e89 35i & 35is Reliability Question

[instantfob]

Learn to swap HPFP if you are out of warranty.
Electric water pump is another preventive maintenance thing you might want to look at

[paris1]

Originally Posted by instantfob

Learn to swap HPFP if you are out of warranty.
Electric water pump is another preventive maintenance thing you might want to look at

Don't think that's generally considered a DIY project and besides, there's an extended warranty on the part.

[dblaron30i]

I would say that I have had no issues with mine knock on wood... yet mine is the last naturaly asperated 3.0 model. 2011. Most of all I would say buy any model you want. I think you are right. The forums are typically used for issues or mods. My indie shop said that the motors on our cars are pretty rock solid. The only things to consider is the oil and water pump. And starter. He said for some reason those are the only things that typically need replacement pre-maturely and possibly the over flow water tank. All and all together all you would spend on all those parts and labor at a good indie shop is around $2000. Which is far cheaper than my Porsche is. Lol.

[nicknaz]

OP, I had a '12 35i dct for 3 years and I think I was one of the unlucky ones. My car was not the best in terms of reliability and had a lot of stuff that needed warranty work.

I did it as a (relatively) cheap lease but if I could go back in time I would either get an e86 z4m, e9x m3, or Porsche instead. GS corvette also great idea and would be a much better sports car

As others have said, if you are planning to go e89 go with a CPO and LCI

[cambit]

2011 BMW Z4 35IS purchased for $36500 with 21k miles in Oct2014

currently 81k miles Jun2017 and the work done so far:

$700 rear pads/rotors 2nd replacement
$1200 replace cracked valve cover assembly
$700 carbon intake cleaning (walnut blast)
$200 fuel tank vent valve replaced
$900 trunk rear partition replaced (cracked)
$900 front pads/rotors
$1200 cruise control stalk replaced
$2100 front struts replaced
$1000 oil filter housing gasket replaced
$800 rear pads/rotors 1st replacement
$40 front headlight bulbs replaced
$800 replace center armrest cover (hinge cracked)
$400 replaced spark plugs
$7000 replaced all 6 fuel injectors

$17,940 total in repairs

HPFP was replaced by previous owner.

anticipating these repairs on the horizon:
DCT leak - estimate 2500$
water pump - unknown
hard top roof hydraulics - unknown

[paris1]

I would certainly question some of those prices, but it appears that you need to find a good indie shop and stop using the dealer service dept.!

[cruisingdownthestreet]

I have the 4 banger and most of my problems are random windows going down when I put them up, AC not turning on when I start the engine, and brakes/automatic gearbox clinking and clunking when I put it in R,P, or D......

[NoQuarter]

Originally Posted by paris1

I would certainly question some of those prices, but it appears that you need to find a good indie shop and stop using the dealer service dept.!

For real. Someone has figured out he will keep paying and apparently owns no tools.

[cambit]

However way you choose to deal with your repairs, there is still no denying the fact that the reliability of E89 series Z4 is below average.

From my research, I found a lot of the stuff I had repaired is pretty common for all E89 owners, oil filter housing gaskets, valve covers, rear trunk partition, fuel injectors, DCT transmission leaks, the list goes on. One good thing is the engine is pretty reliable, but does requires maintenance due to direct fuel injection. A walnut blasting of the carbon buildup is mandatory every 50-70k in my opinion.

Also some wheels from the factory are prone to cracking as well, but I didnt have that problem from the 326M wheels.

[paris1]

Originally Posted by cambit

However way you choose to deal with your repairs, there is still no denying the fact that the reliability of E89 series Z4 is below average.

From my research, I found a lot of the stuff I had repaired is pretty common for all E89 owners, oil filter housing gaskets, valve covers, rear trunk partition, fuel injectors, DCT transmission leaks, the list goes on. One good thing is the engine is pretty reliable, but does requires maintenance due to direct fuel injection. A walnut blasting of the carbon buildup is mandatory every 50-70k in my opinion.

Also some wheels from the factory are prone to cracking as well, but I didnt have that problem from the 326M wheels.

