Not a Project but...
- Thread starter Andrew J
- Start date
enuff_zed said:
I didn't know there were different colours for the spokes :lol:. It is a 3.0i so I suspect they probably are shadow chrome as they don't look silver. I'll take a picture tonight to confirm
.Sorry it's took so long to get a picture. Life has been a bit crazy and I've not even been in the car. Here's a picture of the steering wheel and door handle cover:
I'm guessing this is shadow chrome as it doesn't really look silver?
The car alarm went off non stop the other day whilst out at work. The wife couldn't get it to stop going off so when I came home, key in the ignition and nothing. Nada. Not even a click. Checked the battery and had 7v :-|.
I jumped the car from my daily and it would run with the leads attached but as soon as they came off it died. New battery required.
Low and behold :worthless: NOT as finally remembered to take a picture of the car:
Looking very sorry for itself in the snow with no battery and a cover just laid on top.
New battery installed and boot light came on, Bingo!
Fired straight up! I took it for a run to a friend's house and check the voltage running and ignition of, 14.8v and 12.7v respectively. Checked later on and the same values so looks like short runs and cold weather have knackered the old battery (granted it was a Lion battery so I shouldn't have held much hope out really). I did get a flat tyre warning (but the tyre was flat-ish) and a thermostat code 279c thermostat issue? I got the car warm then gave it a good hoon on rhe way back from my friends and the needle never went past halfway so I'm attributing that to the flat battery.
In more positive news I've been invited to a run what you brung trackday next year at Blyton so for anyone still reading this (my thanks go out to you as its not the most interesting project out there but good things come to those who wait) there should be some semi interesting posts over the next few months with some track prep upgrades.
I jumped the car from my daily and it would run with the leads attached but as soon as they came off it died. New battery required.
Low and behold :worthless: NOT as finally remembered to take a picture of the car:
Looking very sorry for itself in the snow with no battery and a cover just laid on top.
New battery installed and boot light came on, Bingo!
Fired straight up! I took it for a run to a friend's house and check the voltage running and ignition of, 14.8v and 12.7v respectively. Checked later on and the same values so looks like short runs and cold weather have knackered the old battery (granted it was a Lion battery so I shouldn't have held much hope out really). I did get a flat tyre warning (but the tyre was flat-ish) and a thermostat code 279c thermostat issue? I got the car warm then gave it a good hoon on rhe way back from my friends and the needle never went past halfway so I'm attributing that to the flat battery.
In more positive news I've been invited to a run what you brung trackday next year at Blyton so for anyone still reading this (my thanks go out to you as its not the most interesting project out there but good things come to those who wait) there should be some semi interesting posts over the next few months with some track prep upgrades.
I took the car over to manchester last week, which was a trip of 260 miles. It gave me 37 mpg, which I think, is pretty respectable given it's a 3.0l and I was "making progress"! The standard seats are a bit of a church bench, but they do feel comfortable and my back didn't ache at all.
It was an almost flawless journey. No battery or starting worries but this light flashed up at 70mph on the A1...
...which made me pull over to check. Fortunately just a brake wear warning light so I could start it back up, crack on and get back home.
I was looking at brake pads and discs for the trackday next year so it's come at good time really. EBC yellowstuff used to be the go to pads back in the day for trackday type stuff but I don't want pads that don't workout of the box as I don't want to be a motorway ornament on the back of a HGV when the pads are cold. Even EBC bluestuff say you need to be wary on the highway according to the website so I think all of the EBC offerings are out. I just need something that's fast road that'll serve me well even at the bottom of the street on a cold day but still give me 4+ laps on a track before I get fade. More research needed.
This got me thinking about what I actually need to do a trackday. The car isn't a weekend warrior nor track monster so roll cages, track specific tyres, fully polybushed uncomfortable suspension, super expensive coilovers are not priorities or even on the list. I've put together a list of things that I think I'll need:
1. Good quality tyres (currently on Contisportcontact 5's so might not need these).
2. Fast road ish brakes pads and discs (not track pads)
3. Fresh brake fluid
4. Front lower wishbone? and mounting bushes (mot guy highlighted these where wearing but not a fail).
5. Stretched door cable replacement
6. Cracked windscreen replacement
7. Check with a tuner if the car has a map (sport button not working)
8. Finally, a full service
Edit: 9. Fix sticky steering
Edit2: 10. CDV removal
The car doesn't feel as tight as I think it should be so hopefully the wishbones will cure the understeer I'm getting when pressing on.
It was an almost flawless journey. No battery or starting worries but this light flashed up at 70mph on the A1...
...which made me pull over to check. Fortunately just a brake wear warning light so I could start it back up, crack on and get back home.
