What have you done to your car today?

[mr wilks]

A thread here , now i just use the liquid polish neat with no sealer & appears to have the same effect though note none of the Zs have lived out of garage / carport in my ownership https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=106330&p=1544845&hilit=roof+dye#p1544845

 

[wonkydonkey]

[ref]matthewpri[/ref] is that pic with a 5 mm spacer fitted? And did you trial fit both 5 mm spacers to one wheel to make sure than 10 mm will be sufficient? If you had a 5 mm spacer fitted when you took the photo, it looks as though 10 mm might not be enough, but it could be parallax getting in the way.

Don't forget to consider your wheel bolt lengths re: reduced thread engagement.

 

[matthewpri]

[ref]matthewpri[/ref] is that pic with a 5 mm spacer fitted? And did you trial fit both 5 mm spacers to one wheel to make sure than 10 mm will be sufficient? If you had a 5 mm spacer fitted when you took the photo, it looks as though 10 mm might not be enough, but it could be parallax getting in the way.

Don't forget to consider your wheel bolt lengths re: reduced thread engagement.

Yes I think that was with a 5mm spacer fitted, in that photo the rim of the wheel was probably 3mm away from the spring, its just the tyre which is sticking out (still on stretched tyres from the previous owner) and touching it slightly but I test drove it for a few miles and when I got back there appeared to be no wear on the tyre or the spring and the tyre was still cold. The spacers I've ordered are 10mm with a set of 40mm bolts, i did think about that, the ones I've got at the moment are only 25mm long and I'd have barely any thread left haha. You recon i would have been better off going with 12mm ones? Just dont want them to start hitting the arches?

 

[oldgitdave]

@1000rr

You can improve that roof 100% with a few ££ spent on black shoe polish .
I've done all the roadsters i've had this way , some were a lot worse than others
That looks particularly bad but id say no worse than the silver MR i bought 2 yrs back which was truly shocking get yourself some of these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-x-Cherry-Blossom-Leather-Shoe-Polish-Black-Liquid-85Ml-Ready-Wax/223377754559?hash=item34025a09bf:gMkAAOSwz2lXBbAC . f
Cut the tops off & pour contents into a container then simply paint liberally onto the fabric with a 50mm paint brush ( after its had a good hoover , scrub , clean & is dry) .
Mask up paintwork before you start

Interesting advice there, never thought of using shoe polish. I've used the Renovo route previously with OK results. To me the issue is that the nap of the roof material has worn away with age, like the felt on a worn out snooker table. It's a once a year job with roofs of this age .

 

[Bing]

That's lovely 8) but please sort the roof out

Fold marks... I can’t get rid of them..

That's why I ended up paying out for new roof fabric. The fold marks are really detrimental to the overall appearance of the car. It drove me mental in the end :lol:

Mine has not so many fold marks but is wearing in a couple of places where it rubs, and I’ll eventually get holes. Where did you get yours done Ben ? If I do have it done I think I will go red too 8)

 

[wonkydonkey]

Yes I think that was with a 5mm spacer fitted, in that photo the rim of the wheel was probably 3mm away from the spring, its just the tyre which is sticking out (still on stretched tyres from the previous owner) and touching it slightly but I test drove it for a few miles and when I got back there appeared to be no wear on the tyre or the spring and the tyre was still cold. The spacers I've ordered are 10mm with a set of 40mm bolts, i did think about that, the ones I've got at the moment are only 25mm long and I'd have barely any thread left haha. You recon i would have been better off going with 12mm ones? Just dont want them to start hitting the arches?

We'll find out if 12 mm would've been better when the 10 mm spacers arrive! There are some areas of a car where you can have very tight clearances (e.g. a brake caliper can sit a millimetre away from the inside of a wheel's circumference without issue), but as tyre sidewalls flex with cornering forces, you will need to make sure you have sufficient gap to prevent any contact between the tyre and the damper body/spring. See how you get on with the 10 mm items. I might even want a pair of 10s on the front of mine when I have a mess about, but whether it's to me or someone else, you could sell yours on if you end up not needing them.

 

[matthewpri]

Yes I think that was with a 5mm spacer fitted, in that photo the rim of the wheel was probably 3mm away from the spring, its just the tyre which is sticking out (still on stretched tyres from the previous owner) and touching it slightly but I test drove it for a few miles and when I got back there appeared to be no wear on the tyre or the spring and the tyre was still cold. The spacers I've ordered are 10mm with a set of 40mm bolts, i did think about that, the ones I've got at the moment are only 25mm long and I'd have barely any thread left haha. You recon i would have been better off going with 12mm ones? Just dont want them to start hitting the arches?

We'll find out if 12 mm would've been better when the 10 mm spacers arrive! There are some areas of a car where you can have very tight clearances (e.g. a brake caliper can sit a millimetre away from the inside of a wheel's circumference without issue), but as tyre sidewalls flex with cornering forces, you will need to make sure you have sufficient gap to prevent any contact between the tyre and the damper body/spring. See how you get on with the 10 mm items. I might even want a pair of 10s on the front of mine when I have a mess about, but whether it's to me or someone else, you could sell yours on if you end up not needing them.

Yes we sure will! I'll let you know what happens! When I took it for a spin the other day, needless to say, I didn't push the car very hard as the anti-roll bar wasn't attached but there weren't any issues with the 5mm ones so I'm hoping 10mm will be sufficient but only one way to find out! Just hope it will pass an MOT, as it was meant to be due on the 15th I wanted to get this all finished with but we get an extra 6 months now! :lol: Would still like one as soon as this is all over though.

 

[wonkydonkey]

[ref]matthewpri[/ref] I'll keep an eye out for your results!

 

[ben g]

Fold marks... I can’t get rid of them..

