New Z has arrived. Have questions.

Nebraska99 · 07-14-2009, 06:25 AM

I don't know that I would have accepted that car from the dealer.

richard in NC · 07-14-2009, 05:26 PM

The only interior noise I have is if the seat is lightly touching the back edge, it will creak & groan over bumps. I either move it forward 1/4 inch or jam it back tighter.

Z4Andy · 07-14-2009, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nebraska99

I don't know that I would have accepted that car from the dealer.

To be entirely fair the dealer has been great and I am sure all will be put right (I hope).

I have only one real concern and that is the lose panel that is probably very easily rectified though dealer hasn't seen it yet.

Sure the chip in the door handle was a dispointment as is the poor radio but I don't think the problems warrant a rejection.

The trim is being sorted, the condition of the paint work was corrected and the dealer is sorting a few extras for me for my trouble

.

But when the sun shines and the roof comes down

JohnT · 07-15-2009, 03:03 PM

Know what you mean, 900 miles since 23 June!! Car is now at body shop having the blemish polished out, miss it already.
Did you get any info about the warranty with the handbooks, a separate book maybe? I can see the service book, but is has no info about it.

Z4Andy · 07-24-2009, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnT

Know what you mean, 900 miles since 23 June!! Car is now at body shop having the blemish polished out, miss it already.
Did you get any info about the warranty with the handbooks, a separate book maybe? I can see the service book, but is has no info about it.

Sorry only coming back to this now.

Did you get that blemish sorted OK? I have no info on warranty either.

My car is to go in next week some time and the dealer has a list of problems as long as my arm

Car driving great though

335Transformer · 07-29-2009, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Z4Andy

Hi all, just taken delivery (will get pics up soon).

However car has a couple of defects. Though dealer has been very fair so far.

Paint has lots of watermarks a scuff on the fuel filler cap and a chip on the passenger door handle.

Interior trim has some marks (scratches on the wood trim) and the dealer has promised faithfully to sort them but it would seem the car arrived at the dealer like this.

Non of this was pointed out to me though and I did have to mention it.

So I agree a course of action with the so far good dealer service but on the way home I could hear this tin type high frequency rattle coming from the nearside rear and when you open the arm rest it makes a very nasty crunch noise and catches on the USB interface somewhere upon closing which seems very cheaply made.

Any ideas of the above. Also what is the packing behind the front grill? Should this have been removed. It was dark by the time I got home so I really didn't get a good look in there.

Very disapointed with the standard stereo, though the bluetooth works great.

Had a nice drive home and managed some roof down time when the sun was out. Fuel computer showing 39.7 average mpg but I never ventured over 60 on the motorway.

Biggest distraction is the bonnet seemed to wobble as I drive. At first I thought it was open and pulled over to check.

Brakes seem very "clunky" at low speed. Handles well and the 19" wheels give a better ride than I thought they would.

I know this first post is a bit negative of the car, however I have just had the bad points on my mind from picking the car up and only 80 miles so far.

Ummmm, you did not buy an Audi, so expect the cheapness and rattles.

teagueAMX · 07-29-2009, 02:38 PM

Just for clarification, are you saying Audi build quality is better than BMW?

I remember just a few years ago, anything with the Audi name on it was considered junk. Maybe things have changed. Looking at Audi's website, their base prices seem somewhat less than BMW, so I don't think it's a price issue. Audi doesn't appear to have a model comparable to the Z4.

I know a lot of people like Audi's, but whenever I look at one I get the feeling it's the Japanese German car – well executed but sort of sterile. I know they did pretty good at Le Mans a few years back (have really paid much attention since). But I figure very little of that high end tek really filters down to production vehicles, anyway.

Looking at BMW's competition and the base price of Z4 35i, I have to admit they could do a better job in a number of areas. Regardless, I love it and the X6 – maybe overpriced but. . ..

Z4 Beemer · 07-29-2009, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 335Transformer

Ummmm, you did not buy an Audi, so expect the cheapness and rattles.

