BMW Z4 3.0si Coupe
Discussion
Deep Thought said:
C70R said:
coldel said:
Oi, stop hijacking my car thread!
Apologies! I actually thought the chap asking about fitting the M wheels was the OP!I'll start a thread on the alloy wheel issue when i try again and get more pictures.
RBM looks to be about 45 mins from me (im in SW London near the M3) so a good option. Can they fix my rear parking sensors!!!
Im going over to my parents house for the service, my dad is a retired mechanic and my brother runs his own business so about 85 years experience between the pair of them (my dad used to do high end stuff like E-Types, 928s, various Ferraris) so they also are quite handy with the spanners and have always worked on my cars.
I took off the Bridgestone runflats which was annoying as they had plenty left on them, and put on Michelin PS4's which are night and day, what a difference. I had heard horror stories about runflats but they truly are terrible tyres.
Im going over to my parents house for the service, my dad is a retired mechanic and my brother runs his own business so about 85 years experience between the pair of them (my dad used to do high end stuff like E-Types, 928s, various Ferraris) so they also are quite handy with the spanners and have always worked on my cars.
I took off the Bridgestone runflats which was annoying as they had plenty left on them, and put on Michelin PS4's which are night and day, what a difference. I had heard horror stories about runflats but they truly are terrible tyres.
Thought I would do a quick update as we were having such a good chat on the Z4 Coupe Prices thread. Still love driving this thing, after 2 years in a VX220 where it was serious hardcore (albeit epic) usage I am so glad of the comforts it brings but still retains enough excitement.
I added some Michelin PS4s to the car, which made it a whole different beast, what a transformation. Why anyone would buy a this car and then try drive it on runflats bemuses me, they would be missing out on so much of what the car can offer. Also added some spacers front and back, the car looks so much more stanced, although subtle definitely makes it look more low slung and sporty.
The rear parking sensors seemed to fix themselves! My brother took a laptop to the car and identified the rear left one as the problem sensor and I bought a replacement but then they started working all the time. Strange. Might take the bumper off for a look anyway.
I bought a valve cover gasket and new handbrake pads and fitting kit (as the car squeaks when I get in and out and have identified it as the handbrake kit squeaking). I am heading to my parents house next week to get the valve cover gasket installed and the pads changed over. I am wondering if there is anything else worth doing whilst over there, DISA valve maybe? See replacements on ebay for about £80 might be worth doing as I just ticked over 70k miles.
I added some Michelin PS4s to the car, which made it a whole different beast, what a transformation. Why anyone would buy a this car and then try drive it on runflats bemuses me, they would be missing out on so much of what the car can offer. Also added some spacers front and back, the car looks so much more stanced, although subtle definitely makes it look more low slung and sporty.
The rear parking sensors seemed to fix themselves! My brother took a laptop to the car and identified the rear left one as the problem sensor and I bought a replacement but then they started working all the time. Strange. Might take the bumper off for a look anyway.
I bought a valve cover gasket and new handbrake pads and fitting kit (as the car squeaks when I get in and out and have identified it as the handbrake kit squeaking). I am heading to my parents house next week to get the valve cover gasket installed and the pads changed over. I am wondering if there is anything else worth doing whilst over there, DISA valve maybe? See replacements on ebay for about £80 might be worth doing as I just ticked over 70k miles.
Clubzport said:
Great thread 
Not sure, but I think I might've seen your car on the Z4 Forum at some point.
If you're doing the valve cover gasket, I'd recommend the following whilst it's off:
- Valvetronic Motor gasket
- Eccentric shaft sensor (expensive)
- Eccentric shaft sensor gasket
Also, remember to buy some new bolts, as they're aluminium and single use
Ah I didnt realise that about the bolts. Will look into it. ThanksNot sure, but I think I might've seen your car on the Z4 Forum at some point.
If you're doing the valve cover gasket, I'd recommend the following whilst it's off:
- Valvetronic Motor gasket
- Eccentric shaft sensor (expensive)
- Eccentric shaft sensor gasket
Also, remember to buy some new bolts, as they're aluminium and single use
And yes, I announced the purchase on the forum under the New Owners section or something.
How mine sits at the moment. I also forgot I made a very minor change which I think has a very pleasing effect, I changed all the blue triangles in all the BMW badges to black triangles (stickers!) and it really set off the black car well. I also put some flyeye stuff over the white side repeaters by the headlights to make it blend a bit more. Overall the car looks a lot sleeker I think.
coldel said:
Clubzport said:
Great thread
Not sure, but I think I might've seen your car on the Z4 Forum at some point.
