My Silver ‘04 Zed Thread

chrisgreen

Member
 Bristol
Always regretted not doing one of these for my m3 and it got so far that I couldn’t face the prospect of going back from 2 years worth of photos and work so thought I’d start a fresh with the z4.

With the departure of my mk4 golf which id owned for 10 years I decided to invest in a nice daily driver.

I'd make the mistake in the past of always buying the first car I saw and getting too excited and parting with cash before my brain had fully engaged! so this time I searched for about a month when I came across this lovely example in Edinburgh with 60k miles, heated seats, Bluetooth, oem wind deflector, immaculate paintwork which had been freshly detailed and new brakes all round. The underbody was also exceptionally clean and had only done about 2k miles over the last few years so I assume had just been used as a summer car. A few calls with the seller confirmed he too was an enthusiast and had looked after the car - with that I booked a sleazyjet flight to Edinburgh and picked her up!

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The drive home back to Bristol was long (google said 7 hours but it was more like 13!) anyway all was good apart from dreadful tramlining and the car trying to kill me on the motorway.

First job was noise - so sound generator foam removed and wow what a difference it made. I only removed the first part as didn’t want the car to be overly loud but it sounds great!
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The m54 engine is really lovely and sweet sounding so this modification really enjoys the experience without any drone.

Next job was an oil change and full service - the state of the oil filter!!
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I also got the car fully undersealed ready for winter duties!
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Was also on the original spark plugs so they were definitely due a change
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Changing the plugs made a huge difference to the throttle response - so much more responsive even not on sport mode.

Next was the tatty old interior plastics - sure I could have gone oem but fancied a little change - so got some nice suede type material from fleabay and wrapped them. Very pleased with the results
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Car also developed a slight misfire but new coils rectified that
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Weekend away in Pembrokeshire and the zed was loving it - apart from the tramlining!
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Tyres were finally addressed - the rears already had non run flats but the fronts were rft so the handling was interesting to say the least. Went for some Goodyear eagle f1s on the front which has transformed the car! Forgot to take a picture but great service from kwik fit mobile after got mucked about by local tyre fitters.

That brings me up to date- next on the list is cruise control and a new gearknob - fancied something different from the 'ZHP' so going down the bmw performance gearknob which I believe is stainless steel and alcantara.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-BMW-PERFORMANCE-GEAR-KNOB-FOR-3-SERIES-Ex-MODELS-25110429269/253302784367?epid=1609548814&hash=item3afa05c16f:g:Iq0AAOSw~kZZkVjW

On the whole very much enjoying z4 life - so much so I rarely drive my m3 now - just sits on the drive looking pretty!
 
Nice write up :thumbsup: important bits first, of course! I'd recommend eibach springs if it's on originals and spacers if you're keeping the standard alloys.

Oh and definitely a strut brace for these barges!
 
ben g said:
strut brace

Which one would you recommend ?
(I also have a pre face 3L m54)


Nice thread OP.
Both bits of sound gen foam out are a bit much with the roof up. But fine (better imo) with the roof down.
 
Nice car.

On the gearknob I would recommend Stormwerks V2, very weighty, really smooths out the change and real high quality engineering.

http://www.storm-motorwerks.com/interior/bmw/shift_knobs_v2/
 
Please excuse my probably dumb question that's probably been asked a thousand times but what's the sound generator foam????

I've only had my car 3 weeks now and eager to get modding!!
 
Steve.Eagle said:
Please excuse my probably dumb question that's probably been asked a thousand times but what's the sound generator foam????

I've only had my car 3 weeks now and eager to get modding!!

Its 2 pieces of foam inside a plastic tube that goes from the airbox into the bulkhead behind the dash. You can just pull the tube out at the bulkhead end and fish out one or both pieces of foam to change the level of noise you hear in the cabin - 2 minute job. I removed the smaller bit a few weeks ago and did notice a nice step up in sound, may try taking both out but a lot on here say that the noise is then ear splitting :o Like you I'm new to Z4 ownership , next on my list is the CDV delete.
 
Steve.Eagle said:
Please excuse my probably dumb question that's probably been asked a thousand times but what's the sound generator foam????

I've only had my car 3 weeks now and eager to get modding!!

