My E85 Z4 2.5Si Journal

[jamie_z4]

Thank you mate, 11th Z4 wow! To be totally honest I am already considering a jump to a Z4MR, especially after having 2 E46 M3s I really do miss that S54 induction noise. I know prices are creeping up but they are not quite unattainable just yet.

Issue is, finding one as well specced as this car will be difficult imo. Colour combo plays a big part in my decision making, as well as overall condition and factory spec.

You got any plans for your latest car?

I was thinking when you mentioned you had an F87 M2 i thought a 2.5si might be a bit lack lusture.

I had the pleasure of borrowing a mates 140i which had a downpipe/upgraded fuel pump for a few days recently, it was circa 500bhp and it proper spoilt me - the si feels extremley pedestrian now, however, the z4 isnt about outright straight line performance, its a cheap bit of fun motoring and i enjoy the fact you can have so much fun for <5k - I personally wouldnt bother with a Z4M- Driven daily the N52 is prefereable in many respects - better on fuel, doesnt require driving as hard -z4ms now 2/3 times the price of an equivilent si - i appreciate your affiliation with the S54 though and the noise is addictive!

I have ordered a set of coilovers for mine and its fitted with a set of BBS LMS reps (albeit brand new) So it should look Ok once done!


As im a creature of habit, this is my old ruby black 2.5i which had a set of LMS and coilovers on too

IMG_20190417_212448.jpg (163.49 KiB) Viewed 919 times

[iiNNeX]

I was thinking when you mentioned you had an F87 M2 i thought a 2.5si might be a bit lack lusture.

I had the pleasure of borrowing a mates 140i which had a downpipe/upgraded fuel pump for a few days recently, it was circa 500bhp and it proper spoilt me - the si feels extremley pedestrian now, however, the z4 isnt about outright straight line performance, its a cheap bit of fun motoring and i enjoy the fact you can have so much fun for <5k - I personally wouldnt bother with a Z4M- Driven daily the N52 is prefereable in many respects - better on fuel, doesnt require driving as hard -z4ms now 2/3 times the price of an equivilent si - i appreciate your affiliation with the S54 though and the noise is addictive!

I have ordered a set of coilovers for mine and its fitted with a set of BBS LMS reps (albeit brand new) So it should look Ok once done!

As im a creature of habit, this is my old ruby black 2.5i which had a set of LMS and coilovers on too
IMG_20190417_212448.jpg

Yeah the M2 was definitely the pinnacle of M ownership and I'd love an M2 CS but we are in the process of saving for a new property so I can't have very expensive toys while this is happening. Hence the Z4 in this trim and engine size, as it was great value given it's spec and mileage. I just can't help but think the MR would be more fun but as you say, easily 3x the cost if not more for a minter.

I just need to sort out these niggly bits, then suspensions and exhaust and that will be it. Unsure whether to go Coilovers or B12 kit yet we'll see.

A black Z4 on LMs is pure class, that looks lovely

[iiNNeX]

And yet another update

Decided it was finally time to remove that crappy Clutch Delay Valve that makes you look like you can't drive a manual properly...

Here is some pics of the process, including one of the valve showing how tiny the hole the fluid has to move through is:






While at it I also did the clutch stop mod.


Initially, it didn't fit properly (the thread was 0.3mm too small) but some tape fixed that. It is not coming out anytime soon but if it does, I have another idea how to secure it better.




Then it was time to fit the final my ZHP knob which I must say is a HUGE improvement in feel and keeps that OEM+ look for those that are after this sort of thing


Quick comparison of size difference:





Then proceeded to fit a few missing/broken trim pieces:





And last but not least, a sneak preview of the upcoming brake overhaul. I will list everything out in detail as I take on the work.



That will be it for a while as I am off on holiday for a few weeks. Wheels are also now done and back from Lepsons, they look absolutely immaculate and I love them, but pictures will have to wait

Thanks for reading.

[iiNNeX]

Update time.

So it was finally about time to get my ass in gear and sort out the sub-par brakes.

Starting off with removing the old and crusty




The original plan was to buy a kit and rebuild these myself, but I decided to just pay for the privilege. These are refurbished BMW/ATE units and they simply want your old ones in return. They come with a very light coat of generic silver paint which I covered over with my Foliatec kit.











And all back on ready for bleeding






Excuse the DIY Jar bleed kit, but it works quite well haha.

Fronts done also





Had to use a single copper washer on each side to remove play




Now going to be bedding them in and have 1 more thing to do before the other wheels go back on.