No, don't expect cheapness and rattles. What is cheapness defined as anyway?

The only "rattle" I ever get on the Z4 is when nobody is sitting in the passenger seat, it can occasionally give a metallic rattle. Simply pressing on the seat base causes it to disappear for a while. I think it might be the isofix child seat fixings, but not properly investigated, and have no intention to ask the dealer to fix at the moment, as I hope I might be able to try and do something myself. I think we can expect to hear the odd bit of noise from the roof occasionally (when its not folded away). This will just be the rubber seals "flexing" as the car moves.

My attitude is that if you start listening and looking for faults, you'll find them, and not just with cars!

Z4Andy · 07-29-2009, 05:28 PM

My rattles have gone (touch wood) and the car really seems to be coming alive as the miles go on.

Car goes in tomorrow to have the problems sorted.

As for that Audi comment. My dads A6 was a disaster. Cooling and electrical problems were never ending and a friends TT has been giving a lot of problems.

As for Jap cars. Well this is the first German car for me and in my 25 years of car ownership the Jap stuff has been the best up until now. The Beemer is off to a bad start but we shall see.

teagueAMX · 07-29-2009, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Z4Andy

My rattles have gone (touch wood) and the car really seems to be coming alive as the miles go on.

Car goes in tomorrow to have the problems sorted.

As for that Audi comment. My dads A6 was a disaster. Cooling and electrical problems were never ending and a friends TT has been giving a lot of problems.

As for Jap cars. Well this is the first German car for me and in my 25 years of car ownership the Jap stuff has been the best up until now. The Beemer is off to a bad start but we shall see.

Unfortunately, the Europeans do not maintain the same attention to detail as the Japanese, which is not say I’m a fan. They have perfected the quality control process to the point they have an extremely small defect fault percentage, and when they do catch a defect, they send it back until it’s right. Not so with the Europeans, and by extension, US manufactures.

Years ago following WWII, they Europeans/US manufactures had the attitude “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The Japanese on the other hand were recovering from WWII and their manufacturing sector needed to get back on its feet, so they adopted Bell Labs Scientist Deming’s statistical quality control methods, and followed it religiously ever since.

Regardless, I’d rather have a European make. My friends on the other hand have owned MB’s, Audi’s, etc., and had lots of trouble with them. Frankly, even though I think BMW’s are very fine cars, if it wasn’t for BMW warranty and the ability to extend that, I’d be afraid of getting one.

I think the Z4 is one of the finest cars out there, and with a little time you'll get those issues sorted and love your car forever!

richard in NC · 07-29-2009, 06:52 PM

Plus there is always more risk getting a first year of any model. As long as BMW got the big stuff right (folding top, DCT, etc), I'll be OK.

HK bimmer · 07-29-2009, 09:25 PM

With many years of experience in driving and using different brands of cars, japanese & european, I find "car" itself is a very complicated machine. I have used Isuzu, Toyota, Honda, Volvo, BMW, Audi, Mercedes. I can hardly find a car without manufacturing problem. If there is no problem with the engine, there must be some problems with the interior or fittings, no matter big problem or small. I wonder if very expensive cars, like Aston Martin, Bentley, Rolls Royce ... will be the same??

teagueAMX · 07-29-2009, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HK bimmer

I wonder if very expensive cars, like Aston Martin, Bentley, Rolls Royce ... will be the same??

It's funny you say that because I watched a Fifth Gear test of an Aston Martin Vanquish S on Youtube and every time they gave it full throttle in a hard turn it blew off the searing pump belt. Watch the vid around 1:40 min.

Aston Martin Vanquish S (Fifth Gear)

HK bimmer · 07-29-2009, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teagueAMX

It's funny you say that because I watched a Fifth Gear test of an Aston Martin Vanquish S on Youtube and every time they gave it full throttle in a hard turn it blew off the searing pump belt. Watch the vid around 1:40 min.

