Welcome to the Forum - nice work - impressive!
Maurits' progress thread: '03 E85 3.0i (now) supercharged & '08 E86 3.0si
- Thread starter Mau
- Start date
Almost done facelifting the interior ( 
), recently acquired the deluxe heater controls with chrome knobs:
Install is fairly easy (removal of center vents, radio, two screws and a bit of wiggling and pushing on the panel as it clicks into its place) and then it is plug and play and building back the pieces you just unbolted.
In my case for testing purposes I had to actually fire the car up, the position of the ignition just before you start the engine which I mostly use or testing electronics did not do the trick.
), recently acquired the deluxe heater controls with chrome knobs:Install is fairly easy (removal of center vents, radio, two screws and a bit of wiggling and pushing on the panel as it clicks into its place) and then it is plug and play and building back the pieces you just unbolted.
In my case for testing purposes I had to actually fire the car up, the position of the ignition just before you start the engine which I mostly use or testing electronics did not do the trick.
More than 2,5 years into the ownership of this Z4: Time for some new wheels. Partially to celebrate its 100,000th travelled kilometer. Partially because of the psychological effect, the previous deep dish wheels were the last bit of bling applied by the previous owner which according to my more modest taste had to be unblinged. 
Without further ado:
Without further ado:
Been a while since updating this thread... 
Though I expected to be nearly finished last time I updated this thread, I have found and executed numerous small and larger mods in the mean time. To mention just a few:
Improved boot light (LED strip)
Old:
New:
Retrofit OEM foxed windblocker
Still sporting the bra:
New; chromeline fronts / M black rears:
Experimenting with LED interior lighting
(this set was too blue for me)
Still blueish:
Whiter version:
Marrying in it in September 2015
Though I expected to be nearly finished last time I updated this thread, I have found and executed numerous small and larger mods in the mean time. To mention just a few:
Improved boot light (LED strip)
Old:
New:
Retrofit OEM foxed windblocker
Still sporting the bra:
New; chromeline fronts / M black rears:
Experimenting with LED interior lighting
(this set was too blue for me)
Still blueish:
Whiter version:
Marrying in it in September 2015
Experimenting with LED DLR + Xcarstyle light module
KW V1 set
Replaced M sport suspension + Eibach lowering springs. Much better ride. Had KW v2 on my blue Z4, did not use the added features.
Another experiment with LED fogs / DLRs
These are keeper from Benzinfabrik.de. They came with a two year warranty.
Bumper lip & “mixed grill”
Nothing produced for the Aero bumper. Fitted universal EZ-lip
M sport needle swap
Swapped some black plastics + Individual door sills
KW V1 set
Replaced M sport suspension + Eibach lowering springs. Much better ride. Had KW v2 on my blue Z4, did not use the added features.
Another experiment with LED fogs / DLRs
These are keeper from Benzinfabrik.de. They came with a two year warranty.
Bumper lip & “mixed grill”
Nothing produced for the Aero bumper. Fitted universal EZ-lip
M sport needle swap
Swapped some black plastics + Individual door sills
Some country side hooning
Some charity rides
More black plastics + thorough inspection by Junior
BMW beige does not age nice:
Dan's scoop
To come:
- CF skirts from group buy still to be fitted;
- Brake upgrade (undecided yet);
- Anything else I think off :lol:
Been nine years into E85 ownership (following two Miatas), 7,5 since buying the Silver Arrow. She's a keeper! (thus far having survived multiple home movings, marriage, the birth of my son, etc. ...)
Some charity rides
More black plastics + thorough inspection by Junior
BMW beige does not age nice:
Dan's scoop
To come:
- CF skirts from group buy still to be fitted;
- Brake upgrade (undecided yet);
- Anything else I think off :lol:
Been nine years into E85 ownership (following two Miatas), 7,5 since buying the Silver Arrow. She's a keeper! (thus far having survived multiple home movings, marriage, the birth of my son, etc. ...)
North West Surrey
Your Z4 looks amazing! Tastefully done. 8)
I saw some bad examples, it's really easy to ruin one.
Did you put those seats or is it a factory thing? Nonetheless, that looks cool too!
EDIT: How much power did you get with supercharger?
EDIT2: Can you link me those LEDs for trunk?
I saw some bad examples, it's really easy to ruin one.
Did you put those seats or is it a factory thing? Nonetheless, that looks cool too!
EDIT: How much power did you get with supercharger?
EDIT2: Can you link me those LEDs for trunk?
Thanks all!
@ColinBR: the coupe's color is Space grey. Funnily enough that was also the color of the E91 it replaces.
@MrTidy: we are living in the countryside, so had two family cars + the roadster. However, shortly following the birth of my second son, I decided that one proper family car suffices. So "my" family car (the E91) got replaced by the E86. It is thus somewhat of a luxurious position, but if you do not need the space of the E90, why not?
