Back in a Z4 again :) Newbie but oldie :)

[TheKingOfSting]

Hey All,

It's been a long time since I've frequented the forums so looking forward to contributing and learning at the same time.

I've just purchased a Black 2006 Z4 3.0 Si Roadster - Manual, with red leather interior, will post a pic online soon once I get time.

I've had a 3.0i SE years back in 2004 and enjoyed the car hence I bought another, this time the SI version as I remember yearning for more power.

I've had the car 2 weeks and have done the following:

Replaced Kidney Grills to blackout grills - looks really nice with Black BMW's IMHO
Installed a Short Bee Sting Aerial
Fitted 2 new rear tyres - non run flats
Ordered the BMW ZHP Short Shift gear knob which I will be putting on asap
Removed the foam near the interior wall for the sound resonator mod

Questions:
At high speed the car feels like it darts all over the place, its gotten issues with tracking and I have it being collected by BMW soon. Hopefully this sorts it all out.

The previous owner was not what I would call someone that spent money on the car. Would I be wise in getting a level 2 service done by my local BMW dealer just to be safe?

The headlights are worn near the tops where they look all misty - does toothpaste really work for this?

The rear brake light in the boot (red) has cracked and the previous owner glued it together. Is this an easy install? Where can I buy a cheap replacement or should I get the BMW dealer to replace this at the same time as the service?

Have been thinking about adding some painted Eyebrows to the car - have any of you done this on a black car with any pics?

The rear exhaust trim looks really tatty - I'm hoping it doesn't need an exhaust soon. Is it easy to put a better looking trim on there? Have any of you done this successfully?

The car has a shaky history of 5 owners - no scare stories please - it's done 72,000 miles would it be worthwhile taking it to one of those garages that does a full on engine clean out and flush? Or would this introduce more problems?

The car feels really sluggish, I've been fortunate to own much faster cars in life and I know my expectation isn't wrong. Something just doesn't seem right the cars pull isn't where it should be. Hoping a full on level 2 service will help things?

I also find the gear change on it is so annoying when you change up from 1st to 2nd it has this massive delay like your driving a truck! Is this the CDV mod people are talking about? If so will an official BMW dealer do this for me and is it worth it?

Hifi
I have an old Pheonix Gold 350W 2ohm RMS amp and I am seriously tempted on getting one of these have any of you tried it? Going by previous experience with convertibles once you fold the hood down it throttles all of the air/bass in the boot and just thuds rather than giving out actual sound - if that makes sense? The car currently has the business hifi

Below is what a dealer has quoted me:

Thanks for your patience regarding this quote, as you're aware there is very limited space in the boot of the BMW Z4. The cost for the installation and parts required to fit your amp and a sub to a factory head unit is £150. As you only have an amp I would recommend a Compact sub by JL Audio. Depending on space, a 12" sub would be the best option to go for. Couple recommendations below:

Option 1
£145 - JL Audio CS112 12" Sub & Box
(H) Height 15.25 in. / 387 mm
(W) Width 19.50 in. / 495 mm
(D1) Depth 11.75 in. / 298 mm
Option 2
£125 - JL Audio CS110 10" Sub & Box
(H) Height 12.125 in. / 308 mm
(W) Width 18.75 in. / 476 mm
(D1) Depth 7.75 in. / 197 mm

I have attached a picture of the sub & the intention would be to have the subwoofer laying flat with the sub facing upwards. Above are also the box measurements, if you could take some time to check if either one of the options above would fit in your boot.

Cheers

 

[Marlon]

Welcome along, lots of questions there - a couple pop out:
I have had the CDV delete and found it smoothes out 1st and 2nd gear change. I went to an Indy - its a quick job, several members have done it themselves. Although, you may benefit from gearbox oil change too.
Order your 3rd brake light from BMW (£70) its easy to replace yourself - here's the uTube video I followed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Hzgdz6SH04&t=67s
(don't over tighten the springs as that causes cracking - BMW sell replacement softer spring kit, but I didn't bother with that)

 

[TheKingOfSting]

Thanks I will ask the dealer ref getting both done.

Have to ask what remap did you get to get 288 BHP? From what I learnt this engine doesn't tune well?

 

[Marlon]

Thanks I will ask the dealer ref getting both done.

Have to ask what remap did you get to get 288 BHP? From what I learnt this engine doesn't tune well?

I used Quantum Remaps - they quoted a 9% increase, I noticed a difference but the naturally aspirated 3.0si isn't ripe for remapping - I was just greedy for a few extra horses

 

[TheKingOfSting]

Nice! Must look them up, how much did they charge?

 

[Marlon]

Nice! Must look them up, how much did they charge?

£199 for a standard re-map, you can pay lots more for bespoke ones of course.

Whole re-map thread here: http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=82745&hilit=

 

[Bing]

Welcome to the forum

Don't forget pics when you get a chance :wink:

The car jumping around at high speed could actually be tram-lining, something these cars are notorious for - the cause of tram-lining is run-flat tyres, fitted as standard. If you have run-flats, changing them to non-run-flats will change your life. Just remember some tyre goop in the boot for punctures.

 

[TheKingOfSting]

Thanks all

2 Pics enclosed I'm not technical enough to upload them

 

[TheKingOfSting]

Or maybe I am

 

[TheKingOfSting]

Was also thinking about getting the wheels sprayed glossy black or plasti dipped...... but it could also look c**p!

