165k mile BMW Z4 2.5 - 3 Careful PH Owners
Discussion
I had hoped to get around to fitting the new OSR wing and fixing the minor oil leak over the Xmas break but there was too much leftover food and wine to be polished off whilst sat in front of roaring fires, so it didn't happen.
Ah, well.
Quick update regarding new seats instead. As mentioned a page or two back, I fancied upgrading the standard issue seats to the E46 M-sport type.
Here's the standard Z4 heated seat. They're both in pretty good nick but I couldn't get properly comfortable in them. The biggest problem I found was the front of the seat base felt too low for me and my legs would ache on longer trips, through lack of support.
It was also touched on before, but the general consensus is that electric seats are going to be a lot heavier (not exactly a surprise) and are going to make the sitting position higher, due to all the motors underneath. I was discovering, however, that finding some half-decent, manually adjustable, heated seats was a lot harder than anticipated.
Before Christmas, I managed to resist buying a pair of M6 seats in Terracotta Red, which had been fitted to an E46. They looked ace and were less than an hour's drive away to collect but I had a sneaking suspicion they would be just a smidge too bulky with all the electric motors and inflatable bolster-y goodness going on. I did make a cheeky offer to the eBay seller offline but I knew in my heart they weren't for me and I wasn't surprised to see them fetch nearly double what I'd offered, which made not having them easier to get over.
Perusing eBay last week during a moment of boredom, I spotted a new listing for a pair of black leather E46 M-sport seats, manual adjustment and heated. Game on! Even better, they were in Scotland. Cherry on the cake, they were from a Touring E46, so there was no handle sticking out the side of the seat back (to recline the seat and give access to the rear of a coupe). All being well, they had my name on them.
The pics on the listing could have been better but the seller sent through some more pics/videos and I was delighted/excited to see that there was no excessive wear, scuffs, tears, etc on the leather of either seat and that all the electrical connectors were present and intact, unlike some of the other butcher-jobs I'd seen. A deal was struck and I agreed to zip up to Aberdeen first thing on Saturday before the guy changed his mind. Nicked the OH's Volvo 4x4 and the round trip of 360 miles, half of which was done in the dark and in appalling wet/standing water conditions was completed by early lunchtime.
Installing them yesterday afternoon was a doddle and here's a few tricks and tips that I'd read about and followed:
1) Disconnect the battery a good 15-20 minutes before unplugging any of the seat connectors to avoid airbag lights and also annoying the seat belt pre-tensioners.
2) Reconnect the battery and put the roof down. Numpty.
3) See 1.
4) Four nuts/bolts per seat plus one big connector and they're out.
5) Swap the seatbelt pre-tensioners from the old Z4 seat bases to the E46 ones to be installed.
6) Quick vacuum of cabin with seats out. Didn't find one single coin under there, just a few obligatory McDonald's fries.
7) Connect up and bolt in new seats.
8) Reconnect battery and wait 15 mins before activating the ignition. Use time to tidy up, put tools away, take photos and feel smug.
Moment of truth came and I fired the car up. All warning lights on the dash extinguished - get in!
Switch on heated seats - both sides work perfectly. This is going well.
I adjusted my seat roughly to where I wanted it (and fine-tuned it this morning, on the way to work) and it's instantly more comfortable. The extra support behind the knees from the pull-out front section of the base is just what I've been after. The fact that the seat front edge can be ratcheted up is even better. I can tell that I'm sitting just a smidge higher than I was in the old seats but it's very marginal. I do feel as though my legroom has actually increased, again only marginally but most welcome.
I know there would be more adjustability with an electric seat but the downside of the extra kilos wouldn't justify it for me.
As long as I'm positioned correctly and they are comfy, supportive and they heat up (yes to all), then I'm happy.
Overall cost, including fuel for the trip - £210. No complaints about that, either.
Ah, well.
Quick update regarding new seats instead. As mentioned a page or two back, I fancied upgrading the standard issue seats to the E46 M-sport type.
Here's the standard Z4 heated seat. They're both in pretty good nick but I couldn't get properly comfortable in them. The biggest problem I found was the front of the seat base felt too low for me and my legs would ache on longer trips, through lack of support.
It was also touched on before, but the general consensus is that electric seats are going to be a lot heavier (not exactly a surprise) and are going to make the sitting position higher, due to all the motors underneath. I was discovering, however, that finding some half-decent, manually adjustable, heated seats was a lot harder than anticipated.
Before Christmas, I managed to resist buying a pair of M6 seats in Terracotta Red, which had been fitted to an E46. They looked ace and were less than an hour's drive away to collect but I had a sneaking suspicion they would be just a smidge too bulky with all the electric motors and inflatable bolster-y goodness going on. I did make a cheeky offer to the eBay seller offline but I knew in my heart they weren't for me and I wasn't surprised to see them fetch nearly double what I'd offered, which made not having them easier to get over.
Perusing eBay last week during a moment of boredom, I spotted a new listing for a pair of black leather E46 M-sport seats, manual adjustment and heated. Game on! Even better, they were in Scotland. Cherry on the cake, they were from a Touring E46, so there was no handle sticking out the side of the seat back (to recline the seat and give access to the rear of a coupe). All being well, they had my name on them.
