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engineering that makes you want to punch babies.
- Thread starter 87manche
- Start date
Mr. Mindless
Well-known member
Since this is where the German techs hang out, what to watch out for on a cheap used Z4? Looking at one with broken top tomorrow. 2003 automatic. Asking 5, already down to 4. If I can get it for 3500 or less and it runs right, likely will do.
Should vanos or similar scare me off with likely poor service history? I don’t know BMW at all yet. But recall I’m the guy who put air suspension back on a c5 Allroad and put a road ranger in his 2nd gen ram.
Should vanos or similar scare me off with likely poor service history? I don’t know BMW at all yet. But recall I’m the guy who put air suspension back on a c5 Allroad and put a road ranger in his 2nd gen ram.
If the top end is rattling it's probably vanos.
There are kits now to rebuild them so you don't have to spend 2 grand on a new one from BMW. Speed academy did a bunch of great videos on that stuff when they were building a BMW sedan.
It's going to leak oil from every gasket on the motor. Guaranteed.
no idea on top, I've never fucked with one, I see on the e90 forum that pump hydraulics and limit sensors/switches seem to be the most common issues people have with the e92 hard tops. It's probably the same shit in a z4.
If you buy it, you're gonna need to buy a cable and get the BMW standard tools or protools.
It will need the DISA rebuilt too, before it fails and kills the engine.
All BMW Products - German Auto Solutions
germanautosolutions.com
Once you understand why the germans do what they do, they are not hard to work on, just be aware that they are perfectly willing to make something twice as complicated as it needed to be to get another 5% performance out of it.
you need ALL the torx tools. They love that shit. I don't think there's many single use fasteners on the M54, since it's not cast of magnesium. Fun times with aluminum bolts all in my engine bay.
Having worked on modern VAG cars and modern BMW cars, I'll take BMWs brand of engineering over VAG's any day. They're both insane, but the BMW insanity at least makes sense. Who the fuck knows why VAG does VAG things. My brothers q7 with 50K miles on it needs new motor mounts because the fluid is leaking out. Fucking barney blood.
Donk
Piss Artist Formerly Known As OllieNZ
IIRC they're E46 based. I'm currently helping a mate build a forged turbo M54 for his Z4. I'll pick his brain on the roof issue.
We finished stripping the spare engine down the other night.....
Mr. Mindless
Well-known member
compression already lowered for the turbo, I see.
a quick YouTube showed me where the hydraulic bypass pull is in the trunk, as long as the latches still work it's super easy to ignore that issue. I'm surprised how cheap those engine fixes are. another hour and I'll see what's what and how lowball I can be. I'm sure I can find a rattle that indicates impending doom. Then hopefully I can flip it for a stick shift sometime. automatics are the devil.
a quick YouTube showed me where the hydraulic bypass pull is in the trunk, as long as the latches still work it's super easy to ignore that issue. I'm surprised how cheap those engine fixes are. another hour and I'll see what's what and how lowball I can be. I'm sure I can find a rattle that indicates impending doom. Then hopefully I can flip it for a stick shift sometime. automatics are the devil.
Donk
Piss Artist Formerly Known As OllieNZ
Yup
Mate says it's likely the roof motor. It lives in a bucket just in front of the drivers side rear wheel that likes to fill up with water. Could be lucky and be the rear microswitch or low on oil.
the parts generally aren't any more expensive.
it's labor that's the big expense.
Alpine4x4
Red Skull Member
Fantastic, I'm sure our Q7 TDI has the same mounts
I fucking love this SUV, but I'm dreading the day I have to do anything major on it.lower it on HR springs.Fantastic, I'm sure our Q7 TDI has the same mounts
trust me.
edit:
It took software editing of 11 different modules just to install a hitch.
Dealer wanted a grand for the labor. Rosstech software pays for itself.
Attachments
subybaja
E. Spengler
Alpine4x4
Red Skull Member
I've toyed with lowering it an inch. Its a 2012 so previous generation to that. H&R does make springs for it. I want to get some 21's for it to fill the wheel wells out a bit. Its almost out of emissions gate warranty and then its going to get a delete and tune as well. Wife and I both love it so far.
Ours has a factory hitch
you wouldn't believe the phone conversation we had trying to figure out what the fuck we were doing in the vagcom software to effect trailer lights and shit.
It's all interconnected, and it's got all the driver aids. So you have to program all of it because it does things differently with a trailer attached.
but if two amateurs can figure it out in an afternoon it can't be that hard.
lol.I've toyed with lowering it an inch. Its a 2012 so previous generation to that. H&R does make springs for it. I want to get some 21's for it to fill the wheel wells out a bit. Its almost out of emissions gate warranty and then its going to get a delete and tune as well. Wife and I both love it so far.
Ours has a factory hitch
He got a great deal on it and it's a platinum super awesome edition.
