My 2006 Z4 Coupe

[STC_Zed]

It’s been a while since I updated this to be honest I’ve not been massively busy with the car other than cleaning it and using it, although there have been a few hiccups….

Since last summer it’s had an interim oil change and I’ve switched to 5W 40 Millers which had further helped the oil consumption. The main issue now is the slight weep from the sump but that can wait for a bit.

In October I bit the bullet and replaced the front tyres. They were the Asymmetric two’s that came with the wheels and one was loosing pressure and needing topping up every two weeks or so. That was getting tire some so a pair of Good Year Asymmetric 6’s were fitted to match the rears.

I also hit a pheasant that month which broke the drivers side fog light. It’s still there, it’s just a tad floppy. Both of mine are in bad shape due to corrosion and new ones a mental money so I bought a pair of blanking plates….which are still yet to be painted and fitted

A pre-winter detail followed and it was looking pretty good.













Not long after I went to PH Sunday Service at Silverstone where there were a few other E86’s include a very nice Imola Red Z4M.

Then nothing really happened until the new year. I did have a very very long drive for a pizza in December; having finally completed a horrible construction project on Holyhead we were due to go out for dinner with some of the client team for a cathartic bite to eat (and morning session) however just as I got to Bangor I had a call to say that the hotel we were staying in had lost power. Following the port being closed after one of the big storms there was literally nowhere to stay in the area. So I turned around and grabbed a pizza in Betws y Coed. I literally did an eight hour round trip for a pizza!

The new heat didn’t get off to a great start. I went to meet some family at C&M and had a really good drive there and back that had me thinking how much I liked my car. Got home, parked it on the drive and went inside. A little while later a chap from down our road knocked on the door and told me that my next door neighbour had reversed into the front of my car.

Sure enough, there was a big scrape on the front of the bumper on the passenger side and onto the wing as well. My wife looked bs k at the Ring doorbell footage and we saw it. My neighbour who was in the process of moving to Scotland following a divorce wasn’t going to say anything and when I tried to talk about it she ran off saying that she didn’t need this. I ended up tying to deal with her 19 year old daughter. I went to a couple of local body shops I know and got quotes which were sent to them. They basically did a runner to Scotland and ignored all,of my messages so I ended up going through the insurance.

I was given a Nissan Qashaqi as a courtesy car. Joy. It was about this time that my head started to be turned by 987 Caymans. The S was out because of bore score worries so I looked at a couple of 2.7’s and I liked them. A lot. However a few weeks in a mild float made me appreciate the Z4 a lot more and I think it’ll stick around for a while longer. I like the idea of a Cayman bit feel that a .2 car with the 2.9 engine is closer to the Z4 in paper, but they’re more expensive.

 

[STC_Zed]

Between getting my car back in February and now I’ve done nothing with it other than drive and clean it.

It was MOT day in February which it passed with flying colours. The handbrake is still rubbish although better than it was but is well within spec for the MOT test which makes me think how bad it must be to fail!

Last weekend, with the weather improving it was time for a spring detail. After some dry weather and dust followed by rain, it was looking a bit sorry for itself.





First up was a soak in Garage Therapy Zero to help remove the old wax.



This was rinsed and followed up with a wash with GT Zero. After drying the car it was chemically decontaminated, rinsed, washed and dried again. Thenout came the clay bar and at first there wasn’t much contamination



And then I got to the sills….



After claying it had another gentle wash and dry. The rubbers were then taped prior to polishing. I noticed this on the bonnet, I’m assuming overspray from its recent trip to the body shop



After a few minutes with Koch Chemie heavy pad and compound it was looking much better.



I went over the whole car with a DA using the heavy company pad first and finishing with a micro cut / polish pad and polish. It was looking pretty good come the end of the day.



It was Sunday and getting on a bit. I wanted my dinner so rather than rush I left it until the next day which started with a wash and dry to remove any dust and debris. Once dry, I went over the car with panel wipe.

I made the mistake of applying a glaze but this didn’t play nice with the Fusso Coat and is most evident on the bonnet. After the glaze hazed and was buffed, I applied a coat of Fusso Coat and later on this was topped of worn Kiwami Extreme which I think is glossier.

The interior and glass were all cleaned. Once sorted, lt was time for a few pics.





















Whilst I was pleased with the results of my hard work, what I was so happy with was discovering how badly rot had set into the wings, the passenger rear wing being the worst.



There was a tiny bubble on this wing that I missed when viewing the car, I only spotted it when detailing it last summer but it’s now quite visible. I was a bit gutted because I was looking at a big bill from the body shop to sort this, the passenger door and the drivers wing which is also bubbling. The Z4 was only really meant as a stop gap for 18months or so so I didn’t really fancy chucking loads of cash at the bodywork and I was considering taking the hit now, selling it cheap and buying a cheap car until I can afford something else.

