New Z4 Owner

I had not seen this car, other than pictures on the dealer's website (it's still listed as of 3/30: http://tinyurl.com/da5uy3). Final purchase price was considerably lower than listed...

On Friday 3/27 I drove 550 miles to Toledo, Ohio to trade my 2003 530i for a 2007 Z4 3.0si coupe. The drive there was a chore; my legs were cramping and my wife was not very happy. We stopped at a random exit off the Ohio Turnpike near Cleveland, stayed for the night and drove the remaining 100 miles or so to pick up the Z4 on Saturday.

Saturday afternoon around 12:30, we set out for home in our Z4. I couldn't believe the difference in the way I felt about driving, and she about riding (she hasn't driven it yet...). Somehow, the M Sport seats were more comfortable for extended periods than the standard leather seats in my E39.

The 6-speed manual is light, with very short throws. The steering is perfectly weighted, and the turning radius is ridiculously tight - helpful when you have to make U-Turns everywhere because you just want to drive past everything. The 18" wheels and sport suspension provide a level of cornering confidence that suggest you would have to be doing something illegal to exceed the car's limits on public roads. In short, this car made me remember why I buy BMWs and why I love driving.

That said, there are some downsides to this car:

1. It was a dealer service loaner (possible abuse?), and they either did not want to certify the car for CPO at the price I paid for it, or couldn't because it was owned by the dealership.
2. I've read a little about the quirks in the E85 such as 1st to 2nd shifting issues, does anyone have any suggestions for what to watch out for?

Overall, no buyer's remorse whatsoever. I smile every time I see my car now, and grin when I start it up. I plan on keeping this car forever.

consider having the CDV removed

Thank you! I had completely forgotten about that useless annoyance. That would probably explain the 1st-2nd issues I've read about.

yep I am having it 'replaced' Wednesday by my indy shop, with a CDV shell. I did it to my e46 and then it shifted like my old e36: quick!
congrats, welcome, and good luck.
(let us know if you notice a difference)

Well, first you take a knife, and grab it by the legs...


Seriously, here is a link that explains it all. They have a service that gets rid of the Delay portion of the valve if you send it in, or you can buy a modified CDV (without the delay of course) for $35 + shipping, completely worth it IMO. I've been hearing horror stories of cars with CDV's, so I can only imagine how bad it must be for you guys. Scroll down for this info after following this link:
http://www.zeckhausen.com/CDV.htm


(*points and snickers in the background because E30's don't have CDV's* )

Satch... I had this CDV replacement done today. You cannot see it under the car. It lies protected behind a metal panel right after the transmission case.
The difference from the e46 procedure was -- with the e46 you can just remove the CDV altogether and pull the hydraulic line to the fitting. Since this car is under warranty my indy shop did not want the mod to be obvious and therefore sought the aftermarket CDV part, which is the exact same fitting, but internally has 'free flow'.
When I first looked at it, I did not see any radical difference. This is the appearance of the outer shell, the actual one for the M Roadster.

While the car was up on the rack, I had the technician show me the original CDV (once disconnected) next to the free flow version. Looking deep inside, there is a significant difference in the size of the inner dimension. The new one has probably 3 times the flow. The difference between the two inner dimensions is like:
o to O
seriously.
I was surprised.

So, what was the difference in feel?
The overall benefit was just like the e46 mod. At the first stop light, subtle. Not mind-blowing, but I am used to a smooth shifting e46 without such hardware. It may be more significant to someone the first time around.
This is my take on the reasons to do it.
1. Save your clutch from slipping & slowed engagement.
2. Reward yourself for precision shifts. (Its very existence seems like a sort of 'idiot switch' or whatever you want to call it, to prevent newbie manual tranny drivers from really doing heavy damage, but I digress).
In addition... shifting now does not take such deliberate movements, which I have become accustomed to in this car. Actually what is so enjoyable in this car is it rewards good shifts and throttle manipulation. The M is out of the box rough around the edges and wants to be man-handled & driven/ the nature of the car. Now that the mod is in place, smooth shifts do not require such concentration/ less mental effort. Maybe still a hair notchy, but again it is an 'M character' thing. I have only 500 miles on it, so the linkage is still a bit tight.
Witnessing the difference in the plumbing, feeling the difference in shifting, considering the cost: it is a must-do-mod for manual-tranny modern BMWs.
I'll try to post a pic in a day or two of the OEM CDV.