Current Car
mmm-five's  BMW  Z4MC  Z4MC  (2006)
Insurance @ 164,000 miles. Saturday 27th December 2025
£216
Insurance Friday 27th December 2024
£387
Insurance Wednesday 27th December 2023
£471
Insurance Tuesday 27th December 2022
£334
Insurance Monday 27th December 2021
£262
Insurance @ 161,800 miles. Tuesday 8th December 2020
Taking the opportunity to upgrade some other bits whilst the car is off the road. <br/> <br/>Wish this bloody COVID and supply chain crap would clear up so I could get the parts that are stuck abroad.
£270
Insurance @ 161,800 miles. Friday 6th December 2019
£270
Major Breakdown @ 161,800 miles. Friday 25th January 2019
Started to hear signs of spun bearings, so decided to do a full rebuild, or engine change. <br/> <br/>Total now includes all the other stuff we decided to do whilst the engine was out (sportier clutch for supercharger addition later; air-con system reconditioning, suspension refresh, etc).
£7,500
Insurance @ 161,800 miles. Friday 7th December 2018
£310
Upgrades @ 157,700 miles. Friday 16th March 2018
Fitted a set of lively Recaro Pole Position ABE seats to hold be in on track/hoons
£2,200
Tax Tuesday 20th February 2018
£562
Insurance @ 156,000 miles. Friday 8th December 2017
£300
Servicing/Repairs @ 155,400 miles. Friday 10th November 2017
New alternator, TPS and MAF
£1,000
Servicing/Repairs @ 153,000 miles. Sunday 1st October 2017
Spent the last 6 months fixing all the little things that the accident repair bodyshop neglected...or broke...and that the insurance company said were reported too late (how was I to know things hidden under bodywork had been bodged until I took it apart to check?)
£3,000
Tax Friday 17th February 2017
£540
Insurance @ 152,000 miles. Monday 16th January 2017
Now on a multi-car policy with the 147
£385
Servicing/Repairs @ 152,000 miles. Monday 5th December 2016
MOT
£40
Servicing/Repairs @ 150,000 miles. Thursday 15th September 2016
New diff paid for by insurance company after my evading manoeuvre and subsequent spin on the M6 in December 2016 - car may finally be properly repaired and roadworthy after almost a year
£3,200
Servicing/Repairs @ 150,000 miles. Thursday 1st September 2016
Rear EBC Orangestuff pads
£120
Servicing/Repairs @ 148,500 miles. Friday 15th April 2016
New MAF and airbox to rectify misfire issue that appeared after getting car back from insurer bodyshop. Insurer claims accident has nothing to do with it, even though everything was fine right up the the moment of the accident.
£500
Servicing/Repairs @ 148,000 miles. Tuesday 15th March 2016
Lots of bits replaced by the insurance company after my evading manoeuvre and subsequent spin on the M6 in December 2016
£11,000
Tyres @ 148,000 miles. Tuesday 15th March 2016
2 tyres to complement the 2 new tyres fitted by the insurance company after my evading manoeuvre and subsequent spin on the M6 in December 2016
£300
Tax Friday 4th March 2016
£530
Servicing/Repairs @ 146,000 miles. Thursday 5th November 2015
Inspection 2, EBC Orangestuff front pads, etc.
£1,200
Servicing/Repairs @ 144,000 miles. Saturday 17th October 2015
Rear brake pads
£100
Servicing/Repairs @ 139,000 miles. Saturday 8th August 2015
Full cooling system refresh - water rad, oil rad, water pump, thermostat, hoses, etc. <br/> <br/>Plus new battery & OEM alternator
£2,000
Servicing/Repairs @ 138,000 miles. Saturday 25th July 2015
New clutch, flywheel, slave cylinder, rear mains seal
£1,300
Servicing/Repairs @ 138,000 miles. Wednesday 15th July 2015
New front discs & pads
£400
Tyres @ 135,500 miles. Thursday 28th May 2015
2 new front Michelin Pilot SuportSports after 41,500 miles
£280
Upgrades @ 134,500 miles. Friday 15th May 2015
Finally replaced the ancient BMW OE suspension with something more suiting the car's character...Bilstein B16 PSS10...plus new bushes, links, mounts, etc. <br/> <br/>Just in time for my next 'Ring trip.
£3,500
Tax Friday 8th May 2015
£505
Servicing/Repairs @ 133,000 miles. Thursday 7th May 2015
Inspection 1 and other little bits
£500
Tyres @ 128,282 miles. Saturday 21st February 2015
2 more Michelin SuperSports for the rear - 25,000 miles out of a pair isn't bad. <br/> <br/>Fronts seem to be giving double the mileage of the rears (e.g. still 5mm left after about 35,000 miles).
