nfbr's 2007 Ruby Black Z4 Coupé! Blog/Build-Thread

[Machine monkey]

You guessed it! 7 years I've worked there now.[/quote]

Firstly welcome along great looking car I have seen mmm fives Ruby black z4m coupe and the colour is to die for!!

On another subject my wife has a 2014 tdi TT. What sort of tune can be done? Can the Audi guys detect it at service?

What mods are you thinking of? An m3 anti roll bar makes a nice difference and is cheap

[nfbr]

Thanks it is a nice colour but I've still not seen it in bright sunlight! Something I'm definitely looking forward to.

As for TT, depending on its ecu code, we should be able to carry out one of our own remaps for £349.00
With this it should see around 205-210bhp and over 310lb/ft of torque.
As for dealer detection - it's quite obvious to anyone used to the cars when road testing, however we reset the checksum back to the figure it was prior to writing to the ecu once the map is done, so diagnostics systems wouldn't flag anything up.

If the ecu needed to be removed, we refit it using factory spec sheer bolts, so it doesn't even look like it has been removed. That said, if for any reason they did need to remove the ecu, there are often very minor marks left from splitting the ecu which a keen eye would be able to spot.

Back to the Z4, mods wise, I'm not too sure just yet but I intend to keep it looking close to factory. A very OEM+ approach to it! Powerflex bushes are a must, eventually Eibach Springs and Bilstein B8 dampers are something I'd consider. Spacing of the wheels will be left until the car is lowered for obvious reasons, but I'm pretty certain I'll stick with the stock wheels as I do like them a lot

[Machine monkey]

Thanks it is a nice colour but I've still not seen it in bright sunlight! Something I'm definitely looking forward to.

As for TT, depending on its ecu code, we should be able to carry out one of our own remaps for £349.00
With this it should see around 205-210bhp and over 310lb/ft of torque.
As for dealer detection - it's quite obvious to anyone used to the cars when road testing, however we reset the checksum back to the figure it was prior to writing to the ecu once the map is done, so diagnostics systems wouldn't flag anything up.

If the ecu needed to be removed, we refit it using factory spec sheer bolts, so it doesn't even look like it has been removed. That said, if for any reason they did need to remove the ecu, there are often very minor marks left from splitting the ecu which a keen eye would be able to spot.

It looks great in sun light you will love it

Thanks for the info. Sounds good to me I will try and get mrs Monkey to agree!!

[nfbr]

After a trip along the Pennines over to my parents house, I'm starting to remember why I said I'd never buy another black car! I'm sure it'll come up good after a wash!

Anyway - once the rain, snow and hail had stopped I nipped out to have a check up on some of my gripes.
Dropped the glovebox door down to see the fuses, checked fuses 37 and 14 for continuity, all ok, so swapped them for fresh ones anyway. Checked fuse 14, live only with ignition as it should be. Checked fuse 37, permanently live. So everything is all good at that end. My next job later in the week is going to be to check the terminals at the horn end to see if any power is coming down them when the horn is pressed...

But for the time being - I have found the resolution to my glovebox issue. On the right hand side of the first image you will see a black plastic tube moulded into the glovebox lid within which sits a brass pivot bush, this slides over a peg allowing the pivot.



On the second image you see where the fault is! The right hand side tube has become damaged and the top half of the tube that retains the brass pivot bush. Luckily the bottom half has remained intact, so a quick fix with a cable tie was carried out, wrapping it around the brass pivot bush and the remaining section of the plastic tube that the pivot bush sits unti.
I still ideally need to adjust the latch at the top as you have to give it quite a stern push to get the glovebox to shut properly.



Hopefully somewhere along the line someone will find these helpful
P.S. Sorry about the terrible photo quality, for some reason I picked up my iPad instead of my iPhone.

[Z4M-2006]

I had my M coupe out over the pennines(Woodhead>>Snake) earlier on...

My OCD got the better of me when i got home and i had to wash and dry the car.......lol.........

[nfbr]

So... A couple of my colleagues were staying behind at in the workshop tonight, so I took the opportunity to make my Z4 horny again!

Having ordered up a pair of so called 'Direct replacement horns' from Euro carparts, I found that they weren't exactly a direct replacement, but soon figured out a way to fit them on without chopping up the original wiring harness.


So, As you can see on the original horn, there's an electical contact designed to fit the O.E plug. Upon removal of this contact from the horn housing, You're greeted with something that can be used for a nice custom loom!


This 'Micky Mouse' shaped electical contact has two sockets inside it which fit the red 'bullet' connectors a treat!




Before going any further at this point, I plugged my new looms in and got a colleague to press the horn button whilst I checked with a multi-meter for voltage.
All was good, so now ready to fit!


Attached the horn to it's original bracket and bolted back up in position (this time with the horns facing away from the front of the car, so they don't drown again!!)


Now bolted up into position, covers re-fitted, tested and all working perfectly! Very happy that this didn't end up being a nasty job involving more intricate wiring.

And now... time for a couple of pictures of the car in our workshop (Sorry for how dirty it is... I'll be giving it a clean over the weekend!)



And if anyone's interested in the E46 M3, That's my colleague Mike's M3 - His build thread can be found here on M3 Cutters

It's been having a pair of these fitted...

[Z4M-2006]

What does it say about VAG's when you guys are driving BMW's...

[nfbr]

So, With Mike and John struggling for clearance with the manifolds on the E46 M3, I decided it was time to make a cup of thinking juice... Then get on to downsizing the foam in the intake resonator pipe.


Truth is, This stuff ^ solves more problems every day than money does!




Intake tube off...


Foam Removed. Now I didn't really want to make it too much louder than stock...


So, reduced the longer piece of foam by 40%, and the shorter piece of foam by 30%


All done, Back together and ready for a road test!

[nfbr]

What does it say about VAG's when you guys are driving BMW's...

It says a lot!
Firstly - That I've worked as a VAG Specialist since 19 years old in the parts trade right up to being close to 30 years old in the performance sector! Near 10 years is enough for anyone to get bored of anything!
Secondly - For the ~£10,000 price point, there just isn't anything that VW/Audi/SEAT/Skoda produce that makes my balls tingle!
Thirdly - I see the common problems of VAG cars day in day out, So can't look at a used VW car without thinking... this guys selling it cos it's f***ed

Love the Z4 so much already though!

[Z4M-2006]

You dont have to explain yourself to me.....lol..

I do the same job as yourself...

[nfbr]

Some more goodies have arrived today! Possibly a job for this weekend!

[simonlpearce]

Was that a cup of piss?

[DPG]

Good work.

Any exterior mods planned? Aero skirts, M front & rear, Quad pipes etc.

[nfbr]

Was that a cup of piss?

If you have Milky piss, then I think you might need to see a doctor

Good work.
Any exterior mods planned? Aero skirts, M front & rear, Quad pipes etc.

I've only just discovered the wonder of the Aero skirts! and love the M-Front bumper. I quite like the twin pipes and wouldn't want to make an Si look like an M though, so bodywork is probably gonna stay relatively subtle. Suspension and handling is more my thing.

[DPG]

Was that a cup of piss?

If you have Milky piss, then I think you might need to see a doctor

Good work.
Any exterior mods planned? Aero skirts, M front & rear, Quad pipes etc.

I've only just discovered the wonder of the Aero skirts! and love the M-Front bumper. I quite like the twin pipes and wouldn't want to make an Si look like an M though, so bodywork is probably gonna stay relatively subtle. Suspension and handling is more my thing.

Aero skirts do look good even on a black car.