If you're doing the valve cover gasket, I'd recommend the following whilst it's off:
- Valvetronic Motor gasket
- Eccentric shaft sensor (expensive)
- Eccentric shaft sensor gasket
Also, remember to buy some new bolts, as they're aluminium and single use
Ah I didnt realise that about the bolts. Will look into it. ThanksNot sure, but I think I might've seen your car on the Z4 Forum at some point.
If you're doing the valve cover gasket, I'd recommend the following whilst it's off:
- Valvetronic Motor gasket
- Eccentric shaft sensor (expensive)
- Eccentric shaft sensor gasket
Also, remember to buy some new bolts, as they're aluminium and single use
And yes, I announced the purchase on the forum under the New Owners section or something.
This chap seemed ok? https://blog.fcpeuro.com/n51-n52n-valve-cover-gask...
Edited by coldel on Friday 26th August 15:49
Justin S said:
Later plastic rocker cover is steel bolts. I reused mine. I found a few of the steel inserts in the cover were loose, so glued them in. Also, I found the gasket is a sod for moving when fitting as the gap it sits in is very small. Dont use insta gasket to fit it, I cleaned the channel out and used a few spots of superglue. Works a treat. I also did the eccentric sensor, which I sourced from Autodoc. You wont get it for a few weeks as shipping is rubbish, but £100 cheaper than the same part from BMW. Do change the eccentris oil seal in the cover ( pennies) and the eccentric motor gasket .
Not a tricky job, but I did remove the injecter rail to give better clearance on the rear rocker cover bolts and also mark up which primary lambda sensor is which as they look the same before you disconnect.
Just looked at the link and its easier for Zeds than the car they did, as the engine sticks out further from the bulkhead, so no fuse boxes to disconnect, you can roll the loom out the way to get the cover out.
Cheers. Will do as much of that as I can (and get bits in time for). Not a tricky job, but I did remove the injecter rail to give better clearance on the rear rocker cover bolts and also mark up which primary lambda sensor is which as they look the same before you disconnect.
Just looked at the link and its easier for Zeds than the car they did, as the engine sticks out further from the bulkhead, so no fuse boxes to disconnect, you can roll the loom out the way to get the cover out.
Edited by Justin S on Friday 26th August 17:21
Previous owner said it was the last 100 or so. But hey I should verify that myself.
I changed the handbrake pads and kit as it was squeaking all the time when I got in and out the car. Turned out to be a near on 2 hour job the springs were a pain in the backside to get on and off holding the pads in place.
Then moved on to the valve cover gasket, again loads to remove and even then you are left with a really annoying wiring loom that goes over the top which we couldnt see how you unplug. So that took another couple hours.
Both jobs took longer than I expected. The loom made it so much more difficult, I do hope that I just missed an obvious way to move it rather than BMW thinking that was a good design approach!
Also had a little moment after putting it all back together where the engine ran rough, lights on and everything, turns out one of the coil packs was not seated quite right, so a simple fix!
Just ordered a Creator C410 as well, £50 off Amazon, always good to have the ability to diagnose issues.
I changed the handbrake pads and kit as it was squeaking all the time when I got in and out the car. Turned out to be a near on 2 hour job the springs were a pain in the backside to get on and off holding the pads in place.
Then moved on to the valve cover gasket, again loads to remove and even then you are left with a really annoying wiring loom that goes over the top which we couldnt see how you unplug. So that took another couple hours.
Both jobs took longer than I expected. The loom made it so much more difficult, I do hope that I just missed an obvious way to move it rather than BMW thinking that was a good design approach!
Also had a little moment after putting it all back together where the engine ran rough, lights on and everything, turns out one of the coil packs was not seated quite right, so a simple fix!
Just ordered a Creator C410 as well, £50 off Amazon, always good to have the ability to diagnose issues.
Urgh still a slight oil misting around the valvetronic motor, suspect the gasket is leaking. Looks like a £10 purchase on ebay for a new one.
Gave the car a good couple of runs in he last week, have to say having owned faster cars, I dont feel like I am missing out in terms of excitement. The engine is quite brilliant, so smooth and creamy delivers power effortlessly, I definitely dont miss the frantic on/off feeling of a turbo. I also removed both bits of foam from the noise pipe, and get more noise in the car, it makes a great howl when you put your foot right in.
Next jobs are the oil changes on diff and gearbox, also want to get it up on a ramp and put a bar on all the joints and check the bushings. Wheels are very much in need of a refurb but as a cosmetic are down the priority list.
Gave the car a good couple of runs in he last week, have to say having owned faster cars, I dont feel like I am missing out in terms of excitement. The engine is quite brilliant, so smooth and creamy delivers power effortlessly, I definitely dont miss the frantic on/off feeling of a turbo. I also removed both bits of foam from the noise pipe, and get more noise in the car, it makes a great howl when you put your foot right in.