I’ve found a pair of front wings in the right colour which I’m collecting on Friday. I’ve bought both because if the drivers side has gone, I wouldn’t be surprised if the passing will follow soon. Both are rot free. Annoyingly he’s sold the other panels bit if I have to fix the passenger door and rear wing at a body shop it’s probably a bit more palatable.

It’s given me a bit more enthusiasm with the car which is good. I have quite a few jobs to crack on with…

* remove the intake manifold to replace the heated elbow that’s failed and causes the fuse to blow. It’s currently unplugged.
* whilst the manifold is off I want to check my small DISA valve because there is rattle from the intake. I think the DISA is still in one piece because when outing the ignition to position two, you can hear both open. I’ve bought a Febi replacement just in case (plus new gaskets)
* repaint the wiper arms which are looking a bit tatty
* paint and fit the blanking plates for my fog lights
* treat the scuttle panel under the wipers with C4 restorer because it’s quite faded
* fit new, used wings

 

[TOMGREEN413]

Such a lovely looking car , perfect spec imhop

 

[STC_Zed]

Such a lovely looking car , perfect spec imhop

Thanks Tom.

I think the E86 is a pretty little car and being so rare they’re quite striking when you do see them.

 

[BuzzardBiker]

Lovely looking car with the original wheels and your current wheels.
I'd happily spend out on fixing the bubbling to keep the car tip top.
I'd definitely keep it after all the care and attention you have given it.

 

[STC_Zed]

Lovely looking car with the original wheels and your current wheels.
I'd happily spend out on fixing the bubbling to keep the car tip top.
I'd definitely keep it after all the care and attention you have given it.

Cheers. I’ve sourced a used front wings in the right coupe and possibly a rear wing which is an absolute result given then rarity of the colour etc. It’ll certainly take the sting out of sorting it out.

 

[Mr Tidy]

Cheers. I’ve sourced a used front wings in the right coupe and possibly a rear wing which is an absolute result given then rarity of the colour etc. It’ll certainly take the sting out of sorting it out.

That's what I'd call a result.

 

[STC_Zed]

Cheers. I’ve sourced a used front wings in the right coupe and possibly a rear wing which is an absolute result given then rarity of the colour etc. It’ll certainly take the sting out of sorting it out.

That's what I'd call a result.

Yeah. Massive result especially given how few Monaco Blue cars you see around let alone being broken.

 

[chanlon1]

Cheers. I’ve sourced a used front wings in the right coupe and possibly a rear wing which is an absolute result given then rarity of the colour etc. It’ll certainly take the sting out of sorting it out.

If I’d known so few Monaco Blue were out there, I should have charged you more for my rear wings

 

[STC_Zed]

Today I started cleaning up the replacement front wings that I collected last week. I started with the drivers wing which needs a bit more work.

Wing soaking in APC to remove road grim build up in the lip.



There is some bubbling on the inner face.



I removed the bumper clip because under here is where the worst of is seemed to be coming form.



Any bubbling / loose paint was removed with a wire brush. Underneath the metal seems good.



I then applied a coat of Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80 (you can see the rust starting to turn black).



I’ll apply a second coat tomorrow night and 24hrs after that, I’ll go over it all again either Por-15 Rust Preventer. Any vaguely visible bits will be touched up with the correct paint.

I’ve also painted my fog light blanking plates which just need a gentle flat down before polishing.



It looks like I can fit them without removing the bumper which is a result and quite timely because one of the fog light bulbs has gone and I’m getting bored of the warning light.

 

[BuzzardBiker]

Nice work.
Where did you get your paint colour from?

I want to fit fog light blanks and paint them to match my colour.

 

[STC_Zed]

Nice work.
Where did you get your paint colour from?

I want to fit fog light blanks and paint them to match my colour.

From here;

https://madpaints.co.uk/

Their touch up paint is a good match. I did buy a can from a local paint place but the match isn’t good and it’s not metallic enough.

 

[TriggerFish]

I'm in the middle of doing this job on my rear wings too (I removed them just to check what was underneath, rather than out of seeing any rust). I'm planning to coat the inside, and the quarter panel of the car itself with some Bilt Hamber UB or UC - just to give everything the best chance of surviving as long as possible. Could be something worth considering before you refit yours?

You might find similar surface rust on the chassis, too if it's anything like mine was: https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2106856#p2106856

 

[STC_Zed]

I'm in the middle of doing this job on my rear wings too (I removed them just to check what was underneath, rather than out of seeing any rust). I'm planning to coat the inside, and the quarter panel of the car itself with some Bilt Hamber UB or UC - just to give everything the best chance of surviving as long as possible. Could be something worth considering before you refit yours?

