j24's Z4 Coupe

[j24]

Hey all,

Little late seeing as I've had the car since last November, but intending to be in it for the long haul so figured I'd start an ownership thread for my e86.



Quick list of things already done in my ownership to date (covered in a few other posts on here!):

• Refurbished key (new battery and case)
• Installed new expansion tank (OE - BMW)
• Fixed the 'green wire' radiator fan problem
• New Xenon bulbs
• Installed new headlight covers and gaskets (OE - BMW)
• Steering wheel retrim (Royal steering wheels) & new wheel trim pieces
• Installed BlueMusic Bluetooth adapter
• Cruise control retrofit
• New Angle eye
• Installed new rocker cover (OEM - Elring)
• Upgraded plastic coolant flange to aluminium flange, plus new BMW o-ring
• Installed new oil filter housing and oil cooler gaskets (OE - BMW)
• Installed new tensioner (OE - INA) and new belt (OE - Contitech)
• New water pump (OE - Pierburg) and thermostat (OE - Mahle)
• Inspection I and brake fluid service (BMW)
• Gearbox and Diff oil change (Redish)

So yeah... it's been a busy 8 months! And a little bit expensive... but as I said, I'm hoping to keep this one for a while, I still smile every time I look at it or get behind the wheel!

AND I've got some new things to add from today - but this is already a pretty big comment so I'll post that update in a separate comment tomorrow...

Plus there are still a few things on the to-do list, as well as a growing parts collection waiting for me to do something about!

So yeah, think it has the potential to be a bit of a large thread - but a handy place to document all the stuff I've done with the car.

It was pretty amazing to write out the above list, it's really made me appreciate how much I've done already, and how far I've come from my 'uh oh, I can't use spanners' mindset 8 months ago!! Mainly down to youtube, and the helpfulness of everyone who's taken the time to comment or message to help me out, it really is a great forum

Anyway, well done to anyone who's actually read this far! I'll add a little bit more tomorrow, and post new comments in here whenever there's an update. Thanks for reading!

 

[Mr Tidy]

Lovely - E86s do look fantastic in Montego Blue.

And congratulations on your progress so far. My Coupes have always put a smile on my face every time I've driven them!

 

[j24]

Lovely - E86s do look fantastic in Montego Blue.

And congratulations on your progress so far. My Coupes have always put a smile on my face every time I've driven them!

Cheers Mr Tidy!

I’m obviously a little biased, but I definitely think they look stunning in Montego Blue!

 

[Barty]

Lovely spec, Montego Blue is always a winner on the Z. Nice to see its been getting the love it deserves

 

[BumpyZ4]

 

[j24]

So, yesterday was a little bit of an expensive day... but not the kind of job I could look up on YouTube!

Picked up my coupe from Jason at JB Zero7 in Bristol (formerly JB Autos). Funnily enough, he rebranded whilst my car was there, so I dropped it off at JB Autos and picked it up from JB Zero7 a week later!

Anyway, I knew when I bought the car there were a few cosmetic issues to get sorted, none of them hugely obvious at first glance, but felt worth addressing:

Front bumper
Some lacquer peel (just above the grill and pretty bad at the bottom of the bumper), stone chips, scrapes - and a broken O/S bumper bracket. Plus a bit of a knackered-looking front badge.
Work carried out: Front bumper resprayed and new BMW front badge fitted.

Front V-brace
A lot of paint peel on the v-brace bars visible through the grills.
Work carried out: Bars stripped and resprayed.

Foglights
The usual condensation in the foglights.
Work carried out: New foglights installed.

Rear bumper
Also had a little bit of lacquer peel, and a small minor crack just below the N/S rear light.
Work carried out: Crack repaired and rear bumper resprayed.

Side skirts
General road rash, but figured I might as well address that too.
Work carried out: Side skirts resprayed.

Jason also carried out some general touch-ins for a few small chips etc.