Next jobs are the oil changes on diff and gearbox, also want to get it up on a ramp and put a bar on all the joints and check the bushings. Wheels are very much in need of a refurb but as a cosmetic are down the priority list.
Changed the Valvetronic gasket (cost £18 off ebay) started the car up and misfire! Checked again and the plug was not quite pushed all the way on to the coil pack next to the valvetronic motor. I think the clip that comes down doesn't seat right so I have to push it on manually. Slightly annoying but a nice easy fix! Anyway, checked the oil misting and its all gone. So have a very healthy engine again with no oil making a break for it.
I do want to do the bushes next go around and check for wear so need it up on a ramp, as well as the dreaded water pump.
I do want to do the bushes next go around and check for wear so need it up on a ramp, as well as the dreaded water pump.
I guess a little update
I did do a post about what to replace this car with...I suddenly got itchy feet and fancied a change for no reason related to the car whatsoever. Well the thread was a great chat but it didn't really present a good viable alternative. I did hardly any miles in Dec but have made a conscious effort in 2023 to get out in it, and its brilliant. The love is back
I purchased a Creator C410 in a deal off Amazon, as mentioned. I got around to testing it against the parking sensors and it showed no problems on anything (despite them not working properly). I wanted to remove the rear bumper and reseat it properly with some new brackets as it looked like a couple of clips had broken, whilst it was off put a multimeter on the sensors which didnt show up any issues, totally perplexing. Then plugged everything back in and put the C410 in again and read them again and boom there it was on sensor 4 no readings when I blocked it. Grabbed the replacement sensor I had handy switched it over and it was all up and running. Happy days.
Reseated the rear bumper, cleaned out the back of the car in the nooks and crannys etc. Great job done.
It went through the MOT and whilst up on the ramp I had a nose underneath, looked really clean and nothing to concern me, got a clean pass hurrah!
Something that bothers me are the exhaust tips, they are needing a spruce up, but cant be done in situ. Apparently there are clips which hold them on but I will be damned if I can shift em, even soaking them in WD40 and getting a mallet behind them!
I did do a post about what to replace this car with...I suddenly got itchy feet and fancied a change for no reason related to the car whatsoever. Well the thread was a great chat but it didn't really present a good viable alternative. I did hardly any miles in Dec but have made a conscious effort in 2023 to get out in it, and its brilliant. The love is back
I purchased a Creator C410 in a deal off Amazon, as mentioned. I got around to testing it against the parking sensors and it showed no problems on anything (despite them not working properly). I wanted to remove the rear bumper and reseat it properly with some new brackets as it looked like a couple of clips had broken, whilst it was off put a multimeter on the sensors which didnt show up any issues, totally perplexing. Then plugged everything back in and put the C410 in again and read them again and boom there it was on sensor 4 no readings when I blocked it. Grabbed the replacement sensor I had handy switched it over and it was all up and running. Happy days.
Reseated the rear bumper, cleaned out the back of the car in the nooks and crannys etc. Great job done.
It went through the MOT and whilst up on the ramp I had a nose underneath, looked really clean and nothing to concern me, got a clean pass hurrah!
Something that bothers me are the exhaust tips, they are needing a spruce up, but cant be done in situ. Apparently there are clips which hold them on but I will be damned if I can shift em, even soaking them in WD40 and getting a mallet behind them!
Yep happy with the MOT result. I had done a fair bit leading up to it. The gaskets were a great job for sure the old ones were brittle and non functioning, I bet a few cars on similar miles are the same.
I just love sitting in the car, its such a great position, low down, everything in reach like some sort of aircraft cockpit. And heated seats...in this weather are awesome lol
I just love sitting in the car, its such a great position, low down, everything in reach like some sort of aircraft cockpit. And heated seats...in this weather are awesome lol
Well, its been a few months, since I properly had a go at cleaning the old girl up. Its just been maintenance washes each week. The weather was forecast to be overcast with a bit of sun (actually it was quite sunny which made things a little more difficult but no biggie) which is perfect and around 10 degrees. Lovely. I have a tonne of stuff lying around in the shed so decided to try out some of the bottles I hadnt used yet.
First up was a snow foam, and out came the Car Chem snow foam soak
I also dug out the trusty Hydroshot, plugged in the hose and went to work, the easiest bit of the whole day really and one of the most satisfying!
It really does the job, given all the debris that seemed to get blown around on to the cars the last few days.