Even after a short 10 mile drive the car feels miles better than before. I also replaced all my coil packs with Delphi units (as quoted on realoem) as I was getting some weird idle issues. Seems to have sorted it, here's a comparison of the Bosch part vs the Delphi:



To complete the electrical overhaul the last piece of the puzzle was the battery, the one in the car wasn't too bad but it was old and incorrect (AGM) so got a new Banner to replace it with. Sadly the car is missing the little vent valve so I have installed it without for now and have one on order.


Need to speaking to a few bodyshops soon about sorting the front bumper chips/scratches so I can give it a 2 stage paint correction and polish. Ruby black is such a lovely colour in the sun but it needs to be 10/10 in order to really show, otherwise it has this haziness to it, almost brown like.

On another note, if anyone knows any good soft top restoration products, I'd love to hear from you

Thanks for reading

[bigwinn]

Great progress matey- well done!

[iiNNeX]

So been a month since my last update, got some more progress

Managed to get that grey hose and vent valve for my battery, also installed some foam under the bracket as it was sitting a bit loose and wobbling around. Gave the compartment a clean while at it as well.


Then I got around to updating my Sat Nav software and maps to the latest genuine version I could find, here is what was in the car already:


And the upgrade that followed:







After this, I had to address the scrapes and scratches on the front and rear bumpers. Unfortunately, a polish would not fix this and there was even some paint cracking around some of the rear parking sensors, so removal and full respray it is. Here is some of the damage:









Which left her looking a little naked:





Front V-brace thing had to come off as paint was flaking and basically falling apart:


Quick rub down later:


Then primer and 2 coats of satin black:



The undertray was looking a little worse for wear, so I thought I'd give it a clean and give it to my old man to re-attach the broken clip locations (they were just dangling inside when we removed it, someone must have over tightened them with a power tool or something).





Meanwhile, I took the headlights off and disassembled them to clean the cloudy projectors and replace all bulbs with OSRAM units.






After refitting everything, I gave them a 4 stage polish and UV coating to protect them going forward:



Then this came through the post:


I thought about refurbing the old one but then things escalated...


- 2x Magneti Marelli fog lights
- genuine bonnet bmw badge
- new fittings (screws and clips all around)
- the new trim piece you see above of course
- polished bumper reflectors


Brace then went back on


And the bumper is complete (ignore misted headlamps, after turning them on that cleared within minutes). Put the car on my personal plate as well, downside is it now looks even older lol. Also removed the plinth








Then it was time to assemble the freshly painted rear bumper, but before that, I had to remove the rear light units, clean them up and change the bulbs in there as well for OSRAM units.





Oh and I almost forgot, the wheels are done! Freshly refurbished to "OEM" spec by Lepsons, expensive to do for split wheels but damn is it worth it... enjoy the shots









Had them coated with Gyeon Q2 Rim as well



More updates to come, need to get wheels on and tracking sorted as I have spacers on their way too.


There is something else too... the car might be up for sale soon... I will explain the reasons in a later post, or perhaps in the sale thread itself, but basically long story short, this was a stop-gap between a bunch of M cars and my first Porsche. The latter I could not do as the example I had found sold and then prices went mad, but I think I might have my eye on something. Also, I have spent far too much on this, considering it was meant to be a car for a few months of fun, but I just couldn't let it sit there in the state it was in, it deserved better. I digress but if anyone is interested in the car before it is officially listed, feel free to PM me for a chat.

SK

[Mr Tidy]

Wow, you've really lavished some love on your car.

And now you are thinking of selling - if you do I hope the replacement is worth it!

[Zedebee]

Great thread this. On a couple of your wheel pics, particularly the close up, the star point doesn’t look as flush to the rim as it should be. Make sure all the bolts are properly tightened. When I had my set of 108s apart, I found I had to go around the wheel two/three times to tweak up the bolts properly as the star settled onto the rim.

[iiNNeX]

Great thread this. On a couple of your wheel pics, particularly the close up, the star point doesn’t look as flush to the rim as it should be. Make sure all the bolts are properly tightened. When I had my set of 108s apart, I found I had to go around the wheel two/three times to tweak up the bolts properly as the star settled onto the rim.

Thank you bud. It's most likely the angle of the pics though, I thought this too and double-checked, they are the same all around.

Wow, you've really lavished some love on your car.

And now you are thinking of selling - if you do I hope the replacement is worth it!

