My Third Zed Thread (2015 E89 sDrive35iS)

[Timmyboybunter]

Third Zed, third thread.

Been looking around for a while, fairly half heartedly, for a 35i / 35iS and also a SLK55 thrown in for good measure and to further complicate my thought process. Close to buying 2 SLK's, one I got outbid on, one I changed my mind on - prices of these are definitely on the increase, not as much as we've seen for 35iS models over the past 8 months though.

Thanks to Argyll Andy who put this car on my radar, also john-e89 for being a sounding board for a couple of other cars just at the beginning of the year.

This is a forum car, being owned by 'AlanG' from new - clearly an enthusiast who enjoyed and used it, but gave it a good old pampering over the years (servicing and general maintenance way above and beyond the call of duty/service schedules - 13 oil changes, for example). MOT'd and serviced the day before sale. Alan was a pleasure to deal with throughout - including a near 4 week wait between agreeing in principle on the phone and the car returning home from Spain!

My car:

2015 (October) sDrive35iS in mineral grey
Style 326M 19" wheels, Pilot Sport 4S all round
Coral red interior
44k when purchased, July 2021
Options when new: heated sports seats, heated steering wheel, iDrive, front/rear PDC, 11 speaker audio, folding/dimming mirrors, wind deflector, USB port, DAB radio, cruise control, enhanced bluetooth, lumbar support, rain sensor, auto lights, wind deflector, tyre pressure monitoring, extended lighting

Maintenance in my ownership:

Updated navigation maps (v2021-1)
Replaced salmon red roof relays

Mods to date: (* by AlanG)

Powerflex bushes*
Goodrich steel braided brake hoses*
Reconditioned/painted brake callipers*
Custom flat top/bottom M-sport style steering wheel*
Road Angel Pure (hard wired)*
Nextbase 522GW dashcam (hard wired)*
Tinted rear window*
Stubby aerial
Smart Top
MMI box

To do list:

Gummi Pflege
Lubricate roof
Heated wheel issue (fitted to my car as an option, but current custom wheel has no heated element )
Remove BMW logo from puddle lights

For sale ad: (deliberately used this picture - by a strange twist of fate, I bought these alloys off Alan for my 30i at the beginning of the year!)



July 2021:

 

[Timmyboybunter]

Part numbers, with prices if relevant:

Salmon relays: 12631742690

Sill cover trim clips: 51471840960

Stubby aerial: J6561N3 - £7.60 (Ebay - Peugeot/Citroen part number)

 

[Timmyboybunter]

Quick round up so far....

Smart top/stubby aerial removed from previous E89 fitted.













There was a blob of something sticky on top of the plastic cover which sits on top of the roof electronics - seems quite old, so nothing to worry about. Looks like possibly something from the roof hinges mechanism lubricants which has dripped.



Salmon relays replaced.

iDrive software already up to date, no update required.



Installed version 2021-1 for navigation maps (was on 2018-1) - not in so much of a hurry this time so generated my own lifetime FSC code as per comments from previous car. Fairly straightforward, though for some reason the USB drive I used for both listening to music AND updating the nav maps, could not be used to grab the necessary files for FSC code generationg - a random micro SD card in a reader worked first time though.



Various minor Carly tweaks made.

Removed illegal M-sport badges (one on each caliper, 1 on the gear shift surround base)

Removed M-sport colour fins from the front grille - not a fan, but each to their own.

Had a warning pop up for the offside rear tyre being low, the first day I had it on the road. Topped up, same warning popped up a week later - have found a puncture in the middle of the tread so will see if repairable or not.



Bought another MMI box as this is a must-do mod in my opinion - won't bore you with the details but see thread below:

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=130570

Finally, I managed to knock the driver side sill cover off the car (I think it's been knocked off before, hence why it was so easy to catch with my foot). 2 of the plastic pins broken, so ordered some new ones with spares for the next time my clown feet catch it.

 

[Argyll Andy]

Looking good bud, I’m looking forward to following your new thread and see what work, and expense, you get up to

Here’s to many happy miles and no sleepless nights :driving:

 

[Mr Tidy]

That's looking great Timmy.

Welcome to the 3+ Z4 club and keep enjoying your 35is. :driving:

As Andy says it'll be interesting to see what you get up to with this one!

