90,000 today

UK forum for general and technical discussion about the Z3 roadster
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TomH84
Joined: Sun 15 Dec, 2013 15:22
Posts: 113

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

90,000 today

Post by TomH84 »

No big deal I know, but ticked over to 90,000 miles this afternoon (with roof down, sun out, and radio on of course) :squeeze:

Made me stop and think just how well built these cars were out of the factory. When I was thinking about buying a Zed a couple of years ago, folks kept trying to dissuade me by saying that the build quality just wasn't on par with the BMW range. Glad I ignored them and avoided going for the MX-5.

The straight six is just so smooth and refined. Lovely sound too and pulls great through the revs. No rattles from the interior either. Just the odd vacuum leak, but hey... can live with that. Cheap fix.

Hopefully, with some love, I'll get another 90k out of the car. I did read that some guy has over 400k on his M54 engine (in an e46).

Guess some folks will have much more impressive mileages to report.

Tom
2002 BMW Z3 2.2i 82k
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1971(K) MGB GT - the 'other' car
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Del
Joined: Sat 19 Nov, 2011 18:35
Posts: 2136

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: 90,000 today

Post by Del »

There seems to be an old convention in the UK that 100k miles represents the typical life of an engine but with good oil maintenance, a lot of engines can easily double that and more. The generation of engines in the Z3 (particularly the 6 pot) have a "bullet-proof" reputation. Recently tested the compression (warm engine) on my 4-pot z3 which is coming up to 100,000 and it was 190/190/191/190 (Haynes manual states minimum 142-156 psi) :) My son has taken over the car and uses it as a daily driver (10k pa) and changes the oil every six months. It actually sounds & feels sweeter and smoother than ever these days :D
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TomH84
Joined: Sun 15 Dec, 2013 15:22
Posts: 113

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Re: 90,000 today

Post by TomH84 »

Yeah, I remember as a kid my Dad being delighted that our old Sierra hit 100k before dying. It was all blue smoke and multicoloured doors and rust by then of course...

On a different note: just changed my fuel filter this afternoon. What a difference - unbelievable. Should have done it ages ago! The old filter looked original (BMW marked and date stamped 2002). Easy job, but messy!

Tom
2002 BMW Z3 2.2i 82k
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1971(K) MGB GT - the 'other' car
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bertiejaffa
Joined: Fri 26 Jul, 2013 09:28
Posts: 1733

  M roadster S50
Location: Manchester

Re: 90,000 today

Post by bertiejaffa »

TomH84 wrote:Ychanged my fuel filter this afternoon. What a difference - unbelievable. Should have done it ages ago! The old filter looked original (BMW marked and date stamped 2002). Easy job, but messy!

Tom
and we are all awaiting the instructions and pictures......
Here come the girls.....
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akirk
Joined: Fri 20 Apr, 2012 08:11
Posts: 122

  Z3 roadster 3.0i

Re: 90,000 today

Post by akirk »

come on catch up :D
mine has 124k on it and is only now in the workshop having new shocks fitted - and then only because one was weeping slightly, it still handled fine...
I expect it to do considerably more miles!

Alasdair
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Brian H
Joined: Tue 16 Dec, 2008 19:55
Posts: 2505

  Z3 roadster 3.0i

Re: 90,000 today

Post by Brian H »

Del wrote:There seems to be an old convention in the UK that 100k miles represents the typical life of an engine..............
Too true Del, in the US they think nothing of 200k +, just need to get a few more miles in to get to that point though :drive
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TomH84
Joined: Sun 15 Dec, 2013 15:22
Posts: 113

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Re: 90,000 today

Post by TomH84 »

Forgot to take some pics - sorry!

Plenty of vids on YouTube on this one. It's very easy, just messy. Check out this video e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaw5010KPtU :lol:

-disconnect battery
-jack up car behind front wheel
-remove filter shield (offside, behind front wheel, right near the centre of the car; x4 little nuts)
-carefully loosen three jubilee clips connecting filter to fuel lines (with screwdriver)
-remove single bolt that holds in retaining bracket and remove bracket
-carefully remove filter from fuel pipes (connected with short rubber fuel lines) Careful: Fuel shoots everywhere...
-install new filter
-tighten jubilee clips (using pliers as can't be retightened with screwdriver or sockets due to BMW design);
-reinstall retaining bracket
-reconnect battery; put ignition in position 2; check for leaks!
-if all ok, refit filter cover
-remove jack/stand
-let ignition sit for 10secs at least
-start and drive the power... :)

Note: there are different filters. Some (incl. mine) have integrated pressure regulator. That's just a matter of connecting another rubber hose. Easy. Got my filter from ECP for £38.

Definitely recommend doing this. Takes about an hour.