Gave the car a good rinse and already it was looking much better. Then out came the Bathe+ (no pic forgot!) to wash the car down, I have used this shampoo for a few years now, just brilliant stuff. Then rinsed it down, before drying I took the opportunity to run a clay mitt over the car, no need to use lube the way they say (which is usually a 10=15 quid bottle!) just ran it over the freshly rinsed car.
Another rinse down and then a little secret ingredient to avoid water spots, Sonax BSD, sprayed lightly on to the wet car then when wiped down comes up lovely. I used a Detailers United towel off ebay, its something like 1400GSM so super soft and really drinks up that water.
Went around the car and started to clean up the shuts on the doors and the boot
As a first clean it was looking none too shabby already
First up was a snow foam, and out came the Car Chem snow foam soak
I also dug out the trusty Hydroshot, plugged in the hose and went to work, the easiest bit of the whole day really and one of the most satisfying!
It really does the job, given all the debris that seemed to get blown around on to the cars the last few days.
Gave the car a good rinse and already it was looking much better. Then out came the Bathe+ (no pic forgot!) to wash the car down, I have used this shampoo for a few years now, just brilliant stuff. Then rinsed it down, before drying I took the opportunity to run a clay mitt over the car, no need to use lube the way they say (which is usually a 10=15 quid bottle!) just ran it over the freshly rinsed car.
Another rinse down and then a little secret ingredient to avoid water spots, Sonax BSD, sprayed lightly on to the wet car then when wiped down comes up lovely. I used a Detailers United towel off ebay, its something like 1400GSM so super soft and really drinks up that water.
Went around the car and started to clean up the shuts on the doors and the boot
As a first clean it was looking none too shabby already
Next up was to just polish up the windows, I hadnt used this Crystal Glass before so gave that a going over, and I have to say it was really good and left no smears with minimal wipes
I thought whilst I was at it, I may as well go the whole hog and found some C5 buried away, so on it went front and back, should help with water sheeting
Looking lovely from the side on in the sunshine
So really, it was now machine polishing time! I wanted something to help pop the paintwork a bit and not go into serious cutting so got my trusty bottle of Scholl Concepts S20 and gave her a good single pass over the bonnet roof and doors.
The machine polishing is what really gets that glass like reflection, and was happy with the outcome given it was just a single pass
Was really feeling it now a few hours in, so it was time for the Diet Coke break
Grabbed out my degreaser and did this little job often overlooked
As well as a few tough to remove dirt trapped in the nooks and crannies.
The plastics are now 14 years old so tend to go a shade of grey rather than black. Its a temp fix but it does make a lot of difference, and also on the tyres
I did give the wheels a good decontaminate just forgot to post it in the post above, for simplicity sake this is what I used
I got some Bilt Hamber Auto Wheel in the shed but it smells pretty bad and basically looks like Ive butchered someone when its washed off so decided to go low key with this
I thought whilst I was at it, I may as well go the whole hog and found some C5 buried away, so on it went front and back, should help with water sheeting
Looking lovely from the side on in the sunshine
So really, it was now machine polishing time! I wanted something to help pop the paintwork a bit and not go into serious cutting so got my trusty bottle of Scholl Concepts S20 and gave her a good single pass over the bonnet roof and doors.
The machine polishing is what really gets that glass like reflection, and was happy with the outcome given it was just a single pass
Was really feeling it now a few hours in, so it was time for the Diet Coke break
Grabbed out my degreaser and did this little job often overlooked
As well as a few tough to remove dirt trapped in the nooks and crannies.
The plastics are now 14 years old so tend to go a shade of grey rather than black. Its a temp fix but it does make a lot of difference, and also on the tyres
I did give the wheels a good decontaminate just forgot to post it in the post above, for simplicity sake this is what I used
I got some Bilt Hamber Auto Wheel in the shed but it smells pretty bad and basically looks like Ive butchered someone when its washed off so decided to go low key with this
Amazon dude arrived just at this point with some new super soft microfibres, so ripped em out the packaging and got them straight into the action
These are around 600GSM not that high but soft enough to do what I needed for the next job.
I am a bit old fashioned it seems now using a hard wax, anyway on it went and some arm busting buffing later. Done!
I need to polish out the headlamps at some point, not urgent as can be done anytime with little prep. The wheels are in need of a refurb, again didnt throw too much time at them on this session (which was now over 4 hours long).
But am a very happy chappy. And well earned sit down to write this!
These are around 600GSM not that high but soft enough to do what I needed for the next job.
I am a bit old fashioned it seems now using a hard wax, anyway on it went and some arm busting buffing later. Done!
I need to polish out the headlamps at some point, not urgent as can be done anytime with little prep. The wheels are in need of a refurb, again didnt throw too much time at them on this session (which was now over 4 hours long).
But am a very happy chappy. And well earned sit down to write this!
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