Niggles with my Z4C...

[Chandan]

Hi all,

I have been driving my Z4 coupe a lot in the last week, and I have noticed a number of niggles. Any advice or pointers in the right direction would be great:

1. 1st and 2nd gear are difficult to engage and sometimes almost impossible. Had the same problem with an E39 I owned and two other Z4's I drove. How can this be remedied? ZHP gear knob?

2. The ride is pretty unforgiving, does changing to non run flats help considerably? My concern is whether it affects the BMW warranty, which I will ask them.

3. Has anyone got the iPod integration? The factory one is pretty lame, I can only assume because it was designed before the newer iPod and iPhone. The issue is being able to search via album. Worst case I will look at the many other options available.

Thanks all.

 

[Stuart Truman]

I think 1st and 2nd is quite common. Does it ease up when warmed up?

Changing to non run flats is widely considered to improve things. It should have no effect on warranty, but as a mod, strictly speaking you should check with your insurers. Then buy a puncture kit!

A lot of us have retrofitted Intravee, Dice or Dension units. I've had a Dension in my mini and the Intravee with the Alpine iPod adapter is a country mile better and has some neat extras too!

HTH

 

[AlanJ]

Agree with Stuart and....

1. CDV valve change will improve the clutch release and make it smoother to change gear (certainly from 1st to 2nd) but if its difficult to engage the gears then maybe something to look at. Certainly not a gearbox expert so hopefully someone else will respond.

2. LOAD and LOADS on here about the change from RFTs to non RFTs - but from personal experience the ride and handling are considerably improved however the news generation of RFTs are certainly better that the earlier versions

3. Quick search will show you the various options others have installed to integrate certainly the iPOD not so sure about the iPHONE.

 

[Stuart Truman]

To add to this, if you have nav, I think the Intravee pulls further ahead.

If you have an iPhone 4s it won't charge via the Alpine unit unless you get an adapter.

The plus to the Dice and Dension units, is that you only fit one box. The Intravee is just a gateway into the car's iBus and let's you link Alpine Ainet hardware into it. If you're at Zedfest you can take a look at mine

 

[spearman]

With the 1st to 2nd gear shift there's a few options:

1) CDV modify/change. As pointed out it will help with clutch control. BMW used a delay valve which restricts the fluid giving an unnatural "feel" to the clutch. Particularly noticeable in stop/start traffic.

2) change the transmission fluid (mtf-2). Its supposed to be life long fluid but I noticed an improvement after changing this.

3) ZHP gear shift. Didn't do this myself but it's a common option in this situation.

4) when shifting, use the left hand side of the shift gate. Push the stick left as well as down on 1st - 2nd shifts




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[Chandan]

I think 1st and 2nd is quite common. Does it ease up when warmed up?

Changing to non run flats is widely considered to improve things. It should have no effect on warranty, but as a mod, strictly speaking you should check with your insurers. Then buy a puncture kit!

A lot of us have retrofitted Intravee, Dice or Dension units. I've had a Dension in my mini and the Intravee with the Alpine iPod adapter is a country mile better and has some neat extras too!

HTH

It does ease up slightly, but not much.

I've checked with BMW and changing the tyres from run flats to non run flats does not affect the warranty. I will get a repair kit or a decent spare wheel, space permitting.

I'll have to look into the possible options, ideally a unit that supports USB memory sticks as well as iPod would be a dream combo.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Chandan]

Agree with Stuart and....

1. CDV valve change will improve the clutch release and make it smoother to change gear (certainly from 1st to 2nd) but if its difficult to engage the gears then maybe something to look at. Certainly not a gearbox expert so hopefully someone else will respond.

2. LOAD and LOADS on here about the change from RFTs to non RFTs - but from personal experience the ride and handling are considerably improved however the news generation of RFTs are certainly better that the earlier versions

3. Quick search will show you the various options others have installed to integrate certainly the iPOD not so sure about the iPHONE.

I will look into the CDV valve change or delete. I will also get it checked by a specialist because it's more than annoying.

 

[Chandan]

To add to this, if you have nav, I think the Intravee pulls further ahead.

If you have an iPhone 4s it won't charge via the Alpine unit unless you get an adapter.