The replacement will most definitely be worth it, and honestly, the longer I have this the more I ll keep spending on it and the cleaner it will get, to the point where it would be a healthy deposit on a Cayman GT4 at this rate haha!

Nothing is certain though, just thought I'd air my thoughts.

[iiNNeX]

It's time for another update.

Before I purchased the car I was informed that the rocker cover gasket and oil filter housing gasket were changed, there was however no invoice of this. That said, upon investigation there were no leaks or signs of misting so I accepted it as a done deal.

Fast forward a few thousand miles, I noticed some misting first and then actual dripping down the side of the rocker cover. Once inspected further, it seems that this was coming from the valvetronic motor gasket. Rather than faff about with ordering just a gasket, I thought I might as well do it properly and replace the entire cover, which of course includes a lot more gaskets and a new CCV (as it's integrated for the black top N52 engine).

Here is the leak


Squeezed the Z in the garage and started stripping it at around 6pm


Cover off, looks pretty clean in there


New febi bilstein part






Everything was torqued up to BMW spec


And all done, looks like it just rolled out of the factory! (almost haha). Gave some surounding components a clean too while at it.







Then the next day I took it out of the garage and gave it a clean. You ll notice the cowling and wipers are off, more on that later.



When I bought the car I noticed the wing mirror glass was different, didn't think much of it at first but as I've now had it a while, it became apparent the driver's side was not heated and the passenger side just didn't sit as flush as it should.

So I took them off to see what was what


So the OEM glass looks like it was re-attached at some point?! Or replaced I don't know, but it was definitely not going to heat up with that sticky tape there.


And then the other aftermarket blue glass was heated however it was for an E90, not a Z4. You can tell this by looking at the back as the heating connectors are on the opposite side (and it literally says E90 on the plastic).


So I ordered the correct glass for the car, in a neutral colour (as cool as the blue looks, its a bit of a gimmick) and set about fitting it.







With that out the way, I had one last task to complete for the day and that was to install my new wipers and sort out the squeaky wiper mechanism. While at it, I also removed the cowling, cleaned it up with APC, then IPA, and then treated it with a back-to-black solution, came out pretty good I think (satin finish). Also painted the wiper arms in satin black 2K paint with satin clear coat.







I have also realised that I barely post any pictures of the car actually put together, don't worry though it is being driven I just forget to take them... Here is one with an autumn setting:


And 2 more with a grey/sunset vibe going on:





So as mentioned previously the car will be going up for sale shortly. It was always going to be a stop-gap for me, but I'd say I've done it justice and given it a more than adequate home. Before doing so, it has been booked at a reputable detailing firm to have it paint corrected. I mean it's by no means bad, but after having refreshed the front and rear bumpers, it is the right call to complete the look.

If anyone is interested in the car before it goes to eBay/AT/FB/various forums then feel free to get in touch for a chat.

Thanks for reading

[zriha]

Well mate, what can I say, you did everything with love, and the car is definitely look loved. I am always sad to hear when that car with that amount of love needs to go for sale, but I understand, that's life.

If I was in your country, I would definitely contact you, but we have just a few Z4 here in Croatia and mine is also loved.

[iiNNeX]

Well mate, what can I say, you did everything with love, and the car is definitely look loved. I am always sad to hear when that car with that amount of love needs to go for sale, but I understand, that's life.

If I was in your country, I would definitely contact you, but we have just a few Z4 here in Croatia and mine is also loved.

Thank you buddy, as previously mentioned it was never going to be a long-termer for me, but being who I am I always like my vehicles to be in tip-top shape and this was no exception. I hope it goes to another car enthusiast who can continue it's journey.

I am originally from Bulgaria and Z4s are very rare there also let alone in this condition.

[fredej]

Great job! I enjoyed reading through the thread following your progress. Very well documented with nice photos.

[futureZ4buyer]

This is how E85 deserves to be treated
Love that you kept the OEM style, without tasteless mods. I hope that it will be bought by someone who will keep it that way.

[ryushe]

And lastly I wanted to stream music via my phone but couldn't use the Aux system the car had AND charge at the same time (ffs Apple why single connector?!). Also I want less cables cluttering the interior, so a BT dongle by Bluemusic was purchased and fitted in place. It replaces the 6cd changer which nobody uses anyway, but still allows you to play a CD through the headunit itself.

Curious, would this work with a 'standard' stock unit without nav and without CD changer present? Cause I've been looking into adding an AUX port, but using BT would be a lot nicer of course!