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nfbr's 2007 Ruby Black Z4 Coupé! Blog/Build-Thread
- Thread starter nfbr
- Start date
Good work! I'd been a little tempted to replace some of the bulbs with LED's, but am not sure if I prefer the warmer light of the normal bulbs...
Do report back on the K&N filter once you've had a chance to road test it for a bit; I'd be very interested in feedback!
Do report back on the K&N filter once you've had a chance to road test it for a bit; I'd be very interested in feedback!
Z4M-2006 said:
Yeah, slightly cheesy, but at least you actually have an ///M...
Saw a local 318i with 'M Sport' badges all over it today. It made me feel slightly sad? disappointed? confused? hurt? lol.
Then I remembered that despite mine not being an 'M' it still has 'M' logos on the wheels and the steering wheel. D'oh!
Ed Doe said:
Actually, I know what you mean! The standard incandescent filament bulbs do give very much a 'candle warmth' feel to the light. Even though they don't look as modern / bright - they do seem to give a mood to the interior.
shortfuse 2
Senior member
looking good keep the good work up 
So again, It's my weekend off and my fantastic Director has allowed me to utilise the workshop again 
*Could not be more grateful!!!*
For the first of three jobs today, I've swapped out the original filament bulb sidelights for some nice white LED ones!
Firstly. Here's a pic of the standard 'candles' powered up...
Up on the ramp, with the wheels off and the arch liner access panel removed.
Removing the headlamp rear cover is a bit of a bitch! The aperture it sits within is blocked top and bottom by the adjuster blocks and at one side by the slam panel/rad frame.
A little fiddly to grab a hold of but the sidelight holders are just below the high beam bulb and simply pull out (sorry for the poor photo)
The finished job looks much more modern and clean! Less of the aged candle look.
Whilst I was doing this job, I also installed HID conversion kit from the guys at HIDs Direct, but I won't go too much into this as they appear to be frowned upon by the seniors on here.
Original Halogen bulbs with their dreadful yellow glow
I went for the H7 55w Slim Smart Canbus system with the 5000k Colour Temp bulbs. Beautiful crisp white light.
Really happy with the finished job! The colour temperature is just perfect and brings the car right up to date.
Looking forward to getting out on the un-lit roads tonight to see how much difference I can see!
Next job due as soon as I've finished editing/uploading the photos!
*Could not be more grateful!!!*For the first of three jobs today, I've swapped out the original filament bulb sidelights for some nice white LED ones!
Firstly. Here's a pic of the standard 'candles' powered up...
Up on the ramp, with the wheels off and the arch liner access panel removed.
Removing the headlamp rear cover is a bit of a bitch! The aperture it sits within is blocked top and bottom by the adjuster blocks and at one side by the slam panel/rad frame.
A little fiddly to grab a hold of but the sidelight holders are just below the high beam bulb and simply pull out (sorry for the poor photo)
The finished job looks much more modern and clean!
Less of the aged candle look.
Whilst I was doing this job, I also installed HID conversion kit from the guys at HIDs Direct, but I won't go too much into this as they appear to be frowned upon by the seniors on here.
Original Halogen bulbs with their dreadful yellow glow
I went for the H7 55w Slim Smart Canbus system with the 5000k Colour Temp bulbs. Beautiful crisp white light.
Really happy with the finished job! The colour temperature is just perfect and brings the car right up to date.
Looking forward to getting out on the un-lit roads tonight to see how much difference I can see!
Next job due as soon as I've finished editing/uploading the photos!
Given my findings last week when installing the K&N Panel filter (to revisit, the 75,000 mile / 7 year old car with a full BMW service history) the original air filter had never been changed. I couldn't sleep Sunday night thinking about whether the plugs had ever been done either, so Mondays first job was to get on the phone to my NGK Supplier and get a set of NGK (1208) ILZFR6D-11 Iridium Spark plugs ordered up. After being told £12.79 per plug, I decided to have a quick scan on eBay and came across a listing at £39.99 for a set of 6 brand new boxed plugs where a guy had bought some new - and never got around to fitting them to his car - Happy days! 
So the first part of the job is to whip off the engine cover - Dead easy, just lift at each of the four corners.
I made sure to spray a bit of silicon spray grease on the rubbers when the cover was off to make it easier to get back on.
It took me a minute to figure out the coilpacks being used to VAG cars... I used a flat screwdriver to pop the clips upwards
Then disconnected the plugs by pulling the top clip to a vertical position
Using the holes in the top clips, a firm tug and the coilpacks come out!
Once the coilpacks are out, it's then simply a case of using a ratchet, extension and spark plug socket to undo the plugs
*At this point I've got to thank my colleague John for letting me use his tools*
The plugs have a very long thread on them, so take a while to wind out. Ideally once you've cracked them off with the ratchet, wind them out by hand.
A comparison of the original and replacement plugs - The originals were a bit black, but showed a nice clean burn - a nice golden brown at the tip.
