My midlife crisis purchase; E86 BMW Z4 Coupe
Discussion
christhreadgill said:
Sea Suckers are great, I have the Talon also. No issues with it on any of my cars to date - my favorite being the current daily Fiesta ST as it has the glass pano roof, so I can see the bike above me whilst driving!
That’s good to know. I’ve not used it in anger yet, hopefully it’ll get used this weekend.helix402 said:
I wouldn’t recommend the PU rtab bushes. They change the way the rear arm moves quite substantially. I used to fit M3 rtab bushes to my E46s.
They do seem to be quite a devise subject having read lots of threads (and arguments) over the last few days. I’ve ended up with the Heritage ones which are supposed to be a bit softer. I spoke to Spires who said that he’s generally not a fan, but that’s the one place he’d fit them.I’ll pop them in and see how I get on. If they’re a pain, I’ll chuck in some M3 ones.
cerb4.5lee said:
I did that with my eldest once on the way to Skegness Sam. Her behaviour/attitude was completely doing my head in, so I pulled over in a lay by, got her out and drove off without her for a bit!
I turned around and collected her again(I was only gone for about a minute), and it seemed to fix the problem that was for sure! Now everytime we pass that lay by she'll go..."can you remember dad when you dropped me off there and drove off without me?!". Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind I reckon, and being a parent can be a bit of a test occasionally for sure.
The youngest is far better behaved overall, but even she still has her moments. Apologies for the parenting derail, and now back to cars!
Definitely…we’ve told him a local nursing home is the children’s home. When he’s really pushing boundaries and being a knob, a short drive there into the car park seems to reset behaviour / attitude. I turned around and collected her again(I was only gone for about a minute), and it seemed to fix the problem that was for sure! Now everytime we pass that lay by she'll go..."can you remember dad when you dropped me off there and drove off without me?!". Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind I reckon, and being a parent can be a bit of a test occasionally for sure.
The youngest is far better behaved overall, but even she still has her moments. Apologies for the parenting derail, and now back to cars!
bodhi said:
Lovely motor there chap - I'll admit I was trying to guess what you'd bought after your cryptic posts on the BMW thread (6 cylinder BMW with cheaper parts than the E9x) but for some reason didn't guess a Z4 - must work on my BMW beard 
Re: the wheels, I do like those split rims on it at the moment, but if you wanted to change, the BBS LM Replicas look stunning.
Style 261s from the 1 Series M Sport could be an option? Must be loads about and a classic wheel design in my (completely) unbiased opinion.
Funny you should mention the 261’s….Re: the wheels, I do like those split rims on it at the moment, but if you wanted to change, the BBS LM Replicas look stunning.
Style 261s from the 1 Series M Sport could be an option? Must be loads about and a classic wheel design in my (completely) unbiased opinion.
And on my friends car….
I ended up picking a set up on eBay yesterday for sensible cash. They’re not kerbed but do need a refurb due to bubbling paint. I’ll be stealing the E91 to go and pick them up.
flight147z said:
Great cars - you are making me want another one!
Here are some pictures of mine, sold it in September 2022
I do miss it. Great to drive and always felt special. Lovely straight 6 engine and quite rare. I didn't see many around. Had it for 6 years and 30k miles
That looked great - same colour combination as my friend from work who had one for a while as a stopgap.Here are some pictures of mine, sold it in September 2022
I do miss it. Great to drive and always felt special. Lovely straight 6 engine and quite rare. I didn't see many around. Had it for 6 years and 30k miles
Having driven the E91 this morning, my Zed felt very low / special this afternoon.
scz4 said:
Almost matching bikes
I won't lie, the first time I used it, I literally stopped every 2 miles to check it, then got braver and every 5 miles, now I almost trust it not to check.
Lovely car btw, had 3 Z4's in the past and always thought this variant would be a peach.
p.s this was just a test fit, now I mount all three suckers on the roof, which is tricky as it's a bubble roof.
Nearly - I had a Mega before the Reactor but I never really clicked with it. It was technically very good, I just didn’t love it so it was quite short lived.I won't lie, the first time I used it, I literally stopped every 2 miles to check it, then got braver and every 5 miles, now I almost trust it not to check.