You might find similar surface rust on the chassis, too if it's anything like mine was: https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2106856#p2106856

I’m going to coat the most at risk areas in Por-15 rust preventer. I’m hoping that’ll do the trick.

 

[STC_Zed]

I’ve noticed today that I’ve got more than just my passenger side fog light out; only the halo is working.

I don’t have a dipped beam, full beam or fog light on the passenger side so I need to do some investigation. Everything was fine until I washed the car Monday evening so I need to check for water ingress first.

 

[BuzzardBiker]

I’ve noticed today that I’ve got more than just my passenger side fog light out; only the halo is working.

I don’t have a dipped beam, full beam or fog light on the passenger side so I need to do some investigation. Everything was fine until I washed the car Monday evening so I need to check for water ingress first.

For such a great car, the headlights are a sticking point and fiddly, awkward.
On my car I noticed one of the bulbs is a slightly different shade of white than the other but I think I’ll leave it well alone for now.

 

[STC_Zed]

I’ve noticed today that I’ve got more than just my passenger side fog light out; only the halo is working.

I don’t have a dipped beam, full beam or fog light on the passenger side so I need to do some investigation. Everything was fine until I washed the car Monday evening so I need to check for water ingress first.

For such a great car, the headlights are a sticking point and fiddly, awkward.
On my car I noticed one of the bulbs is a slightly different shade of white than the other but I think I’ll leave it well alone for now.

BMW headlights are after a pain in the arse; on my wife’s 330i the airbox needs to be removed to get to the near side headlight. I’ve found it easier to remove half of the wheel arch liner to get access and see what I’m doing rather than trying to do it by feel.

The Z4 looks every worse with the cover above the rad pack.

 

[Mr Tidy]

BMW headlights are after a pain in the arse; on my wife’s 330i the airbox needs to be removed to get to the near side headlight. I’ve found it easier to remove half of the wheel arch liner to get access and see what I’m doing rather than trying to do it by feel.

They really are. :evil:

When I bought my 330i it had a blown sidelight on the passenger but the seller included a pair of LED bulbs. I found out why he hadn't fitted them when I had to remove the airbox to get access!

 

[STC_Zed]

BMW headlights are after a pain in the arse; on my wife’s 330i the airbox needs to be removed to get to the near side headlight. I’ve found it easier to remove half of the wheel arch liner to get access and see what I’m doing rather than trying to do it by feel.

They really are. :evil:

When I bought my 330i it had a blown sidelight on the passenger but the seller included a pair of LED bulbs. I found out why he hadn't fitted them when I had to remove the airbox to get access!

Indeed they’re a horrible design and terrible access. Some Volvos have a great design where you pull out some tabs and the headlight pops out. No remove air boxes etc.

 

[STC_Zed]

This afternoon was time to sort my light issues. I had planned to detail my wife’s 330i but the wind was coating everything in dust, so I’ll do it tomorrow assuming the wind has done one.

BMW headlights are bloody awful with terrible access and the Z4 is no different without any access via the engine bay. Rather than make my life difficult and work around the wheel, I popped my car up on stands and whipped the wheels off. This would also let me remove the arch liners to clean and to get at the fogs.



With the liners off I had even better access, although a fair amount of grime had made it beyond the liner.



After swapping the fog lights which bulb (which worked) it was time to swap the xenon bulbs. New ones.



Another check and the bulb was working fine. I had bought a ballast as well, just in case which I may return but may keep just in case. With everything removed, it was dead easy to get at the bulbs.



It was then time to turn my attention to my fog lights which looked bad from a distance but up close - they were gone. The corrosion was bad and had turned all of the reflective coating to cream cheese.





This where the drivers side broke after hitting a pheasant.



Access was dead easy and I soon had the passenger side blanking plate fitted.



The bulbs have been zip tied out the way so there are no warning lights and can be easily reinstalled if needed. Plus my Carly subscription was canned ages ago, so no coding for me.

It was about this point that scope creep set in and I decided to clean the arches out properly. There was loads of caked on crap in the lip which had caused my corrosion issues but also the liners were caked in tar etc.



After much washing and scrubbing and rinsing they looked better although I could spend more time. Once dry they were dressed with a Chemical Guys dressing. Not the best photo because of the sun.



Whilst doing the headlight bulbs, I noticed that’s the seals for the covers aren’t looking too clever, so that’s some to add to my list of jobs.





I did have one boo boo; when removing the drivers side arch liner, the bubble caused by corrosion cane away.



I was glad that I managed to source some replacement wings in the right colour. The bare metal has been treated with Hydrate 80 and will be touched up tomorrow for now so that’s its presentable until I fit the new wings (which have polished up nicely so far).

And finally, a picture with both blanking plates fitted.



Next up will be fitted the new front wings over Easter.