Anyway, here's a load of before and after shots:

BEFORE WORK:




AFTER WORK:





BEFORE WORK:




AFTER WORK:





BEFORE WORK:




AFTER WORK:







BEFORE WORK:




AFTER WORK:





BEFORE WORK:




AFTER WORK:





BEFORE WORK:




AFTER WORK:





BEFORE WORK:



AFTER WORK:





Bonus post work pictures:






Really happy with the work done, Jason did a great job - I'd definitely recommend him to anyone in the Bristol/Bath area.

The car's still not perfect - there are still a couple of other cosmetic things I'd like to try and sort... a couple of light-ish scratches and really small dents etc. Plus it could maybe do with a wheel refurb at some point (probably something for next years budget)... But pretty happy with it and I think it's looking a lot smarter now for sure.

The colour match was the bit I was most worried about, but I’m pretty happy with it.

 

[j24]

Oops - forgot to upload some of the in progress photos!

Rear bumper crack repair:

Front v-brace bars:





Front bumper:



Rear bumper:





Side skirts:




More bonus 'finished' photos!

 

[joelvdrZ4C]

Looks really good, love the colour!

 

[j24]

Looks really good, love the colour!

Cheers joelvdrZ4C!

 

[Barty]

That really came up a treat, nice work! Always great to see these cars get the love and attention they deserve

 

[j24]

That really came up a treat, nice work! Always great to see these cars get the love and attention they deserve

Thanks Barty! Love your Tiefgrun coupe by the way, lovely colour. I've got a way to go before I get to your level of tinkering!!

 

[TOMGREEN413]

Looks absolutely stunning, I've book marked Jason for future Tidy up jobs on your Coupe as well, I so love the colour of these Coupes. I remember this car so well when it was on Autotrader as I so nearly bought it but wasn't quite in the position to do so until just days after it sold. Its a fabulous spec.
Thanks for sharing your photos

 

[j24]

Looks absolutely stunning, I've book marked Jason for future Tidy up jobs on your Coupe as well, I so love the colour of these Coupes. I remember this car so well when it was on Autotrader as I so nearly bought it but wasn't quite in the position to do so until just days after it sold. Its a fabulous spec.
Thanks for sharing your photos

Cheers Tom - ha yes, I remember you mentioned you had been keeping an eye on it before I’d snapped it up! Glad we both managed to get our blue coupes in the end

And thoroughly recommend Jason, really happy with the work he did.

Next up I need to freshen up some of the interior trims to match the bodywork. Plus I need to look into sorting out some rust proofing at some point - if the summer ever turns up.

 

[TOMGREEN413]

Hopefully I'll manage to see your car in the flesh sometime, it look stunning. I cheated with rust proofing mine by spraying everywhere and everything with special aircraft airframe rust proofer. I'll nip off and find out the name, but I've used it on my lotus's and petrol pumps and it stops rust and corrosion in its tracks.....

 

[TOMGREEN413]

ACF 50........sprayed this into all the panels and seams, suspension and bolts. I figured if its good enough and licensed for aircraft then it must be good. Fortunately I don't seem to have any bodywork corrosion on my Coupe

 

[Neens76]

Really nice example

 

[j24]

ACF 50........sprayed this into all the panels and seams, suspension and bolts. I figured if its good enough and licensed for aircraft then it must be good. Fortunately I don't seem to have any bodywork corrosion on my Coupe

Ah brilliant - thanks, will look into that! Sounds like good stuff

 

[j24]

Really nice example

Cheers!

 

[TOMGREEN413]

Eagerly awaiting the next installment

 

[curvature]

The car looks great and you must have spent quite a bit in the past year!

Is it a toy or do you use it as a daily driver?

I have had mine for 18months and despite not really using it it is quite surprising how much you can spend on them.

I was lucky/unlucky in that somebody hit mine in the first week of ownership so it had a new front bumper cover and I also got the drivers side wing painted which had a big stone chip when I bought it but I would imagine your bodyshop bill wasn't cheap!