Z4-forum.com

Karlosfandango wrote: ↑Fri Jul 12, 2019 8:30 pm

wonkydonkey wrote: ↑Fri Jul 12, 2019 6:11 am The internet certainly has its uses! You're entirely welcome. I'm glad you can enjoy the car again now

Mr Donkey I was wondering if I too could make use of your fix? I am up near Oxford but happy to travel down if you think you can help! Thanks

Karlosfandango wrote: ↑Sat Jul 13, 2019 11:18 am Not positive but there are a few things recently that have started to sway my decision.

There is a consistent creaking when steering either way that seems to be worse when everything has warmed up.

Occasionally I feel like the steering is fighting me a bit and seems to have sticky and non sticky parts during the turn.

A lot of the comments I have read seem to lead to this fix and there doesn't seem to be a downside to giving it a go!

espender wrote: ↑Sun Sep 08, 2019 11:06 pmI have the same thing, feels dangerous on twisty roads when it changes from a loose feel to deciding to pull to the centre or off the road! Let me know if it solves your issue, I might give it a go too.

wonkydonkey wrote: ↑Mon Sep 09, 2019 5:48 am

espender wrote: ↑Sun Sep 08, 2019 11:06 pmI have the same thing, feels dangerous on twisty roads when it changes from a loose feel to deciding to pull to the centre or off the road! Let me know if it solves your issue, I might give it a go too.

If it feels like the car is changing direction without your input, that's more likely to be tyres or suspension. Karlosfandango never did reply to my PM or bring his car down, so I'm not sure if he fixed his or how. There is no harm in seeing if you can adjust your steering column as per this thread though, just mark it up beforehand so you can return it to where it was if necessary.

ionofchios wrote: ↑Mon Sep 09, 2019 5:55 am

wonkydonkey wrote: ↑Mon Sep 09, 2019 5:48 am

espender wrote: ↑Sun Sep 08, 2019 11:06 pmI have the same thing, feels dangerous on twisty roads when it changes from a loose feel to deciding to pull to the centre or off the road! Let me know if it solves your issue, I might give it a go too.

If it feels like the car is changing direction without your input, that's more likely to be tyres or suspension. Karlosfandango never did reply to my PM or bring his car down, so I'm not sure if he fixed his or how. There is no harm in seeing if you can adjust your steering column as per this thread though, just mark it up beforehand so you can return it to where it was if necessary.

Yeah, get a 4-wheel alignment done, and check suspension bushes and things. The alignment on my car when I got it was way off and it caused odd and quite aggressive behaviour because of tram-lining. I also found that tyre pressure was important - I’m now running 30 PSI all round. This mod also makes a difference, but it won’t fix everything if something else is way off.

espender wrote: ↑Mon Sep 09, 2019 2:14 pmThanks for the pointers! I bought the Z4 to learn more about cars, so far they are a pain in the ass and need tlc to keep sweet.

I had my front shocks and springs replaced and an alignment done, Protyre in Eastleigh did a pretty good job but they said it would get worse due to play in my steering rack.

As I need the rear suspension sorting too, I may as well redo all of it including bushes but it's just very expensive as I don't have the tools to fit it myself. Plus I may as well put an eibach setup on instead of oem.

wonkydonkey wrote: ↑Mon Sep 09, 2019 9:14 pm

espender wrote: ↑Mon Sep 09, 2019 2:14 pmThanks for the pointers! I bought the Z4 to learn more about cars, so far they are a pain in the ass and need tlc to keep sweet.

I had my front shocks and springs replaced and an alignment done, Protyre in Eastleigh did a pretty good job but they said it would get worse due to play in my steering rack.

As I need the rear suspension sorting too, I may as well redo all of it including bushes but it's just very expensive as I don't have the tools to fit it myself. Plus I may as well put an eibach setup on instead of oem.

Good on you. Learning to work on cars has saved me thousands upon thousands of pounds over the last 20 years, and that's on everyday maintenance, let alone all the extensive modifications I've carried out over that time.

So with that in mind, I'm going to oppose your comment about paying other people to do work for you because you don't own the right tools. Very often, you can end up breaking even on a job if you have to buy the tools and do it yourself, when compared to the cost of garage labour. And what's more, you now own the tools you bought, AND you learned something. Yes, taking it to the garage is easier, but if you're keen to learn, you must do the work. Letting someone else do all the work teaches you nothing

The Z4 is a pretty damn good car to learn on. I find them really easy to work on, and parts aren't all that expensive. What's more, you've joined the best forum available for getting advice and learning from other people's mistakes.

With regards to the comment the wheel alignment centre made about your steering rack - is this an issue that has been diagnosed by a mechanic you trust? If so, you need to fix that. There's little point in chasing other potential steering issues if the major component in your steering system is duff.

wonkydonkey wrote: ↑Mon Sep 09, 2019 9:14 pm ...Learning to work on cars has saved me thousands upon thousands of pounds over the last 20 years, and that's on everyday maintenance, let alone all the extensive modifications I've carried out over that time.

So with that in mind, I'm going to oppose your comment about paying other people to do work for you because you don't own the right tools. Very often, you can end up breaking even on a job if you have to buy the tools and do it yourself, when compared to the cost of garage labour. And what's more, you now own the tools you bought, AND you learned something. Yes, taking it to the garage is easier, but if you're keen to learn, you must do the work. Letting someone else do all the work teaches you nothing

The Z4 is a pretty damn good car to learn on. I find them really easy to work on, and parts aren't all that expensive. What's more, you've joined the best forum available for getting advice and learning from other people's mistakes.