The pics on the listing could have been better but the seller sent through some more pics/videos and I was delighted/excited to see that there was no excessive wear, scuffs, tears, etc on the leather of either seat and that all the electrical connectors were present and intact, unlike some of the other butcher-jobs I'd seen. A deal was struck and I agreed to zip up to Aberdeen first thing on Saturday before the guy changed his mind. Nicked the OH's Volvo 4x4 and the round trip of 360 miles, half of which was done in the dark and in appalling wet/standing water conditions was completed by early lunchtime.
Installing them yesterday afternoon was a doddle and here's a few tricks and tips that I'd read about and followed:
1) Disconnect the battery a good 15-20 minutes before unplugging any of the seat connectors to avoid airbag lights and also annoying the seat belt pre-tensioners.
2) Reconnect the battery and put the roof down. Numpty.
3) See 1.
4) Four nuts/bolts per seat plus one big connector and they're out.
5) Swap the seatbelt pre-tensioners from the old Z4 seat bases to the E46 ones to be installed.
6) Quick vacuum of cabin with seats out. Didn't find one single coin under there, just a few obligatory McDonald's fries.
7) Connect up and bolt in new seats.
8) Reconnect battery and wait 15 mins before activating the ignition. Use time to tidy up, put tools away, take photos and feel smug.
Moment of truth came and I fired the car up. All warning lights on the dash extinguished - get in!
Switch on heated seats - both sides work perfectly. This is going well.
I adjusted my seat roughly to where I wanted it (and fine-tuned it this morning, on the way to work) and it's instantly more comfortable. The extra support behind the knees from the pull-out front section of the base is just what I've been after. The fact that the seat front edge can be ratcheted up is even better. I can tell that I'm sitting just a smidge higher than I was in the old seats but it's very marginal. I do feel as though my legroom has actually increased, again only marginally but most welcome.
I know there would be more adjustability with an electric seat but the downside of the extra kilos wouldn't justify it for me.
As long as I'm positioned correctly and they are comfy, supportive and they heat up (yes to all), then I'm happy.
Overall cost, including fuel for the trip - £210. No complaints about that, either.
lemansky said:
2) Reconnect the battery and put the roof down. Numpty.
Winning! They look good too and for such a low price, 'up the road' and retrieved in conditions that would make less hardy souls don their onesie and watch repeats of 'Friends', you must feel like the proverbial cat+cream.
The lack of thigh bolster is definitely a 'thing' for me, too. Thankfully, the FFRR and the S211 have adequate support, but it can be sensitive according to the thickness of my soles, too.
Interesting to see it done, thanks. I've often thought about it but one of the things that's put me off is that Z4 MSport seats in beige are not going to come up in my lifetime, so it'd be E46. And as I'd want to keep the electric adjustment, I wonder if they'd be just a bit too high, which would defeat the object.
If you already have the electric adjustment on your Z4 seats, I wonder if you already sit higher than if you were on the standard manual-adjust Z4 seats like the ones I've just taken out the car?!
Therefore, electric E46 seats might sit at the same height as your Z4 electric seats. Possibly, maybe.
I know, it's ridiculous.
The only way to find out is to try it, if you can find a spare seat to borrow or even someone who's done the same swap as you are contemplating.
In the meantime, here's a nice snowy picture from last week. I've not driven the car in snow before and with it being a tiny RWD thing with no weight over the rears and big fat summer tyres on it, I took this photo in case the car (and, possibly I) was destroyed 3 minutes later at the bottom of the hill from the house to the main road. Thankfully, there was nothing to worry about (I bottled it and took the longer, more gentle route).
Therefore, electric E46 seats might sit at the same height as your Z4 electric seats. Possibly, maybe.
I know, it's ridiculous.
The only way to find out is to try it, if you can find a spare seat to borrow or even someone who's done the same swap as you are contemplating.
In the meantime, here's a nice snowy picture from last week. I've not driven the car in snow before and with it being a tiny RWD thing with no weight over the rears and big fat summer tyres on it, I took this photo in case the car (and, possibly I) was destroyed 3 minutes later at the bottom of the hill from the house to the main road. Thankfully, there was nothing to worry about (I bottled it and took the longer, more gentle route).
CornedBeef said:
Great upgrade, my other half has a silver Z4 and I love it but have thought the seats could be better. I used to be a serial E46 owner and would love a set of seats from one - I had no idea they were compatible.
It's a very straightforward swap and highly recommended. The fit is perfect, the seat rails on the E46 seats match the holes/bolts on the Z4 floor so bolt straight in and the wiring harness from the Z plugs directly into the bottom of the E46 seat.Fitting them is a piece of cake; the difficulty is sourcing the ones you want (colour, spec, etc) and being within 500 miles of the perfect ones you do find.
My experience showed that private sellers don't want to get involved in shipping seats, due to the heft and unwieldy nature of the things.
CharlesdeGaulle said:
Looks great, nice work. All done for an excellent price too.
