New E85 3.0i owner

owm said:
Next up is to study the rain sensor which is acting intermittently when auto wipers are on. Looks like the adhesive gel pad needs to be swapped out. Also need to troubleshoot on the PDC which is non operational :/

This could be something to do with the wiper motor needing a clean out, there is a thread on here about this. It maybe the reason your wipers are acting strange :)
Try this viewtopic.php?f=32&t=55535&p=1066012&hilit=wiper#p1066012
 
Hi there, thanks for the link which I am sure I will be carrying out as part of preventive maintenance since the car is 13+yrs old!

In my case, the rain sensor was acting wonky as the adhesive patch had air bubbles trapped underneath it, likely from when my solar film was installed on the windscreen. Pushed them out with a credit card, tested the sensor patch area with splashes of water and the wipers are functioning a-ok now :)

For those whose adhesive patches cannot be salvaged, you can buy new ones for GBP2.95 here:
http://www.rejel.com/rejel-store/rain-light-sensor-lens-pad/sensor103-1.aspx



firebobby said:
This could be something to do with the wiper motor needing a clean out, there is a thread on here about this. It maybe the reason your wipers are acting strange :)
Try this viewtopic.php?f=32&t=55535&p=1066012&hilit=wiper#p1066012
 
Decided to install the OEM clip-on wind blocker (only the center portion between the roll hoops) and bought a set from Ray off eBay who was a pleasure to deal with:
http://www.ebay.com/usr/raygharris?_trksid=p2047675.l2559


Items arrived within a week:
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Trial fitment for position and marking of the four holes required to be drilled into the existing front roll hoop covers:
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Attached and will likely permanently be in place:
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owm said:
Hey there!

I am in JB but the car is mostly in PJ :)

The roof motor boot relocation project is definitely something I will be carrying out but will need to familiarize myself with the car further. I gather you have an E85 as well? Glad to see another MY-plate Zee here as well! :)

Yup, brought the car back from UK 2 years ago. We actually got quite an active z4 whatsapp group here. Will be more than happy to invite you in if you want. Allot of local info and knowledge in there.
 
Thanks for the kind comments! The car is 13yrs old thus some work needs to be done to keep her in good running condition!
 
Well, my starter motor decided to suddenly and abruptly kick the bucket, stranding the car 5 storeys up which a tow truck could not enter. This necessitated an in situ repair which was carried out partially by me with the help of my regular mechanic on house call :-D


Procedures used were from here:
http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=359809
Excellent write-up and made the job a lot easier following it :)


Had to buy a Torx socket set to work on the Zee :-/
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No problem with the upper E10 mounting bolt but the bottom one was a bugbear which needed the mechanic help to break torque:
12814551_615035765314263_5584667335331960113_n.jpg



Original starter is made by Denso. Replacement is a Bosch unit:
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Whole job took around 1hr from to complete. Car fired up on the first crank and am a happy camper.
 
Been suffering from some wind noise coming from the seal between the rubber moulding of the soft top and the door glass. Did some reading and this excellent guide came up:
http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=74331
Followed it to carry out the adjustment on my Z.

This is the official BMW TIS on the various adjustments:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/29297520/RA%20%20Adjusting%20left%20or%20right%20front%20door%20window%20glass.PDF


Tools used:
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Location of the two rubber plugs under the door. The forward position one is where the 10mm bolt is found and the rear one is for the Torx screw:
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Glass camber 10mm bolt visible regardless of window position whilst the glass rake adjustment Torx screw visible only when the window is in full down position:
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Felt-lined the first aid box:
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Thinking of doing it to the side compartments in the door cards as well :D
 
Finally the gear console trim arrived and took time to replace the old one which had some paint bubbling likely due to when the EC rear mirror leaked during previous ownership tenure:
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Cleaned up the dust and dirt accumulated under the trim panels as much as possible without removing the center console:
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Added piece of felt strip on the bottom below the handbrake to protect the trim from incidental scratches from coins, phone etc.:
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New steering wheel emblem decal to replace the fading unit and diagnostics cable + software from bcables.com that is recommended by fellow owners on this forum:
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Been a while since we updated this thread.

Just did our ATF gasket, filter and fluid change at 80,000km as a preventive measure:
13450935_657890574362115_7875842587669710146_n.jpg
 
Finally carried out our roof motor relocation. Used the following guides to assist in the process which still took us 3hrs due to our fumbling/bumbling around :D

1. http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=85266...

2. http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=85311

3. http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1215892


Some photos taken during the process.

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The removed left side parcel shelf assembly to gain free access to the motor housing


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Borescope photo showing the second last cable tie cut. There is a lower one which was the hardest to gain access to


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The last cable tie (hardest to reach/see) to be cut off to fully free the hydraulic line


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Our motor housing was in pretty good shape fortunately


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The freed motor out of the stock position over the drain area


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Motor is in pretty good nick compared to some others I have come across on the Internet.
 
Installed Dan's ram air scoop couple of days ago.

Original plastic trim compared to the metal scoop:
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Really dusty and dirty in there:
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Scoop installed. Only used 2 mounting points as I couldn't get the uppermost screw in due to my fat hands :)
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Relocated the roof motor to the cavity and wrapped it in closed cell foam sheet under a wool sock:
14067621_689382017879637_604225649198839679_n.jpg



Panel made from HDF wrapped in carpet material and velcroed in place:
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Replaced the Tyco relays with new units to solve the unlocking issue that was sporadically getting worse as time went by:
14542500_711863832298122_2196860404024478577_o.jpg


This was one of the most painful jobs ever undertaken. The thick conformal coating had to be scrapped off before using a soldering iron and the working area was really small and confined. In the end, I had to get a professional to help finish the work as I was worried I would have damaged the board if I had continued on:
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owm said:
Relocated the roof motor to the cavity and wrapped it in closed cell foam sheet under a wool sock:
14067621_689382017879637_604225649198839679_n.jpg



Panel made from HDF wrapped in carpet material and velcroed in place:
14034860_689382037879635_3186136080183349414_n.jpg

This looks like one of the tidiest roof relocation set-ups I've seen! Good job!
 
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