Yep it’s an easy mod - but only on 3ltr zed - BMw didn’t put one on the 2.5 or below
 
Vornwend said:
the noise is then ear splitting

It's not to bad at all with the roof down, just sounds like an induction kit. With the roof up it can resonate in the cabin but depends largely on how you use the throttle. I drove a 1000 miles around Europe this summer with both bits of foam out (roof up and down) and it was fine, they've been out ever since. But then I like noisy cars :D

chrisgreen said:
Yep it’s an easy mod - but only on 3ltr zed - BMw didn’t put one on the 2.5 or below

You can buy the sound generator and retrofit to engines that didn't come with it, like the 2.5L
 
LordOxygen said:
Vornwend said:
the noise is then ear splitting

It's not to bad at all with the roof down, just sounds like an induction kit. With the roof up it can resonate in the cabin but depends largely on how you use the throttle. I drove a 1000 miles around Europe this summer with both bits of foam out (roof up and down) and it was fine, they've been out ever since. But then I like noisy cars :D

chrisgreen said:
Yep it’s an easy mod - but only on 3ltr zed - BMw didn’t put one on the 2.5 or below

You can buy the sound generator and retrofit to engines that didn't come with it, like the 2.5L
Yup, mine was retrofitted by the previous owner. :)
 
New bmw performance gearknob arrived tonight - I like it. Very short throw and feels weighty. Just need an alcantara gaiter to match

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chrisgreen said:
Steve.Eagle said:
Please excuse my probably dumb question that's probably been asked a thousand times but what's the sound generator foam????

I've only had my car 3 weeks now and eager to get modding!!

Yep it’s an easy mod - but only on 3ltr zed - BMw didn’t put one on the 2.5 or below

Damn, that's me out then..... mines a 2.5!
 
This should be an interesting read as time goes by OP. :thumbsup:

BTW I love the Ellipsoid wheels - plus they're much easier to clean than MV2s, and won't deteriorate like 108s!

Mine had the foam out when I got it, and a non-standard rear box so that covered the noise aspect!

I've bought a set of winters that aren't RFTs, so I've just to get them fitted to see how that goes!

I like your new knob (!) but I'm still happy I bought a ZHP!

Looks like maybe I need to start a thread once I've got the non-RFTs on! :lol:
 
Vornwend said:
Steve.Eagle said:
Please excuse my probably dumb question that's probably been asked a thousand times but what's the sound generator foam????

I've only had my car 3 weeks now and eager to get modding!!

Its 2 pieces of foam inside a plastic tube that goes from the airbox into the bulkhead behind the dash. You can just pull the tube out at the bulkhead end and fish out one or both pieces of foam to change the level of noise you hear in the cabin - 2 minute job. I removed the smaller bit a few weeks ago and did notice a nice step up in sound, may try taking both out but a lot on here say that the noise is then ear splitting :o Like you I'm new to Z4 ownership , next on my list is the CDV delete.

Thanks for the info there..... I'd have used it if my car was a 3.0l but sadly it's a 2.5l so apparently it's not applicable anyway.

What's the CDV delete??
 
The CDV is a Clutch Delay Valve.

It basically "damps" the engagement of the clutch by restricting the flow of hydraulic fluid.

It is designed to limit potential damage to the drive-train if you are ham-fisted operating a clutch on a manual car - or a "stick-shift" as they called it in the country where our cars were built!

If you can drive a manual car properly you'll find it much better to drive if the CDV is gone. As I understand it you just detach the hydraulic hose from the valve which is in the slave cylinder, then unscrew the CDV, throw it away and screw the hose straight into the cylinder - but I'm pretty sure there is a "How To" on here if you plan on DIY.

My Z4 didn't have one when I got it, and I had it taken out of my E46 when I had it serviced last month - it's a huge improvement! You never kangaroo like a learner once it's gone. :lol:
 
LordOxygen said:
ben g wrote: ↑Wed Dec 20, 2017 5:38 pmstrut brace

Which one would you recommend ?
(I also have a pre face 3L m54)


Nice thread OP.
Both bits of sound gen foam out are a bit much with the roof up. But fine (better imo) with the roof down.

I don't know anything about strut braces, but spotted this earlier and wondered if it was of any use to either of you! :thumbsup:

http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=102402
 
LordOxygen said:
ben g said:
strut brace

Which one would you recommend ?
(I also have a pre face 3L m54)


Nice thread OP.
Both bits of sound gen foam out are a bit much with the roof up. But fine (better imo) with the roof down.

I've got a cosmo racing aluminium 3 piece strut brace on mine. It does the job, just wish it waa black, so as not to be so bling bling.

DSC_0807.JPG
 
ben g said:
I've got a cosmo racing aluminium 3 piece strut brace on mine. It does the job, just wish it waa black, so as not to be so bling bling.

Why, I thought bling was the way to go these days! :D
 
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