Aston Martin Vanquish S (Fifth Gear)

Hahaha....

Z_Victor1 · 07-30-2009, 08:42 AM

I'm following this closely, as I'm picking up my 35i in 2 days - also DSB colour.

As far as the BMW dealer is concerned, I'm perhaps a bit of a PITA as I am extremely fussy.

However, I "don't sweat the small stuff" and have had an excellent relationship with them over 15 years - so am satisfied that if problems do crop up, they will be fixed....

But extremely appreciative of your comments thus far!

Z4Andy · 07-30-2009, 06:35 PM

Well car went in today.

New wood trim has not been fitted as the part has not arrived.

Lose panel has been tightend up somehow but it's not as tight as the other side but have been told it's ok and safe and it's logged on the computer if I have anymore problems.

Low speed brake noise has been investigated and put down to just being new and the way you brake at low speed with an automatic compared with a manual. The demo car is the same. I will just have to accept this for now but the groaning sounds do annoy me.

Armrest fixed.

Black line on headcloth has been caused by touching the fold down luggage safety cover when retracted which was dirty. Could happen again though I suppose.

Ticking sound sometimes at idle is apparently something to do with the Vanos and is normal.

Dealer fitted and supplied 35i finnish grills (upper and lower) free off charge. (Thankyou it looks great).

Number plate refitted.

Mentioned the radio and possible upgrades. Sales guy was totally honest and suggested the best route would be to speak to a specialist ICE guy and gave a recommendation. I have since found that if the radio station is somewhat weaker in reception the volume drops considerably even though the sound remains solid. Most radios would show up the weak signal with static interference and remain loud. There is still a noticable "limiter" type effect going on and I don't like the vibration in my foot through the throttle pedal at louder volumes but my low volume problems would be more down to poor reception. It's still poor though. My Celica's standard Sony system was far superiour.

Given a 120d Coupe for the day (wife really wants one and she will probably buy) with insurance and fuel.

Very good service and the sales guy handled everything and didn't fob me off to service reception.

Way it should be IMOP.

Mechanics left grubby marks in the car including a nice foot mark on the drivers door as he was getting out no doubt. Sorted that myself.

Glad to have the car home. I missed it

Z4Andy · 07-30-2009, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Z_Victor1

I'm following this closely, as I'm picking up my 35i in 2 days - also DSB colour.

As far as the BMW dealer is concerned, I'm perhaps a bit of a PITA as I am extremely fussy.

However, I "don't sweat the small stuff" and have had an excellent relationship with them over 15 years - so am satisfied that if problems do crop up, they will be fixed....

But extremely appreciative of your comments thus far!

You have bought the car I really wanted

but I couldn't afford that and the DCT (I need an auto due to an injury). You must be like a kid on Xmas eve right now

Get the pics up ASAP and I hope you get lots of sunshine.

jrich4411 · 07-30-2009, 09:32 PM

I find the "German built" vs "Japanese built" vs "American built" arguements interesting, with all the comments about quality and attention to detail, etc, considering EVERY Z4 built, even those cruising the Autobahn in Germany were built in Spartanberg County South Carolina, USA.

jrich4411 · 07-30-2009, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teagueAMX

It's funny you say that because I watched a Fifth Gear test of an Aston Martin Vanquish S on Youtube and every time they gave it full throttle in a hard turn it blew off the searing pump belt. Watch the vid around 1:40 min.

Aston Martin Vanquish S (Fifth Gear)

The Aston Martin with 500 BHP (as stated in this video) will do 0-62 in 4.8 seconds. My '06 ///M with 330 BHP will do 0-60 in 4.9. I guess I'm not impressed by the Aston-Martin (I own a british sports car FWIW). Looks pretty though. I'd be happy being seen in one!

richard in NC · 07-30-2009, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrich4411

I find the "German built" vs "Japanese built" vs "American built" arguements interesting, with all the comments about quality and attention to detail, etc, considering EVERY Z4 built, even those cruising the Autobahn in Germany were built in Spartanberg County South Carolina, USA.