£350
Insurance @ 123,734 miles. Saturday 6th December 2014
£860
Servicing/Repairs @ 117,300 miles. Wednesday 10th September 2014
Scheduled oil service including brake fluid & coolant flush, filter replacement (oil, air, microfilter). <br/>Vibratechnics engine mounts, rear discs & Pagid RS pads fitted.
£1,500
Tax @ 109,500 miles. Thursday 15th May 2014
The dreaded VED
£500
Servicing/Repairs @ 108,000 miles. Friday 25th April 2014
Interim service: brake fluid, pads, oil, oil/air filter, alignment <br/> <br/>Replaced a leaking clutch slave cylinder
£700
Tyres @ 103,287 miles. Thursday 27th February 2014
2 new rear Michelin Pilot Supersports from Lovetyres
£342
Servicing/Repairs @ 103,281 miles. Thursday 27th February 2014
NSF caliper replaced under warranty as it was sticking
Servicing/Repairs @ 103,000 miles. Monday 3rd February 2014
Inspection 1 @ Knights BMW North Staffs
£700
Insurance @ 98,000 miles. Thursday 12th December 2013
Admiral price went up 30% for an SP30. LV offered a good price, but ended up with Keith Michaels for the same, but with track cover & mods included.
£975
Servicing/Repairs @ 98,000 miles. Tuesday 3rd December 2013
MOT <br/> <br/>Passed, no advisories.
£40
Servicing/Repairs @ 96,000 miles. Tuesday 5th November 2013
Interim oil service
£50
Tyres @ 94,000 miles. Friday 4th October 2013
On to my 2nd set of fronts since I swapped to Michelin SuperSports. Well worth the 30-50% premium over other top/medium brands considering I've got 46k miles out of them!
£360
Servicing/Repairs @ 88,000 miles. Saturday 13th July 2013
Scheduled (OBC) oil service @ Lloyd BMW Blackpool
£180
Tyres @ 86,000 miles. Saturday 1st June 2013
2 new (discounted) rear Pilot Supersports as I found out the tyre fitter had fitted PS2s in error.
£200
Tax @ 84,000 miles. Wednesday 15th May 2013
Road Tax / VED
£490
Servicing/Repairs @ 80,000 miles. Thursday 28th March 2013
Interim oil service
£50
Servicing/Repairs @ 74,000 miles. Friday 28th December 2012
Inspection 2 @ Knights BMW North Staffs
£780
Insurance @ 73,500 miles. Wednesday 12th December 2012
LV offered a great renewal price (about 30% cheaper than last year), but wouldn't cover new exhaust, so swapped to Admiral for not a lot more.
£900
Insurance @ 73,000 miles. Wednesday 5th December 2012
BMW warranty & breakdown at £80/month
£900
Servicing/Repairs @ 73,000 miles. Monday 3rd December 2012
MOT - no failures, no advisories.
£40
Tyres @ 73,000 miles. Saturday 1st December 2012
2 more SuperSports for the rear
£480
Upgrades @ 68,000 miles. Friday 14th September 2012
Rogue Diablo exhaust, and RPI scoop fitted
£1,000
Servicing/Repairs @ 68,000 miles. Friday 14th September 2012
Spanking new discs & pads all round
£800
Servicing/Repairs @ 68,000 miles. Thursday 13th September 2012
Differential replaced under warranty <br/> <br/>Oil leak (only about 10ml per 1000 miles) fixed after 3 failed attempts
Servicing/Repairs @ 67,000 miles. Friday 31st August 2012
New RTAB bushes, wheels completely stripped & refurbed, alignment, etc. <br/> <br/>Interim oil service
£1,000
Tax @ 60,000 miles. Tuesday 15th May 2012
VED
£470
Servicing/Repairs @ 60,000 miles. Tuesday 15th May 2012
Scheduled oil service (own oil supplied) & VANOS micro-filter replacement
£300
Servicing/Repairs @ 53,000 miles. Monday 12th December 2011
Interim oil service, including diff & gearbox oil change.
£250
Servicing/Repairs @ 53,000 miles. Monday 5th December 2011
MOT - no failures, no advisories. <br/> <br/>MOT tester has trouble getting into car though ;-)
£40
Insurance @ 53,000 miles. Monday 5th December 2011
Monthly BMW Warranty at £80/month - still not sure whether this is worth it or not, might go for less cover/more excess?