The re-installation is the reverse of removal. When installing your new plugs, I recommend turning them anti-clockwise until you hear then 'click' into the thread, then gently wind them in by hand. If at this point they feel overly tight, stop what you are doing and consult a technician/mechanic/engineer to make sure it's right! You do not want to strip any thread in your cylinder head.
Ideally spray a little silicone spray lube on the inside of the coilpacks before re-installing them, give the coilpacks a good firm push once sat square on your plugs, then clip the wiring back in.
Pop the engine cover back on and you are done!
Once you are sure the engine bay is free of any tools you might have left hanging around, fire her up and make sure she runs smoothly!
If for any reason the car starts misfiring or spluttering, turn it off straight away and double check the coilpacks are: A- Pushed down properly, B- Connected properly.
I hope this 'build thread update' / 'guide' is usefull to a few people out there
So the first part of the job is to whip off the engine cover - Dead easy, just lift at each of the four corners.
I made sure to spray a bit of silicon spray grease on the rubbers when the cover was off to make it easier to get back on.
It took me a minute to figure out the coilpacks being used to VAG cars... I used a flat screwdriver to pop the clips upwards
Then disconnected the plugs by pulling the top clip to a vertical position
Using the holes in the top clips, a firm tug and the coilpacks come out!
Once the coilpacks are out, it's then simply a case of using a ratchet, extension and spark plug socket to undo the plugs
*At this point I've got to thank my colleague John for letting me use his tools*
The plugs have a very long thread on them, so take a while to wind out. Ideally once you've cracked them off with the ratchet, wind them out by hand.
A comparison of the original and replacement plugs - The originals were a bit black, but showed a nice clean burn - a nice golden brown at the tip.
The re-installation is the reverse of removal. When installing your new plugs, I recommend turning them anti-clockwise until you hear then 'click' into the thread, then gently wind them in by hand. If at this point they feel overly tight, stop what you are doing and consult a technician/mechanic/engineer to make sure it's right! You do not want to strip any thread in your cylinder head.
Ideally spray a little silicone spray lube on the inside of the coilpacks before re-installing them, give the coilpacks a good firm push once sat square on your plugs, then clip the wiring back in.
Pop the engine cover back on and you are done!
Once you are sure the engine bay is free of any tools you might have left hanging around, fire her up and make sure she runs smoothly!
If for any reason the car starts misfiring or spluttering, turn it off straight away and double check the coilpacks are: A- Pushed down properly, B- Connected properly.
I hope this 'build thread update' / 'guide' is usefull to a few people out there
Z4M-2006 said:
Running the forum search for 'HID' 'Xenon' and 'HID Kit' seems to bring back plenty of posts of people saying they are crap, will cause a fire, are useless and make no difference.
So probably best I keep my opinions on them to myself
Too many conflicting thoughts/ideas out there (especially from those with no experience! - which is my pet hate).Anyway...
For Job number three this weekend, I've set about getting rid of the 3.0si badges from the side and the Z4 badge from the rear hatch
Firstly - I washed the area where the badge was to get as much dirt off the paint as possible
The next task was to remove the badges themselves - I did this using dental floss as a cheesewire with a gentle sawing motion to cut through the adhesive.
I'd recommend not to pull the badge at any point as you could scratch or even dent your bodywork with the sharp edges of the plastic badge.
You'll be left with this mess...
Try to peal as much of it as you can by hand, just be carefull with your fingernails on the paint
I then removed the glue using 'Tardis' which is a valeting industry glue and tar remover
*Thanks go to my valeting colleague 'Jimmy the Hoover' for the loan of this stuff!*
Once all the glue was gone, I gave the car a couple of coats of Autoglym Paint renovator and a coat of Super Resin Polish.
The same treatment for the rear, A quick wash to begin.
A quick shot with the bulk of the adhesive gone
All polished up nicely!
And finally a photo of the car
Next week: Eibach Springs! Then Spacers when my wheel bolts arrive, Oh - and possibly Diff oil if that ever lands from America...
Man I love this car!
Z4M-2006 said:
For the time being yes, I'm looking to keep it OEM Plus for a while. As common as they are, I really like the Style 135.
May eventually get some 19"s though along the lines of the BBS CH (genuine of course), or the VMR V710.
RickRob said:Useful tip with the dental floss. Just noticed that one of my ///M badges is chipped and wondered how to remove it. Now I know.
Thanks!
No worries at all! I'm really happy to have helped someone
I've really enjoyed looking through this thread, your Z looks ace and I'm in awe of your hands on approach, spot on
Z4M-2006 said:Such a good looking car....
Cheers!
Darren Slone said:I've really enjoyed looking through this thread, your Z looks ace and I'm in awe of your hands on approach, spot on
Thanks Darren! Nice to see my excessive number of photos being appreciated!
There'll be more jobs following on and more to read soon!