What have you done to your car today?
- Thread starter Buckz
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National meet drive up on Friday and so changed the gearbox oil. The stuff that came out was a bit thin and a bit black but smelt OK. Peace of mind after 15 years. I'll do the diff too later.
Fitted a Bilstein Pro kit. B12 shocks and Eibachs all round. The front shocks and springs were originals, with 110k miles on them. The car was scraping the spoiler on a nasty dip and rise near me. No more. Ride height is slightly lower than it was on standard Sport suspension, but the ride is now better, with no bottoming. Bushes all round, plus anti roll bar links. Couldn’t be happier with the way the car rides and handles. 
Yesterday, I fitted the bluetooth music dongle and really happy with that little mod.
Today , the inner edge of the wing to bonnet gap, was painted in primer on the drivers side, as the wing had at some point been painted ( can still see the dent a little :roll: ) , so went to my local paint shop and they mixed some paint and also supplied the lacquer. Flatted, masked and painted. Now its not grey, but sapphire metallic looks good. Will leave for a few days to dry off and then a little finishing and job done.
Today , the inner edge of the wing to bonnet gap, was painted in primer on the drivers side, as the wing had at some point been painted ( can still see the dent a little :roll: ) , so went to my local paint shop and they mixed some paint and also supplied the lacquer. Flatted, masked and painted. Now its not grey, but sapphire metallic looks good. Will leave for a few days to dry off and then a little finishing and job done.
Great job! How long did this take you, did you need a special kind of paint?ShaneZ4MC said:
Papa_Zee said:
How much can you get an OEM one for?
Sharpy1975
Member
Wife has taken the car to work...…..counting down the minutes :?
Took the front bumper off for the first time today with the aim of cleaning the xenon's, (they crazy dim and now I know why!), giving the lights a polish to remove the oxidation and to replace the angel eye bulbs with some LEDs to boost the brightness - overall, mixed results - https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=115931
Clean xenon's look great so very pleased with that. Overall success or failure will based on getting them back in, in working order ....
Clean xenon's look great so very pleased with that. Overall success or failure will based on getting them back in, in working order ....
Replaced the old shock absorbers with new Bilstein B4s. Transformed the teeth- cracking, kidney killing ride into a sports car ride. Old shock completely shot. Easily compressible and two had absolutely no return on them. Should have done it way before the 90k miles but I thought the ride was just firm cos it was M sport, but what a difference it’s made. Good days work.
Cool stuff. Where did you get them from ? Contemplating doing mine in the not too distant future with B4'sAny1else said:
I replaced my original knackered Sachs shocks back in April'18 with B4s also. Best money I've ever spent on my Zed. Myself and quite a few others on the forum bought ours from a German supplier on Ebay. They have 2 sets in stock now...better be quick !Thrustyjust said:
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F332852757852
Dave 2 dogs
Senior member
Did you get he’s registration ? If so pass it on to your insurance informing them he refused to give details. It’s obviously going to cost you at some point , every insurance company seems to profit from even nine fault accidents these days, absolutely gutted for you mate , had something like this a few weeks back but nowhere near as much damage as you have . After being driven Into at a roundabout while stationary, the twat kept going, eventually got the dopey old twonk to pull over . He’s words were , you tell your insurance I hit YOU , and I’ll tell my insurance YOU hit ME . Good luck !!!! Lucky it’s only nicked my front bumper .
He’s car was 17 plate with dents in every panel, get the feeling he does it all the time , there are some absolute tosses driving about out there with no regard for other people’s P&J . Hopefully you get a result from your insurance and the pin the fault in him . Keep us posted as to how you get on
He’s car was 17 plate with dents in every panel, get the feeling he does it all the time , there are some absolute tosses driving about out there with no regard for other people’s P&J . Hopefully you get a result from your insurance and the pin the fault in him . Keep us posted as to how you get on
Thrustyjust said:
I was going to get them from the link that patriot66 posted but being Scottish always want a bargain
. Ended up getting:-Front driver - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1x-BILSTEIN-Front-Shock-Absorber-For-BMW-Z4-22-164575/192874499712?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
Front passenger - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1x-BILSTEIN-Front-Shock-Absorber-For-BMW-Z4-22-164568/312551224677?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
Rears - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-BILSTEIN-b4-Rear-Shock-Absorber-BMW-Z4-E85-for-Standardfahrwerk/332452482771?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
Saved about £20 on the combined package but I see mister-auto-uk has increased his prices so you might only save a tenner now.
mister-auto-uk also checked the VIN number to make sure that the parts were the right ones for the car.
You will also need top mounts- I used https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOR-BMW-Z-SERIES-Z4-E85-FRONT-REAR-TOP-STRUT-MOUNTING-MOUNTS-HEAVY-DUTY-NEW/163625870593?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649.
If I knew before i started what I found when I was dismantling the rears - I would have replaced the bumpstops too but I have just reused the existing. Might change them out in the next few months.
A friend lent me an access socket set that allowed me to take off the top bolts on the front while using an allen key to hold the spindle. Some guides say you can use a spark plug socket but this kit was useful because the top nut on the existing was 21mm with a 6mm allen key needed in the spindle but the new B4s had a 22mm nut and the allen key socket was 7mm. Not sure if you would have a 21 and 22mm spark plug socket.
Cheers guys for the shock info. They wont be bought until the end of the year ( bonus time :wink: ) then wife doesnt complain . I am replacing the front springs this week, so will check the top mounts when out to see in what condition they are. Mine is only 62k miles old. Hopefully should still be serviceable , but not a lot if they arent.
. I am replacing the front springs this week, so will check the top mounts when out to see in what condition they are. Mine is only 62k miles old. Hopefully should still be serviceable , but not a lot if they arent.
Today I unblocked the drain holes. Left side was actually clear with no water. Right side let out quite a lot on the drive so I'm happy that's sorted (for a while).
Also adjusted the DSP to the recommended settings suggested here. It actually sounded really great turned up and with the roof down. Also delighted to report that the autochanger works too.
Also adjusted the DSP to the recommended settings suggested here. It actually sounded really great turned up and with the roof down. Also delighted to report that the autochanger works too.
