My Second Zed Thread (2010 E89 sDrive30i)

[Timmyboybunter]

The replacement wheel bolts arrived today - pretty close match to the originals. In each of the attached photos the original bolt is on the left, the replacement version on the right.

The head of the bolt is a slightly different design, having one less curve than the original - it is also marginally larger. I did a test fitting into one of the alloys and it screws in with no problem and the increased head size actually looks slightly better as it fills the hole in the outer face more.

The only negative really is the neck of the bolt, just before the head, has quite a pronounced flare to it compared to the original and sits ever so slightly proud when offered up to the holes. I'm sure when screwed in tight however, with a fresh layer or power coat to bit into, it will sit flush.

All this is purely theoretical however, as I haven't heard back from my mate yet about the single stuck bolt

For anyone browsing, here are the details on the bolt from the Ebay ad:

M7 Titanium Split Rim Bolt
- M7 x 24mm 1.0mm pitch thread (Total length of bolt is 31mm)
- 8mm (12 point) Spline Head
- Gr5 Titanium (Ti-6Al-4V)
- Natural Polished Finish

 

[Timmyboybunter]

Bought a Tunai Firefly bluetooth streamer as my car is too old to manage streaming from my phone and I can't cope with leads cluttering up the cabin.

Only had a quick play with the car running outside, but seems very good with excellent sound quality. The USB port in the armrest switches off quite soon after locking the car, so no battery concerns - like the device I fitted to my E85 should hopefully just sit there untouched, hopefully with less interference than that one.

 

[Silverstar]

Where did you buy that from? I am going to try tomorrow to remove my AUX / USB port to try and remove the broken tip of the 3.5mm jack cable, if not it will mean a new port! I don't fancy putting the cheap crap of Amazon in again.

 

[Timmyboybunter]

Amazon

It was actually your post that made me look, but concluded spending a reasonable chunk of money would result in reasonable quality. Not always sound logic but time will tell.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01HXXJPWK/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_IEcsEbGW5GWYR

 

[Silverstar]

Amazon

It was actually your post that made me look, but concluded spending a reasonable chunk of money would result in reasonable quality. Not always sound logic but time will tell.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01HXXJPWK/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_IEcsEbGW5GWYR

Thanks, I kind of gathered that after I asked the question Once I get my new aux / USB port I am looking at this option:

https://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B00KON1JIA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A25RIZWJWT7K69&psc=1

I think it will allow me to have music from my phone streaming via this device and at the same time I can install a USB stick with some other music and hopefully able to swap between the two without having to touch anything under the armrest.

 

[Timmyboybunter]

I did look at a few options before buying mine - I know having to charge something would bug me though, plus I generally use the Amazon music app on my phone for music streaming and as I'm a music unlimited subscriber I have a load of play lists already set up etc.

I have been meaning to sort out some of my usual suspects onto either a USB drive or onto the car's hard drive, I've just been too lazy to do it (as I usually have the radio on).

Truly 1st world problems :lol:

 

[Argyll Andy]

Amazon

It was actually your post that made me look, but concluded spending a reasonable chunk of money would result in reasonable quality. Not always sound logic but time will tell.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01HXXJPWK/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_IEcsEbGW5GWYR

@Timmyboybunter I’ve got one of these and really like it.

The only thing I’d say to be aware of as a possible issue is the quality of the charger you plug it into.

Not long after I got my Zed I posted on here asking about radio reception and interference and whether the stubby might have something to do with it. I was getting crackling and then noticed when I switched the car on I was getting a “spark” like sound through the speakers. It was driving me mad as initially I wasn’t thinking about the Tunia being the cause as it was out of sight and I the unit was set to radio. When I did consider it I tried it with another cheap charger and it was the same. Tried it again with a better quality branded one, a Griffin, and been perfect ever since. Tried the cheaper chargers again to confirm the cause and interference returned.

Don’t know anything about the reasons for this but it made a huge difference in quality.

 

[Timmyboybunter]

The only thing I’d say to be aware of as a possible issue is the quality of the charger you plug it into.

Thanks for the tip Andy. I have suffered over the years from toying around with cheap tatty electronics - last bitten on my E85 using one of those bluetooth FM transmitters - terrible interference.

However, I see in your signature you have iDrive in your E89 same as mine - is there a reason you use a dedicated charger for the Tunai rather than one of the built in USB ports? The one by the aux port for example, makes for a nice tidy installation.

