What have you done to your car today?

[Jamie-innes]

Finished off my install of carbon fibre trim
20200925_125643.jpg

great job mate Did you skin the original trim yourself?
I’m planning on doing a load when I take mine off the road over winter. I don’t know wether to sink original parts, or go all in and make moulds. Making moulds will take longer & more expense, but if I master the art I may try larger parts such as the exterior panels. There is a great company https://www.easycomposites.co.uk/ who sell everything you need. They have a Learning Area section with videos on different techniques. One even shows you how to make a car bonnet from start to finish.

Bought it already skinned and 2k clear coated from ebay so still have the original trim, it's not perfect by any means, a little imperfection on the side of the centre console and a few dust marks in the clear coat if you look closely but so much better than my tired and scratched trim i had before.
I had looked at that company before but it's way beyond my skill and I just don't have the time and money to put into learning.
I look forward to seeing a progress thread though if you go ahead, would be interesting to see, maybe even a little forum earner if you get handy with it

 

[Silverstar]

Finished off my install of carbon fibre trim
20200925_125643.jpg

great job mate Did you skin the original trim yourself?
I’m planning on doing a load when I take mine off the road over winter. I don’t know wether to sink original parts, or go all in and make moulds. Making moulds will take longer & more expense, but if I master the art I may try larger parts such as the exterior panels. There is a great company https://www.easycomposites.co.uk/ who sell everything you need. They have a Learning Area section with videos on different techniques. One even shows you how to make a car bonnet from start to finish.

Bought it already skinned and 2k clear coated from ebay so still have the original trim, it's not perfect by any means, a little imperfection on the side of the centre console and a few dust marks in the clear coat if you look closely but so much better than my tired and scratched trim i had before.
I had looked at that company before but it's way beyond my skill and I just don't have the time and money to put into learning.
I look forward to seeing a progress thread though if you go ahead, would be interesting to see, maybe even a little forum earner if you get handy with it

I have already done this, thread here:

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=122291&hilit=carbon+fiber

It's totally doable but you need a lot of time and patience and be prepared to make a few mistakes along the way. I will soon be working on another set for the E89 Z4 perhaps I should get some trims for the E85 / E86 too.

 

[Ladderman]

Finished off my install of carbon fibre trim
20200925_125643.jpg

great job mate Did you skin the original trim yourself?
I’m planning on doing a load when I take mine off the road over winter. I don’t know wether to sink original parts, or go all in and make moulds. Making moulds will take longer & more expense, but if I master the art I may try larger parts such as the exterior panels. There is a great company https://www.easycomposites.co.uk/ who sell everything you need. They have a Learning Area section with videos on different techniques. One even shows you how to make a car bonnet from start to finish.

Bought it already skinned and 2k clear coated from ebay so still have the original trim, it's not perfect by any means, a little imperfection on the side of the centre console and a few dust marks in the clear coat if you look closely but so much better than my tired and scratched trim i had before.
I had looked at that company before but it's way beyond my skill and I just don't have the time and money to put into learning.
I look forward to seeing a progress thread though if you go ahead, would be interesting to see, maybe even a little forum earner if you get handy with it

you’ve actually read my mind ha. The imperfections you are referring to can be mostly avoided by using the vacuum bag & resin infusion technique. I will have an initial layouts for about £600 for the vacuum & moulding equipment. That’s not including carbon fibre & other materials.

As I’ve already mentioned I intended to do as much of the interior trim as is possible. I will even be doing the steering wheel before I send it Royals to be re covered in Alcantara.

If can master the moulding process then I’ll be able to make parts & sell them a lot cheaper than online companies.

I’ll start with aesthetics parts, then move on to weight saving parts such as, brake ducts, door cards & ultimately panels.

I’m going to get a few z4 salvage parts that I can use for moulds, but I will also have to learn how to skin items when moulds can’t be made.

If you want to try & remove some of the imperfections you need sand them out & polish back with a cutting compound. It’s the same process I use on acrylic.

 

[Jamie-innes]

great job mate Did you skin the original trim yourself?
I’m planning on doing a load when I take mine off the road over winter. I don’t know wether to sink original parts, or go all in and make moulds. Making moulds will take longer & more expense, but if I master the art I may try larger parts such as the exterior panels. There is a great company https://www.easycomposites.co.uk/ who sell everything you need. They have a Learning Area section with videos on different techniques. One even shows you how to make a car bonnet from start to finish.

