[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by SakhirM4

Just shows that experiences vary. We have had two Z3s - a 1997 2.8 and a 2001 3.0. Ordered the 2001 in October 2000 and took delivery in December. It has been a great car and we still have it. We have replaced the top once and just had to have the A/C fixed, but that has been the only things in 15 years

So the common problems with the Z3 are worn out seat bushings that allow the seats to rock in their tracks (there is an aftermarket fix for it with DELRIN bushings developed and sold by a private individual - indicating how common the problem was). The window slider guide bushings wear out and bind to the point where the steel window guides break. The M44 develops OFHG and timing case cover leaks. The M44 loses the cam timing sensor every 7 years or so. The original plastic water pump impellers fail. The headlight lenses glaze over.

As in all BMWs of the '80s and '90s the cassette radios die. The latch for the glove box was a joke; all plastic. It broke due to the weight of the knee absorber built into the glovebox shell. I had to fabricate a steel plate to fix the latch and remove the knee aborber to keep the entire plastic dash substructure from failing. None of these issues has anything to do with how the car was driven nor keeping up with the scheduled maintenance, and have all to do with engineering and build quality. The Z3 was a cobbled-together amalgamation of an E36 front suspension mated to a E30 rear suspension and a rushed design so as to capture some of the early '90s revived roadster market created by Mazda's Miata.

Good that your experiences were better than mine. All that said, my wife loves her Z3 and it keeps me busy making it safe and reliable for her to drive. Now if I could only find a fix for the right-side window power function...