I am looking to replace my E36 vert with another car. I have found a 2005 Z4 with 67k miles. Looks good but have no idea of problem areas of this car. What are the strong points and weak ones. I remember how much I did to my E36 with common wear items.
All engine gaskets (oil filter, oil cooler, valve cover, oil pan), water pump (if N52’s engine), convertible top operation, and under panel body parts (add up in price)
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Rear springs that are broken
Top that doesn't work
Front shock towers can mushroom up. Open hood and check
Sticky steering under warm weather
Ticking noise on cold start
I think those are main ones
Thanks. Possibly looking at a 2005 with 66k miles. I remember how much I have done to my E36 328iC.
Water pump
Premarurely deteriorating and cracking interior and exterior plastic trim
Heater for crankhouse ventilation valve
Oil filter housing, valve cover and oil pan gaskets
Xenon headlight wire harness deteriorating insulation causing shorts
Overpriced local dealers
Blocked rain drains
Soft top hydraulic motor failure (twice in past 5 years)
Tram lining (with run flats)
Last edited by tekoo; 10-10-2018 at 05:11 PM.
Miamisburg, Ohio!?!?!?!! Shit, we go to Chumps like twice a month?!
What everybody else says above and PM if you need some local help or advice as I have done a crapload to mine.
Thanks I'll keep that in mind. Not too far from Chumps.
Check for oil leaks of the convertible top cylinders. Also the valve cover but that's an easy DIY. Maybe take a look at these common BMW problems as well.
Pre purchase inspection
Is there a big difference between the 2.5 & 3.0 engines?
What year are you considering? I see you mentioned 2 cars and both were 2005's. BMW introduced a new engine for the 2006 model year. 2003 to 2005 used the M54 engine. The 2006 to 2008 used the N52 engine. The M54's had higher output - HP and torque. See the table in this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_Z4_(E85)
Keep in mind a 2.5 and 3.0 had variants - the 'i' vs. 'si' which was designated after the 2.5 or 3.0. If I were in the market, I'd go with a 3.0si as it had the highest engine output for the non-///M Z4's. Also, has great seats which are sporty and different wheels.
I'd definitely get a prepurchase inspection. If you have a BMW specific scanner like the Schwaben (ECS house brand) or Foxwell (makes the Schwaben brand), definitely scan for codes up front. I found several modules in both my ///M Z4 and my parts Z4 (2007 3.0i) had a few codes that were BMW specific and not found in my generic scanner.
I have heard that the 3.0 engine has a shudder/vibration around 2000 RPM. You have to maintain the correct RPM but it will show up. Is this common? Car in question is a 2003 3.0 Z4
Check the plastic windshield wiper cowling. They tend to crack, get brittle with age, not cheap. Any warning lights that come up, ABS and brake warning lights.
Skim thru here:https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/f...ost&order=desc
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