Tom
2002 BMW Z3 2.2i 82k
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1971(K) MGB GT - the 'other' car
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z3steve
Joined: Thu 03 Feb, 2011 23:01
Posts: 155

  Z3 roadster 2.2i
Location: Tunbridge Wells

Re: 90,000 today

Post by z3steve »

Well if it makes you feel a bit more confident about your engines lifespan mine just ticked over 185k today. Still going strong, and hopefully a few summers left in it yet.

Steve
bertiejaffa
Joined: Fri 26 Jul, 2013 09:28
Posts: 1733

  M roadster S50
Location: Manchester

Re: 90,000 today

Post by bertiejaffa »

Thanks Tom.... Sounds simple enough. Like you, I plan and getting the same again at least out of my zeds (currently 89,000 and 150,000) so I'm slowly replacing old parts for new....

Can I ask, what prompted you to do it and what the difference is afterwards?
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pingu
Joined: Fri 30 Apr, 2004 16:01
Posts: 3412

  M roadster S50

Re: 90,000 today

Post by pingu »

I'm on 119,000 miles. I don't really want to go above 120,000 because it's value will plummet - oh no it won't, it's still the same car :twisted: .

Absolutely no problem doing mega miles in modern cars as long as they are looked after. My Escort van has just passed the 230,000 mile mark and the engine will outlast the body. I wish I'd bought it new as I could have prepared the body, but now every MOT is a pass/fail gamble on rust :bawl: .

I'd like to see a test at the next Silverstone Classic. Line up a group of 10-20 cars and put them in order of mileage. I'm prepared to bet that no-one would get the order right. It's all about condition.
Pingu
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pingu
Joined: Fri 30 Apr, 2004 16:01
Posts: 3412

  M roadster S50

Re: 90,000 today

Post by pingu »

TomH84 wrote:Forgot to take some pics - sorry!

Plenty of vids on YouTube on this one. It's very easy, just messy. Check out this video e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaw5010KPtU :lol:

-disconnect battery
-jack up car behind front wheel
-remove filter shield (offside, behind front wheel, right near the centre of the car; x4 little nuts)
-carefully loosen three jubilee clips connecting filter to fuel lines (with screwdriver)
-remove single bolt that holds in retaining bracket and remove bracket
-carefully remove filter from fuel pipes (connected with short rubber fuel lines) Careful: Fuel shoots everywhere...
-install new filter
-tighten jubilee clips (using pliers as can't be retightened with screwdriver or sockets due to BMW design);
-reinstall retaining bracket
-reconnect battery; put ignition in position 2; check for leaks!
-if all ok, refit filter cover
-remove jack/stand
-let ignition sit for 10secs at least
-start and drive the power... :)

Note: there are different filters. Some (incl. mine) have integrated pressure regulator. That's just a matter of connecting another rubber hose. Easy. Got my filter from ECP for £38.

Definitely recommend doing this. Takes about an hour.

Tom
Yours sounds slightly different to mine. Mine didn't have jubilee clips. It had quick release clips that are very difficult to remove without the tool. You need to squeeze the coupling and pull it off the filter at the same time.
Pingu
TR4man
Joined: Wed 24 Oct, 2012 13:34
Posts: 431

  Z4 coupe 3.0si
Location: Woore, Near Nantwich, Cheshire

Re: 90,000 today

Post by TR4man »

Well, I'm up to 133,000 miles in mine and almost half of that has been done in the last three years as my daily driver.

As a daily driver, I could not have wished for a better car. So true that proper maintanance is the key, in some ways my little car has been spoiled and never wanted for anything.

Having said that, it may soon be for sale...
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stevov
Joined: Sun 21 Dec, 2014 15:56
Posts: 182

  Z3 roadster 2.0
Contact:

Re: 90,000 today

Post by stevov »

145,000 on mine. Rock solid and not a rattle.
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TomH84
Joined: Sun 15 Dec, 2013 15:22
Posts: 113

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Re: 90,000 today

Post by TomH84 »

120k, 185k,... excellent. Plenty of miles to go to catch up :squeeze:

I switched out the fuel filter as I'm trying to solve a fuel trim problem (p0174 Bank 1). My short term trim values (STFT) are now spot on (at idle and high rpm), so vacuum leaks are not the problem (...replaced boots/hoses/caps etc already!).

As far as I know, high LTFTs (=lean) could be a fuel supply problem. I thought therefore that I'd replace the filter first as that's easy and cheap. It's definitely improved performance :squeeze: Too early to tell if that has fixed the problem = need to see if CEL comes back after a few drive cycles. If the LTFTs stay high, then I'll check the fuel pump pressure, but think that's ok given the rate at which it exploded out when I changed the filer. Possibly a wonky MAF that's the problem = £££

Also noticed today that my front caliper has stuck! :head: :head: Disc was very hot!! I dismantled it this afternoon and it looks rough. All rusty. I cleaned the sliders, but the are fine. It looks like the piston is just rusty. I think I'll just replace (new hose too).

