My first BMW

[jnkhan82]

Hey guys,

I just picked up a 03 z4 2.5i. My friends have been freaking me out about maintenance of the car etc? are bmw's really expensive to maintain? The price was just too good to pass on it even though it's stick shift and I don't know how to drive it lol

I've all been checking out everyone's modded cars. WOW!

Anyone know where I can get those black housing angel headlights? They are amazing and bring out the car so much.

Also any idea how much the 18in stock rims/tires go for?

Thanks in advance! Glad to join the community!

[dekaliber]

Congrats! What color? Put some pictures up.

I'm still under warranty so I can't comment to much about maintenance, but from what I've heard it isn't too awful if you can find a good indy shop to do the work instead of your local dealer, which will almost certainly overcharge you. How many miles does your car have?

A set of wheels with tires should probably run you 700-1000 depending on condition of both.

[nickpapa]

i have an 03 3.0 with 62k miles. it is daily driven even during the winter and i have yet to have a single issue believe it or not (knock on wood).

as far as repairs, in my opinion, it is actually easier to work on since things like waterpump, belts, alterntor etc. are all up front and much easier to get access to. and the cost for parts is really not that expensive. i came from a 91 VW GTI and before I bought the Z4 I looked at the price of parts like brakes, waterpump, valvecover gasket etc. basically all of the things i replaced on my GTI. and surprisingly the prices were about the same! lol

i've worked on numerous e36s and it is very similar to the z4. and i felt they were easier to work on then my old GTI. So i say don't listen to your friends!

[jnkhan82]

Originally Posted by dekaliber

Congrats! What color? Put some pictures up.

I'm still under warranty so I can't comment to much about maintenance, but from what I've heard it isn't too awful if you can find a good indy shop to do the work instead of your local dealer, which will almost certainly overcharge you. How many miles does your car have?

A set of wheels with tires should probably run you 700-1000 depending on condition of both.

Thanks Dekaliber. Its silver w/black soft top. I have to pick it up. I've been working most this week, so I took of monday to pick up plates and bring it home. I can't wait! I hope I don't burn the clutch lol I been watching youtube videos on how to drive stick. sad.. I know

ah I can work with that price range. I wonder If I should just go get my own rims. Does the trunk have enough space to fit a spare tire?

[jnkhan82]

Originally Posted by nickpapa

i have an 03 3.0 with 62k miles. it is daily driven even during the winter and i have yet to have a single issue believe it or not (knock on wood).

as far as repairs, in my opinion, it is actually easier to work on since things like waterpump, belts, alterntor etc. are all up front and much easier to get access to. and the cost for parts is really not that expensive. i came from a 91 VW GTI and before I bought the Z4 I looked at the price of parts like brakes, waterpump, valvecover gasket etc. basically all of the things i replaced on my GTI. and surprisingly the prices were about the same! lol

i've worked on numerous e36s and it is very similar to the z4. and i felt they were easier to work on then my old GTI. So i say don't listen to your friends!

Ah Thanks, feel way better. I figured it was best to ask owners rather then speculators. I'm just super worried about the clutch, People keep saying I'll burn it out super fast. I hope the rest of the car is good as well, its has 48,000 miles.

[SCHMOUPE]

Originally Posted by jnkhan82

Thanks Dekaliber. Its silver w/black soft top. I have to pick it up. I've been working most this week, so I took of monday to pick up plates and bring it home. I can't wait! I hope I don't burn the clutch lol I been watching youtube videos on how to drive stick. sad.. I know

ah I can work with that price range. I wonder If I should just go get my own rims. Does the trunk have enough space to fit a spare tire?

Don't worry, you will be fine learning stick on it. One advice tho, for the first few days, have a buddy in your car that knows how to drive stick rather than you trying to learn things the hard way. I practiced in my friend's brand new Hyundai and with his directions, I managed to stall maybe once or twice. When I went to pick up my M coupe, the dealer was like after I told him I didnt know how to drive stick but bottom line is, it is very easy. All you need is tons of practice and an empty parking lot. Practice going from stop to 1 and 2 and stop. Rinse and repeat like 200 times. Dont worry about higher gears because they are much easier and highway driving is very easy.

[Huz-Z]

Here's a start to learn tip!

First, just get the feel of how the shifter moves between the gears. You can do that with the engine running or not - be sure to have the clutch pressed alll the way to the floor!!!

