My Z4C Journey
- Thread starter idej_z4
- Start date
I then found some polished chrome radio buttons that allowed me to get rid of the scuffed rubber ones - I'm a stickler for not having a single mark on my car so the radio buttons really annoyed me:
Looking good, could you Please tell Me Where these are From I've been looking for a set of chrome buttons for a while
Looking good, could you Please tell Me Where these are From I've been looking for a set of chrome buttons for a while
M1ghty_m0use said:I then found some polished chrome radio buttons that allowed me to get rid of the scuffed rubber ones - I'm a stickler for not having a single mark on my car so the radio buttons really annoyed me:
Looking good, could you Please tell Me Where these are From I've been looking for a set of chrome buttons for a while
Here you go. Cheaper than the plastic ones!
http://www.nm-motorsport.com/bmw-chrome-radio-knob-e46-e85-e86-z4-c2x21297281
idej_jedi said:M1ghty_m0use said:I then found some polished chrome radio buttons that allowed me to get rid of the scuffed rubber ones - I'm a stickler for not having a single mark on my car so the radio buttons really annoyed me:
Looking good, could you Please tell Me Where these are From I've been looking for a set of chrome buttons for a while
Here you go. Cheaper than the plastic ones!
http://www.nm-motorsport.com/bmw-chrome-radio-knob-e46-e85-e86-z4-c2x21297281
Bloody marvellous thanks, keep up the good work
Front bumper project is a go! All the parts have now arrived.
I know that the best looking bumper is an //M bumper...but my car isn't an //M and for that reason I feel like its cheating putting an //M bumper on. All personal choice of course.
So, what I'm doing is revamping my Si bumper. I've got some covers to replace the condensation happy fog lights (which I'll get sprayed). Mesh grilles for both the bottom section and the kidney grilles...now these clip over the existing plastics but I'm aiming to remove the slats from the kidney grilles with some cutting and sanding, then take out the bottom grille completely and replace it with the new mesh grille that matches the kidney grilles. Finally I've got a cheap rubber splitter to finish it off at the bottom. I figure if it comes off it'll be cheap to replace.
Oh, and I'm going to get the side reflectors filled in and sprayed as part of a whole bumper respray.
The only thing I can't decide is whether or not I should spray the bottom lip of the bumper black or leave it as it is????
Here are the bits:
I know that the best looking bumper is an //M bumper...but my car isn't an //M and for that reason I feel like its cheating putting an //M bumper on. All personal choice of course.
So, what I'm doing is revamping my Si bumper. I've got some covers to replace the condensation happy fog lights (which I'll get sprayed). Mesh grilles for both the bottom section and the kidney grilles...now these clip over the existing plastics but I'm aiming to remove the slats from the kidney grilles with some cutting and sanding, then take out the bottom grille completely and replace it with the new mesh grille that matches the kidney grilles. Finally I've got a cheap rubber splitter to finish it off at the bottom. I figure if it comes off it'll be cheap to replace.
Oh, and I'm going to get the side reflectors filled in and sprayed as part of a whole bumper respray.
The only thing I can't decide is whether or not I should spray the bottom lip of the bumper black or leave it as it is????
Here are the bits:
Ahh the front bumper project reveal! I'd go for an aero front bumper, but mines a pre so makes sense! Adds that M stance whilst not being a M and 'cheating'. Was potentially going for a M but it all fell through. I figured it was for the best as I like (to use when necessary) the fog lights. Are you doing the arch reflector delete you spoke about on another post? Look forward to more pics/updates! 
idej_jedi said:
Thanks for this, ordered the bulbs and have fitted them to the footwells and boot so far. The interior light ones haven't shown up yet so cant comment on them. But the footwells/boot are a big improvement on the aged yellow light of the originals.
Just a word of caution for E85 owners. Don't order the bulbs for the boot, they don't fit our cars as the E85 has a different boot light to the E86. In fact our single boot light is the same light unit as the footwell, so you need an extra one of the footwell bulbs. Fortunately I ordered a pack of 4!
So these arrived today...
When I got my Z I quickly realised that the seatbelt rubbed my neck on longer trips so I bought some cheap carbon fibre effect BMW pads (as shown below).
These were okay but didn't that long so I did some long searching and found these bad boys on eBay. I couldn't find the colours that I wanted so contacted the seller and they said they could do any colour combo I wanted right down to the stitching. Very happy with the fit, quality and comfort. Plus they look proper cool.
When I got my Z I quickly realised that the seatbelt rubbed my neck on longer trips so I bought some cheap carbon fibre effect BMW pads (as shown below).
