What's the most expensive repair you've made for your Z4M?

TallTexan · 08-19-2011, 09:36 PM

BIMMERPOST / Classifieds

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I'm wading into the waters of z4M ownership. I've owned as a daily driver a 1974 BMW 2002, 1987 325es, 1991 535i, and a 1987 528e.

I'm looking for some horror stories about what has mechanically failed on your Z4M. What should I watch out for if buying a Z4M outside of warranty.

/sorry, wrong forum. a little mod help?

txz4 · 08-19-2011, 09:42 PM

There are some threads on here specifically on this. The only things that come to mind are the engine mount bolts and perhaps some sort of vanos bolt, though im not as familiar with that. As far as everything else on the car, according to BMW employees ive talked to, the less electronics in the car the better for reliability and it just so happens that the z4 is one of the cars that doesn't have much in the way of extra electronics.

hope that helps some! good luck finding your M

Finnegan · 08-19-2011, 09:53 PM

^ WHS

The vanos bolt problem is pretty rare, and seems to be limited to MY06, although there may be cars outside that date. It's a rare issue that's affected other S54s as well. I'm personally not that worried about it.

The engine mount bolt issue is something to look out for, but it's not a huge expense to fix.

Otherwise the "expensive" things about the car are:

Rotors - fronts are around 400 to 500 USD in parts to replace, rears a bit cheaper (floating rotors from the E46 M3 Comp package) at probably around 30K miles, less if you run at the track
Inspection I at around 24K miles and then again around 24K miles later for Inspection II- ~800 USD for a good indie shop (less if you DIY) for Inspection I, Inspection II a bit more IIRC.
Coil packs go out, common on all BMWs, 40 or so USD to replace

Then you have the usual BMW maintenance items like bushings and so on--that will be no surprise given your history with the make--but those don't tend to be that expensive either.

We haven't seen many electrical issues here. It's a pretty solid car, the S54 was in it's final years as were most of the parts on this baby (no teething issues).

You won't find a lot of stories similar to the Boxster or Cayman here (IMS, motors self-destructing due to oil starvation, excessive oil use) like these .

TallTexan · 08-20-2011, 12:05 AM

The standard bmw warranty back in 2006-2008 was 4yr/50k, correct? Was there an extended bumper to bumper warranty avail?

Thx for the quick replies

epbrown · 08-20-2011, 04:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TallTexan

The standard bmw warranty back in 2006-2008 was 4yr/50k, correct? Was there an extended bumper to bumper warranty avail?

Thx for the quick replies

You could go CPO for a couple of grand, and extend the warranty to 6 years/100k miles, but few people bother (I wouldn't). Not a lot to go wrong on these, so if you don't mind the maintenance costs, which are completely in line with the car's performance contemporaries, there are no worrisome trends to be wary of.

Finnegan · 08-20-2011, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TallTexan

The standard bmw warranty back in 2006-2008 was 4yr/50k, correct? Was there an extended bumper to bumper warranty avail?

Thx for the quick replies

Quote:

Originally Posted by epbrown

You could go CPO for a couple of grand, and extend the warranty to 6 years/100k miles, but few people bother (I wouldn't). Not a lot to go wrong on these, so if you don't mind the maintenance costs, which are completely in line with the car's performance contemporaries, there are no worrisome trends to be wary of.

Original 4yr/50K included maintenance as well. Like EP said, few people bother on the extended. (Mine was up just recently, didn't get it, not planning on getting one for my wife's Z4M either.) I'd just sock some of whatever you'd pay on CPO or extended into a reserve fund instead.

TallTexan · 08-20-2011, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finnegan

Original 4yr/50K included maintenance as well. Like EP said, few people bother on the extended. (Mine was up just recently, didn't get it, not planning on getting one for my wife's Z4M either.) I'd just sock some of whatever you'd pay on CPO or extended into a reserve fund instead.

Good info. Thanks!

ZStig · 08-20-2011, 03:19 PM

a hard to get to throttle position sensor $1k

Finnegan · 08-20-2011, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roffle Waffle

a hard to get to throttle position sensor $1k

I think it's the only one we know of that's gone bad though, yes?

ZStig · 08-20-2011, 03:31 PM

yup. actually I've had issues with the other one too. but its $48 + a 2 minute DIY job

Finnegan · 08-20-2011, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roffle Waffle

yup. actually I've had issues with the other one too. but its $48 + a 2 minute DIY job

Geez, Bubba must have had an off day when he installed those on the assembly line! Both? Sheesh.

zubydafa · 08-21-2011, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finnegan

Original 4yr/50K included maintenance as well. Like EP said, few people bother on the extended. (Mine was up just recently, didn't get it, not planning on getting one for my wife's Z4M either.) I'd just sock some of whatever you'd pay on CPO or extended into a reserve fund instead.