I was looking at brake pads and discs for the trackday next year so it's come at good time really. EBC yellowstuff used to be the go to pads back in the day for trackday type stuff but I don't want pads that don't workout of the box as I don't want to be a motorway ornament on the back of a HGV when the pads are cold. Even EBC bluestuff say you need to be wary on the highway according to the website so I think all of the EBC offerings are out. I just need something that's fast road that'll serve me well even at the bottom of the street on a cold day but still give me 4+ laps on a track before I get fade. More research needed.
This got me thinking about what I actually need to do a trackday. The car isn't a weekend warrior nor track monster so roll cages, track specific tyres, fully polybushed uncomfortable suspension, super expensive coilovers are not priorities or even on the list. I've put together a list of things that I think I'll need:
1. Good quality tyres (currently on Contisportcontact 5's so might not need these).
2. Fast road ish brakes pads and discs (not track pads)
3. Fresh brake fluid
4. Front lower wishbone? and mounting bushes (mot guy highlighted these where wearing but not a fail).
5. Stretched door cable replacement
6. Cracked windscreen replacement
7. Check with a tuner if the car has a map (sport button not working)
8. Finally, a full service
Edit: 9. Fix sticky steering
Edit2: 10. CDV removal
The car doesn't feel as tight as I think it should be so hopefully the wishbones will cure the understeer I'm getting when pressing on.
You're on the right lines here.Andrew J said:
Just get it up on a ramp and give all of the various bushes a wiggle with a pry bar to see if there's excessive play. Otherwise, for your first trackday you'll be fine with relatively few mods. If you're due to change the brakes anyway, you could chuck a set of DS2500 pads in the front and some Typ200 fluid. Both will be fine for the road and usable on track. Plain Brembo discs are as 'performance' as you'd need, or you could just stick with what you have if there's no lip.
DaveP said:
I looked up the DS2500 pads on the Ferodo website and they aren't road legal. I've just looked and there's some DS Performance pads on the Ferodo website which are R90 compliant so they might be worth a punt? Some car parts 4 less discs should do the job then. I may take it to my mot place and get him have a look on his ramp as I only have a jack and axle stands wheres we can fully inspect on his four post ramp.
One thing I missed off the list was on the way to manchester, my car definitely had sticky steering. I'd suspected it for a while but hadn't done a long enough journey to see if it was the road or the car but its definitely the car. Either mine isn't as bad as other owners have experienced or I don't notice it as much but I didn't think it affected my trip that much, just a bit annoying. I have added this to the list to fix before trackday next year.
I wouldn't worry about the "road legal" thing. Nothing can come of it. Your car won't fail an MOT with them fitted, and the DS2500s work exceptionally well from cold. If the DS Performance are cheaper, then you can give them a whirl.Andrew J said:
If you're running the prefacelift 300mm brake setup, these plain Brembo discs are all you'll ever need and a bargain. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/335332493725
Not done much with the car this year. Had stuff on at home and holidays to prepare for so the zed has took a back seat. I ordered a bowden cable for drivers door which came to the princely sum of £15 from the stealers. Not bad considering it's a genuine part from the dealership. Also my door kick plate came off...
So I got some clips at the same time.
Not all great news though...
There's a possibility the head gasket might be on way out. Not common on M54 but can happen according to my research on here and the tinterweb. Service history for the car is okay (dealer services up till 89k miles) so throughout the life it's had regular oil changes. A friend has a sniffer gauge so that's getting checked Wednesday.
After seeing the above, I topped up the coolant and took it out for a spin at the weekend to see if it would eat up the fresh coolant and the gauge in the expansion tank didn't drop so I'm hoping it isn't the head gasket. I did look around the expansion tank to see if I could see any cracks or gases and/or liquids escaping but nothing was obviously leaking.
On my run out there was also another problem. Sat around 70mph I felt a juddering through the wheel then the tyre pressure warning came on. Juddering got worse when I pressed the brake and seemed to disappear at slower speeds. Checked the pressures at a garage, one tyre was at 29 psi. Not low enough to cause judder. Juddering came back again on drive home. It did throw a brake wear service light about 500 miles ago so fingers crossed it just needs a new set of disks and pads.
On top of this I have been thinking of selling the zed. The M54 makes a wonderful sound, especially with the sound generator foam removed, but it feels a little lack luster in terms of grunt compared to most things on the road these days. Even the tame EV's seem to have more go at the minute. I can't find a convertible that I like the look of in my price bracket other than the Z4 so I've considered either selling and getting a Z4M or adding a bit more go to the 3.0i. I like the simplicity of the M54 and the fact I can maintain it myself but the S54 just sounds so :evil: :w00t:.
So I got some clips at the same time.
Not all great news though...
There's a possibility the head gasket might be on way out. Not common on M54 but can happen according to my research on here and the tinterweb. Service history for the car is okay (dealer services up till 89k miles) so throughout the life it's had regular oil changes. A friend has a sniffer gauge so that's getting checked Wednesday.