These were okay but didn't that long so I did some long searching and found these bad boys on eBay. I couldn't find the colours that I wanted so contacted the seller and they said they could do any colour combo I wanted right down to the stitching. Very happy with the fit, quality and comfort. Plus they look proper cool.
kis said:Ahh the front bumper project reveal! I'd go for an aero front bumper, but mines a pre so makes sense! Adds that M stance whilst not being a M and 'cheating'. Was potentially going for a M but it all fell through. I figured it was for the best as I like (to use when necessary) the fog lights. Are you doing the arch reflector delete you spoke about on another post? Look forward to more pics/updates!
Was told today that the filler for the reflector would get expensive...not sure its worth it?!? They did say I could spray it but it would still have the edge so would look weird. Going to speak to another sprayer and was thinking maybe they can fill the gaps around the reflector rather than pulling it out and fill the whole thing...which should be cheaper!
mr wilks said:
They are RIVA DTMs Andy...have I gone the wrong way on the profile? This wheel shizzle is hard work! I was told by a friend that 40 profile was safer for the rims...although maybe that didn't factor in the lowering? Either way, next set of tyres will be 225s
idej_jedi said:
No way. It shouldn't be expensive for a tiny bit of filler.
I wouldn't filler around it without taking it off, as it won't have bonded properly and would probably be very susceptible to cracking, along the 'outline' of the reflector. Not certain of this mind, but wouldn't want to run the risk? I wouldn't bother with the filler unless you're getting it sprayed anyway. Probably work out expensive just for reflector delete! BUT if you are, then definitely get a second or even third opinion and quote.
Have a look at youtube? It's a fairly simple process like this one. If you're getting it sprayed anyway, then why not have a stab at it?
kis said:idej_jedi said:
No way. It shouldn't be expensive for a tiny bit of filler.
I wouldn't filler around it without taking it off, as it won't have bonded properly and would probably be very susceptible to cracking, along the 'outline' of the reflector. Not certain of this mind, but wouldn't want to run the risk? I wouldn't bother with the filler unless you're getting it sprayed anyway. Probably work out expensive just for reflector delete! BUT if you are, then definitely get a second or even third opinion and quote.
Have a look at youtube? It's a fairly simple process like this one. If you're getting it sprayed anyway, then why not have a stab at it?
Thanks for the heads up, and the link to the video! I am getting it fully resprayed as its had some work done on a repair and the respray job was very poor (its peeling where the guy did it). I'll get some more quotes before I settle.
Finally got around to doing the dash carbon fibre. I went for the dark grey as I think black is a bit too dark. God knows how I'm going to do the trim around the gear stick. I started following the guide and couldn't get past step one! I'm hoping to find a forum member I can bribe / pay / steal who has done it before to give me a hand!
Here are the dash pieces:
Here are the dash pieces:
Today I fitted the Storm Motorworks V4 Weighted Short Throw Shift Knob and V4 Handbrake Handle - both with the leather trim. The weight and look of them is awesome and they feel great...but...the leather slides around a bit so I'm considering sliding a bit of glue down to get it to stay. Other than that they're a great mod if a little pricey.
As most of the grunt work is finished on 'Project Front Bumper' I thought I'd do a write up and give an update.
I started with the grilles. The mesh pieces I bought to replace it were designed to sit over the existing slats. This wasn't the look I wanted so decided to see if I could remove the slats but still keep the frame of the kidney grilles. Out came the hacksaw and after a couple of hours careful sawing I had removed the slats and was able to slot the mesh grilles around the silver frame. They went back in nice and easy and overall I was very happy with the result. I've still got a bit of tweaking to do to get them to fit absolutely perfectly but for now they're good enough:
Next it was onto the lower grille...to do this I needed to remove the front bumper. I followed the guides from the forum and had it done in no time - it’s worth mentioning that the guide I used didn't mention disconnection the washer jets or the fog lights. The fog lights are easy, just a simple clip, but I didn’t want mesh with the washer jets, but thankfully there was enough give to pull the bumper out far enough to do what I wanted:
I've replaced a lower plastic grille on a Corsa before, so I assumed it would be similar...take the bumper off, unclip the plastic and bobs your trouser leg. Sadly, it wasn't that simple! The lower grille piece on a 3.0si also forms part of the skid plate (basically it’s all one piece) and the fog lights obstruct you removing the plastic grille:
Thankfully I already had the replacement covers for the fog lights which I'm getting sprayed as part of this project, so it was three screws and away they go. Next, what to do with the grille...out came the hacksaw again and after an hour of 'hacking' I managed to remove the central part of the grille. Unfortunately, I couldn't do the left and right solid pieces (I wanted a clear gap in the lower section) as the mesh piece I was installing screwed into the front of the grille at the left and right hand side.