 

[Ole gits rule]

Thats does look good and a bargain as well

 

[E89lust]

New car for you too, very nice choice of colour if I may say so! Do you have a picture of your steering wheel? it sounds good

 

[maxman]

Really like the colour,you seem to have bought well there Tim.

 

[tiglon]

Beautiful car, mineral grey is one of my favourite colours on the e89 and I'm very envious of the roads you have on that side of the country!

 

[Timmyboybunter]

New car for you too, very nice choice of colour if I may say so! Do you have a picture of your steering wheel? it sounds good

Yes indeed, funny to see 2 mineral grey examples arrive close together :lol:

Yours is a cracker, hope you're enjoying it. I've updated my first post, there is a picture of the wheel there.

Thanks everyone else for the comments

Puncture was able to be repaired, so £18 later I'm back on the road :driving:

 

[Timmyboybunter]

New cupholder has arrived from China...

Same as the beige one for the last car - haven't checked the colour match with Coral red yet!

 

[Timmyboybunter]

Spotted a small issue, first morning drive with a cloudy rear screen - only the top half of the heated window is clearing.

Looks like some fairly obvious breaks in the heating elements, which is annoying. Reasonably easy to fix but quite difficult to get neat, having done so on previous cars. The curve ball here is that the rear window is tinted, so there's no fix without tint removal.

I'm in 2 minds about the tint anyway. It looks cool yes, but at night the visibility out the back window (with the wind deflector fitted) is pretty much zero.

 

[Timmyboybunter]

Replacement MMI box has arrived, as promised by the SECOND seller, they've sent the original model.

Original model (which will be installed) on the left, newer model on the right. I've 'won' the PayPal claim against AliExpress, which means I've won the right to return it to China at a cost of £26, of which Paypal will then allow me to claim £15 back - so assuming it gets there, my claim is paid and the postage is refunded, I'll be £11 out of pocket due to the seller sending something completely different to what I ordered :headbang:

The risk of ordering cheap and cheerful goods!

 

[Ole gits rule]

Spotted a small issue, first morning drive with a cloudy rear screen - only the top half of the heated window is clearing.

Looks like some fairly obvious breaks in the heating elements, which is annoying. Reasonably easy to fix but quite difficult to get neat, having done so on previous cars. The curve ball here is that the rear window is tinted, so there's no fix without tint removal.

I'm in 2 minds about the tint anyway. It looks cool yes, but at night the visibility out the back window (with the wind deflector fitted) is pretty much zero.

Screen1.jpg

Screen2.jpg

The view out the back is pretty bad with the wind deflector never mind a tint, I would remove that for certain

 

[warmasice]

Nice ride. Just wanted to chip in an say there's no issue with lubricating the roof mechanism. I had a roof service done by a specialist (while the car was in for other work) and they lubricated all the hinges, pivot points and latches. Go for it.

 

[Zed Baron]

Nice car Tim, didn't realise that it was the one that had been advertised in Spain, wondered what happened to it... congratulations

 

[Timmyboybunter]

Nice car Tim, didn't realise that it was the one that had been advertised in Spain, wondered what happened to it... congratulations

Ta - yes it went a bit under the radar this one. I probably would have been slightly cautious myself had it not been for previous purchase and conversations with Alan the seller.

Nice ride. Just wanted to chip in an say there's no issue with lubricating the roof mechanism. I had a roof service done by a specialist (while the car was in for other work) and they lubricated all the hinges, pivot points and latches. Go for it.

Thanks, I agree in principal and happily lubricated my last E89 following the usual guides (and just generally, lubricating moving metal bits makes sense doesn't it?). The only reason I pause on this one is that the advice to NOT lubricate came from RobbiZ4, and he is pretty much the most knowledgeable person I have bumped into on my travels through the internet about the folding roof on these cars (including a 20 second, 100% correct diagnosis of a jerky roof on my last car).

I'll try and find the thread he posted in at some point and will link to it.

 

[Timmyboybunter]

I'll try and find the thread he posted in at some point and will link to it.

Here:

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=130468&start=45

I clearly scan read this post quickly, as Robbi isn't saying to NOT lubricate - just warning against spraying everything with silicon spray, including hall switches :headbang:

 

[warmasice]

No worries. Glad it's clear now.

 

[Pointy]

Looks good Timmy, I'm almost certain it'll be one of the nicest E89s around once you're done.

Still sad I missed out on your second Z4 when I saw it

(I settled on an E85 in the end - the weird guy from Devon!)