After seeing the above, I topped up the coolant and took it out for a spin at the weekend to see if it would eat up the fresh coolant and the gauge in the expansion tank didn't drop so I'm hoping it isn't the head gasket. I did look around the expansion tank to see if I could see any cracks or gases and/or liquids escaping but nothing was obviously leaking.
On my run out there was also another problem. Sat around 70mph I felt a juddering through the wheel then the tyre pressure warning came on. Juddering got worse when I pressed the brake and seemed to disappear at slower speeds. Checked the pressures at a garage, one tyre was at 29 psi. Not low enough to cause judder. Juddering came back again on drive home. It did throw a brake wear service light about 500 miles ago so fingers crossed it just needs a new set of disks and pads.
On top of this I have been thinking of selling the zed. The M54 makes a wonderful sound, especially with the sound generator foam removed, but it feels a little lack luster in terms of grunt compared to most things on the road these days. Even the tame EV's seem to have more go at the minute. I can't find a convertible that I like the look of in my price bracket other than the Z4 so I've considered either selling and getting a Z4M or adding a bit more go to the 3.0i. I like the simplicity of the M54 and the fact I can maintain it myself but the S54 just sounds so :evil: :w00t:.
Andrew J said:
The tame EVs may have more acceleration, but aren't going to drive as well on the twisties!
But maybe you have just got used to the performance of your Z4. I had 3.0Si Coupes for over 5 years and had started to find the performance didn't feel so exciting. Maybe buying a 330i with the same engine as a daily didn't help. :?
Anyway I fell in love with the M soundtrack so I've had that 5 years now and still can't drive it without a grin on my face.
Even if any Tesla would leave it behind at the traffic lights.
A facelift 3.0Si would give you a bit more performance and still be simple enough for home maintenance, but possibly not a big enough step up. I suppose it's time for a supercharger or an S54. Forum member PDJ does all the maintenance on his S54.
Mr Tidy said:The tame EVs may have more acceleration, but aren't going to drive as well on the twisties!
But maybe you have just got used to the performance of your Z4. I had 3.0Si Coupes for over 5 years and had started to find the performance didn't feel so exciting. Maybe buying a 330i with the same engine as a daily didn't help. :?
Anyway I fell in love with the M soundtrack so I've had that 5 years now and still can't drive it without a grin on my face.
Even if any Tesla would leave it behind at the traffic lights.
A facelift 3.0Si would give you a bit more performance and still be simple enough for home maintenance, but possibly not a big enough step up. I suppose it's time for a supercharger or an S54. Forum member PDJ does all the maintenance on his S54.
At the minute the car is a replacement to the daily commute, if the weather is nice, but all the roads to work are main A roads so sadly my only fun right now is playing with the tame EVs on slip roads. When I do get to corner at pace, it does understeer so it doesn't inspire confidence so I must get the front trailing arms and lollipops(?) (L shaped arms attached to floor) changed and see if it makes a difference. The MOT tester did note the lollipop(?) bush last time.
I have always wanted a Z4M for the noise more than anything but the maintenance costs of having someone else do the work has put me off. Such a quandary!
A bit of good news, sniffer test = passed. A mechanic/AA recovery friend had a look around and couldn't see anything wrong and no exhaust gas was in the coolant, so I'm confident the head gasket hasn't gone. Do M54's use coolant at all? Oil usage I know about but not coolant. I'm fairly certain I checked the expansion tank a while ago and it was full, nevertheless I will monitor it going forward.
I got some time today to spend on the car. Managed to get the kickplate put back on.
It went well as I expected clips to be a pain or drop into the sill so I could hear them rattling about but they all popped out.
Over a year of ownership and I've finally taken some decent photos of the car. Me and the kids washed it so I thought it only fair to take it for a spin and do an obligatory photo stop...
I didn't get a judder from the car under braking so maybe the caliper has freed off or the brakes didnt get hot enough (it was only a short run) but I did do some heavy braking. It's due an MOT soon so they'll pick up which one it is and I'll get it ordered and fit it (probably along with the wishbones and give it a service). I am also going to get an oil sample done to see how healthy the engine is. From memory I think the oil was a bit glittery when I did the vanos but I didn't think anything of it at the time. Fingers crossed it's not the forbidden glitter!
It went well as I expected clips to be a pain or drop into the sill so I could hear them rattling about but they all popped out.
Over a year of ownership and I've finally taken some decent photos of the car. Me and the kids washed it so I thought it only fair to take it for a spin and do an obligatory photo stop...
I didn't get a judder from the car under braking so maybe the caliper has freed off or the brakes didnt get hot enough (it was only a short run) but I did do some heavy braking. It's due an MOT soon so they'll pick up which one it is and I'll get it ordered and fit it (probably along with the wishbones and give it a service). I am also going to get an oil sample done to see how healthy the engine is. From memory I think the oil was a bit glittery when I did the vanos but I didn't think anything of it at the time. Fingers crossed it's not the forbidden glitter!
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