My E85 Z4 2.5Si Journal

[iiNNeX]

So been a month since my last update, got some more progress

Managed to get that grey hose and vent valve for my battery, also installed some foam under the bracket as it was sitting a bit loose and wobbling around. Gave the compartment a clean while at it as well.


Then I got around to updating my Sat Nav software and maps to the latest genuine version I could find, here is what was in the car already:


And the upgrade that followed:







After this, I had to address the scrapes and scratches on the front and rear bumpers. Unfortunately, a polish would not fix this and there was even some paint cracking around some of the rear parking sensors, so removal and full respray it is. Here is some of the damage:









Which left her looking a little naked:





Front V-brace thing had to come off as paint was flaking and basically falling apart:


Quick rub down later:


Then primer and 2 coats of satin black:



The undertray was looking a little worse for wear, so I thought I'd give it a clean and give it to my old man to re-attach the broken clip locations (they were just dangling inside when we removed it, someone must have over tightened them with a power tool or something).





Meanwhile, I took the headlights off and disassembled them to clean the cloudy projectors and replace all bulbs with OSRAM units.






After refitting everything, I gave them a 4 stage polish and UV coating to protect them going forward:



Then this came through the post:


I thought about refurbing the old one but then things escalated...


- 2x Magneti Marelli fog lights
- genuine bonnet bmw badge
- new fittings (screws and clips all around)
- the new trim piece you see above of course
- polished bumper reflectors


Brace then went back on


And the bumper is complete (ignore misted headlamps, after turning them on that cleared within minutes). Put the car on my personal plate as well, downside is it now looks even older lol. Also removed the plinth








Then it was time to assemble the freshly painted rear bumper, but before that, I had to remove the rear light units, clean them up and change the bulbs in there as well for OSRAM units.





Oh and I almost forgot, the wheels are done! Freshly refurbished to "OEM" spec by Lepsons, expensive to do for split wheels but damn is it worth it... enjoy the shots









Had them coated with Gyeon Q2 Rim as well



More updates to come, need to get wheels on and tracking sorted as I have spacers on their way too.


There is something else too... the car might be up for sale soon... I will explain the reasons in a later post, or perhaps in the sale thread itself, but basically long story short, this was a stop-gap between a bunch of M cars and my first Porsche. The latter I could not do as the example I had found sold and then prices went mad, but I think I might have my eye on something. Also, I have spent far too much on this, considering it was meant to be a car for a few months of fun, but I just couldn't let it sit there in the state it was in, it deserved better. I digress but if anyone is interested in the car before it is officially listed, feel free to PM me for a chat.

SK

 

[Mr Tidy]

Wow, you've really lavished some love on your car.

And now you are thinking of selling - if you do I hope the replacement is worth it!

 

[Zedebee]

Great thread this. On a couple of your wheel pics, particularly the close up, the star point doesn’t look as flush to the rim as it should be. Make sure all the bolts are properly tightened. When I had my set of 108s apart, I found I had to go around the wheel two/three times to tweak up the bolts properly as the star settled onto the rim.

 

[iiNNeX]

Great thread this. On a couple of your wheel pics, particularly the close up, the star point doesn’t look as flush to the rim as it should be. Make sure all the bolts are properly tightened. When I had my set of 108s apart, I found I had to go around the wheel two/three times to tweak up the bolts properly as the star settled onto the rim.

Thank you bud. It's most likely the angle of the pics though, I thought this too and double-checked, they are the same all around.

Wow, you've really lavished some love on your car.

And now you are thinking of selling - if you do I hope the replacement is worth it!

The replacement will most definitely be worth it, and honestly, the longer I have this the more I ll keep spending on it and the cleaner it will get, to the point where it would be a healthy deposit on a Cayman GT4 at this rate haha!

Nothing is certain though, just thought I'd air my thoughts.

 

[iiNNeX]

It's time for another update.

Before I purchased the car I was informed that the rocker cover gasket and oil filter housing gasket were changed, there was however no invoice of this. That said, upon investigation there were no leaks or signs of misting so I accepted it as a done deal.

Fast forward a few thousand miles, I noticed some misting first and then actual dripping down the side of the rocker cover. Once inspected further, it seems that this was coming from the valvetronic motor gasket. Rather than faff about with ordering just a gasket, I thought I might as well do it properly and replace the entire cover, which of course includes a lot more gaskets and a new CCV (as it's integrated for the black top N52 engine).

Here is the leak


Squeezed the Z in the garage and started stripping it at around 6pm


Cover off, looks pretty clean in there


New febi bilstein part






Everything was torqued up to BMW spec


And all done, looks like it just rolled out of the factory! (almost haha). Gave some surounding components a clean too while at it.