2 z4m's! i hate you

Finnegan · 08-21-2011, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zubydafa

2 z4m's! i hate you

No other choice. My wife had hers a year and half ago. She became ever more tired of me driving her car (instead of mine). So she cancelled my privileges to her car and told me to get my own. What can I say, once you've been bitten by the Z4M bug it gets into your DNA!

inTgr8r · 08-21-2011, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finnegan

No other choice. My wife had hers a year and half ago. She became ever more tired of me driving her car (instead of mine). So she cancelled my privileges to her car and told me to get my own. What can I say, once you've been bitten by the Z4M bug it gets into your DNA!

trudat

When I had to sell my M Roady, I knew I'd be back.

Kgolf31 · 08-21-2011, 10:00 PM

Only thing I went through is an ignition coil.

ZStig · 08-21-2011, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kgolf31

Only thing I went through is an ignition coil.

what was the symptom?

Kgolf31 · 08-21-2011, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roffle Waffle

what was the symptom?

No symptom at all...went into 2nd gear and car went into limp mode. Mis-fired on cylinder #3.

I had no clue what it was at the time, car was shaking extremely bad, it went into limp mode and sounded like a 400 HP Subaru STi...wouldn't accelerate..etc.

Had it towed, fixed the next day under CPO + $50

08-19-2011, 09:36 PM	#1
TallTexan New Member 2 Rep 18 Posts Drives: Z4MC - Silbergrau Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Austin, TX iTrader: (0)	What's the most expensive repair you've made for your Z4M? BIMMERPOST / Classifieds Asking Price: None Item Interest I'm wading into the waters of z4M ownership. I've owned as a daily driver a 1974 BMW 2002, 1987 325es, 1991 535i, and a 1987 528e. I'm looking for some horror stories about what has mechanically failed on your Z4M. What should I watch out for if buying a Z4M outside of warranty. /sorry, wrong forum. a little mod help?
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08-19-2011, 09:42 PM	#2
txz4 Major 59 Rep 1,097 Posts Drives: 2006 M coupe Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: san antonio, texas iTrader: (3)	There are some threads on here specifically on this. The only things that come to mind are the engine mount bolts and perhaps some sort of vanos bolt, though im not as familiar with that. As far as everything else on the car, according to BMW employees ive talked to, the less electronics in the car the better for reliability and it just so happens that the z4 is one of the cars that doesn't have much in the way of extra electronics. hope that helps some! good luck finding your M
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08-19-2011, 09:53 PM	#3
Finnegan Dog Listener 703 Rep 7,850 Posts Drives: Z4M/. Z3M, E36/46 M3 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Teaching the dog to slalom iTrader: (22)	^ WHS The vanos bolt problem is pretty rare, and seems to be limited to MY06, although there may be cars outside that date. It's a rare issue that's affected other S54s as well. I'm personally not that worried about it. The engine mount bolt issue is something to look out for, but it's not a huge expense to fix. Otherwise the "expensive" things about the car are: Rotors - fronts are around 400 to 500 USD in parts to replace, rears a bit cheaper (floating rotors from the E46 M3 Comp package) at probably around 30K miles, less if you run at the track Inspection I at around 24K miles and then again around 24K miles later for Inspection II- ~800 USD for a good indie shop (less if you DIY) for Inspection I, Inspection II a bit more IIRC. Coil packs go out, common on all BMWs, 40 or so USD to replace Then you have the usual BMW maintenance items like bushings and so on--that will be no surprise given your history with the make--but those don't tend to be that expensive either. We haven't seen many electrical issues here. It's a pretty solid car, the S54 was in it's final years as were most of the parts on this baby (no teething issues). You won't find a lot of stories similar to the Boxster or Cayman here (IMS, motors self-destructing due to oil starvation, excessive oil use) like these . Last edited by Finnegan; 08-20-2011 at 02:44 AM..
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08-20-2011, 12:05 AM	#4
TallTexan New Member 2 Rep 18 Posts Drives: Z4MC - Silbergrau Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Austin, TX iTrader: (0)	The standard bmw warranty back in 2006-2008 was 4yr/50k, correct? Was there an extended bumper to bumper warranty avail? Thx for the quick replies
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08-20-2011, 03:19 PM	#8
ZStig instagram 997turbotom 279 Rep 7,377 Posts Drives: Interlagos Z4MR Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Delray Beach, FL iTrader: (4)	a hard to get to throttle position sensor $1k __________________
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08-20-2011, 03:31 PM	#10
ZStig instagram 997turbotom 279 Rep 7,377 Posts Drives: Interlagos Z4MR Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Delray Beach, FL iTrader: (4)	yup. actually I've had issues with the other one too. but its $48 + a 2 minute DIY job __________________
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08-21-2011, 10:00 PM	#15
Kgolf31 Brigadier General 460 Rep 4,531 Posts Drives: 2007 Z4MC, 2012 128i Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Ohio iTrader: (4)	Only thing I went through is an ignition coil.
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