It all worked out pretty well, thanks CdeG. I couldn't wangle an appearance from the Aga into the update because the bloody thing has thrown a strop, refuses to stay lit and is now sitting in the kitchen laughing at us, a big lump of useless metal sucking any residual heat out of the air. bolidemichael said:
Winning! They look good too and for such a low price, 'up the road' and retrieved in conditions that would make less hardy souls don their onesie and watch repeats of 'Friends', you must feel like the proverbial cat+cream.
bolidemichael said:
The lack of thigh bolster is definitely a 'thing' for me, too. Thankfully, the FFRR and the S211 have adequate support, but it can be sensitive according to the thickness of my soles, too.
Thickness of the soles is an excellent point! I drove the Z the other week to B&Q whilst wearing some CAT boots that I'd been doing my best handyman impressions in earlier in the day. Kept stalling the car, everything just felt wrong.TwoStrokeNut said:
Excellent choice on the E46 seats.
The standard and sports seats in the Z4 are both pretty awful and consistently rated poorly. I still struggle with them in my M.
Thanks! Again, I would highly recommend the swap. Great result, low cost - win/win.The standard and sports seats in the Z4 are both pretty awful and consistently rated poorly. I still struggle with them in my M.
Update overdue.
Since the weather turned for the better (and therefore the windows were down more often), I'd noticed a horrible metallic clanky-rattly noise from under the car when going over any bumps. I quickly whipped off the wheels the other night and the (in)famous brake disc stone/dust protect plates had rotted around their mounts and were free to shake their stuff.
A long journey south to see Mum this weekend meant I had to do something, because I fancied a bit of roof-off action without hearing the clatter.
Ideally, the brake discs have to come off to remove the offending parts. Sod that.
Tin snips, hammer, cold chisel and some bloody-mindedness and they were off in a few hours. I have multiple cuts all over my hands and face and for someone who freely dispenses advice about eye care/protection all week with a wagged finger, I find myself rather lucky to have un-pierced eyeballs, what with the shards of sharp metal flying around and my unswerving laziness to go and get the appropriate polycarb specs from the house.
Job done, no rattling.
I was also pleased to swap out the OSR wing last weekend. The original had a dodgy repair (mentioned by 0a in the opening post of this thread) and being in Scotland wasn't helping matters. I'd procured a new wing in the right colour last year but hadn't bothered my arse to change it. The photos show it was overdue.
From:
|https://thumbsnap.com/cvLk8W6k[/url]
To:
|https://thumbsnap.com/xJZjSF5Y[/url]
Not that tricky a job, just a lot of patience as usual (due to corroded fixings breaking right and left, as usual).
I'm also delighted to report that, after a couple of engine oil flushes and filter changes, the oil leak has stopped. There's two small O-rings in the filter housing which I've changed - the old ones looked tired and possibly the wrong size - and this has done the trick, definitely.
Since the weather turned for the better (and therefore the windows were down more often), I'd noticed a horrible metallic clanky-rattly noise from under the car when going over any bumps. I quickly whipped off the wheels the other night and the (in)famous brake disc stone/dust protect plates had rotted around their mounts and were free to shake their stuff.
A long journey south to see Mum this weekend meant I had to do something, because I fancied a bit of roof-off action without hearing the clatter.
Ideally, the brake discs have to come off to remove the offending parts. Sod that.
Tin snips, hammer, cold chisel and some bloody-mindedness and they were off in a few hours. I have multiple cuts all over my hands and face and for someone who freely dispenses advice about eye care/protection all week with a wagged finger, I find myself rather lucky to have un-pierced eyeballs, what with the shards of sharp metal flying around and my unswerving laziness to go and get the appropriate polycarb specs from the house.
Job done, no rattling.
I was also pleased to swap out the OSR wing last weekend. The original had a dodgy repair (mentioned by 0a in the opening post of this thread) and being in Scotland wasn't helping matters. I'd procured a new wing in the right colour last year but hadn't bothered my arse to change it. The photos show it was overdue.
From:
|https://thumbsnap.com/cvLk8W6k[/url]To:
|https://thumbsnap.com/xJZjSF5Y[/url]Not that tricky a job, just a lot of patience as usual (due to corroded fixings breaking right and left, as usual).
I'm also delighted to report that, after a couple of engine oil flushes and filter changes, the oil leak has stopped. There's two small O-rings in the filter housing which I've changed - the old ones looked tired and possibly the wrong size - and this has done the trick, definitely.
whytheory said:
Bolt on? That’s useful, looks much better 
Yes, the rear wings just bolt on. You need to loosen/remove various trim (rear bumper, side sill, wheel arch liner) which gives access to all the (obvious) fixing bolts. Because nothing is ever totally easy or straightforward, there is a really, really awkward torx bolt to access in front of the boot lid which is a real pig, but we got there in the end.
Getting a matching colour panel of a decent quality was a bit of a touch and I remain on the lookout for decent front wings in Sterling Grey.
From tonight:
It’s an old thing with a ruck of miles on it and It owes me very little.
I still think it looks great.
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