Parking this here. My new to me E85 2.2i, things I'm doing, things I need help with.

Go somewhere else then, Greggs cups fit fine and they're handy for a bottle of water.
 
Should have said, I found one on those metal dental picks an excellent tool for getting the little plastic screw cover off without damaging it. Once done I put it back without telling anyone.

Of the videos I watched on YT I couldn't believe how many people either destroyed the cover or fitted the holders badly. The fitting couldn't have been more straightforward. I think I spent longer looking for suitable screws to hold the vent and cupholder together than I did doing the actual job.
 
There are a lot of YouTube videos of people doing stuff badly - it's worth watching to see how not to do it at times... At least once you see the job with whatever it is off, you can work out how to do it properly! I shouldn't be ungrateful 'cos at least they're sharing whereas I just sit there and 'tut'. Bless 'em, the hassle of doing stuff with one hand or setting up camera mounts, etc.
 
Door handle is finally working again.

I took the Z4 over to my Lexus specialist. A lot of muttering under his breath but he will occasionally slum it on German cars 😁

First thing we found was that after the door card had been removed every clip was either broken off or squashed. That'll explain the rattles then. Someone had indeed been there before as the membrane was torn and after much swearing the Bowden cable was swapped. The old one had definitely seen better days. But once fitted the door handle still didn't open the door. So then they tried swapping the the original handle for the spare that came with the car. Looked identical but you never know. That didn't work either.

Attention then turned to the latch mechanism itself. Once it was out it was clear that it was a non-genuine part. As it happened there was another in the same box of bits as the handle. This time genuine but used. Fitted that and everything worked perfectly. Re-fitted the original handle, replaced all the clips and the door card went back on, the door now closing with a much more satisfying clunk.

So little mysteries. Why had someone been in there, not replaced the cable, fitted a Chinesium door latch, bought another handle (originally red and sprayed silver) and also bought another door latch? Or had they tried to fix the issue by changing the latch but it was in fact the cable, the new latch made things worse and the original is what was re-fitted today? We'll never know.

And while it was there we got it up on the lift, fitted the Osram Night Breakers (another parts box find) and then gave the roof drains a good blast with the air line.

A good day. Even got to drop the roof on the way back.
 
This was one of those jobs that I just know if I'd tackled it myself I'd have got stuck, ended up putting everything back together and been back to square one. Luckily Dave doesn't give up. And luckily we had a latch.

Should also say that everyone that turned up today admired the car and then asked what was up with it. Dave's stock response was "I'll tell you what's up with it. It's a f*****g BMW, that's what's up with it". Should have heard him a few years ago when I turned up in an Alfa GTV 😁
 
rich1068 said:
So little mysteries. Why had someone been in there, not replaced the cable, fitted a Chinesium door latch, bought another handle (originally red and sprayed silver) and also bought another door latch? Or had they tried to fix the issue by changing the latch but it was in fact the cable, the new latch made things worse and the original is what was re-fitted today? We'll never know.
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If you start trying to work things out that others have done before; it will drive you mad.
A lot of people think they are "DIY savvy", when in reality they haven't got a clue.

I have renovated multiple houses and they are much worse. Some of the things I have found over the years I have never been able to work out what the hell someone was trying to achieve. Mostly heating and electrical 'mods' which isn't a good idea if you're clueless.
 
I've been going through my to-do list. Slightly disappointed to say that it's now very short. Yes, there's still a bit of a knock from the rear but I'm not sure if it's something loose in the boot/roof mechanism or something suspension related. Needs investigating. And yes, I'd love to drop £400-500 on some non-runflats but that can wait a bit. Cruise would be nice so I need to look into that. See? Short list.

Service ✔️
Door lock ✔️
Door rattle ✔️
Cupholders ✔️
Windscreen trim ✔️
Faded black trim treated ✔️
Night Breakers fitted ✔️

Struggling to think of anything else. Not bad for a £4.5k car.
 
Today the Z4 got its first wash. I do like old silver cars. They generally look OK when they're dirty and even better when they're clean. Washing a new purchase is also when you really get to know the condition. You go over every square inch and notice the things you may have missed when you're carried away with the whole new car excitement thing. Happy to say that nothing jumped out at me apart from a slight parking ding in the middle of the driver's door but I know a guy who can work wonders.

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The interior still needs a bit of a fettle, nothing major, and I need to scrub some bits of the fabric roof that you only see when it's down. 20 years worth of grubbiness hiding in the folds. I also need to get at the "parcel shelf" with a vac as there's quite a bit of shite collecting there. I hoped to get at it with the roof midway but I think I'll just have to fold the seats forward and do it that way.

Anyway, another Zed Day done 😎
 
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