Bought it already skinned and 2k clear coated from ebay so still have the original trim, it's not perfect by any means, a little imperfection on the side of the centre console and a few dust marks in the clear coat if you look closely but so much better than my tired and scratched trim i had before.
I had looked at that company before but it's way beyond my skill and I just don't have the time and money to put into learning.
I look forward to seeing a progress thread though if you go ahead, would be interesting to see, maybe even a little forum earner if you get handy with it

I have already done this, thread here:

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=122291&hilit=carbon+fiber

It's totally doable but you need a lot of time and patience and be prepared to make a few mistakes along the way. I will soon be working on another set for the E89 Z4 perhaps I should get some trims for the E85 / E86 too.

They pieces look great mate! Make it look easy! The trim that ended up with the imperfection looks exactly like the bit on the side of my centre console, can't notice it when driving but can catch it if you're looking for it, was priced accordingly however as i picked them up really cheap!

 

[Jamie-innes]

great job mate Did you skin the original trim yourself?
I’m planning on doing a load when I take mine off the road over winter. I don’t know wether to sink original parts, or go all in and make moulds. Making moulds will take longer & more expense, but if I master the art I may try larger parts such as the exterior panels. There is a great company https://www.easycomposites.co.uk/ who sell everything you need. They have a Learning Area section with videos on different techniques. One even shows you how to make a car bonnet from start to finish.

Bought it already skinned and 2k clear coated from ebay so still have the original trim, it's not perfect by any means, a little imperfection on the side of the centre console and a few dust marks in the clear coat if you look closely but so much better than my tired and scratched trim i had before.
I had looked at that company before but it's way beyond my skill and I just don't have the time and money to put into learning.
I look forward to seeing a progress thread though if you go ahead, would be interesting to see, maybe even a little forum earner if you get handy with it

you’ve actually read my mind ha. The imperfections you are referring to can be mostly avoided by using the vacuum bag & resin infusion technique. I will have an initial layouts for about £600 for the vacuum & moulding equipment. That’s not including carbon fibre & other materials.

As I’ve already mentioned I intended to do as much of the interior trim as is possible. I will even be doing the steering wheel before I send it Royals to be re covered in Alcantara.

If can master the moulding process then I’ll be able to make parts & sell them a lot cheaper than online companies.

I’ll start with aesthetics parts, then move on to weight saving parts such as, brake ducts, door cards & ultimately panels.

I’m going to get a few z4 salvage parts that I can use for moulds, but I will also have to learn how to skin items when moulds can’t be made.

If you want to try & remove some of the imperfections you need sand them out & polish back with a cutting compound. It’s the same process I use on acrylic.

Sounds like a solid plan mate, hopefully claw back some of the costs aswell once you get the hang of it and start doing some bits to sell on!
And that's good to know if it ever annoys me enough to redo it :roll: i honestly thought it wouldn't be repairable

 

[Silverstar]

They pieces look great mate! Make it look easy! The trim that ended up with the imperfection looks exactly like the bit on the side of my centre console, can't notice it when driving but can catch it if you're looking for it, was priced accordingly however as i picked them up really cheap!

That imperfection has to do with humidity or moisture, I ended up having to redo the entire panel since the buyer wanted the defect removed but yes it wasn't hugely noticeable, only with certain light or angles will you see it. Just out of interest what did you end up paying for it?

 

[Jamie-innes]

They pieces look great mate! Make it look easy! The trim that ended up with the imperfection looks exactly like the bit on the side of my centre console, can't notice it when driving but can catch it if you're looking for it, was priced accordingly however as i picked them up really cheap!

That imperfection has to do with humidity or moisture, I ended up having to redo the entire panel since the buyer wanted the defect removed but yes it wasn't hugely noticeable, only with certain light or angles will you see it. Just out of interest what did you end up paying for it?

Ahh right that makes sense then, and some people can be quite fussy :roll: and i won it in an auction for £210 for the 3 trim pieces

 

[Silverstar]

They pieces look great mate! Make it look easy! The trim that ended up with the imperfection looks exactly like the bit on the side of my centre console, can't notice it when driving but can catch it if you're looking for it, was priced accordingly however as i picked them up really cheap!

