Possibly picking up 2008 3.0si soon... questions on LSD and rear springs

[Azulrium]

Hey all,

Long time stalker (intel gather only, I swear) and first time poster. I've been looking to pick up a second car for summers and HDPE's for a while now, and narrowed the list down to a 2008 Z4 3.0si or a 2014 Scion FR-S. Both have their pros and cons, but the more I dug into it the more it seems like the N52 engine on the Z4 is a solid piece of engineering. Not to mention I find the design stunning (I'm a sucker for the long hood proportions, what I can say), and since the E85/86 is out of production it would be the right time to pick one up before people really start to thrash them.

There are only 2 drawbacks for the 2008 3.0si I could find (if I missed something please enlighten me) - rear springs prone to failure and no LSD on the 3.0si model. I was wondering if you folks here with more experience can help me with the two questions below:

1. For the rear springs, are there any kits available out there to prevent this failure and/or any other preemptive measure that can be taken? I hate to have the springs give out on me at the track.
2. It appears both folks here and in UK put LSDs high up on the cost-to-benefit list. Quaife seems to be popular there, but it looks like MFactory LSD is a solid choice here. Given that I'm not very mechanically inclined when it comes to drive train components, does anyone here know of a shop in the Puget Sound region that has experience with installing an aftermarket LSD? Surrounding states or even Northern Cal would be fine, I'm willing to make a road trip out of it if it's what it takes to get a quality job done. This is not something I'm looking to do off the bat, but a very good chance later down the line, especially as track time accumulates. First thing to go would be those run-flats, if they're not gone already.

Thanks in advance for any insights.

[Charlie]

Rear spring corrosion was a big issue on the early cars, I'm not sure if it's quite the same on the later facelifted ones. If it is, I'm sure someone will chime in. Never heard of a "kit", but rear spring removal is pretty easy. Unbolt the bottom of the shock, press down on arm, get a prybar and pop the spring out. Installation is the reverse of removal. Fairly painless procedure if need be.

[montaillou]

If you're worried about the springs, just replace them when you buy a z4.

I'm sure you can find a good shop to work on your z4 in or around Seattle, it's not really a backwater town.

There are only 2 drawbacks for the 2008 3.0si I could find...

Well, there is that pesky sticky steering issue. There's a long running thread about it here. And maybe you won't be affected by it much being in Seattle, though I've read that it's not exclusive to warm climates. I can't say how prevalent the problem is, mayhap you should read the thread and make your own determination.

[Azulrium]

Thanks for all the feedback. Good to know the spring issue is an easy fix.

Regarding the sticky steering issue, I thought post-November 2006 models have had it addressed? At least that's what I gathered on a couple of forums including this one. Can't post source right now (on my phone). If I remember correctly roaster roof motor was also sealed from the factory on the 08 model, though I have Shipkiller's post on the repair bookmarked just in case.

[BimmerBreaker]

Any shop worth their salt should be able to install an LSD. No need to travel two states away for something like that.

Sticky steering was addressed for the most part, but affects a few cars past the "fixed" date. It's not a huge deal, a shop can do the fix for you if you are not comfortable doing so.