Second, here's what you can try in a parking lot.

1. Car is turned off.
2. press clutch to the floor with left foot.
3. Put right foot on brake.
4. shift to neutral.
5. start car.
6. take foot off brake.
7. with left foot on clutch, all the way to the floor, shift to First.
8. Raise left foot slowly until clutch starts to engage. The RPMs will drop a bit on the tachometer.
9. Continue until clutch is all the way up. (I'm betting the car won't stall!). If it looks like it will, apply a bit of gas with your right foot as the clutch comes up.
10. take foot completely off clutch.
11. Drive!!!! Apply gas as needed.
12. When stopping, engage the clutch as the RPMs approach idle, or the car will stall.

Some basic tips.

Your foot should only be on the clutch when you are changing gears.
Never let your foot rest on the clutch pedal while driving. That is called riding the clutch and will wear it out.

Happy driving and congrats!!!

[Hoa]

congrats on the new car!

[Hawkeye]

Congrats on the new car. I learned stick on a car that still had it's original parts when I sold it with 117K miles on it! Don't worry much about wearing it out, that happens over a longer period of time than just on the way home... unless you are doing something obviously wrong... and you will know if you are.

[Nate2046]

Don't worry too much about burning up the clutch learning to drive it. You'll get the hang of it pretty quickly without doing any significant damage. After all, most of learned on beaters that soldiered on for many miles under continued abuse. The worst clutch 'offenders' are the people who develop bad habits without any regard for how the mechanism works. Ever see those people who rock back and forth on hills without any brake lights on? Those are the 'drivers' who burn out a clutch in 10k miles. Enjoy your new ride

[VinnieAces]

Congrats on the car!

I learned how to drive stick on a z3 M coupe that was supercharged lol, just gotta take the car out n give her a go...advice would be to get a friend who can drive stick to drive the car while your in the passenger and making mental note of when to shift

before you start modding the car, learn to drive and enjoy her first! name her/him!

also for the headlights, Tekarbon does the job,

welcome to the community!

[Matty C]

Originally Posted by Huz-Z

Here's a start to learn tip!

First, just get the feel of how the shifter moves between the gears. You can do that with the engine running or not - be sure to have the clutch pressed alll the way to the floor!!!

One thing he missed. Make sure that the hand brake is engaged.

Congrats and have fun. Once you master the clutch you will fall in love with the car.

[Huz-Z]

Originally Posted by Matty C

One thing he missed. Make sure that the hand brake is engaged.

Congrats and have fun. Once you master the clutch you will fall in love with the car.

OOPS!! I did forget that!!!

But it does remind me of another "driving a manual shift" tip and a funy story to reinforce it!!

Years ago, my bother and I both drove VW Golfs. I had a snappy little blue Wolfsburg edition '89. A buddy of ours liked them so much that he went out and for his next car, bought a bright red Wolfsburg Jetta - 5 speed of course. On the way over to my brother's to show it off one day, he stopped at the corner store to pick up a half dozen beer. When he came out - the car was gone!!!!

In fact, it had rolled down the street and come to rest against the curb, with no apparent damage. He had left it in neutral without setting the park brake.

So, when parking your new car, always shift it into First or Reverse, and be sure to set the Park Brake!!!

Cheers!!

[Z4Murder]

yea i bought my first manual car from a dealer without knowing how to drive it. drove it off the lot and stalled right away lol. but i taught myself in about a day.

[wildag]

Originally Posted by jnkhan82

My friends have been freaking me out about maintenance of the car etc? are bmw's really expensive to maintain?

Yes they are.

If you don't enjoy using your money for maintaining, not including upgrading, a BMW is not going to be your thing. To educate yourself, go to your nearest dealer and ask the price for Inspection I, II and regular oil maintenance.

You'll either learn to do your own work, find a reputable cheap mechanic, or have a well paying job.

That being said, your Z4 2.5i is a well made car that, with proper care, won't give you a ton of trouble. You're going to spend money on regular maintenance, at about $750 a year average, and on miscellaneous mechanical accessories repair; think AC vent duct flaps under dash, and soft top mechanical parts.

Your friends are going to tell you how terrible it is that you're paying all that money to maintain your car. However, I've found that the real solution is to put focus and effort into a lifestyle, and work ethic, that allows you to own the things you desire. That is much more rewarding than assuming those things are unattainable.