It came with 21" rs wheels
It's gonna get a malone tune and a pulley soon. It's warranty is also nearing the end.
subybaja
E. Spengler
Sounds like it!
he dropped off my nephew and niece a few weeks ago. Told me he didn't touch the pedals for 5 hours in the car.
It's a leap of faith I've not yet taken, though I am actively looking for the parts to retrofit adaptive cruise to my car.
Donk
Piss Artist Formerly Known As OllieNZ
Mr. Mindless I've just had a proper conversation with my mate about the roof. He says check the parcel shelf thing is down and if it is then check its microswitch (it's safe to just join the wires together to bypass it if needed) apparently getting the motor out will make you want to punch babies
Once you've got access you still can't see it properly so you've got to reach in and yank it out. It's cable tied in so you need to get in with a prybar and lever on it till it pops.
He freed off and cleaned the motor, then installed it in the boot so it doesn't end up drowning again.
Once you've got access you still can't see it properly so you've got to reach in and yank it out. It's cable tied in so you need to get in with a prybar and lever on it till it pops.
He freed off and cleaned the motor, then installed it in the boot so it doesn't end up drowning again.
Alpine4x4
Red Skull Member
Yeah ours doesnt have every bell and whistle, which we're fine with. Fuck adaptive cruise control. Its got 20's on it, but need a little bigger to fill out those giant wheel wells. His is the next gen though so it has even more fun fancy awesome shit on it that will faillol.
He got a great deal on it and it's a platinum super awesome edition.
It came with 21" rs wheels
It's gonna get a malone tune and a pulley soon. It's warranty is also nearing the end.
Yeah Malone Stage 2 for us as well is what the plan is. Wake that little 3.0 TDI up a bit.
subybaja
E. Spengler
This thread turned into "People who LUUUUV engineering that makes you want to punch babies".
Stix
Resident hick....
Fuckin bimmer fags always ruining shit
Before you get all uppity, I was a dyed in the wool Jag man.
but they don’t break down. Just fail to proceed......
ThePanzerFuhrer
The Rock Breaker God
go work on anything modern and tell me how the krauts are worse.
I dare you to change the battery in a new ford escape. They put that shit under the wiper cowl.
you know where the germans put it? In the fucking trunk where it belongs and you only need a ten mm socket to undo it.
ThePanzerFuhrer
The Rock Breaker God
If you can find a fucking 10mm socket lol.go work on anything modern and tell me how the krauts are worse.
I dare you to change the battery in a new ford escape. They put that shit under the wiper cowl.
you know where the germans put it? In the fucking trunk where it belongs and you only need a ten mm socket to undo it.
we are advanced level nerds.Yeah ours doesnt have every bell and whistle, which we're fine with. Fuck adaptive cruise control. Its got 20's on it, but need a little bigger to fill out those giant wheel wells. His is the next gen though so it has even more fun fancy awesome shit on it that will fail
Yeah Malone Stage 2 for us as well is what the plan is. Wake that little 3.0 TDI up a bit.
I just finishined stuffing a used amp and repinning the whole trunk harness to shove electronics in a 2008 BMW that don't belong there.
to match the other iDrive system that came from a car 5 years newer that also doesn't belong in there.
car is 2008
amp is from an 06
idrive is from a 2013
I don't even know where the screen came from as it didn't have a vin in it when I reprogrammed it.
all so I can have bluetooth streaming audio and not use an adapter in the center console because I fucking hate it.
edit:
and maps.
since the previous idrive could no longer get updates maps.
There's a 10MM wrench in the included toolkit on the opposite side of the trunk.
They think of everything
ThePanzerFuhrer
The Rock Breaker God
ThePanzerFuhrer
The Rock Breaker God
I was pissed the 335d had a flashlight in the glovebox of course that is missing. After looking all the other tools are gone also lol.
TrikeKid
Junk Hoarder
*Poorly packed into a tiny area with too many wires.
Mr. Mindless
Well-known member
My allroad should have breakdown triangles. of all the cars to have them missing from... yeah, they were gone. probably used too often and wore out 😂
brought home the Z4, I'm in love, even with the dumb transmission and little engine.
Unfortunately the top issue was a failed drive on the latch actuator motor. the drive axles are missing and so is the transmission. Motor was good but I can see where bushings failed and it was chewing the housing, so I'm shopping. All the trim plastics at the front of roof and top of windscreen are crunched up too. a whole top may not be a bad way to go for the cost of the pieces if I can't find a local parts car.
brought home the Z4, I'm in love, even with the dumb transmission and little engine.
Unfortunately the top issue was a failed drive on the latch actuator motor. the drive axles are missing and so is the transmission. Motor was good but I can see where bushings failed and it was chewing the housing, so I'm shopping. All the trim plastics at the front of roof and top of windscreen are crunched up too. a whole top may not be a bad way to go for the cost of the pieces if I can't find a local parts car.
flashlight wasn't gonna work anyway. all the batteries are dead.