Meds 3.0si Coupe - ZedNation 2025

Hello all.
I recently purchased Z4Pilots old Montego Coupe from the guy he sold it to, Rich.
Rich advertised his Coupe on here and everything fell into place quite well.
It was the spec I was after (bright colour with a contrast interior and a documented history.)
It was fairly local and a sensible price, too.

Latest:



Initial observations (bad points, if you wish):
Oil filter/cooler gasket is a little weepy. DONE
I want to swap out the wheels for 18's, most probably standard Mv2's, 203's or maybe some Riva DTM CSLs. DONE
The carbon lip boot spoiler is not to my tastes, that will be removed. DONE
Replace the aftermarket stero with the original. DONE
Replace the black grills with the originals. DONE
The Koni Yellow adjustable dampers and Eibach Pro springs work really well.. But..... I get arch liner rub on deep road undulations. I need to address this ASAP as it's really, REALLY frustrating! Changing back to OEM springs should sort. DONE
Front bonnet badge is peeling and scruffy. DONE
A teeeny tiny bubble has formed at the bottom of the drivers rear wing, it's very small, but there. DONE
Water pump, thermostat and Micky Mouse flange need doing, preventative. DONE
Headlight perspex needs a polish and seal, a little cloudy on the top edge. DONE
The 2nd key is playing silly beggers, sometimes it works, sometimes not. DONE
2 flickering interior LED bulbs. DONE
Oil service. DONE
Ohh and, I need to build a car port.! DONE

Plus points:
Rocker cover gasket is dry, no leaks.
Rear boot lid is corrosion free.
She runs very well, no apparent issues, smooth idle and pulls nice.
No lifter tick, no DISA rattle.
The Eisenmann quad exhaust is a great visual upgrade and doesn't sound obnoxious at all. Just right. I really like it.
Overall the body work condition is very good. Its obviously been looked after, no swirls or any nasty dings. As is the interior, excellent.

---- Running log ----
Sep 2023 - Rear spoiler removed
Sep 2023 - Washer bottle and pipes de-molded
Oct 2023 - Waterpump, thermostat, flange, oil service and engine flush
Oct 2023 - Front emblem replaced
Oct 2023 - Headlight refurbishment round 1
Nov 2023 - Full rear sound insulation
Nov 2023 - Front xenon bulbs replaced
Nov 2023 - Headlight refurbishment round 2
Nov 2023 - MOT pass 0 advisories
Nov 2023 - Small jobs - Door pins, centre vent, interior bulbs
Dec 2023 - Front springs and tracking
Dec 2023 - Spare key battery and pairing
Dec 2023 - Style 230 wheels replaced with Style 261 and spacers, fresh Falken FK520
Jan 2024 - Door speakers and door insulation
Jan 2024 - Fog light blank install
Feb 2024 - Oil cooler filter gasket, auxilary belt including pully and tensioner
Feb 2024 - Front Brembo 6 piston calipers and E46 CSL discs
Mar 2024 - Coding - Halo DRLs, rear LED DRLs, window operation, 1 touch indicators, indicator blink on unlock
May 2024 - Exhaust manifold-centre section bolts and gaskets replaced
May 2024 - Drivers rear arch replace with genuine new
May 2024 - Drivers sill and front arch removal, rub down, treat and protect
May 2024 - Front reflector colour code
May 2024 - Rear plate LED replace
Jun 2024 - Fog light re-install
July 2024 - Passenger side sill and both arches. Rub down, treat and protect
Sep 2024 - Brake fluid and pressure bleed
Oct 2024 - Sport button 'remember' module install
Nov 2024 - MOT pass 0 advisories
Jan 2025 - Style 405m wheels, refurbished in BMW Ferric Grey A80
Mar 2025 - BDS intake elbow, ITG closed airbox and foam filter install
May 2025 - Replaced satin grill slats with gloss black, keeping chrome surround
May 2025 - Engine bay tidy, paint, new screws/bolts and headlight warning stickers
May 2025 - Steering wheel and rear caliper refurbish
June 2025 - Seat belts change to blue
June 2025 - ZedNation - 2nd place - Best in show comptition

The second key is running low on charge James. Either use it more (charges in the ignition) or place it on an electric toothbrush charger. They can charge that way I heard.

Just had my sump gasket done. Mine is in the classifieds now.

It's good to know you have found a good one - Montego Blue is a great colour too.