I don't disagree with the majority of what you say here. However I would point out that the biggest $$ item on your list ($7k for fuel injectors) are (from what I understand) primarily an issue on pre-2012/13 cars and are often/usually changed in conjunction with the earlier HPFP.
Interesting comment about the carbon cleaning every 50-75k miles. I'm wondering if others here agree with that?
BTW: My biggest gripe so far is with tire wear and cost. I will NEVER own a car with staggered wheels/tires again. The inability to rotate to even out wear is INSANE!

[cambit]

here's a before and after of the intake valves that I took when I had the walnut blasting done at the dealership. This was approximately 55k miles. the biggest difference for me was at low end RPM the engine would hesitate a bit, as well as rough idling. After the procedure it was smooth as butter. the difference was very dramatic.

This has been well documented online on this forum, a search will yield some more detailed writeups



.

[tranquility]

You have to go into this w/ your eyes wide open, this car definitely can hit you w/ some big repair items if you're unlucky. I'm not sure where I stand but it definitely gave me quite a few prbs vs my previous Japanese car (all figures CAD):
-HPFP (luckily, under warranty)
-fuel injectors $3,xxx hit (doubly sucks because in the US, they retroactively covered under extended warranty but not in Canada!)
-oil cover head gasket thingy $1K hit
-leaky transmission gasket, etc $9xx hit

Now my rear LED light burnt and I found out that I'll have to replace the whole freaking thing vs just a bulb, so that's another $7xx.

[paris1]

Originally Posted by tranquility

You have to go into this w/ your eyes wide open, this car definitely can hit you w/ some big repair items if you're unlucky. I'm not sure where I stand but it definitely gave me quite a few prbs vs my previous Japanese car (all figures CAD):
-HPFP (luckily, under warranty)
-fuel injectors $3,xxx hit (doubly sucks because in the US, they retroactively covered under extended warranty but not in Canada!)
-oil cover head gasket thingy $1K hit
-leaky transmission gasket, etc $9xx hit

Now my rear LED light burnt and I found out that I'll have to replace the whole freaking thing vs just a bulb, so that's another $7xx.

Those can be repaired for much less. See if there's anyone in your area that does that kind of work.

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by paris1

Those can be repaired for much less. See if there's anyone in your area that does that kind of work.

Do you know for sure? The shops I'm asking say that it can only be replaced, not repaired.

[paris1]

Originally Posted by tranquility

Do you know for sure? The shops I'm asking say that it can only be replaced, not repaired.

Well, let's put it this way. If you Google "LED taillight repair" you get an assortment of DIY YouTube videos and such. I'm assuming from there must be some shops around (auto electric) that can perform such tasks. Maybe not.

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by paris1

Well, let's put it this way. If you Google "LED taillight repair" you get an assortment of DIY YouTube videos and such. I'm assuming from there must be some shops around (auto electric) that can perform such tasks. Maybe not.

Ya, if you put it that way, almost anything can be DIY, but I wanna know if there's a proper/tried&true process, unfortunately doesn't seem like it.

[Tangent]

Originally Posted by tranquility

Do you know for sure? The shops I'm asking say that it can only be replaced, not repaired.

It's not repairable in the standard "remove part and replace with another" way that other repairs are. It'll be more of a "disassemble and resolder broken connection" type of deal that dealerships and the vast majority of shops don't mess around with.

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by Tangent

It's not repairable in the standard "remove part and replace with another" way that other repairs are. It'll be more of a "disassemble and resolder broken connection" type of deal that dealerships and the vast majority of shops don't mess around with.

Due to it being too pita/technical or no guaranteed longevity? Seems like I'm gonna havta go down the road of having it replaced.

[paris1]

So here's a used light on ebay for $106 http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-Z4-E89-R...3D360638403012
and there are plenty of other deals online for $200-$300 per side. How difficult could it be to replace yourself?

[tranquility]

I don't buy used though.

[paris1]

So buy new for $300 or so!

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by paris1

So buy new for $300 or so!

Like I said, unfortunately, I'll probably have to do this at the dealer.