The 'mod' question?

E

Ewazix

Veteran
 Somerset
After 25 years of running classics like Alfas, MGs and Stags etc as my toys I swapped in to the Z4, mostly because I wanted something that could be relied on to get home whilst providing the special feeling of a pretige sports car. With classics originality is paramount and much prized so I'm always concerned when I see people spending a fortune modd'ing their Z4, particularly the cosmetics, why I ask? the Z4 is great looking car anyway.

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My Z4 just a god intended complete with retro turbines (becoming rare) and tank aerial

I do genuinely appreciate the art in a nicely modd'ed car but I'm generally anti-mods unless there is a practical point to it or the whole ensemble is very well executed. It's just my humble opinion (and I know it may upset some) but cosmetic mods can look OK on newer cars but get 'naffer' as the car gets older, sort of a bit try-hard and potentially chavvy even? A really clean, well prepp'ed and original example of any older prestige car always looks good, as soon as I see facelift or after-market mods on any car it's an immediate turn-off.

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So no I wouldn't bother modd'ing personally, it puts me off buying as the first thing I'd do is change things back, I CBA to quibbling about mods with insurance companies and with the Z4 rapidly approaching the 10 year modern classic marker I think modd'ing an early original is a mistake. In a couple of years people will start looking for pre-facelift bumpers and lights to swap back to standard so don't get rid of them yet :)

Or am I way off on all this?
 
The secret is to keep the old bits in the garage .. so that when the time comes they can be put back on - restoring the car to its original state - with less wear on these parts :poke:

Its why I've decided to keep my tango lights in the garage- should something happen with my eyes in the future which means tango headlights look better against maldives blue.

Good post by the way :thumbsup:
 
I'm not sure I entirely agree although I see your point.
I have modded my car so it is personal to me and looks how I want it to look.
I don't ever consider whether it will affect the resale value because as they get older there will be a larger market as prices decrease and as such will attract a different type of buyer.
As for being an original classic, as a previous Z3 owner I haven't seen a great demand for original unmodded versions of those.
I don't think you ever get your money back for mods you've done but some, such as mfsw and roof modules, I believe, will be a selling point.
 
Agree with Dav,its to personalise it,i went for the black out grills,for a darker,stealth look at the front,changed side lights to led's,got rid of the orange side indicator bulbs in favour of chrome,to lose the fried egg look,de-badged the sides for a 'cleaner look' put a v1 gearknob to match the alloy trim better,with a chromed ring radio knob to compliment it.Stubby and chrome tailpipe to clean/smarten the rear up-but these are all reversible,and are my choice,i can see what OP is saying in keeping it original,its just that theres so much available on the market to change/alter the look it would be rude not to! :driving:
 
Excellent post and very thought provoking.It's made me wonder and i do see both sides of the argument,it really is an interesting dilemma.Overall i think that as long as you keep the original parts there's nothing wrong with making your own car look exactly the way you want it to but being able to reverse the changes is equally important as beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
We've all seen Saxos(other chav wagons are available)with a huge variety of aftermarket bolt on goodies which can look simply ridiculous to us but must please some of the people some of the time.In contrast i can't ever remember seeing a Ferrari or Porker heavily modded but have seen some chavtastic Merc's in my time.I'm just pleased i kept the original aerial when i replaced it with the stubby.
 
Secret is to keep it OEM, then it looks great. Stubby, CSL alloys, carbon spoiler, aero skirts, M body kit and quad exhausts and I think the car is stunning! Nearly there with mine! Although mine has most of these things being an M.

Here is a list of things I compiled for a few newer owners of the Z4MR and Z4MC

• Engine strut brace - better handling
• Upgraded springs - Eiback or H&R - reduces the stance and looks much more aggressive as well as reducing the problem of broken springs
• ZHP gear knob - weighted and shorter giving more precise shifts
• Tinted windows - suits the coupe
• Stubby arial - also looks much more fitting on the coupe although radio signal can be hampered depending where you are
• Aero Sills - A part of the aero kit that BMW should have added to the car as standard.
• CDV - clutch delay valve - most people have it removed as it reduces the notchyness of 1st-2nd
• Carbon rear lip spoiler - depending on taste - suits the lines of the car - more aesthetic than functional
• Induction Kit - Groupe M or other - gives the induction noise of the M3 CSL which is a much desirable noise, lets the car breath better and adds more power.
• Upgraded exhaust system - to add a better noise more boom and more power etc - I prefer the rasp of the OEM but a lot of people have had them upgraded with good effect.
• Upgraded brake pads - less fade on track days
• Updated Nav firmware adds new functionality like speed cameras etc depending what discs you have (more a non OEM feature depending how you feel about using edited discs, can cause the system to crash be warned)
• 19" wheels?? depending on your preference, again fills the arches better, looks more aggressive but gives a harder ride. most popular being OEM CSLs
• Skid plates - protect the under side of the front bumper
• RPI Ram Air package - air scoop and performance air filter
• Intravee iPod intergration - control your iPod through the Nav system
• Bosche wiper blades - much better than OEM
• An extra base unit - either two under the front seats or a single in the space next to the battery here is an interesting upgrade walk through - http://billswebspace.com/MZ4SubwooferInstallation.htm

Most are just improvements of maybe the bits that could have been better when released. Most are unnoticeable and most are OEM and advance the look of the car without making it look obvious like a pimped up vauxhall corsa, keeping the prestige look.
 
micz4 said:
i can't ever remember seeing a Ferrari or Porker heavily modded but have seen some chavtastic Merc's in my time.
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Ive seen some horrendous modded porkers, ferraris and mercs. Once they get to an affordable price point 50k for ferraris, 20k for porkas and 10k for mercs people do some horrendous things with them.

