anything that has seen any action with anyone who isn't a main dealer or a reputable specialist. I've got an entire folder of past work to go with mine which I'll be using as a selling point at some point after July!
Any questions, feel free to ask.
(edit, in terms of optional extras):
- wind deflector. Vital.
- heated seats. Again, essential, if you ask me.
- uprated stereo. I think there are 3 levels of it (and I believe I have the middle one with 6 speakers). The bottom one sounds a bit tinny, by all accounts. Mine's stonking, no complaints.
- cruise. Vital, in my opinion.
- xenons. Again, vital. The halogens are cack.
- sports seats. Nice, but you won't find them on the older ones. A few people on Z4F have retrofitted from breakers and it's something I've considered.
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Cruise is pretty important. Wind deflector not so because its a very easy retrofit. Ditto Xenons - the car has projector lenses and headlight washers as standard on the 3.0i so no point breaking your neck to find a Xenon equipped car. Uprated stereo is nice to have I agree, as the stock one is crap. Heated seats - over-rated I think. Don't think I've ever missed them - on really cold days it isn't my arse thats cold its my hands, quickly fixed by the blowers
Sports seats really are immeasurably better than the standard ones but as you correctly identify, forget finding them on the earlier models.
Sports seats really are immeasurably better than the standard ones but as you correctly identify, forget finding them on the earlier models.
Finally!!
FINALLY
Shhh you two!
I've just seen another pop up in Birmingham.. I might combine trips, depends on how loaded the first one is and reasonable the guy is on price.
I think the document I have has been superseded by the information here, but if you want to add to it. http://www.mediafire.com/?nlkjizlntej That should let you download it.
SPILL
Rain sensitive wiper function not working - look for an air bubble in the sensor on the windscreen behind the rear view mirror. If it has one, chances are the intermittent wiper will no longer work. The dealer fix is a new windscreen.
Cracked center brake light - Common on the pre-facelift model due to incorrect spring tension. Look for a crack towards the left and right edge. Around £55 for the new part.
CD changer cartridge not ejecting - Common fault and accessing the cd changer to replace it is a major undertaking so check it still ejects if your bothered about it.
Plus all of the other stuff on the z4-forum FAQ...
Cracked center brake light - Common on the pre-facelift model due to incorrect spring tension. Look for a crack towards the left and right edge. Around £55 for the new part.
CD changer cartridge not ejecting - Common fault and accessing the cd changer to replace it is a major undertaking so check it still ejects if your bothered about it.
Plus all of the other stuff on the z4-forum FAQ...
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Haha I wondered how this happened. I had this fixed by the garage before I collected and wondered how you actually manage to break that part without being totally stupid/unlucky.
[TW]Fox;16450967 said:I got the dealer to replace the cracked rear brake light housing on ours with the smoked one as part of the deal
The clear one is actually £5 cheaper than the original red one!
My z4 is black and I prefer the red housing so replaced it with the original.