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My Red Zed thread

2003 - 2009, roadster, coupe, facelift
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Marlon
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My Red Zed thread

Post by Marlon » Sat Feb 11, 2017 12:21 pm

A retrospective list of my mods.

Looking back I realise that my Zed has had a fair few mods since I bought it in June 2015 so I thought I would detail them all in one thread.

Back in June 2015 I was driving an E85 2 litre Sport in Titanium Silver (a car I’d had for 6 months and was on 98k miles)

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Driving home from work I noticed a bright red 3.0si SE roadster sitting on the forecourt of our local garage. Long story short – I traded in my 2 litre and bought it.

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Plus points: Low miles (34k), FSH (nice chat with the previous owner over the phone confirmed mileage and history), bright red, immaculate bodywork, clean interior, spotless engine bay.

Negatives: SE spec, so standard seats (not heated), standard steering wheel and 17” Alloys on run-flats.
(I don’t class the SE suspension as a negative because I found the Sports suspension on my previous Zed too harsh).

I negotiated swapping my 18” MV2 alloys running Vreds onto the car, so got rid of the run-flats and 17” alloys as part of the deal (photo above is after my alloy swap)

1st mod (and possibly the most controversial :D )

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2nd mod

I was used to the chunky M Sport steering wheel in my previous Zed and in comparison the standard wheel felt all wrong. Couldn’t justify the cost of a second hand M Sports wheel so went for a RoyalWheels refurb:

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3rd mod

Next to go was the standard gear knob; after agonising over whether to go for the Stormwerks knob I opted for the ZHP.

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4th mod

Remap. After lots of research and discussions I decided to go for a Quantum remap (Their quoted bhp increase of the 3.0si was 9%, so pushing it up to 288ish bhp) There’s a whole thread on this if you’re interested: http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic ... it=quantum
Bottom line - it has noticeably more torque :evil:

5th mod

CDV delete. Removal of the Clutch Delay Valve was done at the same time as the remap (Details in the remap thread).

6th mod

Having spent a glorious summer racking up the miles we just couldn’t live with the standard sports seats a minute longer, so started searching for M Sports Seats.

Rare to find a decent set, and after umming and ahhing over worn eBay ones a pair of heated electric ones straight out of an Z4M came up for sale on the forum. These were in excellent condition and I was happy to pay the asking price of £750.

There are several threads detailing what a PITA it was to swap from standard manual non-heated seats to M heated electric ones in a face-lift Zed :headbang: – summary here:
http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic ... hilit=saga

EDIT: Mentioned in the summary thread above - a massive thanks and appreciation to Fishy_Dave who sourced a few X3 wiring looms from the States as he was retrofitting heated seats too. He labelled a set up using the Z4 retrofit instructions as a guide and posted it on to me. Without his help I would probably still be trying to source a Z4 facelift loom!

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7th mod

Headlights and sidelights. As summer turned to autumn and the nights drew in I found the standard Halogen candles very poor, particularly down country lanes :thumbsdown: I didn’t want the expense of swapping for Xenons so investigated a cheap option.

Again forum to the rescue: Swapping in Osram Night Breakers H7 12v 55w for the headlights and raising them from within the engine bay made a big difference.
Details here: http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic ... sidelights

Made the mistake of trying LED Canbus sidelights, which caused dashboard warning lights :headbang: so went instead for these: Osram Cool Blue Intense W5W 12v 5W (Xenon look).
Details here: http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=84633

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8th mod

Not sure if this is strictly a mod :oops: but I ‘invested’ in a pair of top down side covers:
(actually looking at the pics these were obviously bought before the M seats went in)

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9th mod

Bought one of Dan’s Ram Air Scoops; painted it red and managed to fit it through the grille without taking the bumper off.

Lots of debate as to whether it has any effect on performance, but a splash of red behind the grille looks good.

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10th mod

Wanting to improve the stance I went for 20mm spacers rear and 15mm spacers front. 20 to 15 millimetres doesn’t sound much, but big improvement to the stance. Thanks for the advice Mr Wilks :thumbsup:

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11th mod

Concerns over the roof motor packing in due to water ingress prompted me to join the ‘Durham Dave club’ and have it relocated to the boot. That peace of mind only cost £80 :thumbsup:

Relocation thread including Dave’s contact details:
http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic ... lit=durham

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12th mod

Hard top.
Since it’s a daily drive it seemed sensible to invest in a hard top for the winter months – both to protect the soft top and also for added security in the works car parks in the dark winter evenings.