There was one on a FB group I joined a few weeks ago, where some saudi had converted his 360 to have two tripple exhausts in the middle like a mix between a zonda and a 458 then had it matt wrapped in khaki green with black wheels that looked like they were nicked off some drug dealers car from compton.

Awful mods are everywhere even on tasteful cars.
 
Cheers guys I'm glad the post was received as it was intended, I'm not knocking modd'ed cars and love the work people like beedub and tomscott have done with theirs, maybe it's a plea for subtlety and a pause before 'uprating' to later styling parts just for the sake of it 8)

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Beedub's ESS supercharged and performance modified beastie :thumbsup:
 
Op, I can see where you are coming from, the nicest E36s are always the despoilered standard ones. As Tom says though keep it oem and 9/10 it will look good.
 
Thing about Beedub's car is you wouldn't know how modded it is until he's a fading ball of dust and aural assault :thumbsup:

I agree it is possible to go totally overboard. I'd like some aero skirts (if there are any left when I have the cash :cry: ) and some M wheels. The only other things I would do externally are have the front bumper re-sprayed, and swap bootlids with srhutch :wink:

Internally, some real CF leather dash trim would be peachy, but is like hen's teeth, plus a one-touch / remote hood module and cup-holders. Both of which I have missed so far, but hopefully I'll get the hood module soon.

I will keep all the parts I bought it with, so they will go back on if required when it is sold.

I guess it depends whether you actually intend to ever sell it really - I know there are a few on here who never will, or if they do they'll sell to a fellow enthusiast with similar taste I suppose.
 
Bing said:
I agree it is possible to go totally overboard. I'd like some aero skirts (if there are any left when I have the cash :cry: ) and some M wheels. The only other things I would do externally are have the front bumper re-sprayed, and swap bootlids with srhutch :wink:
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You want my aero skirts as well then :wink:

I might never fit them, but had to get them before they became obsolete.
 
It's a case of individual taste and individual purpose.
I see many here are younger and it seems that many don't keep their Zeds for the long run.

Actually that is a concern for me as a relatively new Z and BMW owner, that once the glow diminishes, other choices are made.
I have a basement full of Harley parts and literature. I figured on keeping that bike forever. One can't pass by without turning my head.
I still have a passion for 2 wheels, still visit the Dealership, but understand how complex going down hard can be on everyone.
That said I will never ride again, at least in this neighbourhood.
After owning a Harley and processing through all the potential mods available, I thoroughly enjoyed that Design Process.
I always tried to be true to the Marque.

The Z is a whole new experience. The engineering leaves little to to improve upon.
Most upgrades are ridiculously priced, so I don't even consider them.
Plus the aftermarket is so small...Like a Gurt Splitter is almost a great idea, but not at that price.

I bought the car with the plan to drive it, and treat it as a daily runabout combined with some light touring.
I am past the age where I expect it to fulfill any 'investment' fantasies.
The jury is out on the Z being a tourer ...Daily driver ? ..You bet ..
A couple of Mods ..Yup ...
Does anyone really consider a Stubby to be a Mod ? ha ha
Installing a TomTom and a Boot Net ?
Converting a 3.0 si into an M ? ..
Why not buy an M in the first place ?

But Im more of a Rocker, with what time I have left ..
Less chat ..More Ride !

Cheers Mates! ;)

PS... Enjoy your choices...
 
Most owners have a sort of facination with mods even if they don't do them.
If you put up two posts one entitled ''Pics of my standard z4 '' and one entitled ''Pics of my highly modified z4'' I have a fair idea which one would get the most views. :wink:
 
I don't prefer doing any mods to my Z because I like to keep it original, (no stubby either). I will say that what I've seen on here for mods look fantastic. When I'm in the forum, I do get to think about modding.... then I get back to reality. This forum can get you into trouble. :roll:
 
Mods are ok to a certain extent.

Some mods seem very risky, like cutting open your lights and putting them back together just to get rid of the orange bits. Seems like a lot of hard work to make a little difference. Most people would never know.

I suppose it does make you part of the gang though.
 
StJimmyL said:
Some mods seem very risky, like cutting open your lights and putting them back together just to get rid of the orange bits. Seems like a lot of hard work to make a little difference. Most people would never know.

I suppose it does make you part of the gang though.
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You sound slightly bitter tango boy.....:P
 
Mine's probably got more mods done than any other car on the forum if I counted them all up.
Reason I do it as others have said is to personalise it and because I can (technical ability, time and money). That said I do like the way BMW built the car and for that reason almost without exception the mods I do are under the banner of 'OEM+'. In other words would or should BMW have built the car this way. Woudl a non expert know any aspect was not factory. If it fails those tests then I won't do it.

Works for me, but I also love to see a well kept totally original example of any car.
 
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