Lovely car btw, had 3 Z4's in the past and always thought this variant would be a peach.
p.s this was just a test fit, now I mount all three suckers on the roof, which is tricky as it's a bubble roof.
I have a bubble roof too which makes it a bit challenging to fit. There are is one suction mounted carriers that’s in a straight line and they’re space pd perfectly to clear the creases in the roof.
After dropping the child at school, I popped to Sytner (again) to pick up the bits that I’d ordered on Monday which included a stubby antenna, ZHP gear knob, three stick on badges and a new storage flap.
The badges were extortionately expensive at £122 for all three - they made the flap look cheap at £67!
I was taking it for a new windscreen this afternoon, so I gave it a quick wash because it was manky after the downpours on Tuesday and I knew I wouldn’t be able to was it for a few days. I could then set about fitting bits. New antenna fitted - my eyes are safe again when cleaning it! :laugh!
Then it was time to tackle the manky old badges. Before:
Much better with the new ones fitted..
I then fitted some new dealer plates which were a whopping £12 (the chap who bought my car is giving me my plate back, I’m just waiting for the retention certificate). The ones on the car were knackered though, especially the rear one which was rust stained. There wasn’t much left of one screw….
New plates were stuck on because it looks cleaner. It did make me realise how much I hate the front number plate plinth though. It’s satin black and very ugly but it makes a standard uk plate fit. To ditch the plinth, I’d need a smaller number plate because of the shape of the bumper.
My LED interior bulbs arrived so they were fitted too. I have a real hated of the old halogen interior bulbs, which I think really age a car.
The final task was to sort the storage flap. A previous owner had broken the hinges and had tried to fix them with glue but that’d failed.
With the phone cradle removed the old one came away easily enough.
I then had to fish out what was left of the broken hinges from the recess.
New flap with unbroken hinges
After I’d cleaned all of the dust, fluff and god knows what else from the recess, the new one just pushed into place.
Given the lack of cubby holes and places to store stuff in this car, I’ll need to make use of the storage between the seats. Even with the broken hinges it was accessible but it annoyed me.
It’s amazing how much smarter the car looks with new badges, plates and a none-cracked windscreen. In the case of the badges and plates, small things make a massive difference.
The badges were extortionately expensive at £122 for all three - they made the flap look cheap at £67!
I was taking it for a new windscreen this afternoon, so I gave it a quick wash because it was manky after the downpours on Tuesday and I knew I wouldn’t be able to was it for a few days. I could then set about fitting bits. New antenna fitted - my eyes are safe again when cleaning it! :laugh!
Then it was time to tackle the manky old badges. Before:
Much better with the new ones fitted..
I then fitted some new dealer plates which were a whopping £12 (the chap who bought my car is giving me my plate back, I’m just waiting for the retention certificate). The ones on the car were knackered though, especially the rear one which was rust stained. There wasn’t much left of one screw….
New plates were stuck on because it looks cleaner. It did make me realise how much I hate the front number plate plinth though. It’s satin black and very ugly but it makes a standard uk plate fit. To ditch the plinth, I’d need a smaller number plate because of the shape of the bumper.
My LED interior bulbs arrived so they were fitted too. I have a real hated of the old halogen interior bulbs, which I think really age a car.
The final task was to sort the storage flap. A previous owner had broken the hinges and had tried to fix them with glue but that’d failed.
With the phone cradle removed the old one came away easily enough.
I then had to fish out what was left of the broken hinges from the recess.
New flap with unbroken hinges
After I’d cleaned all of the dust, fluff and god knows what else from the recess, the new one just pushed into place.
Given the lack of cubby holes and places to store stuff in this car, I’ll need to make use of the storage between the seats. Even with the broken hinges it was accessible but it annoyed me.
It’s amazing how much smarter the car looks with new badges, plates and a none-cracked windscreen. In the case of the badges and plates, small things make a massive difference.
d_a_n1979 said:
I think both would work well Sam; but for me I'd favour a bright silver like platinum silver. It's a stunning colour and works so well with a darker blue car etc
Loved it on the 351Ms I had on my F01
I’m favouring silver too. Keeps it simple and classy but the gold could work so well. We’ll see how brave I feel in a few weeks time. Loved it on the 351Ms I had on my F01
InitialDave said:
I've just had a wheel for one of my cars powder coated at a place in Barwell, which I don't think is a million miles away from you. Will let you know how it turned out when I pick it up tomorrow if you like.