BTW, any tips on bleeding or is it just the usual EasyBleed plus helper at peddle? (I've bleed non-ABS/DCS brakes on the MGB many times)

Tom
2002 BMW Z3 2.2i 82k
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1971(K) MGB GT - the 'other' car
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pingu
Joined: Fri 30 Apr, 2004 16:01
Posts: 3412

  M roadster S50

Re: 90,000 today

Post by pingu »

No problem bleeding as long as no air gets into the ABS pump. Even then it's not the end of the world, but needs much more instruction on what to do.

I use a one-man bleeder (basically a tube with a one-way valve).
Pingu
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TomH84
Joined: Sun 15 Dec, 2013 15:22
Posts: 113

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Re: 90,000 today

Post by TomH84 »

Cheers for that!

Just fished out my EazyBleed from the garage. It's on its last legs, so time to get something new. Might just get a one-way bleeder. I've never really like the EazyBleed. It's a bit "fragile" and I don't want pressurised brake fluid flying all over my nice paintwork.

Tom
2002 BMW Z3 2.2i 82k
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1971(K) MGB GT - the 'other' car
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Mike Fishwick
Joined: Fri 19 Jun, 2009 10:27
Posts: 2093

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Daglan, France

Re: 90,000 today

Post by Mike Fishwick »

I would say that the Z3 has better build quality that a lot of other BMW cars - such as the e46 range where the wings rot around the wheel arches, the E30 cars where the rear inner wings rust away frm the outer wings, or the 'classic' 6 Series where the front wings almost drop off the bulkhead with rust. BMW cars have always been rust boxes, but the Z3 seems to be a far better product - maybe because it is built in America.
A Z3 is not just for Christmas - it's for life!
Vince70
Joined: Sun 08 Mar, 2015 12:51
Posts: 57

  Z3 roadster 1.9
Location: Battle

Re: 90,000 today

Post by Vince70 »

I think you could be right as BMW wanted to get it spot on first time round with building a new car in a new factory with a new workforce building a completely different product from the current lineup so had to get it right first time round.

But saying that I've had a couple of Ford Cougars over the years and I can't think of another car which offers so much amazing value for the money with the amount of toys these things have (and everything always seems to work in them) and the build quality on them is fantastic.

Rust never seems to be an issue on them whereas if you buy a European Ford from that period it would a pile of rust at 5 years old (Ka/Puma) so I guess the Americans must know how to screw a car together or at least not be as tight when it comes to giving a car some rust protection.

But saying that my father has a 1997 E36 compact (it was mine for about a day till he saw it) which is a low mileage example and it really does look like it should be in a museum as it still looks and drives like a brand new car, but to be honest I was scared to drive it in case it got damaged in any way so I'm glad in a way that he now owns it and that's the same age as my Zed so it might just be that in the 90s BMWs were just that bit better screwed together.

I find Audi (or generally VAG) the same as cars built in the late 80s to the mid to late 90s are generally better screwed together the only German manufacturer who completely destroyed their image back then was Merc after about 95 when its cars were being built using what looked like the metal from recycled AlfaSuds.
Last edited by Vince70 on Thu 26 Mar, 2015 14:17, edited 2 times in total.
Robin82
Joined: Fri 28 May, 2010 02:04
Posts: 83

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: 90,000 today

Post by Robin82 »

I don't have one whisper of rust anywhere on mine - not even the faintest hint of rust like slight bubbling around the prone areas - and for an 18 year old car its unbelievable. Incidentally my mate has a 2002 1.9 Zed and its showing signs of pre rust bubbling (small areas) around all the arches. I guess environmental factors could be the cause.

On a side note I tipped over 100k last month and I've always thought I should think about selling at this stage - this thread has made me feel better :)
RPMW08
Joined: Wed 11 Mar, 2015 15:08
Posts: 18

  Z3 roadster 2.0

Re: 90,000 today

Post by RPMW08 »

As a new owner of a Z3, I bought mine with 118,000 miles on it. On the face of it, it was all rather tatty, but some late evenings of elbow grease, T-Cut, turtle wax, back to black, wheel cleaner, a power washer, some leather restorer, some patience and a few cut fingers it almost looks like the £25k car it was when new. Just trying to finish off the wing mirror bases now!

Few signs of rust just starting to bubble up on the rear wings and the front bumper needs a respray but I am going to enjoy it this summer and tackle that when its SORN next winter. Having been used to MGs, this is minor!
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