(I do have a pretty decent cigarette lighter charger for the rare occasions my phone needs a charge, just because it outputs enough power to quick charge my phone)

 

[Timmyboybunter]

Sorry, eyes read sDrive, brain interpreted iDrive from your sig

Do non iDrive cars miss out on tbe USB ports then I guess?

 

[Argyll Andy]

Sorry, eyes read sDrive, brain interpreted iDrive from your sig

Do non iDrive cars miss out on tbe USB ports then I guess?

No bother, I didn’t realise there was a difference between the models - still learning.

No I don’t have a USB, just an additional power socket under the armrest which I had a cigarette lighter charger plugged in to then the Tunia plugged into using the aux socket there too.

You’ll not have that issue with the pre installed USB

 

[Timmyboybunter]

Some very random updates....

Wheels

My mate came good with the snapped bolt and managed to drill it out using a table drill. He did say he caught the top of the thread, but it looks ok to me. Had a message from my refurb chap, he hopes to get them back to me this weekend. I have blue threadlock already, so good to go.

I've posted elsewhere in the wheel forum, but having Googled a bit the general consensus is that no sealant of any kind is required between the split rim pieces for these type of wheels, I've also bought some 'Race Glaze Nano' sealant which I'll apply prior to assembling the wheels.

I also need a full set of non run flat tyres, currently looking at Hankook Ventus V12's as a mid range option (£119 rear, £81 front - exactlly £400 for the set fitted) but would be good to hear opinions on other options.


Music

I've used the Firefly for a few trips now, including some near 3 hour drives - it works very well, sound quality is excellent (as long as you have the phone volume around 70% or it distorts), no bluetooth drop-outs, it just sits plugged into the USB port and powers on/off with the car and connects without issue to my phone; basically a faff-free solution which was what I was looking for.

Also finally got around to sorting out a small selection of MP3s just for some added convenience - chose around 130, then used a free program called 'MP3tag' to sort out any missing artist/track/album data etc. Loaded onto the car using the glovebox port, all working nicely. Bit disappointed to find no album art displays on the iDrive screen (also checked using a USB drive in the armrest - same result) but I'm possibly expecting too much from a 10 year old car!

Installed a 'Yosh' magnetic phone holder - used one on my E85 and they work very well.



Random question: I can't seem to get the spoken navigation instructions very loud - I know the volume needs to be adjusted when an instruction is being read, and that works fine, but the 'max' volume just isn't very loud. Fine for normal driving, but at motorway speeds with the top down it's quite hard to hear.


Auto folding mirrors

I enabled this with Carly when I bought the car but could never figure out how/when this should be working - though a couple of times they DID fold when I left the car so assumed I had some kind of fault. Turns out you just need to hold the 'lock' button on the remote just slightly longer to fold the mirrors, now works every time I want it to. Doh.


Steering wheel

No sign of any heated wheels yet, which doesn't surprise me in the slightest
I have however bought an M-Sport wheel (not yet fitted) to replace my standard wheel - I did a similar swap in my E85 and much prefer the chunky thick rim over the thin standard one. I'm not overly fond of the black multi function button surrounds though so will probably swap over from my current wheel. I found a post from someone else who has done the same, looks like the below which I think looks great but won't be everyone's cup of tea:

 

[Timmyboybunter]

Arm rest/cup holders

My commute to work, thankfully only every couple of weeks, is 150 miles each way - 2.5 to 3 hours. Having a coffee mid way through that breaks the journey up nicely but I don't want to be stopping at services. My car came with the arm rest cup holders, which do work fine but mean you have to travel with the arm rest raised to use them - bit daft. Together with the very-out-of-date phone cradle means this storage space is a bit wasted, so I've fitted the full tray option instead.

Before starting - excuse the spilt coffee



Remove the rubber mats in both cup holder sections to reveal 2 of the 4 screws. The other 2 are underneath the phone cradle - I did crack this unfortunately, as do most people it seems when removing it, despite trying to be as gentle as possible.



Removing the tray leaves you with this: (that PCB is the last thing that needs to be removed so the leads can be tucked away neatly)



And finally the new tray fitted with mat in place - much better!