It’s not, so if you could let me know if they’re any good that would be great.A few of the cheaper local places have whacked prices up big time which is annoying.
Mr Tidy said:
My E86 needed new RTAB bushes and my Indy recommended Powerflex. Given that he spent 15 years at Sytner he tends to err on the side of OE, like he did for my engine mounts, so when he recommended something else I went with Powerflex.
Have you had any issues since fitting them? It does seem to divide opinion!InitialDave said:
Here's the place:
https://a1powdercoat.co.uk/
Their pricing is £120 a set for up to 17, £140 a set for 18 or higher, which I thought was decent. Bit more if you need them to remove and remount tyres rather than giving them bare wheels.
I took them a fairly harsh test case, a 30 year old unloved steel wheel, and I'm pretty happy with what they achieved, comparison pictures with one of the others in the same set below:
There was a small area on the valve hole that wasn't totally adhered, but I'm not at all concerned, I'll touch it up with paint and it'll be hidden by the valve stem anyway.
If I were being monumentally fussy, there were a couple of slight "pips" of trapped dust in the coat, but considering how bad the wheel was originally, and that it has a joint in it that can trap bits of rubbish like that, no, this is more than acceptable to me for the price.
Turnaround was great, I dropped the wheel off on Saturday and they were in contact midday Monday to say it was done.
Will be getting more wheels done by them in future.
Cheers for that. Given the cost, the finish looks absolutely fine.https://a1powdercoat.co.uk/
Their pricing is £120 a set for up to 17, £140 a set for 18 or higher, which I thought was decent. Bit more if you need them to remove and remount tyres rather than giving them bare wheels.
I took them a fairly harsh test case, a 30 year old unloved steel wheel, and I'm pretty happy with what they achieved, comparison pictures with one of the others in the same set below:
There was a small area on the valve hole that wasn't totally adhered, but I'm not at all concerned, I'll touch it up with paint and it'll be hidden by the valve stem anyway.
If I were being monumentally fussy, there were a couple of slight "pips" of trapped dust in the coat, but considering how bad the wheel was originally, and that it has a joint in it that can trap bits of rubbish like that, no, this is more than acceptable to me for the price.
Turnaround was great, I dropped the wheel off on Saturday and they were in contact midday Monday to say it was done.
Will be getting more wheels done by them in future.
To be honest, I’ve probably spent too much on this to already so I’ll get them a shout re my 261’s once they’re collected. Quite tempted by their Himalayan finish.
So, I finally managed to get my phone connected to the car which turned out to be a royal pain in the arse that requires you to do a special dance, the planets to align and the wind to be blowing in the right direction.
What you a actually needs to do is;
I ended up removing all of the boot trim to gain access. All the pictures on line showed the sticker on top of the module but not on my car. I had to remove the bracher holding the module to the bulkhead begun the seats to gain access. Once I had the code, my phone paired easily enough, but that bought me on to the next issue which was of my making….
When I fitted the aux cable the other day, the supposedly empty plug in the quad connector had something in it which removed for the aux cable. It turns out that this plug as for the phone sound / spoken nav instructions. Righto, back to the drawing board for the updates to connectivity….
Whilst the boot was dismantled I had a dig around to see if my car had the plugs / wiring for a six disc changer. Eventually I found them. I put the boot back together and made access to these plugs easier and ordered a BlueMusic adapter that will plug into them and allow me to stream music. It should be the best of both worlds because I’ll be able use the factory Bluetooth and microphone for calls whilst streaming music. The adapter should be here next week.
I’d ordered an alcantara gear gaiter with beige stitching to match the leather. It was an eBay special so I have to reuse the plastic frame from the stock gaiter.
What you a actually needs to do is;
- turn Bluetooth off on your phone
- hold the Bluetooth button down on the flap for three seconds
- turn the ignition to position two
- release the button that you’ve been holding down as the screen starts to open
- quickly turn Bluetooth on your phone on
I ended up removing all of the boot trim to gain access. All the pictures on line showed the sticker on top of the module but not on my car. I had to remove the bracher holding the module to the bulkhead begun the seats to gain access. Once I had the code, my phone paired easily enough, but that bought me on to the next issue which was of my making….