So began a long search. I was considering any colour with a view to having it sprayed gloss black if need be. Just missed out on a sapphire black one close to home that was auctioned on eBay, then weeks later another one came up on eBay in Poole, Dorset on a buy it now £1,199 or make an offer. I offered £950 and it was accepted. Came with stand, cover and all the fittings. It was advertised as mint on the advert and I wasn’t disappointed when I collected it :)

Details of the purchase and the 550 mile round trip to Dorset here:
http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic ... lit=dorset

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13th mod

New Alloys. My MV2s were in need of a refurb and while I was gathering quotes (£350 to £450 ) a set of OEM BMW style 32 alloys came up for sale on the forum. They had been refurb’d in gloss black and were up for about the same cost as my refurb quotes - plus they were running Goodyear Eagle F1s with more tread than my Vreds. I decided they would look the business against the red :evil:

(These alloys were originally refurb’d and sold by Mr Wilks to PaulGS1000, and covered a fair few miles on his 3.0si roady. Then Paul put the car up for sale having upgraded to an Imola M roady and Mr Wilks bought it. So Mr Wilks ended up back with the Style 32 wheels, which he then put up for sale. He sold to me for a very reasonable price and fitted them too :thumbsup: )

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14th mod

Once the wheels were gloss black other mods followed:

Gloss black grilles
Black and red BMW badges & wheel caps (thanks Jamie)
F30 exhaust tips (thanks Jamie)
LED interior bulbs (thanks Jamie)

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15th mod

JVC stereo (Bluetooth, hands free, streaming). My CD player packed in and Jamie_Z4 came to the rescue – he sold me his new stereo and fitted it for free :thumbsup:

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16th mod

Cruise control. Had been wanting this for ages, eventually went for it – bought the stalk and loom from Sopers (£128) and had it fitted at an Independent BMW specialist for £110. Great for motorway driving – I can travel any distance and arrive without an aching leg :)

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17th mod

M Tri colour wheel. Although the Royal refurb’d wheel was top quality, I was still hankering after an M Sport Wheel.
Missed out on one in the forum marketplace to Jamie_Z4, but then weeks later Jamie gave me the nod that an M wheel with tri colour stitching had just come up for sale. So I jumped in and paid the asking price of £200. It looked mint in the add and sure enough when it arrived I wasn’t disappointed :D

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18th mod

I have finally had DVL's back box mod done - its wonderful :driving:

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I wanted to release a little more sound and Mike obliged - so I've been back and he has modified my original back box which is now back on the car and sounding awesome :)

Onboard audio:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7eeHvUZElA

19th mod

set of 224's bought off Swiftly (thanks Nick) fitted

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20th mod

Weighty stainless steel knob (handmade by Buckley06)

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Latest incarnation - black Style 32s now refurbed in sparkling silver
sliver-32s - 1.jpg
sliver-32s - 1.jpg (617.37 KiB) Viewed 1133 times
Last edited by Marlon on Sat Jul 22, 2017 9:30 am, edited 35 times in total.
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Gone: 3.0si 2008 E85
911 997 Carrera S

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co-pey
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My Red Zed thread

Post by co-pey » Sat Feb 11, 2017 1:14 pm

Marlon wrote:
2nd mod:

I was used to the chunky M Sport steering wheel in my previous Zed and in comparison the standard wheel felt all wrong. Couldn’t justify the cost of a second hand M Sports wheel so went for a RoyalWheels refurb:


That steering wheel...Oh. My. Goodness....

Did you sell it when you replaced it with the M? If not...I wonder what shipping to the States would be?
Success is earned and so is failure.