The plus to the Dice and Dension units, is that you only fit one box. The Intravee is just a gateway into the car's iBus and let's you link Alpine Ainet hardware into it. If you're at Zedfest you can take a look at mine

I will definitely look into all options, when is Zedfest and where?

 

[Chandan]

With the 1st to 2nd gear shift there's a few options:

1) CDV modify/change. As pointed out it will help with clutch control. BMW used a delay valve which restricts the fluid giving an unnatural "feel" to the clutch. Particularly noticeable in stop/start traffic.

2) change the transmission fluid (mtf-2). Its supposed to be life long fluid but I noticed an improvement after changing this.

3) ZHP gear shift. Didn't do this myself but it's a common option in this situation.

4) when shifting, use the left hand side of the shift gate. Push the stick left as well as down on 1st - 2nd shifts




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Will look into the fluid change and will most likely change to the ZHP gear knob next week.

Tried the left hand side of the shift gate, didn't really make a difference. Its so annoying its unreal!


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[bcworkz]

Do you still get resistance into 2nd if not moving? shifting at 3k vs. 6k? double de-clutch? slow shift vs. fast? If you get resistance in all situations, something is not right with the shift mechanism. Otherwise, it just may be the nature of the transmission. These boxes are not conducive to fast aggressive 1-2 shifts. There's a big ratio jump and a lot of rotating mass to slow before it'll slide into 2nd. Forcing the situation will just wear the 2nd synchro more, aggravating the problem. (I wonder what the shift habits of the former owner were. Could be already worn?)

The Zed is not a dragster, it's not intended to be fast off the line. Get the car up to speed, then enjoy the 2-3-4 shifts, they work brilliantly. A CDV delete will help, as the clutch disengages quicker, giving the various shafts and gears a bit more time to slow to 2nd gear speed. Fluid change will help if it's more viscous at operating temperature. A heavier knob may feel better, but it will only be masking the underlying issue.

 

[Chandan]

Do you still get resistance into 2nd if not moving? shifting at 3k vs. 6k? double de-clutch? slow shift vs. fast? If you get resistance in all situations, something is not right with the shift mechanism. Otherwise, it just may be the nature of the transmission. These boxes are not conducive to fast aggressive 1-2 shifts. There's a big ratio jump and a lot of rotating mass to slow before it'll slide into 2nd. Forcing the situation will just wear the 2nd synchro more, aggravating the problem. (I wonder what the shift habits of the former owner were. Could be already worn?)

The Zed is not a dragster, it's not intended to be fast off the line. Get the car up to speed, then enjoy the 2-3-4 shifts, they work brilliantly. A CDV delete will help, as the clutch disengages quicker, giving the various shafts and gears a bit more time to slow to 2nd gear speed. Fluid change will help if it's more viscous at operating temperature. A heavier knob may feel better, but it will only be masking the underlying issue.

Yeah, the gear change between first and second is generally clunky and not smooth. It does get better I believe when it warms up, but not enough. I've just bought the BMW warranty which may end up coming into play.

Thanks for everyones reply.


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[kevdix]

What brand of run flats do you have on you z? my bridgestones made the ride very hard but my new michelin run flats has improved the ride alot. Also may be worth seeing if they are over inflated

 

[Chandan]

What brand of run flats do you have on you z? my bridgestones made the ride very hard but my new michelin run flats has improved the ride alot. Also may be worth seeing if they are over inflated

Funnily enough, I haven't checked them as yet. Will do that tomorrow morning.


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[Chandan]

What brand of run flats do you have on you z? my bridgestones made the ride very hard but my new michelin run flats has improved the ride alot. Also may be worth seeing if they are over inflated

Funnily enough, I haven't checked them as yet. Will do that tomorrow morning.


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Checked them and they all needed air, especially the rears. Will see how it feels over the next week or so.


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[Stuart Truman]

I'll have to look into the possible options, ideally a unit that supports USB memory sticks as well as iPod would be a dream combo.

The Dension I had supported both, but to be honest, I only ever used the iPod. Having used both my recommendation is the Intravee II and Alpine KCA-420i iPod kit. Easy-ish to fit and brilliant integration into the car. There's a few people happy with their Dice units too.