And so onto the cup holder conundrum. How hard can it be? Fairly

Here's the first attempt - only around £6 to £8 depending on where you buy from:



It has 2 quite sharp bits of plastic on the rear which dig into the leather on the arm rest:



Which are easily removed/smoothed with a dremel:



But, the outer edige of the unit is still too thin and sharp and would damage the leather, especially when the car is in motion. I bought some cheap rubber edging:




This is a lot better and should not leave any marks. Pic installed



Looks a bit naff, but easily removed and tucked behind the passenger seat as I'd only use it on long journeys.
You can also buy this same item with a very cheap looking fake leather cover which I think is applied to the front and rear, which would probably offer the same protection as my rubber strip.

 

[Timmyboybunter]

I've also bought this one just as a comparison/possibly better match to my interior - for the sake of another £9 I don't mind exploring the option.

 

[Silverstar]

Some very random updates....

Wheels

My mate came good with the snapped bolt and managed to drill it out using a table drill. He did say he caught the top of the thread, but it looks ok to me. Had a message from my refurb chap, he hopes to get them back to me this weekend. I have blue threadlock already, so good to go.

I've posted elsewhere in the wheel forum, but having Googled a bit the general consensus is that no sealant of any kind is required between the split rim pieces for these type of wheels, I've also bought some 'Race Glaze Nano' sealant which I'll apply prior to assembling the wheels.

I also need a full set of non run flat tyres, currently looking at Hankook Ventus V12's as a mid range option (£119 rear, £81 front - exactlly £400 for the set fitted) but would be good to hear opinions on other options.

For not much more I purchased Goodyear Eagles F1 Asy 3, they cost me around 440 GBP the tyre shop told me that the F1 Asy 5 were more or less the same price but decided on the Asy 3 apparently they are a bit quieter. I have read some people on this forum mention Vredestein Vortrak (not sure how you spell it) are good mid range tyres.

Regarding the phone cradle I got as far as your first image but I couldn't figure out how to remove the black cable with the PCB from the phone cradle without hacking it, so how did you remove it? and can it be put back together again if needed (for whatever reason).

 

[Timmyboybunter]

Ta for the tyre tips - visited a few more online retailers and can also throw in Toyo Proxes, Pirelli Pzero and Bridgestone Turanza into the mix with the Goodyear you suggest at a similar price, will think about it for another week or so.

On the PCB, yes had me stumped for a bit as I was pulling the wrong bit. See this photo I found on the web and then professionally updated



I tried to pull the black plastic looking bit away from the silver square bit, horizontally to the PCB - that is wrong, it is attached and will not remove. Instead you need to pull the silver square bit up and away from the PCB (i.e pull perpendicular to the PCB) so basically that whole cable including the silver square will come away. On the other side of that square is the little connection socket which is visible on the outside of the cradle when it sits in the arm rest - you're literally pulling that little socket backwards through the PCB.

When the PCB is off, that cable and the rectangular black plastic moulding a couple of inches just before the end of it can be tucked away through the hole underneath the oddments tray.

 

[Silverstar]

Thanks for the tip, but the problem I am facing is how to get this PCB board out of the black phone cradle without breaking it apart. This is how far I got before I got stuck as to how to remove the black cable, which I now see is attached to that PCB board.

 

[Timmyboybunter]

Ah, ok see what you mean. That cradle is actually 2 pieces, so the bit that the cables plug into completely separates from the outer section - mine was easy-ish to remove as the front bit (the bit with the big push down button) had cracked, so I could easily pry the inner bit out. There are a few more plastic tabs to ease open though - I'll get another photo.

 

[Anonymous]

For reference you can get artwork to be displayed with your setup but the picture tagging seems to be an inconsistent process...I only ever got about 60% of my library to display artwork...in the end after weeks of struggling I used an old iPhone as an iPod via the usb / lightning connectors and that works perfectly

 

[Timmyboybunter]

Interesting thanks - bit of Googling shows it to be a very frequently asked question. I'll have a play around.

 

[Rassi]

Just a heads up that https://www.hubauer-shop.de (BMW online dealer) are selling the 19" Style 276 as a set for 623 euro (free shipping over 290 euro, delivered to Belgium) with handling it comes to 647 euro. I just ordered a set, which will allow me to sell on my current set.

You need to order #36116782908 (rear) and #36116782907 (front). Think it is an absolute bargain (17” is twice the price), and I very much like the clean design.