Barty's Green Z4 Coupé - Not another one…

rdm05z4 said:
Love the Green! Stunning Car. It's nice to see a person with the mind set and talent who is not afraid to jump in and tackle this effort. If I had
just a quarter of the talent folks on this forum have I would be grateful. But then again if we all had the same talent or jobs this world would not be what it is. Maybe someday I will have the courage to tackle some of these large jobs. But for now will continue to read post to educate myself on these cars and attempt what I can. Thanks to all who post to encourage the rest of us to jump in pick up a spanner.!!!! Good luck with the rest of your projects on the list.
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Really appreciate your kind word, thanks! As for paint correction: start simple. Learn about properly hand-washing a car, and perhaps follow a basic course on machine polishing. There's tons of info out there, and if ever you have any specific questions regarding detailing and/or paint correction: feel free to ask!

Mr Tidy said:
That looks fantastic. :thumbsup:
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Thanks Mr Tidy!

ryushe said:
Really great looking car! Just curious what product did you use for your windscreen?
Also, noticed you're in NL and you're a detailer with love for Z4s, what are your rates? Just got myself a 2.5 roadster in Ocarina metallic (beautiful sea green / blueish color) which I think could use a professional clean!
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Thanks :thumbsup: We use products by Labo Cosmetica and MaFra. A gentle word of warning: these suppliers are detailer-oriented and are not quite as forgiving as most consumer-grade products when used incorrectly. In this specific case, we've used HPC (or Hybrid Polymer Coating) on the rear window as a test compared to Aquavelox on the front screen. If used incorrectly, HPC requires at least a coarse machine polish to remove, and when combined with a base coat (like STC on my car) you're looking at machine sanding with grit 1500 to get rid of the coating; it's that tough!

If you want to test similar products for yourself, I'd recommend starting with Diamond Vision by Infinity Wax. Easy to use and a little more forgiving if applied less than perfectly: thoroughly clean your window twice, letting it dry in between. Apply a light mist of DV to a hand applicator and spread in parallel tracks across the window, making both a vertical and horizontal pass over the same area. Let it dry for a minute or two and thoroughly remove any excess with a soft microfibre cloth. Avoid using your wipers the first 24 hours to really let it harden for maximum effect.

Alternatively, we'd be happy to help you out with any detailing wishes you may have. We don't have fixed rates for specific jobs as we work on a car-by-car approach, meaning: come over for a cup of coffee, we'll take a look at the current state of the car and discuss your ideas, wishes, budget, time, etc. We'll then set up a bespoke plan tailored to your needs and to your car, explaining step-by-step what we'll do, how long it takes and what costs are involved. After that it's entirely up to you whether you want to go ahead or not. Why we don't work with fixed rates is simple: every car has a different history, specific details that demand attention, and no two cars are the same when it comes to their overal cosmetic condition. Not to mention that every owner has different needs, and ultimately we're here to make you get the most from your pride and joy!

[ref]ryushe[/ref], feel free to send me a PM or DM me on Instagram and we'll see about planning that coffee! 8)
 
did you get those new rims mounted yet? i wanna see wnhat it looks like..

that posh green is growing on me a lot. :D

Show me the pics man!

:thumbsup:
 
Haha patience gentlemen, patience :wink:
Currently running Michelin Alpines, so the summer wheels won’t go on until March/April… probably.. :-P
 
Barty said:
We manage the sides just fine, but we can't get the top to seat properly along the roof's edge!
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Through experience I know how much hard work this is and it looks great . Good luck with the windscreen rubber as I am due to do mine soon . I have seen a video on how to do it by one of the forum members and others on you tube but they were on an E85 so I thought it would be the same for the E86 ?

I have just replaced the seal on my E91 and the problem I had with that is after removing the old seal there were 2 areas on the top of the windscreen that had blobs of windscreen sealant that would not allow the trim to sit properly . I believe that the windscreens are put in the same time as the seals so the sealant seeps under the seal after fitting . I removed the 2 blobs with a sharp thin chisel ( very carefully ) and then the seal fitted with no problems .
 
The parts for E85 and E86 are the same. The difficulty I face is getting the rubber seal to “plop” through the gap between the roof panel and the screen. No matter how much pressure and force I use, I can’t get it to go through that gap and seat properly. I’ve used a liberal amount of lubrication we normally use when claying a car, but no dice. Frustrating to say the least, as I’ve seen the videos as well; they’ve made it look deceptively easy :|
 
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Meanwhile: little changes today. Fitted LED reversing lights to compliment the LED indicators (much crisper on/off interval) and LED rears. The brightness is only slightly higher in real life, but as you can see they’re a much crisper white (LED on the left, filament on the right). Front indicators didn’t fit the housing unfortunately, so back to filament bulbs for now.

Next January, it’s time for a xenon upgrade. Appropriate projectors to replace the 15 year old units and quality Osram bulbs. Should bring the front up to date a bit :thumbsup:
 
jock156 said:
Looks good!

