Oh God What Have I Done...

[CFoote]

Hi Everyone,

I have been the proud owner of a '05 Z4 3.0 for a year now. I've enjoyed following everyones posts and learning about the car as much as I can. I love the Z4, it is a fantastic car.

I have always been on the lookout for a Z4M because it is the top model and has so much to offer, but for a car that I use 6 months out of the year I could never justify the cost.

I found a Imola Red/Black Z4M at my local dealer (get this -- 20 miles away!). It has 46k on it. The dealer just lowered the price to $24,875.

I knew a buddy at this dealer so I gave him a call and said "Whats the scoop on this car?" They had just received it from an auction and had put it on display today.

I went over to the dealership and test drove it. Like everyone, I fell in love


There are a couple of issues that they need to fix, they are a Lexus (ugh) dealer, so I'm concerned about how things will go repair-wise.

a) Steering wheel has a shimmy on the highway (moving left to right constantly). It's not horrible, but noticeable. Any thoughts? Out of alignment, or something suspension related?

b) Convertible top went down, but did not lock into position (i.e. top was movable by hand). Hope this is a quick fix. Red light wasn't on in the console, so the switch is working correctly.


Other than that, it looks good. They DID do an oil change on it (UGH!). They said they used Synthetic, but still?! Trust me, once its in my hands its going directly to the dealer for a thorough inspection and oil change.

Overall the car felt great -- brakes, suspension, steering all felt fine. A/C blew ice cold. Stereo worked, as did all electronics.

Like any car with close to 50k on it, it has nicks and a couple of scratches, but nothing terrible at all! It really is in nice shape.

PICS COMING SOON...

They gave me $16,350 for my car! My '05 3.0 has 39k on it. I paid $17,000 for the car last year

I was thinking of supercharging my 3.0, but I would have had to drive to Miami to visit Active Autowerks and that just wasn't going to happen (I live in CT, what happens if I breakdown in Virginia due to the blower? The other option was to ship it, but shipping is expensive as we all know...)

I am very excited!!! Just thought I'd share the news, you have another M owner in the midst

More to come later this week.

Chris

[biped]

congrats !

Might I recommend some Ibuprofen to help relax the smiling cheeks after the first couple of weeks.

[Jbs]

sounds similar to my story (got it for a steal just over 50k miles, and was paid a lot more than i expected for my e39). congrats!!!

get a PPI somewhere else, and you should be good to go if all checks out! (also, I'm at 70k now, and the only thing ive had to do is insp II and routine maint )

[tekmoe]

Awesome news! Pics when you get it!!

[Finnegan]

Congratulations! +2 on the PPI.

Hard to tell what the shimmy might be. Most likely culprit is a bad alignment, particularly toe being way off I'd guess. Easy fix on that one if it's alignment.

[z4mnyc]

Originally Posted by biped

congrats !

Might I recommend some Ibuprofen to help relax the smiling cheeks after the first couple of weeks.

And you'll need another dose after you install different mufflers!

[MIKe86]

What's the original sale date? Might still be under warranty and BMW should know how to fix the issues. Awkward situation.

Good luck tho, and congrats!

[chickdr]

The shimmy could simply be a balance issue. Mine does this from time to time.

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by CFoote

a) Steering wheel has a shimmy on the highway (moving left to right constantly). It's not horrible, but noticeable. Any thoughts? Out of alignment, or something suspension related?

Chris

Chris,

If the constant left-right motion refers to the steering wheel, and it occurs rapidly, then it sounds like a simple case of front wheel imbalance.

On the other hand, if you mean that the car itself is pulling from left to right and back, that doesn't sound like wheel balance--it would be more consistent with a minor amount of toe-out in the front suspension. Of course, run-flats can also produce a similar sensation on some road surfaces, but they wouldn't normally make the car feel this way all the time.

Congrat's on the new M, and let us know what proves to be the cure for the shimmy. Either way, it doesn't sound hard to diagnose and fix.

Rick F.

[CFoote]

Originally Posted by MIKe86

What's the original sale date? Might still be under warranty and BMW should know how to fix the issues. Awkward situation.

Good luck tho, and congrats!

Thanks Mike! The production date is 9/06, so I doubt its under warranty, but one never knows I can definitely check and see.

Thanks for the welcome! I'm excited to join the crowd The Z4 is an awesome car in any form, but the M makes it more fun

Chris

[CFoote]

Originally Posted by chickdr

The shimmy could simply be a balance issue. Mine does this from time to time.

Thanks! This is very helpful. While the dealer is a Lexus dealer, they can handle balancing issues, and I'm hopefuly they'll have a Hunter GSP9700 around (great wheel balancer -- what the factory uses). I'm glad this is probably a simple issue and not a complicated one.

Chris

[CFoote]

Originally Posted by Rick F.

Chris,

If the constant left-right motion refers to the steering wheel, and it occurs rapidly, then it sounds like a simple case of front wheel imbalance.

On the other hand, if you mean that the car itself is pulling from left to right and back, that doesn't sound like wheel balance--it would be more consistent with a minor amount of toe-out in the front suspension. Of course, run-flats can also produce a similar sensation on some road surfaces, but they wouldn't normally make the car feel this way all the time.

Congrat's on the new M, and let us know what proves to be the cure for the shimmy. Either way, it doesn't sound hard to diagnose and fix.

Rick F.

Thanks for the information Rick! I probably won't take delivery of the car until late next week, but I will definiately report back with what the cause is. Like you said, it sounds like a balancing issue which is easy to solve, so I'm happy about that.

I always appreciate your posts and stories about your travels, so thank you for responding to my post and keep exploring

Take care,

Chris

[ZStig]

welcome to the club

[Huz-Z]

Congratulations!!!

It sounds like yu have a keeper for sure. An Imola Red Z4M is the one car that could make me part with my Montego Blue 3.0si roadster!

Enjoy!

[ANUSTART]

Chris, that is wonderful! My guess would be simply alignment or, as my car was, the darn run flats. Once I put regular tires on that was gone.

Good luck! I hope it turns out a winner for you!

BTW, I've had my eye out for an M as well.

[CFoote]

Originally Posted by Huz-Z

Congratulations!!!

It sounds like yu have a keeper for sure. An Imola Red Z4M is the one car that could make me part with my Montego Blue 3.0si roadster!

Enjoy!

Thanks! For the price, I couldn't really beat the M....I will miss my current 3.0 though!

Chris

[l4zy]

nice congrats on the upgrade!

as others have said the steering wheel issue may be wheel imbalance. my driver's side rear was off balance at one point and my car did the same thing.

keep us posted!

[Z4-VILLA]

I bought new rims and the shimmy that had went away

[racerbruce]

Congrats!!!!
From one Imola Red Roadster owner to another!!!! (:

Typically....real wheel balance is presented as a vibration in the driver's seat (your butt)....front wheel balance is presented as a vibration in the steering wheel (your hands).

Drove to work on the first work day of Jan 11....23F w/the top down!!!!

[esqu1re]

Congrats!

[crfine88]

Congrats, looking forward to seeing this beauty

[ricanbandit]

Congrats! I LOVE my M and am sure you will as well. Where in CT are you? I am in Stamford.