Hacking done, I clipped the grille piece back in and began retracing my steps. Everything was going well...I even managed to line the bonnet up with the bumper pretty much dead on, until it came to the last piece the plastic rivets for the arch lining:
There are 8 of these to go in, and nowhere does it explain in the bumper removal guide when you follow the steps backwards you'll have any issues. I spent over 1 hour trying to get these little bits of plastic to go back in - I even recruited my neighbour to try and help. I genuinely thought I was being an idiot. So, when all hope was gone, I called on the forum. Thankfully some kind sole pointed me in the direction of another thread on another forum and alerted me to the fact they are 'one time use only' (cheers BMW). So, I hopped in the Mr’s motor and off to Halfords to get some new ones. They fit perfectly, and weirdly, can be used as many times as I want!
With everything back together I set about fixing the grille. Four screws into the plastic and it was done. I really wanted it to sit flush at the back of the grille area, but as the piece was designed to go over the existing plastic (although god knows how with how far the lip comes out on the standard si bumper) it flexes to curve towards the front of bumper - that is the only thing I don't like about the new mesh grille - it curves towards the front of the lower lip. Other than that though I'm really happy. The Mr’s says it makes it look more modern and aggressive, so if she says that (and she really has very little interest in cars) then it must at least look better.
Now I just have to wait several weeks to get it resprayed (along with the foglight covers) and then fit the black rubber splitter.
Here is the before and after from the front:
And a before and after from distance to see the complete effect:
I started with the grilles. The mesh pieces I bought to replace it were designed to sit over the existing slats. This wasn't the look I wanted so decided to see if I could remove the slats but still keep the frame of the kidney grilles. Out came the hacksaw and after a couple of hours careful sawing I had removed the slats and was able to slot the mesh grilles around the silver frame. They went back in nice and easy and overall I was very happy with the result. I've still got a bit of tweaking to do to get them to fit absolutely perfectly but for now they're good enough:
Next it was onto the lower grille...to do this I needed to remove the front bumper. I followed the guides from the forum and had it done in no time - it’s worth mentioning that the guide I used didn't mention disconnection the washer jets or the fog lights. The fog lights are easy, just a simple clip, but I didn’t want mesh with the washer jets, but thankfully there was enough give to pull the bumper out far enough to do what I wanted:
I've replaced a lower plastic grille on a Corsa before, so I assumed it would be similar...take the bumper off, unclip the plastic and bobs your trouser leg. Sadly, it wasn't that simple! The lower grille piece on a 3.0si also forms part of the skid plate (basically it’s all one piece) and the fog lights obstruct you removing the plastic grille:
Thankfully I already had the replacement covers for the fog lights which I'm getting sprayed as part of this project, so it was three screws and away they go. Next, what to do with the grille...out came the hacksaw again and after an hour of 'hacking' I managed to remove the central part of the grille. Unfortunately, I couldn't do the left and right solid pieces (I wanted a clear gap in the lower section) as the mesh piece I was installing screwed into the front of the grille at the left and right hand side.
Hacking done, I clipped the grille piece back in and began retracing my steps. Everything was going well...I even managed to line the bonnet up with the bumper pretty much dead on, until it came to the last piece the plastic rivets for the arch lining:
There are 8 of these to go in, and nowhere does it explain in the bumper removal guide when you follow the steps backwards you'll have any issues. I spent over 1 hour trying to get these little bits of plastic to go back in - I even recruited my neighbour to try and help. I genuinely thought I was being an idiot. So, when all hope was gone, I called on the forum. Thankfully some kind sole pointed me in the direction of another thread on another forum and alerted me to the fact they are 'one time use only' (cheers BMW). So, I hopped in the Mr’s motor and off to Halfords to get some new ones. They fit perfectly, and weirdly, can be used as many times as I want!
With everything back together I set about fixing the grille. Four screws into the plastic and it was done. I really wanted it to sit flush at the back of the grille area, but as the piece was designed to go over the existing plastic (although god knows how with how far the lip comes out on the standard si bumper) it flexes to curve towards the front of bumper - that is the only thing I don't like about the new mesh grille - it curves towards the front of the lower lip. Other than that though I'm really happy. The Mr’s says it makes it look more modern and aggressive, so if she says that (and she really has very little interest in cars) then it must at least look better.
Now I just have to wait several weeks to get it resprayed (along with the foglight covers) and then fit the black rubber splitter.
Here is the before and after from the front:
And a before and after from distance to see the complete effect: