Z3 M any issues ?

Z3 M any issues ?

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Discussion

tuxman

Original Poster:

9,011 posts

245 months

Friday 15th December 2006
quotequote all
just looking at buying a Z3m for the wife to play with over the summer ,just wondered if there was anything to watch out for and what the running cost are like .

john_r

8,353 posts

278 months

Friday 15th December 2006
quotequote all
tuxman said:
just looking at buying a Z3m for the wife to play with over the summer ,just wondered if there was anything to watch out for and what the running cost are like .


Well, I should watch for her going out on the pull in it whilst you're at work? cool

StuB

6,695 posts

246 months

Friday 15th December 2006
quotequote all
Lots of useful stuff if you search on www.zroadster.net on these cars.

Some real bargains to be had, but shop wisely!

Edited to add, most M's do not have DSC and those that do command quite a premium due to rarity and being a later model (with S54 engine).

The 3.0's are also quick and all have DSC, plus some have auto's. This might be a better purchase for your good lady, will cost less to buy & run and less likely to fall off the road when hurrying.

HTH.

Edited by StuB on Friday 15th December 20:39

shadowninja

77,492 posts

289 months

Friday 15th December 2006
quotequote all
The only ones that spring to mind are the VANOS issue and the rear subframe cracking (breaking off?), from memory.

tuxman

Original Poster:

9,011 posts

245 months

Saturday 16th December 2006
quotequote all
thanks for the advice guys , the vanos issue has come up a couple of times so i will look more at that , and regards falling off the road .....don,t think thats a major issue as she drive a 500bhp ultima can-am at the moment yikesyikes thanks simon

shadowninja

77,492 posts

289 months

Saturday 16th December 2006
quotequote all
further to my initial reply:
http://tinyurl.com/ycccla

Edited by shadowninja on Saturday 16th December 13:54

tuxman

Original Poster:

9,011 posts

245 months

Saturday 16th December 2006
quotequote all
Hi shadowninja, it makes scary reading but i have not heard of anyone having that problem in the uk will do a bit more digging to see what i can find .

StuB

6,695 posts

246 months

Saturday 16th December 2006
quotequote all
There are (few) UK cars having suffered cracking of rivets & boot floor around the diff mount, hence my suggestion to read zroadster. BMW have offered goodwill fixes out of warranty on this issue.

Clutch pipe is also another common weak point (which is often misdiagnosed), with an easy and cheap remedy.

You may also find a MZ3 wont handle like a Can-Am.

tuxman

Original Poster:

9,011 posts

245 months

Saturday 16th December 2006
quotequote all
will look into it a bit more do the dealers have any info on this problem , looking at the photo's i guess you can see the problems if you get underneath and have a good look . been out in the Can-am today .....trust me it was not fun !!!!!! think i will mothball it until spring might live longer !!!!!

Rags

3,644 posts

243 months

Tuesday 19th December 2006
quotequote all
StuB said:
Lots of useful stuff if you search on www.zroadster.net on these cars.

Some real bargains to be had, but shop wisely!

Edited to add, most M's do not have DSC and those that do command quite a premium due to rarity and being a later model (with S54 engine).

The 3.0's are also quick and all have DSC, plus some have auto's. This might be a better purchase for your good lady, will cost less to buy & run and less likely to fall off the road when hurrying.

HTH.

Edited by StuB on Friday 15th December 20:39


Some of the above is incorrect!

The Z3M's came with the S50 (e36 m3 evo engine - no dsc) or the S54(e46 m3 engine - dsc).

The S50 was produced 99-2000 and the s54 for a couple of years after that.

The S50 can have vanos issues but these are overhyped IMO.

I have an S50 and even if the Vanos does go bang, its a £1500 fix which IMO, for a car of this stature is not that much of a bill, considering some e46 m3 owners pay £1000 for an inspection 2 etc

The S54 as explained has the dsc and also runs on fly by wire throttle.

HTH

StuB

6,695 posts

246 months

Wednesday 20th December 2006
quotequote all
Rags said:
Some of the above is incorrect!


confused What did I say that you think was incorrect?

There were less than 80 RHD S54 M Roadster's bought into the UK and there were a lot more S50's, so the majority of M Roadsters do not have DSC.

wildoliver

8,995 posts

223 months

Wednesday 20th December 2006
quotequote all
Just a quick question from a Porsche man who is seriously considering an mroadster/coupe, is there any major power difference over the years/engine change, and does one model stand out as better than the others, eg does the later car have better brakes/handling etc?

I also need to have a really close look at an m coupe as i have a big issue with the z3 roadsters in that i don't like bulkheads just behind my shoulder, used to feel quite claustrophobic when i was in my mums 2.8z3, does the mcoupe still have the bulkhead or is it a nice open space like in say a porsche 944?

StuB

6,695 posts

246 months

Thursday 21st December 2006
quotequote all
Oliver I do not know of any major power/torque characteristics between the S50 and S54. I also believe you will not have the bulkhead issue with a coupe as you did with the roadster. I'd direct you to www.z3mcoupe.com for the best resource on these wonderful cars.

option click

1,173 posts

233 months

Thursday 21st December 2006
quotequote all
Agreed.
The power difference between the S50 and S54 is a whopping 4bhp.

A common upgrade is to switch to KW variant 3 as the oem suspension is a little soggy.
As posted above, z3mcoupe.com forum is a great source of info, and very friendly to boot.

wildoliver

8,995 posts

223 months

Thursday 21st December 2006
quotequote all
Thanks Stu, found one pic on there, looks to be ok tbh, looks pretty open behind the front seats.

Rags

3,644 posts

243 months

Friday 22nd December 2006
quotequote all
StuB said:
Rags said:
Some of the above is incorrect!


confused What did I say that you think was incorrect?

There were less than 80 RHD S54 M Roadster's bought into the UK and there were a lot more S50's, so the majority of M Roadsters do not have DSC.




Misinterpreted what you said in referring to the 3litre model....

Philrose

478 posts

249 months

Saturday 23rd December 2006
quotequote all

tuxman

Original Poster:

9,011 posts

245 months

Wednesday 27th December 2006
quotequote all

lots of great onfo thanks guys been looking at a 2000 plate car with 68000 miles ,will there be any issues i need to look for when we go to see it ? how do i tell what engine it has in it ?

maahny

202 posts

227 months

Wednesday 27th December 2006
quotequote all
If it has M Power on the Engine it is an S50. If it has just the //M emblem it is the S54.

tuxman

Original Poster:

9,011 posts

245 months

Wednesday 27th December 2006
quotequote all

thanks what goes wrong with the vanos and is it easy to spot ?