Z3 Subframe & differential mount failure

[chgrec]

Wanted to get this posted on this forum.......It has been getting a lot of play on the other bmw forums (wont post those links here in respect of Wayne & Tom).

I want to make everyone on this board aware that there may be a very large issue with your Z3....there is with mine....

A recap; it seems that an indeterminate but growing number of BMW Z3 coupes & roadsters have a failure of the welds & metal that is used to support the rear differential. This apparently affects ALL year Z3s and 1.9 through the M models. Mileage and modifications have no bearing on its occurance, it seems to be a design flaw that may eventually impact every Z3 made.

There are (per other forums) 2 class action lawsuits brewing. BMW has fixed a few cars even if out of warranty and turned down others. One car that has massive seperation was a 1998 and it was repaired and covered by BMW as recently Sept 2005.

There doesnt seem to be any consistency in BMW's decsions to pay for repairs. Keep in mind that is not a dealer issue, but is the responsibilty of BMW. You just cant get to a BMW feild rep with out going through a dealer. So dont take it out on your local guys, they may be the best weapon you have to get BMW to cover this....It may be that the only way to get BMW to fix these issues is to convince them that a large population of current BMW owners may will change to another brand since BMW has some apparent core engineering flaws and they dont want to own up to it.

Do a yahoo search for Z3 diff mount failure and you will find more info.

I will post here and the other boards as my saga unfolds....PM me or email me at chgrec@yahoo.com if you want more info....

Photos attached....
First found this:


I then found this:


I then found the worst part:

[epbrown]

How did you not know about this problem before you bought the car? It's pretty much common knowledge, and the problem affects the E36 3-series as well as the Z3. There are kits available to strengthen the area if the damage hasn't started, even. This was one of the factors I considered when i decided to get a Z4 instead - I was originally looking for a 2000+ Z3.

Emanuel

[chgrec]

I had done research on M roadsters about 3 years ago when I was looking for a car then. I never saw any subframe issues mentioned. I ended up buying a boxster instead.

When I started looking this time, I didnt do much additional research...hind sight points out that was a mistake....

I have found a couple of kits (Randy Forbes & Dinan) to re-enforce it. I have put a temp fix in place for now.....


Once BMWNA looks at it I will have it fixed properly......

And according to them this isnt a common & well known problem but is a rare occurance, usually happening when the car has ben hit in the rear hard....

Chris

[chgrec]

Went to the dealer today to meet with the BMW area rep. The dealer service manager also had the owner/manager of the local BMW certified body shop there as well. Long story short; it was decided and stated that the only way this type of damage occurs is from an accident. Said it was part of the crumple zone design. Unfortunatly my car had some apparent accident damage (rear bumper replaced/repainted, NO other damage to substructure other than the popped welds). Since I am the 4th owner and the car has 132000 miles, there was no way they were going to give in. I would not be covered or assisted in any way. They would however, fix it for me for "about" $1000.

What I found the most disappointing, BMWs failure to admit or even acknowledge that this could be caused by something other than an accident. I even asked directly: "So you are saying the ONLY way this weld and frame failure could happen is from an car accident." Their reply was "Yes"

I do understand their perspective. A car with high miles and evidence of an accident that "could" have contributed to the weld pops. I understand about used cars and cavet emptor. If I was the only that had this issue, I wouldnt have even brought it up. But this problem is not isolated and should be addressed.....

No matter how much I discussed it with them, they would not budge on the reason for these seperations...Rear end collisions or driving that causes the rear of the car slam sidways hard. I had sent a VERY lenghty email to the svc mgr with all of the sites I could find and was told by the area rep that "you really cant believe anyone on the internet who says their car's welds failed at 20000 miles without an accident". The BMW rep's quote was "Someone said their welds failed and they hadnt had an accident? And you believe that?"

So, I will order Randy's kit (after the first of the year when we finish moving), fix the car myself, join the class action (if it still exists) and NEVER purchase another BMW.....

My wife's next car (Apr 2006) will be a Mercedes or Volvo cabrio & I will be going back to Porsche.....

A damn shame, it's a really fun car
Chris