@futurez4buyer: no the interior of the roadster has been some sort of a project, still not being finished. The roadster is a very early 2003 one. I am upgrading the interior to OEM facelift specs, including the seats (these come from a coupe, not mine as that has the black Msports seats in it). Swapped tons of interior bits (such as the vents) for OEM facelift ones.
The supercharger in its current state is supposed to bring about 285 bhp, with a remap (the one prescribed by the supercharger's manufacturer) it should be possible to increase to a little over 305 bhp.
The leds for the boot are placed in OEM fittings and ordered here: https://www.cit-ltd.co.uk/product-e...Festoon-Bulb-36mm-39mm-42mm-CanBus-WHITE.html.
@ColinBR: the coupe's color is Space grey. Funnily enough that was also the color of the E91 it replaces.
@MrTidy: we are living in the countryside, so had two family cars + the roadster. However, shortly following the birth of my second son, I decided that one proper family car suffices. So "my" family car (the E91) got replaced by the E86. It is thus somewhat of a luxurious position, but if you do not need the space of the E90, why not?
@futurez4buyer: no the interior of the roadster has been some sort of a project, still not being finished. The roadster is a very early 2003 one. I am upgrading the interior to OEM facelift specs, including the seats (these come from a coupe, not mine as that has the black Msports seats in it). Swapped tons of interior bits (such as the vents) for OEM facelift ones.
The supercharger in its current state is supposed to bring about 285 bhp, with a remap (the one prescribed by the supercharger's manufacturer) it should be possible to increase to a little over 305 bhp.
The leds for the boot are placed in OEM fittings and ordered here: https://www.cit-ltd.co.uk/product-e...Festoon-Bulb-36mm-39mm-42mm-CanBus-WHITE.html.
Another thread update:
Interior update:
Now that the old girl turned eighteen in February of this year, I finally made a decision on the interior. Following the fitting of beige (LAAB) seats in 2012 already and replacing some of the greyish plastics throughout recent years, I decided that beige + black + aluminium + pre-FL grey + Chromeline + Perlglanz parts was too much color for one interior.
So acquired:
- remaining black bits (rings around the AC panel, sport button, light switch cover, surrounds of the gear stick);
- remaining Perlglanz bits;
- black door panels with beige (LAAB) inserts. These were made from to OEM sets of door panels, as BMW only produced beige door panels with beige inserts for the E85;
- carbon leather skinned M interior panels.
Now it is just beige, black and Perlglanz inside. 100% OEM FL parts, though some had to be combined to get to the end result (such as the door panels). Chuffed with the result!
The end result is a little difficult to capture in a picture (the carbon leather skinned panels look less lively in pictures then they do in the flesh + loads of "solar marks" in the pictures. Still, I will make an attempt:
And now that I am updating here anyway, also a few pictures of its current exterior state (with the CSR Aero bumper cup spoiler in gloss black and the gloss black kidney surrounds):
Interior update:
Now that the old girl turned eighteen in February of this year, I finally made a decision on the interior. Following the fitting of beige (LAAB) seats in 2012 already and replacing some of the greyish plastics throughout recent years, I decided that beige + black + aluminium + pre-FL grey + Chromeline + Perlglanz parts was too much color for one interior.
So acquired:
- remaining black bits (rings around the AC panel, sport button, light switch cover, surrounds of the gear stick);
- remaining Perlglanz bits;
- black door panels with beige (LAAB) inserts. These were made from to OEM sets of door panels, as BMW only produced beige door panels with beige inserts for the E85;
- carbon leather skinned M interior panels.
Now it is just beige, black and Perlglanz inside. 100% OEM FL parts, though some had to be combined to get to the end result (such as the door panels). Chuffed with the result!
The end result is a little difficult to capture in a picture (the carbon leather skinned panels look less lively in pictures then they do in the flesh + loads of "solar marks" in the pictures. Still, I will make an attempt:
And now that I am updating here anyway, also a few pictures of its current exterior state (with the CSR Aero bumper cup spoiler in gloss black and the gloss black kidney surrounds):
Thanks Scotty!
Asked the admins though to move this topic from the Newbie section, to the generic E85/86 section as I started this topic in 2012 already ( :lol: ). Meanwhile moved out of Amsterdam, got married, got two clones and acquired a Spacegrau E86 next to the silver E85, both of which have undergone many, many mods by now, for the silver E85 resulting in over 60 mods, including a supercharger, a suspension upgrade and for the interior bit-by bit replacing ALL pre-FL interior parts by FL parts and beige M seats.
Hence, time to leave the newbie section. :wink: Thanks @Spectre for moving the topic!
Asked the admins though to move this topic from the Newbie section, to the generic E85/86 section as I started this topic in 2012 already ( :lol: ). Meanwhile moved out of Amsterdam, got married, got two clones and acquired a Spacegrau E86 next to the silver E85, both of which have undergone many, many mods by now, for the silver E85 resulting in over 60 mods, including a supercharger, a suspension upgrade and for the interior bit-by bit replacing ALL pre-FL interior parts by FL parts and beige M seats.
Hence, time to leave the newbie section. :wink: Thanks @Spectre for moving the topic!