Mondo's new plaything - all retrimmed now
- Thread starter Mondo
- Start date
Looking forward to seeing what difference it makes when I head out to collect medication later today.
Hi and welcome, the car looks really good, with the washers I seem to remember some one posting that the washers didn’t work when in reverse, perhaps there is a problem with the switch on the gearbox, are the reverse lights on when in forward gears also check the lights work in reverse
So, a few goodies have arrived in the last day or so. 
My interior handles and door grabs are in pretty poor shape - the passenger door grab cover was held on with sellotape! - so I decided to get some brand new ones to freshen things up. The grab covers have arrived so far and even they make a difference on their own. Once the handles arrive and everything's trimmed up, it should look a lot more respectable in there.
Wheel spacers have turned up as well; 20mm for the front and 25mm for the rear. I really like the standard alloys but feel they need to be pushed out a little, so these should take care of that task nicely.
A brand new pair of wiper blades have arrived. I always put new blades on my cars as soon as I buy them.
My wind deflector arrived yesterday, less than 24 hours after I ordered it. I already had all the hardware fitted to the car, including the inserts for the roll hoops, but no deflector. It does make a noticable difference and it's always nice to have all the parts of a kit, rather than just some of them.
When I bought the car, it had a "bulb out" warning lit up on the dash. The previous owner put this down to having LED sidelight bulbs fitted but, when I inspected everything, the car had a front indicator out and a rear bulb too. The indicator was a loose connection (getting that bulb out was fun!) and the rear simply needed a new bulb - both jobs done and everything works as it should and the warning light is but a faded memory.
I'm still no closer to finding a pair of red/white rear lights. I've seen some on eBay but I'm struggling to justify paying circa £500 for a pair!
And in potentially less fun news, it feels like she accelerates faster at part throttle than she does when you floor it. There's certainly more noise but I'd have expected a fairly lightweight 3 litre car to pull harder than she does. Most owners seem to say that they have bags of grunt but it just doesn't feel like it to me. I've done the adaptive throttle reset so now I guess I'm checking for leaks and that the butterfly is opening properly. This is my first time without a cable-driven throttle so I'm hitting Google hard! :lol:
My interior handles and door grabs are in pretty poor shape - the passenger door grab cover was held on with sellotape! - so I decided to get some brand new ones to freshen things up. The grab covers have arrived so far and even they make a difference on their own. Once the handles arrive and everything's trimmed up, it should look a lot more respectable in there.
Wheel spacers have turned up as well; 20mm for the front and 25mm for the rear. I really like the standard alloys but feel they need to be pushed out a little, so these should take care of that task nicely.
A brand new pair of wiper blades have arrived. I always put new blades on my cars as soon as I buy them.
My wind deflector arrived yesterday, less than 24 hours after I ordered it. I already had all the hardware fitted to the car, including the inserts for the roll hoops, but no deflector. It does make a noticable difference and it's always nice to have all the parts of a kit, rather than just some of them.
When I bought the car, it had a "bulb out" warning lit up on the dash. The previous owner put this down to having LED sidelight bulbs fitted but, when I inspected everything, the car had a front indicator out and a rear bulb too. The indicator was a loose connection (getting that bulb out was fun!) and the rear simply needed a new bulb - both jobs done and everything works as it should and the warning light is but a faded memory.
I'm still no closer to finding a pair of red/white rear lights. I've seen some on eBay but I'm struggling to justify paying circa £500 for a pair!
And in potentially less fun news, it feels like she accelerates faster at part throttle than she does when you floor it. There's certainly more noise but I'd have expected a fairly lightweight 3 litre car to pull harder than she does. Most owners seem to say that they have bags of grunt but it just doesn't feel like it to me. I've done the adaptive throttle reset so now I guess I'm checking for leaks and that the butterfly is opening properly. This is my first time without a cable-driven throttle so I'm hitting Google hard! :lol:
The re-trim is just awesome, very tastefully done and the shade of red just right, makes a nice contrast with the grey exterior paint. Way better then the dreary black interior you had before! Just out of interest what did it cost to have it re-trimmed? Maybe you can get a matching red hood next to complete the look. 