£960
Insurance @ 52,000 miles. Thursday 1st December 2011
Renewal was 30% higher than last year, despite finally resolving disputed liability and recovering my excess. LV= came in below last year's premium, so I've switched. Not sure about the higher windscreen excess though (£170).
£1,000
Tyres @ 50,000 miles. Thursday 1st September 2011
2 x Pilot Super Sports for the rear (to match the fronts) <br/> <br/>ETA: this is simply the best road tyre I've ever had (although P-Zero Corsa, Pilot Sport Cup and Silverstone S585 are better on track).
£550
Tyres @ 48,000 miles. Sunday 31st July 2011
2 x Pilot Super Sports for the front (rears to come shortly)
£450
Servicing/Repairs @ 47,000 miles. Friday 15th July 2011
Inspection at Williams Rochdale (the best of the Williams network) <br/> <br/>(previous favourite David Holmes have been bought by Williams and have almost instantly gone into the couldn't-care-less Williams attitude). <br/> <br/>Pity they're all charging £15 daily 'admin' fees for the courtesy cars - alongside charging £140/hour labour. <br/> <br/>No tread depth, pad or disc measurements received, and I know one rear tyre is very low. Valve clearance sheet given with a bit of pressure - claims all are fine, nothing needed changing.
£700
Tax @ 46,500 miles. Monday 30th May 2011
£460
Tyres @ 46,000 miles. Sunday 15th May 2011
New rear Conti M3 due to debris on motorway
£230
Servicing/Repairs @ 45,500 miles. Sunday 1st May 2011
Broken headlight washer cover (pity the dealer washed the car against my instruction and their minimum wage washing monkey has imparted scratches all over the place). Never fully happy with the final result, but have drawn a line and will get it re-corrected myself.
£50
Servicing/Repairs @ 42,000 miles. Tuesday 1st February 2011
Interim oil service
£100
Insurance @ 38,000 miles. Sunday 12th December 2010
Standard annual insurance rise, compounded by non-fault claim due to dozy trucker
£1,100
Tax @ 37,000 miles. Saturday 20th November 2010
£265
Servicing/Repairs @ 35,000 miles. Monday 13th September 2010
Oil Service & air-con refresh at David Homes BMW
£250
Servicing/Repairs @ 29,000 miles. Thursday 10th June 2010
Interim oil service
£50
Upgrades @ 25,000 miles. Thursday 1st April 2010
Removed protection film from car as some of it was starting to look a bit grotty, and the paintwork is easier to maintain than the film. Then had to give the whole car a good detail.
£200
Insurance @ 23,000 miles. Monday 7th December 2009
BMW Insured Warranty - fully comp, no excess
£950
Tax @ 23,000 miles. Monday 30th November 2009
£400
Insurance @ 23,000 miles. Saturday 28th November 2009
£800
Major Breakdown @ 22,500 miles. Thursday 15th October 2009
New engine & ancillaries replaced under warranty (due to VANOS failure) - £14k bill to BMW, £0k bill to me.
Tyres @ 30,000 miles. Monday 1st June 2009
2 rear tyres - Continental M3 <br/>2 front tyres - Continental M3
£700
Servicing/Repairs @ 17,000 miles. Monday 18th May 2009
Wipers stopped working - 'general module' replaced under warranty
Servicing/Repairs @ 15,500 miles. Friday 13th March 2009
6000 mile oil service - additional to BMW's new 'extended' intervals.
£50
Tyres @ 15,000 miles. Sunday 1st March 2009
Two rear Continental SportContact M3s - these tyres grip well, but don't seem to last long when you throw some hard driving at them. 4,000 miles and they're done, although the huge amount of negative camber on the rear suspension has something to do with that as the insides were worn and the outsides still had 4mm.
£440
Upgrades @ 14,000 miles. Wednesday 28th January 2009
Got Paintshield to come and custom-fit some of their protection film to the car as I've already got some stone-chips from my motorway runs.
£750
Upgrades @ 12,000 miles. Monday 12th January 2009
Sold the CSL wheels as they compromised the handling (not the grip or ride) too much for my liking. The standard wheels & tyres provide a much more progressive breakaway.
Upgrades @ 11,500 miles. Saturday 10th January 2009
Cupholders, fire extinguisher & rubber mats
£100
Insurance @ 10,000 miles. Friday 28th November 2008
Surprisingly good value considering a 19 year old e34 M5 was more!
£730