That's why I ended up paying out for new roof fabric. The fold marks are really detrimental to the overall appearance of the car. It drove me mental in the end :lol:

Mine has not so many fold marks but is wearing in a couple of places where it rubs, and I’ll eventually get holes. Where did you get yours done Ben ? If I do have it done I think I will go red too 8)

I had mine supplied and fitted by monsoon in lower dicker, East Sussex still looks fantastic all these years later.

 

[Phoenixboy]

Took it for some essential supplies and ensured it did it’s bit for social distancing.

 

[Jamie-innes]

Dropped her off today for a full respray with ///M rear, think the guys were grateful for the work. Thats me without a car for a week but I have zero reason to leave the house now :roll: can't wait to see the finished product as all the stone chips, little dents and peeling clear coat has been bugging me for a while

 

[Jfgoldfish]

Installed my hands free microphone using a simple 3d printed mount.
Doesn't look too bad in my opinion.

 

[MDUBZ]

I've started on a few jobs that I'd been putting off for a while over the last few weeks:

Seats: I washed the car a couple of weeks a go, all done, I got in to take the hand brake off and put it in gear to stop any binding and felt the zip pocket on my trousers catch on the seat.. bollox - a small hole in the leather on the bolster.. did I say bollox already... bollox! A bit of research online and I decided to purchase a leather repair kit from eBay for about £10 (1x leather glue, 1 X filler, 1 x leather paint, a couple of wooden applicators (ice lolly sticks, and some gauze). I was a bit worried whether it would work, and I didn't end up using the gauze (supposed to go under the hole to provide strength and for the filler to adhere too as the hole was very small and close to some stitching, there was also some leather underneath so the filler had something to rest on.
1. cleaned the area with some diluted IPA
2. applied a small amount of glue to the underside of the hole to stick it to the leather underneath - if it didn't work I'd have found away to use the gauze
3. applied a small amount of filler and let it go off
4. applied a second layer of filler to create a smoother finish. let that dry over night
5. got some very fine grade sandpaper to create a smooth finish and remove any excess.
6. gave it a wipe to remove any dust
7. applied 1 coat of the leather paint: I used a dry brush to create a thin layer and to blend it in
8. applied 2nd layer of leather paint and let that dry.
9. applied a leather colour restorer with a cloth to both seats waited 5 mons and buffed off.
10. stepped back to admire my work (probably no more than 10 mins elapsed over 2 days): you have to be looking for it to see it so I'm quite pleased, but I glanced at the footwells and thought that drivers side mat looks shite.

New mats arrived this morning, I was fed up with the high quality oem (not) replacements I'd bought off of eBay; they were shite tbh: always moving about and deteriorated really quickly considering the low miles put on the car over the last year. Quick look on eBay again but ended up forking out about £60 on Genuine BMW ones: Buy cheap buy twice. Sprayed with fabsil to try and help keep them clean and put in the car.

for a 13 year old car with >100K miles on it, the interior looks pretty tidy I think - I'll get the steam cleaner out and give it a proper going over a the boredom continues.

The car is covered in pollen it might need another wash despite not moving - I might end up buying a cover.

 

[tomjonesBT33]

Purchased and fitted a sport mode button on my 2004 2.5i auto. My objective for this was to get a better throttle response. Fortunately my car was pre-wired for this option. Job was not very difficult. The hardest part was trying to remove the knee pads to get to screws that hold the center console in place and removing the passenger airbag indicator light.

Very happy with the throttle and weighted steering changes in sport mode. Makes a BIG difference I. How the car feels compared to non-sport mode.

 

[Z4C_er]

Worked on rear brake shields and started painting the brake calipers (Estoril Blue, High temperature paint).

Wow, that looks fantastic! Well done. How did you prep the calipers?

 

[Z4C_er]

Postman just dropped this off today, now to ring round body shops to get some paint repaired around the car and have this colour matched

Jeez, I got a kicking for even suggesting my car get some work done to it. I'm surprised no-one has jumped on you for being so self-centred and inconsiderate!!! :wink:

 

[ben g]

Postman just dropped this off today, now to ring round body shops to get some paint repaired around the car and have this colour matched

Jeez, I got a kicking for even suggesting my car get some work done to it. I'm surprised no-one has jumped on you for being so self-centred and inconsiderate!!! :wink:

It's clear that some people are so fed up of being stuck at home that they're projecting their anger at anyone in the Internet :lol:

I know of a detailer who is doing mobile car cleaning currently. It's all contactless, yet some people cannot grasp that theory.

 

[Frag]

Installed my shiny new Storm Motorwerks shifter .... it feels incredible. Considering that your hand is always on that piece of equipment while driving manual, that upgrade was worth it!

This is the titanium plated one, fit gracefully!

 

[Attilio]

Worked on rear brake shields and started painting the brake calipers (Estoril Blue, High temperature paint).

Wow, that looks fantastic! Well done. How did you prep the calipers?

Hi,

Thank you. I confess that it has been back breaking work, not only because it is so low on the ground but also because I had to clean (brake cleaner first, then sannd paper and in the end nitro cellulose paint thinner. Finally 3 coats of paint and two of clear coat.

Will post more photos when fully finished and with the wheels on

A

 

[Z4C_er]

Worked on rear brake shields and started painting the brake calipers (Estoril Blue, High temperature paint).

Wow, that looks fantastic! Well done. How did you prep the calipers?

Hi,

Thank you. I confess that it has been back breaking work, not only because it is so low on the ground but also because I had to clean (brake cleaner first, then sannd paper and in the end nitro cellulose paint thinner. Finally 3 coats of paint and two of clear coat.

Will post more photos when fully finished and with the wheels on

A