True for the Z3 and E85 Z4 but the new Z4 is built in Germany.

jrich4411 · 07-30-2009, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richard in NC

True for the Z3 and E85 Z4 but the new Z4 is built in Germany.

Didn't know that. I wonder why they moved production back to the motherland? Quality hasn't seemed to improve any.

teagueAMX · 07-30-2009, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrich4411

I find the "German built" vs "Japanese built" vs "American built" arguements interesting, with all the comments about quality and attention to detail, etc, considering EVERY Z4 built, even those cruising the Autobahn in Germany were built in Spartanberg County South Carolina, USA.

You've got a valid point (except as corrected above) but it all comes down to quality control. When you look at cars today, in practical terms there's almost nothing that actually separates them in the way of actual technologies and how they are constructed. At one time there was a big difference - very few cars used lightweight materials. Now they all do.

Let's face it, when you look at the way the engines are manufactured, the seats, fender fabrication, electronics, dash boards, they all use the same materials and techniques. If Ford used BMW's specs, they could build a BMW M3 along side their other models in the same Detroit plant and you couldn't tell the difference from the one built in SC or Germany.

And it's not the workers either, although they can make a difference. It the attention to design details, the tooling, and most important, quality control. You can move those processes anywhere in the world and the results would be the same.

The German v Japanese v American make it is really about the mind set of the manufactures, rather than where the makes are built.

