Interior make-over: phase one complete
It's been 2 very busy weeks... I can honestly say I haven't changed this much on a car over such a short period of time before. A look back through the make-over. First though, let's take a look at how it all began
19th of May, and the start of the big swap. I had two days to strip everything out and return the car to a bare minimum drivable condition. This because of my appointment with the tinters on the 21st. That meant: strip the center console, seats out, all plastic trim panels, everything had to go. Not just the cabin, but the boot too. Great opportunity to check out the top mounts on the rear towers: pristine! Cut-up sound proofing further reminded me of the installation of the ST coil-overs.
After about 8 hours work I was left with the bare shell of my Z4 and a heap of beige parts. Note the small patch of beige carpet left deep under the dash. This was cut away from the main body and left there on purpose. Not so much as an easter egg for the next owner (yeah right) but more because of the sheer impossibility to remove this without removing the dash as well. Something I didn't want to bother with, so made an identical cut-out in the new black carpets. Since this is about 10-15cm behind the end of the center console, you'll never see it again.
From that point on, it was build back and enjoy! Started with the carpets, then moved to the surrounding trims. Everything went back together smoothly, although replacing the throttle pedal was a challenge with the relatively short cable that had to be pulled through the carpet. A liberal application of foul language proved fruitful. While at it, I replaced the stock pedal rubbers with aluminium pedal covers. Drilled 4 6mm holes and bolted down easily. The throttle pedal will require a different approach and as such should be finished later this week.
Built back about 50% of all trim, replaced the seats after a deep clean and leather treatment, and whacked on the old gear knob so I could drive without cutting the top of my hand on the bare stick (don't...). After about 2 hours of work, I was confronted with a whole new look.
Love it! The guys really did an amazing job and are renowned for their quality and attention to detail. It shows: no white edges, no rough transition between the dots and the glass, simply lovely. On the way back I picked up my newly painted dash and console panels, matched to the exterior Tiefgruen Metallic green.
Then built back the boot trim with new items I'd sourced. My old trim was in fine condition, but these had the storage nets included. Since everything was out anyway (to accommodate the tinters), I'd figured why not rebuild with the new set. Steam cleaned and fabric coated: in we go.
Swapped the door cards as part of phase one. The inserts match nicely to the seats, although they're temporary due to the plans in phase three.
Another day was spent building back the final few pieces, finally resulting in an actual BMW Individual interior. While I don't have the leather console or lovely door cards to show for it, the result feels extra special to me knowing I put it all together myself. A make-over indeed, with a result that I'm really pleased with.
Some of the jobs done:
- Resprayed trim panels
- Replaced, steam cleaned and fabric coated carpets
- Replaced, cleaned and coated plastic panels
- Deep cleaned seats and treated leather
- Swapped door cards and transferred beige items from the old ones
- Repaired and resprayed soft-touch layer on gear surround
- Storm Motorwerks gearknob (V1) and handbrake lever
- Installed cup holders
- Replaced all trim clips and holders to prevent rattles
- Tinted rear windows
- Replaced, reupholstered, resprayed and coated the new Z4 Individual steering wheel
- Repaired and resprayed the steering wheel trim and button casings
When I saw this list beforehand, I had an idea of what I wanted the result to turn out like. It's become even better, and I really love the new look. Next phase: headliner, sound proofing in the doors and central area and upgraded speakers.
It's been 2 very busy weeks... I can honestly say I haven't changed this much on a car over such a short period of time before. A look back through the make-over. First though, let's take a look at how it all began
19th of May, and the start of the big swap. I had two days to strip everything out and return the car to a bare minimum drivable condition. This because of my appointment with the tinters on the 21st. That meant: strip the center console, seats out, all plastic trim panels, everything had to go. Not just the cabin, but the boot too. Great opportunity to check out the top mounts on the rear towers: pristine! Cut-up sound proofing further reminded me of the installation of the ST coil-overs.
After about 8 hours work I was left with the bare shell of my Z4 and a heap of beige parts. Note the small patch of beige carpet left deep under the dash. This was cut away from the main body and left there on purpose. Not so much as an easter egg for the next owner (yeah right) but more because of the sheer impossibility to remove this without removing the dash as well. Something I didn't want to bother with, so made an identical cut-out in the new black carpets. Since this is about 10-15cm behind the end of the center console, you'll never see it again.
From that point on, it was build back and enjoy! Started with the carpets, then moved to the surrounding trims. Everything went back together smoothly, although replacing the throttle pedal was a challenge with the relatively short cable that had to be pulled through the carpet. A liberal application of foul language proved fruitful. While at it, I replaced the stock pedal rubbers with aluminium pedal covers. Drilled 4 6mm holes and bolted down easily. The throttle pedal will require a different approach and as such should be finished later this week.
Built back about 50% of all trim, replaced the seats after a deep clean and leather treatment, and whacked on the old gear knob so I could drive without cutting the top of my hand on the bare stick (don't...). After about 2 hours of work, I was confronted with a whole new look.
Love it! The guys really did an amazing job and are renowned for their quality and attention to detail. It shows: no white edges, no rough transition between the dots and the glass, simply lovely. On the way back I picked up my newly painted dash and console panels, matched to the exterior Tiefgruen Metallic green.
Then built back the boot trim with new items I'd sourced. My old trim was in fine condition, but these had the storage nets included. Since everything was out anyway (to accommodate the tinters), I'd figured why not rebuild with the new set. Steam cleaned and fabric coated: in we go.
Swapped the door cards as part of phase one. The inserts match nicely to the seats, although they're temporary due to the plans in phase three.
Another day was spent building back the final few pieces, finally resulting in an actual BMW Individual interior. While I don't have the leather console or lovely door cards to show for it, the result feels extra special to me knowing I put it all together myself. A make-over indeed, with a result that I'm really pleased with.
Some of the jobs done:
- Resprayed trim panels
- Replaced, steam cleaned and fabric coated carpets
- Replaced, cleaned and coated plastic panels
- Deep cleaned seats and treated leather
- Swapped door cards and transferred beige items from the old ones
- Repaired and resprayed soft-touch layer on gear surround
- Storm Motorwerks gearknob (V1) and handbrake lever
- Installed cup holders
- Replaced all trim clips and holders to prevent rattles
- Tinted rear windows
- Replaced, reupholstered, resprayed and coated the new Z4 Individual steering wheel
- Repaired and resprayed the steering wheel trim and button casings
When I saw this list beforehand, I had an idea of what I wanted the result to turn out like. It's become even better, and I really love the new look. Next phase: headliner, sound proofing in the doors and central area and upgraded speakers.
1066 Country
Very nice, where if you get hooted at by a grey XC60 on the Dutch slowways you’ll know who it is
.
North West Surrey
Gothenburg
I know exactly how you feel