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Smartbear
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Post by Smartbear » Sat Feb 11, 2017 1:32 pm

Very nice Marlon, all your mods have definitely improved the car :driving:
I seem to have spent most of my cash changing cars instead :roll:
Rob
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e89 Sdrive 20i, plenty of mumbo & good economy-the thinking bears z4
e89 Sdrive 30i, this ones busted, pass me another...
e85 3.0si sold

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Post by sharpyboy » Sat Feb 11, 2017 1:39 pm

Nice post Marlon :thumbsup:

Did you buy the car with the boot spoiler already fitted? Was it an original option when new? Just thinking bout fitting one :scratchhead:
2006 Z4 2.5i gap-tech rch+ roof mod + zhp + roof motor now in boot + DLV Exhaust mod
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Post by markplant » Sat Feb 11, 2017 1:52 pm

A good read Marlon
3.0 Manual. Sterling Grey. Cream leather Electric an Heated. Professional Navigation/Sony tablet replacement. Storm Werks . an parts waiting to be fitted

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Post by indeep75 » Sat Feb 11, 2017 2:09 pm

Great post Marlon. Tasteful mods, all of them.
Z4M Coupe Silver-Grey / Light Sepang Leather Extended / Piano Black
Gone: Z4M Coupe Silver-Grey / Imola Red / CSLs
Gone: Space Grey E89 28i

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Post by paulgs1000 » Sat Feb 11, 2017 2:58 pm

Great to read an enthusiasts post and I love it that you're not afraid to rack up the miles as well :thumbsup:

Hadn't realised how many mods you've done Marlon :thumbsup:

(Don't forget the Style 32 wheels are 27kg lighter than your OEM wheels overall leading to less unsprung weight). :driving:
Now Porsche flat 6 experience, 986S & 981S.
2006 Z4MR Imola Red/Imola Red, 2008 3.0si Sport Stratus Grey/Piano black, 2006 2.0I Sport Silver Grey Facelift. MX5, TVR Chimaera, many motorbikes.

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Post by Grumpyowl » Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:08 pm

Enjoyed reading that Marlon :thumbsup:
That stubby though :cry:

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Post by john-e89 » Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:22 pm

Car looks superb with nice mods Marlon. Great write up and pics too, top job. :thumbsup:
M roady...OEM CSL’s, strut brace, Remus back boxes, ZHP
MR2 MK 2
E89 35i project car...mapped 365bhp, M4 stoppers & wheels, KWV3’s, H&R front ARB, M3 front arms, strut brace Eisenmann cat back race exhaust, VRSF downpipes inbound
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Post by jamie_z4 » Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:26 pm

Surprised you didn't have a mod thread up already Colin!

It's nice to have played a part in modifying your immaculate motor. Sure is looking a treat now
18 Z4s owned to date.

Current: 2.5i Titan silver

Daily driver: 480bhp M140i Shadow edition.

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Post by Pastry » Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:30 pm

Would this be s bad time to say it prefer your old silver 2.0?! :evil: only joking.
That was a good read Marlon. You've made a great car even better and quite a head turner :thumbsup:
991 Carrera 2S
Now gone:
2008 Z4MR Midnight Blue Metallic
2006 Z4 3.0si sport Ruby Black
2006 Z4 3.0si sport Titanium Silver
2010 Z4 23i Msport and a 3.0i

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Post by Marlon » Sat Feb 11, 2017 4:00 pm

Thanks fellas :)

To answer a couple of questions:
Co-pey - I sold the Royals wheel within minutes on the forum, sorry.
Sharpyboy - the boot spoiler was on the car when I bought it, I do like the lines of the aero spoiler
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Post by chapeau » Sat Feb 11, 2017 4:51 pm

A nice read...
You have completed a lot of the mods i would like to do, i nearly scored a set of seats and the steering wheel the other day but the ebay auction ended early.
Its a lovely looking car you have there, i don't see many red Z's around. :driving:
E85. 2.5i SE. 2004. Sterling grey, anthracite 107s, black leather heated seats, hardtop, sound gen retrofit, matt black grills, stubby, zhp, cupholders retrofit, roof motor in boot.

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Post by Bumpy » Sat Feb 11, 2017 6:25 pm

Enjoyable Read.
Thanks for sharing your Zed Journey with us.
Certainly puts shade on my Zebra Plush Steering Wheel Cover. :headbang:

Cheers
Bumpy

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Post by brightonbimmer » Sat Feb 11, 2017 7:55 pm

indeep75 wrote:Great post Marlon. Tasteful mods, all of them.
Took the words right out of my mouth. Do you have a total of all your mod. expenses, Marlon ? So far, on my red zed, I have switched to the stubby antenna, but do not have any other mods planned.
David
Current cars: 2013 Honda Civic EX (daily driver, 55,000 KM) + 2003 Mazda MX-5 SE (Titanium Grey, with 22,000 KM) + 2006 BMW M6 (Indianapolis Red Metallic, just turned 67,000 KM)
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