As an aside, I seen an Alfa SZ out and about last Saturday!!!!!! 👀👀👀👀👀
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Bwoaaah, seeing an Alfa SZ in the wild would probably have a similar effect on me as when I was stopped at a zebra crossing in Italy and a silver Z8 with red interior pulled up opposite of me… Lucky you [ref]jock156[/ref] :thumbsup:

The SZ divides opinion like few cars can, but oh man once you see one in the flesh; there’s something very special about them! Still, we’ll be having a 147 GTA in Rosso Alfa in our studio very soon, so I’ll have to “make do” with that :P
 
Barty said:
Fitting the new one proved to be a pain, and we've not yet managed. If anyone knows a special trick, please share. We manage the sides just fine, but we can't get the top to seat properly along the roof's edge!
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I have asked the question on the forum as a new post https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1890022#p1890022 :thumbsup:
 
1536Z4 said:
Barty said:
Fitting the new one proved to be a pain, and we've not yet managed. If anyone knows a special trick, please share. We manage the sides just fine, but we can't get the top to seat properly along the roof's edge!
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I have asked the question on the forum as a new post https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1890022#p1890022 :thumbsup:
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Subscribed! :thumbsup:
 
I did mine on my E86, I spent 3 hours and nearly removed all the skin on my fingers and could hardly hold a brew for an hour or 2, I'd looked at the guy in the US with the E85 do it on YouTube and it took minutes.
I eventually got a small torch and very closely inspected the glass that it should slip under and clip in, I noticed a minute amount of bonding sealant bulging from the windscreen, hardly noticeable really, I thought I'd cleaned the channel out thoroughly and I had, apart from when I looked down the channel from roof level using a decent torch and I could see what was stopping the trim going where it needed to.
So I got a craft type scalpel and went down the glass edge carefully, the sides were fine but about 50% of the roof edge needed cleaning up. I used washing up liquid and as much force as my fingers had left in them and it did then seat.
On a side note, shortly after this experience, my neighbour pulled the screen trim out of his 90s Fiesta, it wouldn't go back so he used a rubber mallet.....it cracked the windscreen, obviously. worth mentioning :D
Hope this helps as it was one of the most infuriating jobs I've done on the car.
 
Dark Diggler said:
I did mine on my E86, I spent 3 hours and nearly removed all the skin on my fingers and could hardly hold a brew for an hour or 2, I'd looked at the guy in the US with the E85 do it on YouTube and it took minutes.
I eventually got a small torch and very closely inspected the glass that it should slip under and clip in, I noticed a minute amount of bonding sealant bulging from the windscreen, hardly noticeable really, I thought I'd cleaned the channel out thoroughly and I had, apart from when I looked down the channel from roof level using a decent torch and I could see what was stopping the trim going where it needed to.
So I got a craft type scalpel and went down the glass edge carefully, the sides were fine but about 50% of the roof edge needed cleaning up. I used washing up liquid and as much force as my fingers had left in them and it did then seat.
On a side note, shortly after this experience, my neighbour pulled the screen trim out of his 90s Fiesta, it wouldn't go back so he used a rubber mallet.....it cracked the windscreen, obviously. worth mentioning :D
Hope this helps as it was one of the most infuriating jobs I've done on the car.
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It helps insofar as a word of warning: prepare the profanity jar and ensure plenty of workshop drinks at hand :lol:

All kidding aside, that’s very useful information! I’ll get out the scalpel and have another look. If all else fails, the mallet may prove useful after all :wink:
 
I did think about the excess fee on windscreen replacement several times :lol:
Hope it works for you and anyone else about to undertake this heinous task.
My neighbours probably already think I have tourettes, this process would have added weight to their suspicions .
 
Dark Diggler said:
My neighbours probably already think I have tourettes, this process would have added weight to their suspicions .
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Haha, I can definitely relate to that. Thankfully I can undertake this in the peace and quiet of the studio, although I suspect there will be neither of those once I pull my finger out and get on with this...

Another short update: off for a 1600km drive tomorrow with a good friend. Not with the Zed, but definitely for the Zed. Stay tuned!
 
Interior Madness

While the roof strip has yet to be replaced (really need to get that off the list...), I've undertaken a slightly mental but very fun roadtrip with a good friend of mine. The goal? This:

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A full interior (bar the seats and headliner, but that's fine) for an E86. Including the original black carpets (cream in mine) and every single small fixture you can think of. I left home at 04:00 and picked up my friend shortly after, at which point we set off on a 500 mile drive to collect the goods. Stopped once to fill up our trusty 118D and arrived at our destination at 12:30. We soon learned that we were dealing with real enthusiasts: dad and both sons work at BMW, run an M3 V8-powered 1-series as a track monster and plan to rebuild the Zed as a track-car as well.

They were selling the interior due to fire damage; the LCM had caught fire due to a short-circuit which was fortunately put out very quickly, saving almost everything bar the LCM itself, the cover panel and the top-left corner of the doorcard. All the rest of it is in perfect (albeit a bit dirty) nick. The Zed has since been stripped and undergoing major changes to serve as a track tool for both sons to learn in.

Having loaded up the Einser (it actually fit- just), we set off again at 13:15, stopping once for fuel and getting back at 20:30. 1002 miles or 1622 kilometers of Autobahn and motorways, feeling fresh as a daisy and now in possession of what can only be described as a very big puzzle.

Next steps: preparation for installation. While everything's out, I plan to tackle a few other things as well. Replace the basic speaker set-up for something better, improve sound insulation where possible, add a little more solidity to certain components- things to make the Zed's cabin an even nicer place to be :thumbsup:
 
Wow, that's quite a challenge your are setting out on - good luck. :thumbsup:
 
that interior is the same as mine, let me know what your missing. I also have the headliner that goes with that :thumbsup:
 
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