When I fitted the aux cable the other day, the supposedly empty plug in the quad connector had something in it which removed for the aux cable. It turns out that this plug as for the phone sound / spoken nav instructions. Righto, back to the drawing board for the updates to connectivity….
Whilst the boot was dismantled I had a dig around to see if my car had the plugs / wiring for a six disc changer. Eventually I found them. I put the boot back together and made access to these plugs easier and ordered a BlueMusic adapter that will plug into them and allow me to stream music. It should be the best of both worlds because I’ll be able use the factory Bluetooth and microphone for calls whilst streaming music. The adapter should be here next week.
I’d ordered an alcantara gear gaiter with beige stitching to match the leather. It was an eBay special so I have to reuse the plastic frame from the stock gaiter.
Mr Tidy said:
I've had no issues since they were fitted 4 years ago. But he did say he didn't think Powerflex were a good idea anywhere else, unless the car was going to be used on track.
Brill, cheers for that.They arrived today and autodoc have finally dispatched all of the parts I ordered on Monday.
Mr Scruff said:
Joining the photo love. Not sure what to do with mine, it’s no longer needed but I do love it. Deciding whether to keep as an occasional car and invest more money into it or move it on.
Hard choice though. I mean, look at it….
That looks lovely (#biased). Hard choice though. I mean, look at it….
I’d be tempted to hang in to it if you have the space / funds to run it as a third car.
I’m growing very fond of mine very quickly. It always manages to feel quite special.
Sofa said:
That looks cracking Sam- I'll admit I spotted your 335i on M3Cutters last week and was a bit surprised when I recognised the car! If I wasn't in the process of buying a flat then I'd most likely have been giving you a call- I've still got a hankering for an E92 and something a bit quicker, and yours was probably the nicest example out there...
The fact that you keep coming back to manual N52's from the turbocharged cars though probably means that it's the right decision keeping mine. Your Z4 already looks miles nicer, looking forward to seeing how you continue to improve it.
Cheers. As I said on my 335i thread, because I had it in my head that I was changing cars this year I thought that I’d stick it up for sale because it would make my decision for me one way or another….and so it did. The fact that you keep coming back to manual N52's from the turbocharged cars though probably means that it's the right decision keeping mine.
Your Z4 already looks miles nicer, looking forward to seeing how you continue to improve it.There is something about a manual, six cylinder BMW that I find hard to see past these days. I’m a big fan of the N52 as well.
I used my Seasucker carrier for the first time today and managed to arrived at my destination with a bike still attached, which was a result! The idea of having a fairly expensive bike held to the roof with suctioning cups is a bit daunting. I did stop a few times to check it was still OK.
Pleased with the car so far - it’s reasonably economical currently returning 28.5mpg and I’m getting more used to the driving position.
The idea of having a fairly expensive bike held to the roof with suctioning cups is a bit daunting. I did stop a few times to check it was still OK. Pleased with the car so far - it’s reasonably economical currently returning 28.5mpg and I’m getting more used to the driving position.
DKIE92 said:
I don’t even trust phone holders with suction cups haha
How’s does the Z4 compare to the 130i?
I know what you mean but people seem to love these…and it’s my only option! How’s does the Z4 compare to the 130i?
My 130i had better suspension but it was fitted with the Birds B1 kit, so not entirely fair. The engine in the Z4 is much more vocal and it feels a fair more special car to sit in….and it’s much prettier.
Gad-Westy said:
Just spotted this. Looks bloody great CS. I have to say these keep tempting me. I don't think they'll ever get cheaper. Beautifully proportioned RWD coupe, manual box and a superb engine. Ticks a lot of boxes. I'll watch how you get on with interest.
Thanks. I think they’re a bit of a bargain too.Court_S said:
Then I waxed the polished areas with Fusso Coat topped off with Kiwami Extreme:
I almost daren't ask this as I know it'll end up costing me £20 but what is the purpose of the Kiwami Extreme? I recently tried soft99 Glaco for the first time which lead onto me trying Fusso and I've been impressed by both. Does the Kiwami just add some gloss on top of the wax? I use Fusso coat for durability and the Kiwami for extra gloss / beading. It seems to give a really nice depth to the paint colour but it’s not a very hardy wax.
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