41 years old blame something on a mid life crisis there

 

[TheKingOfSting]

One more...... Photos uploaded.... tick

 

[TheKingOfSting]

Thanks for the info ref the remap, reminded me I Super Chipped an E46 330Ci M Sport Cab years back - wasn't really sure if it did anything at all to be honest I think it was the placebo effect and I was getting desperate for more power.

I'd only really chip mine if I knew it was going on a rolling road before and after - the only problem is I would rather not know if the car is a complete dog it it's only pushing out 200BHP - sometimes ignorance is bliss?

 

[hopz121]

Welcome back to zed ownership

 

[TheKingOfSting]

Thanks ref the feedback ref tramlining - mine has non run flats all round and a can of tyre weld in the boot.

 

[TheKingOfSting]

Just noticed on your post you have wheel spacers do you have any info in these?

 

[TheKingOfSting]

Found them

Is this a job for my local tyre dealer to install? Do you feel they've made a nice difference to your cars stance?

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/311287448979?_mwBanner=1

 

[Steve84N]

Exhaust trims will come up a treat with 5mins of wire wool or they slip off and you can get others. It's not necessary if you scrub yours up though.

Headlights will see a slight improvement with toothpaste but really you need something harsher. Yours don't look too bad so may not require sanding. Try K2 Lamp Doctor first, it's less than £4 delivered on eBay.

Sluggish performance could be a faulty eccentric shaft sensor which gets oil on it when the seal fails. An inspection 2 isn't all it's cracked up to be as a lot of it is visual checks so is unlikely to have a marked effect on running performance.

Make sure you change engine and gearbox oil, spark plugs, oil/air/cabin filters. I can recommend Redline MTL for the gearbox, you'll need two quarts. The spec says ATF but mainly to give a lighter shift action as it's less viscous. I'd rather use an oil designed more specifically for synchros and I've had no issues with shifting in cold temperatures. You'll need two plugs as well, one each for drain/fill, about a fiver each from BMW.

No real need for a flush, it's not direct injection so not prone to carbon deposits. Just start it on an exclusive diet of super unleaded, preferably V Power or similar. They all have decent cleaning additives.

The CDV is worth it all day long, BMW might refuse to remove it though and it's expensive labour for a very simple job.

No disrespect to Marlon but 23bhp from a remap is highly unlikely, if it was me I'd spend the money on handling mods. I've had good success from Bilstein B12 suspension, H&R ARBs, Wiechers strut brace, 10mm wheel spacers and most importantly a Quaife LSD.

Wheel spacers make an aesthetic and handling difference. There's plenty of debate on here and conventional wisdom is you can run 12mm front with 20mm rear. I wanted to keep the same relevant track widths as more rear track means more understeer. Lowered I'm already too close for comfort with 10mm hence not running 12mm all round.

The other bits aren't my thing...

 

[Swiftly]

A set of Monkey exhaust tips really do finish the rear off nicely

 

[Marlon]

Found them

Is this a job for my local tyre dealer to install? Do you feel they've made a nice difference to your cars stance?

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/311287448979?_mwBanner=1

Yes they are the ones - I've got 20mm rear and 15mm front. If you know how to change a wheel, then fitting the spacers is very straightforward

Big difference see for yourself :wink:

Before:



After:

 

[TheKingOfSting]

Hi All,

Apologies for going completely dark on you all there I’ve been crazy with work projects and everything personal was on pause! Hopefully back to reality now…

Thanks for all the feedback for a start most appreciated

I’d like to do the CDV delete as I hate the gear change from 1st to 2nd its awful feels like a truck! How much do Indys charge? Does anyone know of a good indy near Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire?

Just got the car back from BMW rear brake light replaced all the front and rear suspension bushes and lower arms have been replaced and the car has been fully tracked etc properly (I hope by them)! I really like the idea of the wheel spacers but how do they affect the cars geometry etc now its all in theory been setup and calibrated properly? I can’t understand how they don’t throw things off of track - pun intended Looking at the photos Marlon posted I want them more than ever! Confused is it really pop them in and it only makes a visual difference?

My exhaust trim still looks awful after trying to clean it up the monkey exhaust tips look awesome! Are they expensive to buy and easy to fit?

Bought a stubby aerial and both BMW and myself can’t get it off without damaging the bottom mount etc - really hacked off about that!

I bought the K2 lamp doctor stuff - thanks - do I really need to mask the whole front of the car etc to use it?

The front nose cone on mine is badly damaged and I’ve had a quote from a spray shop of £350 to respray the whole front nose cone remove and stone chips and polish out the lights as well as wax them properly - does this sound like a fair deal? I’ve also been offered for £550 they can remove 2 small dents in the car and give it a 2 day machine polish to really bring the rest of the colour out? Is that recommended I always fear swirl marks when I hear machine polish! Or would I be better of investing that in 2-3 hand valets over the next year for example to chip away at it a bit at a time? Some people swear that a machine polish will bring the car back to life - and others scream don't do it!

I bought the ZHP gear knob and for love nor money could not remove it - the BMW dealer had to cut it off essentially as it was glued in! Haven’t driven the car yet hoping to drive it in an hour and hopefully feel a difference - I truly hope so the gear change on the Z4 is far from sporty shall we say…..

I’m thinking of getting the spark plugs changed the cars on 71,000 miles and I can see no record of them being changed at their last inspection 2 service back in Dec ’12. I’ve spent so much money on the car already I’m hesitant to take it back to BMW can this be a simple Halfords / Kwik fit job as long as I ensure I buy good spark plugs? Would they need replacing am I just wasting money?

I would love to change the oils etc but have simply run out of money at this stage need to be careful what I spend on the car…..