Back after 7 years!

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Rossm09

Member
So here I am... owned 4 mk1 Z4s back in my early twenties one of which being a M coupe, always said if buy another one day and here I am just picked up a Z4MR with 51k on the clock.
Worked for Audi for the past 6 years so driven plenty of fast modern cars but missed the older analogue feel! The last cars owner owned it 9 years and although looked after and serviced, it hasn’t been looked after in the way that an enthusiast would so needs some elements refreshing to bring the car back up to a nice example.
I intend to keep long term and will look to slowly add a few small subtle mods/enhancements, first thing is get an inspection 2 done and also the brakes look like they have seen better days so what’s the general recommendations just stick with oem discs and pads or are there worthwhile caliper upgrades etc?
Also as it’s been a while are there any recommendations on any particular things to upgrade/replace/change etc on these cars these days?
Any performance enhancements worth looking at regarding exhausts/ recommendations on ones to look at?
Anything I should check on the car/get addressed etc
All feedback would be highly appreciated and look forward to getting stuck back into the forum!
 

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Welcome back - even if you were on here before I got my first Z4! :roll:

Anyway an M is quite a comeback, and I know what you mean about that analogue feel. :thumbsup:

My MC hadn't had an Inspection Service for years when I got it so I had an Inspection 2 done by Ross at RBM Hampshire (bowser134 on here) and it needed 5 shims, but no more top-end noise when starting from cold any more. :)

As it had 7 previous keepers and was on 76K miles I got the crank rod bearing shells replaced by Ross as well as a preventative measure. Which turned out to be a good idea as the old ones weren't looking great!

I can't offer any advice on brakes as I've only done about 3.5K miles since I bought it thanks to Covid, but it came with Powerflow back-boxes fitted which sound great when I get the revs up. :D
 
The ///MR is just fine in OEM spec. Dampers could be worth a look at if you feel the urge to tweek. The brakes are great for fast road use. If your off to Nurburgring then yes the brakes are worth looking at. Basically I love mine as it came from the factory. Welcome back to the joy of oversteer. :D :driving: :thumbsup:
 
Thanks for the feedback, think I will stick to just replacing the brakes oem and maybe just look at a calliper refresh,
Regarding suspension I was thinking at getting all the bushes etc checked out and replaced if necessary although no feel of knocking or play, I don’t want to make the ride any harder but did wonder if there are any worthwhile coil over sets which give a slightly better ride and along with a subtle increase to the handling?
Spoke to local bmw specialist who has said in the inspection 2 he does a smooth running test which will determine if checking valve clearance etc is necessary? Does this sound right as he said he’s saving me money not going to the lengths of actually checking them so not like he’s just taking my money for the sake of it but what’s the general feeling around the valve clearance checks if other checks which would give indication of valve issues being done to determine if worth doing?
 
Hi mate welcome back. I’ve recently jumped into an M myself and from research I did before buying the car, there is no way to tell if the valve clearances need doing unless they are actually physically checked. If they’re really bad, yes you might be able to hear a tapping but if the car hasn’t had an inspection 2 before or for about 30k miles, I’d definitely get them done. From my understanding not time based, it’s mileage based. BMW have an offer online for an inspection 2 at £1k down from £1.5k. I’d go to indy all day though. RBM in Hook, Redish in Bristol, Munich Legends in Hayward’s Heath. Got quotes from these 3 & they came in between £6-800. Just have a read on the dealer feedback on here to find someone local to you.
 
Rossm09 said:
Spoke to local bmw specialist who has said in the inspection 2 he does a smooth running test which will determine if checking valve clearance etc is necessary? Does this sound right as he said he’s saving me money not going to the lengths of actually checking them so not like he’s just taking my money for the sake of it but what’s the general feeling around the valve clearance checks if other checks which would give indication of valve issues being done to determine if worth doing?
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I wouldn't be happy with that TBH. It really isn't that much effort to just do it properly. I would be asking him some more details with how he knows from a 'smooth running test'. Does he mean just using his ear, or there is a smooth running test function in INPA/ISTA but no idea how you would tell a shim needs replacing from the info you get from that test as it just gives you readings about the combustion cycle on your engine IIRC.

Might be legit, but I would just pay the extra to get it done properly, won't be that much more (less if you reuse the cam cover gasket).
 
Yeah I did think that hence wondered the opinion on here, just threw me that it’s not like he said yeah il do but doesn’t actually bother and spending the extra money on getting them checked I’m happy to do, I’m down in Cornwall but happy to take a trip for a hour or two to make sure it’s done right!
 
Welcome back. As a ex-M Coupe / M Roaster owner, how do you find the experience between the two?
 
inkey$ said:
Welcome back. As a ex-M Coupe / M Roaster owner, how do you find the experience between the two?
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Hard to tell as it’s been too long to remember aha
The coupe is obviously the better looking beast especially when the roadster has its roof up along with additional road noise but missed the convertible and always said that if I had another M I’d want to hear to noise with the roof down
 
I think I would want my valve clearances physically checked for peace of mind.

Ross took mine in the day before so he could check them the next morning with the engine cold.

Some BMW specialist recommendations from another forum here:- https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=72&t=796191

Admittedly not M specific, but a couple in your part of the world have positive feedback.
 
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