I'd love to know how you find it compared to your 130i, as I keep wondering about looking for one of those to replace my 330i that's also N52 powered!

Spoiler gone!
What an absolute pain in the rear that was!
The silicon sealant around the perimeter was nuclear blast resistant! I tried everything. Tar remover, numerous solvent cleaners.
I also tried one of those caramel wheels that you stick on a drill, that also struggled but I wussed out anyway as it was just crying out for me to burn through the paint.
Petrol and much scraping with an old credit card eventually removed it. The process took me about 6 hours!
A 2 stage machine polish and it now looks like new.



The spoiler will be in the for sale section soon enough. I think these were a BMW option from new??
It's very nice. Deep glossy carbon 3k and fits perfectly, but just not for my taste.

Always worth trying steam before using solvents , kettle boiling away or hairdryer can also do the trick :wink:

mr wilks said:

Always worth trying steam before using solvents , kettle boiling away or hairdryer can also do the trick :wink:

Click to expand...

Yes.. I wish I'd have tried that.
Oh well, all done now.

Mr Tidy said:

I'd love to know how you find it compared to your 130i, as I keep wondering about looking for one of those to replace my 330i that's also N52 powered!

Click to expand...

The 130i is a great car... Very underrated.
If you need rear seats and an N52, without a doubt it's the car to get. (mine will be for sale soon :wink: )
The 130i got the 261hp N52, the same as the 3.0si.
It's a shame so many have become wrecked as daily motors for the last 15years or battered track machines with stripped interiors.

A few choice upgrades such as M3 control arms, better dampers and you have a great car. Many folk put an LSD on.
A plus for the 130i is BMW offered a whole bunch of tasty OEM 'BMW Performance' parts for it.
Mine has the 'Performance' exhaust, carbon intake, big 6pot Brembos, short shift (not just a knob, the internal lever mechanism) along with the alcantara interior, side sills and rear roof spoiler. I also added replica 'Performance' carbon front spiltters.
The Performance range went far. Including seats and steering wheels. And the quality is top notch.
Nowadays, that 'Performance' stuff is really rare and stupid money!
The 3 door E81 is a nicer looking car, it has frameless doors, too.

Dont get caught up with the hydaulic vs electric steering debate. I've had 2 130i's, one pre-facelift with hydaulic and my current facelift with electric. I personally think the facelift cars offer far more to offset any minute feeling increase the hydraulic gives. The difference is tiny and the increased assistance at parking speeds is very welcome, along with all the other facelift bits like better lights, interior, gauge cluster and stuff.

Thanks, that's thought-provoking but having my MC I wouldn't be too bothered about razor-sharp handling if I did get a 130i as it would be my daily. :lol:

Now I'm the wrong side of 60 on the few occasions I ever have passengers they are usually at least as old as me, so I'd want an E87 if I got one.

I had a facelift 123d years ago with the EPAS and while it was way better than my E86s, I still prefer the HPAS on my MC and E90.

Maybe my manual 330i SE with the N52 engine is the bargain choice for rear seats, even with only 255 BHP!

Yuk!!


A very mouldy washer bottle.
I popped off the nearest washer jet hose and emptied into a bucket by activating the stalk.
Filled with fresh water and scrubbed with a brush.
Emptied again, ohh my, the muck that came out.
Filled with water and dropped a couple of steralising tablets in and left for 30mins.
Another scrub then a 3rd empty.
Then filled with mixture of the original fluid and some new stuff.




Nice!


I also took the time to fix a squeeky wiper. It turned out to be very simple. I was getting ready to open up the cavity where the wiper mechanisms live. But, just some lube to the spring where it hooks around the base of the wiper arm, solved it.

Meds said:

A very mouldy washer bottle.

Click to expand...

I've done that job twice on my 2nd E86 and an E46. Cleaned the washer filters with an old toothbrush and then only ever used one brand of screenwash. Never had that issue again. I think using different fluids contributes to the yuckiness!

Mr Tidy said:

I've done that job twice on my 2nd E86 and an E46. Cleaned the washer filters with an old toothbrush and then only ever used one brand of screenwash. Never had that issue again. I think using different fluids contributes to the yuckiness!

Click to expand...

Yeah it was horrid in there.!
I did reuse the original fluid as that was clen and didnt smell at all, lets see if that reacts with the BMW stuff...
All the mould was attached to the plastic bottle so I suspect it's been flushed before but not srubbed out.
I might drop another tablet in there and leave it.. It shouldnt harm the paint work, right?