Happy driving!

[jnkhan82]

Thanks everyone.

Great tips here! I've printed them out.

I have a friend coming over on Sunday to give me a quick lesson. He drives a GTO, probably head out to a empty lot and drive around.

Thanks for the parking brake tip, lol I never even thought abt it, i'd probably have the car roll all over the place..lol

ugh I can't wait til mondayyyyyy....

[jnkhan82]

Originally Posted by wildag

Your friends are going to tell you how terrible it is that you're paying all that money to maintain your car. However, I've found that the real solution is to put focus and effort into a lifestyle, and work ethic, that allows you to own the things you desire. That is much more rewarding than assuming those things are unattainable.

Happy driving!

Love this line, going to make it my facebook status lol

[jnkhan82]

oh also, I totally forgot to ask.

The car has like some weird like oil leak from the passenger side mirror, The owner said he left it out on a really hot day, came back and the mirror became two toned.

Any idea how much those side mirrors go for? is it easy to swap?

[wildag]

Originally Posted by jnkhan82

oh also, I totally forgot to ask.

The car has like some weird like oil leak from the passenger side mirror, The owner said he left it out on a really hot day, came back and the mirror became two toned.

Any idea how much those side mirrors go for? is it easy to swap?

There's your first maintenance item. Its because the mirror is an auto-dimming mirror. That liquid is used to dim the mirror. The heat caused the liquid to expand and bust its seals. You should clean it up quickly because that liquid is corrosive.

So here's where you learn to "do it yourself" and save money. The following is a link to RealOEM.com, where you can find parts. This link has the part numbers for your outside mirrors:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...93&hg=51&fg=10


The part number you need is 51167112596 (right, with auto dip).

Copy that part number and go to http://www.bmwpartzdirect.com. Enter that part number in the search field.

Your price for replacement is $254.36 plus shipping.

Then search this forum/internet for instructions.

You could go cheaper with the non auto-dip mirror, part 51167112588, for $96.40.

See... BMW's are expensive

[jnkhan82]

Originally Posted by wildag

There's your first maintenance item. Its because the mirror is an auto-dimming mirror. That liquid is used to dim the mirror. The heat caused the liquid to expand and bust its seals. You should clean it up quickly because that liquid is corrosive.

So here's where you learn to "do it yourself" and save money. The following is a link to RealOEM.com, where you can find parts. This link has the part numbers for your outside mirrors:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...93&hg=51&fg=10


The part number you need is 51167112596 (right, with auto dip).

Copy that part number and go to http://www.bmwpartzdirect.com. Enter that part number in the search field.

Your price for replacement is $254.36 plus shipping.

Then search this forum/internet for instructions.

You could go cheaper with the non auto-dip mirror, part 51167112588, for $96.40.

See... BMW's are expensive

your the man! Thank you for the research too.

Yeah I might not get the auto-dip, I don't care for the tinting...god forbid i leave it in the sun and it happens again...

[jnkhan82]

wooo I got the car!

Now dumbest question, How do I put it in reverse? car is just stuck outside on the road...lololol I can move forward, put it in first and stuff, but I can't get it into reverse.. please helppp!!!

updated: figured it out thanks to someone on another post.

[pokeybritches]

I'd go for the auto-dimming one. I had the same thing happen with my '03. Our driving position is low to the ground, so bright headlights behind us are much more blinding. You'll also want the mirrors to look symmetrical.

The biggest area you can save on maintenance is in labor costs. At a dealership a $60 part might require $400 of labor to replace. The last time I had anything done at the dealership they charged $95/hour for labor, and that was several years ago. Some charge well over $120/hr. An independent BMW-certified mechanic can do the work for less than $50/hr (mine does it for $30/hr). While BMW parts typically are more expensive, labor is the real killer.

Congrats on your new car! If it's a 2.5i, the stock wheels are 16" (non-sport) or 17" (sport package... if you have it you'll see a little button labeled "sport" to the left of the shifter). I have 18's on my 3.0i, and actually prefer the extra sidewall of 17's. If you choose to "upgrade" your wheels, don't go any higher than 18's. I've already busted 2 wheels from lack of sidewall (potholes), but it all depends on how your roads are where you live.