03 BMW Z4 Buyers Questions

[ahz4]

Hi, I just purchased a 03 Z4.
Car has 105,000mi.

It is a few issues that I'd like some help and advice tracking down.

1) Car needs new emblems... Best/cheapest source for parts?
2) Car has a few interior plastic pieces that are broken. Drivers side cup holder, and both the bottom and top storage compartments in between the seats are broken. Best source to find these parts?
3) Car seems to run fantastic, has the 2.5- anything I should look out for, preventative maintenance that needs to be performed around 100k?
4) It has the airbag light on, looks like a common problem for this. After researching getting it reset at a dealer is the only way to resolve that issue?
5) Convertible top is stuck down. Working through forums on best way to fix that. Any tips on best place to start there would be much appreciated.
Thanks, looking forward to this.

[JAS1169]

Honestly, I'd focus all of your attention on #5.

When you push top up button, does the motor run? Does it unlock? Are you aware of the red handle emergency top release in the trunk & if so has it failed?

If your top motor has failed top down, it is buried under the canvas and frame of the soft top and now add that everything is locked in position by a lot of hydo pressure. The red cable in the trunk was designed to basically disengage the pump and let the top move freely. However, this emergency systems generally fails about the same time as the top motor.

[Dynamics99]

Attention on #3 and #2. Im sitting at 127000 and planning to drive it for another 100k. I would focus on cooling system overhaul. Water pump, Lower and Upper Radiator Hoses, Expansion tank, radiator, and maybe thermostat. Check the oil and color of it. As for airbag light get a code reader. Like the Creator tool for $50-60 to diagnose issues. It will also let you reset your light. I would recommend wrenching yourself on the car as this car is very simple to work on in the engine bay. Helps you save a lot of money too. Check ebay or car-parts for the storage compartments. I just got the whole rear console storage for $100 and they ended up throwing in the front console idk why but I took it and planning to sell it.

[RogerC493]

#1 ebay. cheap, probably made in China.
#4. My airbag light came on first time I drove car under my ownership. BMW diagnostics revealed a bad sensor which I recently had replaced at an authorized BMW repair shop for just over $600. The BMW diagnostic computer can tell you which sensor is bad and you can go from there.
#5. Non-functioning electric top is problematic with the 2003 Z4 due to the position of the pump motor sitting in a water pit. As the drain becomes clogged, water fills the cavity and seeps into the motor causing it to fail. Also, the hydraulic lines are prone to leakage and removal of top is necessary to determine where the leak is or to replace the lines. With a car being as old as 2003, you might want to replace the pump motor while the top is off. Fortunately, my red release handle still works so I can freely raise/lower the top manually. My top does not lock when down but I also don't press the "down" button after the top is down to lock it for fear that I would not be able to unlock it.

[meh92]

For trim pieces, look here:

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...or-trim-pieces

[RogerC493]

One other thing you should check for and that is the heating/air conditioning system. The flaps inside the heater box (mounted to the backside of the firewall) are made of plastic and tend to break due to their age. To repair is a very expensive project, as the dash has to be removed in order to remove the heater box, dismantle the insides and replace defective parts. Mine was rigged to allow hot air last winter but could not be rigged to allow cold air this spring--until the box was rebuilt with new parts. Cost a tad over $3K to repair at a BMW authorized shop. Imagine what the cost would have been at BMW's $150/hour labor rate.

Buying a car, particularily BMW, with high miles and age is a crap shoot. Had I known I was buying a money pit, I would have walked. Thousands of dollars later, however, I have a pretty nice little convertible which rides like a stage coach.