And proof the boot closes:


Fantastic!

Meds said:

Yeah it was horrid in there.!
I did reuse the original fluid as that was clen and didnt smell at all, lets see if that reacts with the BMW stuff...
All the mould was attached to the plastic bottle so I suspect it's been flushed before but not srubbed out.
I might drop another tablet in there and leave it.. It shouldnt harm the paint work, right?

Click to expand...

I can't see a sterilising tablet causing a problem on paint, but after I sorted mine out I made a point of avoiding mixing fluid. I stick to OE stuff in my E90 because the reservoir is behind the driver's side front wheel-arch liner. :headbang:

Good to see you got your bike in the boot - that wouldn't work in an M. :lol:

Meds said:

And proof the boot closes:


Fantastic!

Click to expand...

Impressive! Would be interested to know how you managed this.

The absence of suspension on the front forks and the type of tyres makes me think this is a CX bike? So, presumably, you have drop bars on the front? Did you need to remove/loosen them, or could you make it fit as it?

(I brought my road bike with me when I went to purchase my coupe. I couldn't make it fit with the handlebars in place, so I quickly convinced myself it wasn't as hard a requirement as I'd previously told myself, and now use a roof mounted suction cup system instead :rofl: . As good as it is, knowing I could get everything inside the car would add a level of security and peace of mind!).

Yeah CX bike. More specifically a monstercross/gravel rig. 50mm 650b.
Bars turned but not loosened. The only thing I had to do was drop the rear mech off the hangar.
It's a small frame, any larger and it'll be a struggle I'd suspect.
I was dead chuffed with the ability to carry it.
The car was dropped at my mechanic for water pump, thermo and mouse flange, so I cycled home after.

I can sleep easy now.
Waterpump, thermostat and micky mouse flange replaced.
My mechanic said the turbine in the original pump was very loose and wobbly, it looks like I caught it in time. 2008, 77k.
(a previous 130i with the N52 had its go pop around 80k from memory, so I wasnt falling for that trick again)

Along with a oil and filter swap. The old oil filter was collapsed a little, the fins were squashed together. It was due an oil change anyway (3yrs but only 6k) so now was the right time.

EDIT: I forgot to add that the oil filter replacement solved an annoying high pitched whine from the engine bay that changed with engine revs. It sounded electrical, like the alternator. But once the collapsed oil filter was replaced, all was silent again. Nice!

Sounds like you got the jobs done just in time.
3 years without a service and 6000 miles. Filter starts restricting oil flow.
And some people think this is ok and to go even longer in years.
Always service my cars every 12 months. Even if it’s covered 2-3000 miles.

Mr Tidy said:

Meds said:

A very mouldy washer bottle.

Click to expand...

I've done that job twice on my 2nd E86 and an E46. Cleaned the washer filters with an old toothbrush and then only ever used one brand of screenwash. Never had that issue again. I think using different fluids contributes to the yuckiness!

Click to expand...

Having a hot tub means I had a lot of chlorine granules. So I removed the washer bottle from the car, pretty simple to do if you pull the pumps out and leave them in situ; then I left the whole thing immersed in a bucket of water overnight with chlorine added. I removed the rubber seals from the pump holes first.
Came out like new the next morning. Just needed a good flush through with clean water to make sure no chlorine was left behind.
Final clean of the top with autoglym bumper gel and it’s like new.

j3nks79 said:

Sounds like you got the jobs done just in time.
3 years without a service and 6000 miles. Filter starts restricting oil flow.
And some people think this is ok and to go even longer in years.
Always service my cars every 12 months. Even if it’s covered 2-3000 miles.

Click to expand...

Yeah the previous owner collected the car just after it's last service. And only done 2k and year for 3 years.
So I did an oil change within 2 weeks of buying.

Meds said:

j3nks79 said:

Sounds like you got the jobs done just in time.
3 years without a service and 6000 miles. Filter starts restricting oil flow.
And some people think this is ok and to go even longer in years.
Always service my cars every 12 months. Even if it’s covered 2-3000 miles.

Click to expand...

Yeah the previous owner collected the car just after it's last service. And only done 2k and year for 3 years.
So I did an oil change within 2 weeks of buying.

Click to expand...

Nice work so far. Nice to see its in good hands mate