Then the next day I took it out of the garage and gave it a clean. You ll notice the cowling and wipers are off, more on that later.



When I bought the car I noticed the wing mirror glass was different, didn't think much of it at first but as I've now had it a while, it became apparent the driver's side was not heated and the passenger side just didn't sit as flush as it should.

So I took them off to see what was what


So the OEM glass looks like it was re-attached at some point?! Or replaced I don't know, but it was definitely not going to heat up with that sticky tape there.


And then the other aftermarket blue glass was heated however it was for an E90, not a Z4. You can tell this by looking at the back as the heating connectors are on the opposite side (and it literally says E90 on the plastic).


So I ordered the correct glass for the car, in a neutral colour (as cool as the blue looks, its a bit of a gimmick) and set about fitting it.







With that out the way, I had one last task to complete for the day and that was to install my new wipers and sort out the squeaky wiper mechanism. While at it, I also removed the cowling, cleaned it up with APC, then IPA, and then treated it with a back-to-black solution, came out pretty good I think (satin finish). Also painted the wiper arms in satin black 2K paint with satin clear coat.







I have also realised that I barely post any pictures of the car actually put together, don't worry though it is being driven I just forget to take them... Here is one with an autumn setting: 8)


And 2 more with a grey/sunset vibe going on:





So as mentioned previously the car will be going up for sale shortly. It was always going to be a stop-gap for me, but I'd say I've done it justice and given it a more than adequate home. Before doing so, it has been booked at a reputable detailing firm to have it paint corrected. I mean it's by no means bad, but after having refreshed the front and rear bumpers, it is the right call to complete the look.

If anyone is interested in the car before it goes to eBay/AT/FB/various forums then feel free to get in touch for a chat.

Thanks for reading

 

[zriha]

Well mate, what can I say, you did everything with love, and the car is definitely look loved. I am always sad to hear when that car with that amount of love needs to go for sale, but I understand, that's life.

If I was in your country, I would definitely contact you, but we have just a few Z4 here in Croatia and mine is also loved.

 

[iiNNeX]

Well mate, what can I say, you did everything with love, and the car is definitely look loved. I am always sad to hear when that car with that amount of love needs to go for sale, but I understand, that's life.

If I was in your country, I would definitely contact you, but we have just a few Z4 here in Croatia and mine is also loved.

Thank you buddy, as previously mentioned it was never going to be a long-termer for me, but being who I am I always like my vehicles to be in tip-top shape and this was no exception. I hope it goes to another car enthusiast who can continue it's journey.

I am originally from Bulgaria and Z4s are very rare there also let alone in this condition.

 

[fredej]

Great job! I enjoyed reading through the thread following your progress. Very well documented with nice photos.

 

[futureZ4buyer]

This is how E85 deserves to be treated
Love that you kept the OEM style, without tasteless mods. I hope that it will be bought by someone who will keep it that way.

 

[ryushe]

And lastly I wanted to stream music via my phone but couldn't use the Aux system the car had AND charge at the same time (ffs Apple why single connector?!). Also I want less cables cluttering the interior, so a BT dongle by Bluemusic was purchased and fitted in place. It replaces the 6cd changer which nobody uses anyway, but still allows you to play a CD through the headunit itself.

Curious, would this work with a 'standard' stock unit without nav and without CD changer present? Cause I've been looking into adding an AUX port, but using BT would be a lot nicer of course!

 

[iiNNeX]

Thank you for the nice comments guys, I am a sucker for OEM+ and am glad that there is people who appreciate that

And lastly I wanted to stream music via my phone but couldn't use the Aux system the car had AND charge at the same time (ffs Apple why single connector?!). Also I want less cables cluttering the interior, so a BT dongle by Bluemusic was purchased and fitted in place. It replaces the 6cd changer which nobody uses anyway, but still allows you to play a CD through the headunit itself.

Curious, would this work with a 'standard' stock unit without nav and without CD changer present? Cause I've been looking into adding an AUX port, but using BT would be a lot nicer of course!

As far as I am aware no, as it uses the connectors that are for the CD Changer. That said apparently cars without CD Changers have the loom there pre-installed already, in case you wanted to retrofit one. If that is the case and not just a rumour, have a check and if it's present you can grab one of these adapters

 

[fredej]

There is a version of the BlueMusic that plugs in directly to back of the head unit.
I have that one, since my car didn’t have CD charger or the option preparation for CD changer (the cables).

 

[iiNNeX]

Car came back from it's enhancement detail, very pleased with the result.

Sailed through it's MOT yesterday


Also took some fresh pictures for the upcoming sale ad, here are some of my favorites :










8)

 

[Tango22]

Looking fantastic!!! Awesome result on the MoT too!!

 

[iiNNeX]

Thank you Tango