Hello all!

[Merlot Machine]

After much deliberation, I settled on a BMW Z4 (E85) for my first attempt at a project car. I say first project car, I already own a facelift E65 750i which I didn't intend as a project, and then it kinda became one out of necessity

Having found myself actually enjoying working on my own car for the first time, I decided I wanted a 2-seater convertible and being a bit of a BMW fan, the E85 was the obvious choice for me. I liked the idea of a 'lucky dip' style purchase so used Copart's online auction.

On Thursday I took delivery of my 3.0 SE in Merlot red (110k on the clock), manual with beige/cream roof (at least I believe that is the intended colour, its currently more khaki green with lashings of stray merlot).

Lots to do:

- Failed its MOT in Oct 2021 and hasn't been on the road since
- Both ABS and DSC lights on
- Roof won't open (think we all know what the culprit will be there!)
- Mismatched tyres, cracked and unroadworthy
- Headlights in awful condition

I'm pleasantly surprised by the general condition of the car though - bodywork and interior are in pretty good shape for a 19 year old car which hasn't been on the road for the last two.

I plan to do as much of the work as possible myself, and in time plan to refurb the VANOS and DISA and essentially restore the car to as pristine a condition as my skills and funds will allow. This forum is going to be such a helpful resource for me, I look forward to being part of the community!

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/199312116@N05/

[Doddsy]

Welcome to the forum. That roof will be satisfying to clean if it comes up well, or suppose you could just dye it black

[Mr Tidy]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Merlot with cream leather is such a great colour combination too.

Hope you enjoy the project.

[1536Z4]

Welcome . All the best with your new project

[paddy wright]

Welcome- was watching this one on copart so glad to see it on the forum. You have the extended leather option too which is quite are. Looks to have sagged on the a pillar though. Welcome along

[MikeyH]

Hi welcome to the forum. Nice colour and from the photos the interior looks to be in good shape

[TOMGREEN413]

Welcome

[enuff_zed]

Welcome to the mad house.
The jobs you mention are all very well covered in here with lots of experience to draw on when you need it.
Always happy to help someone rescue a zed.

[True-Blue]

Welcome…

I’ve revived quite a few Z4 roofs now, that one looks like the opportunity for a few hours fun with the potential for some brilliant before and after photo’s.

Milton sterilising tablets first to kill the Algae/mould, followed by Bilt Hamber Surfex HD to remove any stubborn dirt & stains, followed by Johnson’s baby bath (the blue bottle) to rinse everything out at the end… would be my approach with this one

Where are you based?

[Merlot Machine]

Thanks for the warm welcome chaps.

True-Blue - I'm currently in Carmarthenshire with my parents but will be moving to Devizes in the next couple of months all being well. I started trying to clean up the roof before seeing your recommendations, and I'm pretty pleased with the results for a first pass but hoping there's some more revival to be had.

I used Dr Beckmanns upholstery cleaner (two bottles of) as they have that nice little in-built soft brush attached. I then had a go with Meguiars convertible cleaner which I'm not convinced has actually had much effect on top of the Dr Beckmanns.

Do you have any suggestions for spot cleaning? Whilst the worst of it appears to be out, there are several quite stubborn dirty spots.