Z4 M & E89 Z4 Sdrive 3.0

[GoCart]

Pretty bleak picture being painted of the Z4 M here, not sure it’s completely justified.

My advice when shopping for a Z4 M.

Find one which was actually maintained, with all the mechanical components and trim intact.

Look further then the FSH with BMW, which to me holds little value. Gauge your seller's knowledge, his / her view on preventative maintenance...

Assess the modifications, if any, esthetic or performance orientated... Power mods on a Z4 M might imply hard driving intent, however, some guys simply like to spoil their cars, and do not necessarily plan to drive the balls off it every time they fit a new air filter.

Always remember, BMW do not manufacture M cars to be any less reliable then their other models, although, some of the components will be subject to immense stress.

 

[telegamer]

My Z4M is a weekend toy...spend on preventative maintenance and enjoy...this car was built to driven, not necessarily hard, point and squirt is satisfying, I can't bring myself to subject it to being a daily drive....

 

[Cupra08]

Hey there,

Just my quick 5c.

I have a Z4 M Roadster. I use it as my daily driver. Had it from 60k km. Had the clutch replaced under motorplan before the motor plan ended (that was probably the biggest thing I have had to do on it since I have had it). It is now sitting close to 150k km. And I still love it. I have no regrets at all. The motor has been bullet proof, with the only issue being the noisy cam lifter sound having started recently (lots of threads on this). All services have been through BMW and not too expensive. The next main service will include new rotors (discs) which are a little more pricey than average, but then again you have to feel the braking on a Z4M to understand why!

It is my daily driver, and I have a mix of short and long drives depending on the day and what office I have to go to. And then, the best thing, is being able to take it for fun drives on the weekend too. Absolutely love it!

Ultimately, best thing for you to do, is test drive and then decide! You will know what to do then!

Best of luck!

Regards,

Pete

HI Pete,

Thanks for your reply. Quick question have your changed the bearings and is this really needed if you have not done this?

 

[PLV]

Hey there,

I have not yet had to do that! No indication that it is necessary as yet...

Regards,

Pete

 

[Clint@MMS AUTO]

Hey there,

I have not yet had to do that! No indication that it is necessary as yet...

Regards,

Pete

Only indication you will get is when its too late and you hear the bearing knock or when it spins the bearing and damages the crank/motor. its why we refer to it as preventative maintenance. the cost of being proactive is cheaper than the cost of being re-active in this regard.

 

[AdiS]

Hey there,

I have not yet had to do that! No indication that it is necessary as yet...

Regards,

Pete

At your mileage, I would consider getting the bearings done. Unfortunately none of us can predict when exactly your bearings will become an issue, but the risk increases as the mileage gets higher. There also aren't signs that you can really observe that indicate that they need to be done. Unless you are lucky, you generally score the crankshaft and are in for an expensive bottom end rebuild or replacement engine.

 

[PLV]

Thanks guys. I was not aware of this. So I guess I will investigate a bit further and consider that for the next service coming up soon...

Still waiting for my regulator to arrive before she moves anyway. And also not getting much joy from any places in terms of new rotors/discs... so still have to decide how best to get that sorted in the next couple weeks...

Regards,

Pete

 

[Clint@MMS AUTO]

You need to drop subframe, sump, oil pump and rod caps to check the bearings. if you get that far, you might as well change the bearings out one time.

 

[Fordkoppie]

N52 engines are not as reliable as one would expect from a manufacturer who's claim to fame used to be in NA 6 cylinder engines.

Everyone here seems to expect a non M car to be "bullet proof". They are not.
......and when considering normal serviceable parts......the e89 already had semi floating discs with aluminum hats as well which cost nearly the same as the Z4M items

A big ticket item on the Z4M will be the bearings, but after that, I cant see how its going to be more expensive to maintain in the long run compared to an E89 3.0i

 

[Cupra08]

Where can you do an Oil diagnostics or analyse, is this n a way of checking if the bearings are still in good condition?

 

[Fordkoppie]

Doesnt tell you anything if you dont have all the previous samples.

Wearcheck in KZN