07-14-2009, 06:25 AM	#23
Nebraska99 Enlisted Member 4 Rep 45 Posts Drives: CLK 500, RX350 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Belleville, IL iTrader: (0)	I don't know that I would have accepted that car from the dealer.
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07-14-2009, 05:26 PM	#24
richard in NC Colonel 1234 Rep 2,602 Posts Drives: 2009 Z4 35i Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Charlotte, NC iTrader: (0)	The only interior noise I have is if the seat is lightly touching the back edge, it will creak & groan over bumps. I either move it forward 1/4 inch or jam it back tighter.
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07-15-2009, 03:03 PM	#26
JohnT Private 4 Rep 79 Posts Drives: Z4 sDrive23i Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Yorkshire iTrader: (0)	Know what you mean, 900 miles since 23 June!! Car is now at body shop having the blemish polished out, miss it already. Did you get any info about the warranty with the handbooks, a separate book maybe? I can see the service book, but is has no info about it.
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07-29-2009, 02:38 PM	#29
teagueAMX Colonel 65 Rep 2,087 Posts Drives: Some are road worthy Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: So Cal, USA iTrader: (0)	Just for clarification, are you saying Audi build quality is better than BMW? I remember just a few years ago, anything with the Audi name on it was considered junk. Maybe things have changed. Looking at Audi's website, their base prices seem somewhat less than BMW, so I don't think it's a price issue. Audi doesn't appear to have a model comparable to the Z4. I know a lot of people like Audi's, but whenever I look at one I get the feeling it's the Japanese German car – well executed but sort of sterile. I know they did pretty good at Le Mans a few years back (have really paid much attention since). But I figure very little of that high end tek really filters down to production vehicles, anyway. Looking at BMW's competition and the base price of Z4 35i, I have to admit they could do a better job in a number of areas. Regardless, I love it and the X6 – maybe overpriced but. . .. Last edited by teagueAMX; 07-29-2009 at 03:58 PM..
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07-29-2009, 05:28 PM	#31
Z4Andy Private First Class 10 Rep 170 Posts Drives: Z4 Sdrive 35iS Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Belfast iTrader: (0)	My rattles have gone (touch wood) and the car really seems to be coming alive as the miles go on. Car goes in tomorrow to have the problems sorted. As for that Audi comment. My dads A6 was a disaster. Cooling and electrical problems were never ending and a friends TT has been giving a lot of problems. As for Jap cars. Well this is the first German car for me and in my 25 years of car ownership the Jap stuff has been the best up until now. The Beemer is off to a bad start but we shall see.
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07-29-2009, 06:52 PM	#33
richard in NC Colonel 1234 Rep 2,602 Posts Drives: 2009 Z4 35i Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Charlotte, NC iTrader: (0)	Plus there is always more risk getting a first year of any model. As long as BMW got the big stuff right (folding top, DCT, etc), I'll be OK.
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07-29-2009, 09:25 PM	#34
HK bimmer Private 3 Rep 74 Posts Drives: 2012 650i Convertible Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Hong Kong iTrader: (0)	With many years of experience in driving and using different brands of cars, japanese & european, I find "car" itself is a very complicated machine. I have used Isuzu, Toyota, Honda, Volvo, BMW, Audi, Mercedes. I can hardly find a car without manufacturing problem. If there is no problem with the engine, there must be some problems with the interior or fittings, no matter big problem or small. I wonder if very expensive cars, like Aston Martin, Bentley, Rolls Royce ... will be the same??
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07-30-2009, 08:42 AM	#37
Z_Victor1 First Lieutenant 62 Rep 328 Posts Drives: 2022 G22 M440i 👍 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: SouthEast UK iTrader: (0)	Watching and listening.......... I'm following this closely, as I'm picking up my 35i in 2 days - also DSB colour. As far as the BMW dealer is concerned, I'm perhaps a bit of a PITA as I am extremely fussy. However, I "don't sweat the small stuff" and have had an excellent relationship with them over 15 years - so am satisfied that if problems do crop up, they *will* be fixed.... But extremely appreciative of your comments thus far!
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-30-2009, 06:35 PM	#38
Z4Andy Private First Class 10 Rep 170 Posts Drives: Z4 Sdrive 35iS Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Belfast iTrader: (0)	Well car went in today. New wood trim has not been fitted as the part has not arrived. Lose panel has been tightend up somehow but it's not as tight as the other side but have been told it's ok and safe and it's logged on the computer if I have anymore problems. Low speed brake noise has been investigated and put down to just being new and the way you brake at low speed with an automatic compared with a manual. The demo car is the same. I will just have to accept this for now but the groaning sounds do annoy me. Armrest fixed. Black line on headcloth has been caused by touching the fold down luggage safety cover when retracted which was dirty. Could happen again though I suppose. Ticking sound sometimes at idle is apparently something to do with the Vanos and is normal. Dealer fitted and supplied 35i finnish grills (upper and lower) free off charge. (Thankyou it looks great). Number plate refitted. Mentioned the radio and possible upgrades. Sales guy was totally honest and suggested the best route would be to speak to a specialist ICE guy and gave a recommendation. I have since found that if the radio station is somewhat weaker in reception the volume drops considerably even though the sound remains solid. Most radios would show up the weak signal with static interference and remain loud. There is still a noticable "limiter" type effect going on and I don't like the vibration in my foot through the throttle pedal at louder volumes but my low volume problems would be more down to poor reception. It's still poor though. My Celica's standard Sony system was far superiour. Given a 120d Coupe for the day (wife really wants one and she will probably buy) with insurance and fuel. Very good service and the sales guy handled everything and didn't fob me off to service reception. Way it should be IMOP. Mechanics left grubby marks in the car including a nice foot mark on the drivers door as he was getting out no doubt. Sorted that myself. Glad to have the car home. I missed it
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07-30-2009, 09:32 PM	#40
jrich4411 Private First Class 5 Rep 165 Posts Drives: 2006 ///M black on black Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: New Hampshire iTrader: (0)	I find the "German built" vs "Japanese built" vs "American built" arguements interesting, with all the comments about quality and attention to detail, etc, considering EVERY Z4 built, even those cruising the Autobahn in Germany were built in Spartanberg County South Carolina, USA.
	Appreciate 0 Quote