That imperfection has to do with humidity or moisture, I ended up having to redo the entire panel since the buyer wanted the defect removed but yes it wasn't hugely noticeable, only with certain light or angles will you see it. Just out of interest what did you end up paying for it?

Ahh right that makes sense then, and some people can be quite fussy :roll: and i won it in an auction for £210 for the 3 trim pieces

You got yourself a right bargain there.

Knowing how much time and effort this takes I doubt the seller made any money on it.

 

[Z4C_er]

Got these in the mail today. Paid £65 with the eBay September discount.

And finished the sill wrap, then took her out for a squirt...

 

[DSGRNMCM]

Cleared my Airbag light!

 

[Z4C_er]

Took the old girl to RBM in Hampshire to get a full fluid changeover; oil, coolant, brake fluid, gearbox and diff.
...and a CDV delete... and an MOT! Thanks to Ross and Phil!

 

[bigwinn]

Right

Only set out to do a couple of small bits

Dried the condensation in the NS headlight- refitted the seal I'd not fitted properly


Greased all hinges, locks and latches for winter

Waterproofed the hood

Fitted new footwell speakers

Did the engine sound generator mod (cheap version!)

So all in all a productive day

 

[Kevoz4]

I’ve replaced the discs and pads for brembo’s and painted the callipers but on removing these I found that all my shocks were original and absolutely knackered so replaced them with Bilstein B4’s with new bump stops and covers. The Z now drives even better but I didn’t really notice the shocks being so bad, I suppose driving the TR6 has made it easy to accept a bumpy ride in comparison to a modern.
While I had the rear shelf out doing the rear shocks I moved the Soft top pump to inside the boot. Very happy with all the results.

 

[Z4C_er]

I’ve replaced the discs and pads for brembo’s and painted the callipers but on removing these I found that all my shocks were original and absolutely knackered so replaced them with Bilstein B4’s with new bump stops and covers. The Z now drives even better but I didn’t really notice the shocks being so bad, I suppose driving the TR6 has made it easy to accept a bumpy ride in comparison to a modern.
While I had the rear shelf out doing the rear shocks I moved the Soft top pump to inside the boot. Very happy with all the results.

Wow, busy boy! That was all in one day?

 

[Z4C_er]

Right

Only set out to do a couple of small bits

Dried the condensation in the NS headlight- refitted the seal I'd not fitted properly


Greased all hinges, locks and latches for winter

Waterproofed the hood

Fitted new footwell speakers

Did the engine sound generator mod (cheap version!)

So all in all a productive day

I'll say!

 

[Kevoz4]

I’ve replaced the discs and pads for brembo’s and painted the callipers but on removing these I found that all my shocks were original and absolutely knackered so replaced them with Bilstein B4’s with new bump stops and covers. The Z now drives even better but I didn’t really notice the shocks being so bad, I suppose driving the TR6 has made it easy to accept a bumpy ride in comparison to a modern.
While I had the rear shelf out doing the rear shocks I moved the Soft top pump to inside the boot. Very happy with all the results.

Wow, busy boy! That was all in one day?

Ha ha, not all today but started yesterday lunchtime with the installation.

 

[rdgreen]

Removed the CDV. Has it made a difference? Yes, but if anyone else does it don't expect dramatic changes to the way it changes gear, just subtly smoother.

 

[Z4C_er]

Removed the CDV. Has it made a difference? Yes, but if anyone else does it don't expect dramatic changes to the way it changes gear, just subtly smoother.

Agreed. Had mine done yesterday and probably expected too much, or, had basically trained myself to drive the Z as smooth as possible anyway.

 

[idej_z4]

Removed the CDV. Has it made a difference? Yes, but if anyone else does it don't expect dramatic changes to the way it changes gear, just subtly smoother.

I found the CDV delete gives you a more responsive clutch more than anything, if youre looking for ways to improve the gear change adding a weighted gear knob and changing the gear box oil is about as much as you do.

 

[Jameszy]

Getting new rear tyres fitted - £106.39 each through F1 Autocentres, fully fitted price.

This is for Goodyear Eagle F1 Asy 5's, 255/35 R18. This is the lowest price I have ever seen, with Kwikfit/BlackCircles and similar coming in at £275 so pretty pleased with myself