Silverstar said:The re-trim is just awesome, very tastefully done and the shade of red just right, makes a nice contrast with the grey exterior paint. Way better then the dreary black interior you had before! Just out of interest what did it cost to have it re-trimmed? Maybe you can get a matching red hood next to complete the look.
The plan is to replace the hood with a red one in the future, which should tie everything together properly. But it's not an immediate concern.
The leather is Andrew Muirhead Ruby and it's lurvely stuff. Usually found in Rolls Royce, Aston Martin and British Airways first class cabins. I wanted things to look OEM but with little touches to make it clear that it's not a factory interior, if that makes sense. As for the cost..... well, I did the work myself......
You did it yourself? that is even more impressive, unless of course you are an upholsterer by trade 
Mondo said:Silverstar said:The re-trim is just awesome, very tastefully done and the shade of red just right, makes a nice contrast with the grey exterior paint. Way better then the dreary black interior you had before! Just out of interest what did it cost to have it re-trimmed? Maybe you can get a matching red hood next to complete the look.
The plan is to replace the hood with a red one in the future, which should tie everything together properly. But it's not an immediate concern.
The leather is Andrew Muirhead Ruby and it's lurvely stuff. Usually found in Rolls Royce, Aston Martin and British Airways first class cabins. I wanted things to look OEM but with little touches to make it clear that it's not a factory interior, if that makes sense. As for the cost..... well, I did the work myself......
Burgundy roof...
https://www.monsooncarhoods.co.uk/bmw-z4-hoods
North West Surrey
Wow OP, your retrim looks stunning!
I reckon post-lockdown there might be a few people who would be happy to pay you for doing theirs!
So far as your apparent lack of performance goes it might be worth checking the rubber parts of the air intake for any splits.
I reckon post-lockdown there might be a few people who would be happy to pay you for doing theirs!
So far as your apparent lack of performance goes it might be worth checking the rubber parts of the air intake for any splits.
Yeah, I'm gonna pull the intake pipes off in the next couple of days and see what they look like - if need be, I've already lined up brand new replacements. Hopefully I'll be able to get to the bottom of why I'm not feeling this immense pull that other 3.0 owners talk about so much! :?
As for the retrim, it's certainly brightened things up. The factory leather was pretty badly damaged on the driver's upper bolster and it really let the car down, so it's nice that it's all new now and the smell of new leather just can't be beaten.
The armrests came about because the driver's side was damaged and, rather than getting a replacement doorcard, I just thought I'd make them a little more comfortable as well as covering the damage. Some sheet aluminium made the bases, then it was just foam and leather.
As for the retrim, it's certainly brightened things up. The factory leather was pretty badly damaged on the driver's upper bolster and it really let the car down, so it's nice that it's all new now and the smell of new leather just can't be beaten.
The armrests came about because the driver's side was damaged and, rather than getting a replacement doorcard, I just thought I'd make them a little more comfortable as well as covering the damage. Some sheet aluminium made the bases, then it was just foam and leather.
Attleborough, Norfolk
So, I've checked my intake pipework this afternoon and there's no evidence of splitting or anything like that. Next stop is to check the plugs and make sure they're ok, especially as Carly is saying I have "misfires on a plurality of cylinders"...
The thing is, there's no starting issues or idle problems. There are no untoward lights on the dash. She runs absolutely fine but she just doesn't feel as rapid as people have said she should do. When I put my foot about two thirds down, she picks up pretty well but then, when I go full throttle, the noise increases but there's no increase in the pace at all from when she's at part throttle!
The thing is, there's no starting issues or idle problems. There are no untoward lights on the dash. She runs absolutely fine but she just doesn't feel as rapid as people have said she should do. When I put my foot about two thirds down, she picks up pretty well but then, when I go full throttle, the noise increases but there's no increase in the pace at all from when she's at part throttle!
Great job that is sir. How much do you think that sort of Tetris should cost for us mere mortals who don’t possess that skill set!!! Now that the cars are ageing I can see more of us looking at retrim options for ‘keepers’. Would love some nice new leather and alcantara dash in mine.