What have you done to your E89 today
- Thread starter Bombur
- Start date
Scottish Borders
Been struggling with the issue of the issue of having a puncture a long way from home….in the 8 years of Zedding often in the company of other Zeds probably adding up to over 250,000 Zed miles I’ve never seen a Zed disabled / broken down ..however I’ve seen 5 Zeds stopped by punctures that were not recoverable with gloop, rat tails etc.
I did have a space saver but now with my big 6 pot Brembo front calipers a space saver won’t fit..
So I’ve bitten the bullet of getting a 326M front wheel used as spare wheel and just carry that all the time…great if I travel on my own ..more of an issue two up and away..which sadly is rarer these days.
Ironically I don’t think you lose much more space with a full size wheel vs a space saver..
Front 437M used as illustration pending refurbing 326M
I did have a space saver but now with my big 6 pot Brembo front calipers a space saver won’t fit..
So I’ve bitten the bullet of getting a 326M front wheel used as spare wheel and just carry that all the time…great if I travel on my own ..more of an issue two up and away..which sadly is rarer these days.
Ironically I don’t think you lose much more space with a full size wheel vs a space saver..
Front 437M used as illustration pending refurbing 326M
I've read a few posts where people have replaced the boot / tailgate struts, and they said it didn't make a difference.
Well I've just done the job and mine have made a massive improvement. My boot lid used to collapse from fully open and slam shut, I had to take all the weight and bring it down gently to drop the last inch. Now it needs a good pull to even move off the upright, and on opening it pretty much raises itself to open once its about 4 inches up.
Really easy swap, prise the clips out with a flat blade, once you get an edge in just push them off New clips are already attached to each end, so you just push them onto the ball joint. 2 minute job.
Bought Stabilus article 499514 from autodoc. £26 each. (I note you can get other brand struts for less than a tenner, maybe that explains my first line.)
Well I've just done the job and mine have made a massive improvement. My boot lid used to collapse from fully open and slam shut, I had to take all the weight and bring it down gently to drop the last inch. Now it needs a good pull to even move off the upright, and on opening it pretty much raises itself to open once its about 4 inches up.
Really easy swap, prise the clips out with a flat blade, once you get an edge in just push them off New clips are already attached to each end, so you just push them onto the ball joint. 2 minute job.
Bought Stabilus article 499514 from autodoc. £26 each. (I note you can get other brand struts for less than a tenner, maybe that explains my first line.)
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Whitchurch
Yup definitely going to be tight…plan to get some extra spacers in various thickness…may also look at lifting the ride height on the Ohlins ..it’s still sitting just below MSport spring levels..needs a higher spring rate on rear so not trivial ..I’ll wait till I try them which probably won’t till spring 2026…
Question for you both: do the boot struts affect the opening and closing of the roof at all? I.e. if the struts are harder to pull the boot lid closed, does that add extra strain on the roof motor at all?Changed mine ..improved the tendency to slam shut!
No…the stiction/resistance to motion simply sets it back to how it should be when it left the factory…the struts are the same as oe items
Today a new door handle trim arrived from Aliexpress to replace the original one which has got scratches and chunks missing from it as its degraded over time. Its also weirdly sticky, which i think is the original material breaking down, so it needed doing.
Got it for £12 and its a good colour match for Coral Red. They also did other colours and carbon fibre ones.
The original one:
New one fitted:
Fits perfectly. Bish bash bosh. Nice easy job.
Got it for £12 and its a good colour match for Coral Red. They also did other colours and carbon fibre ones.
The original one:
New one fitted:
Fits perfectly. Bish bash bosh. Nice easy job.
I would never know looking at it. Value for moneyToday a new door handle trim arrived from Aliexpress to replace the original one which has got scratches and chunks missing from it as its degraded over time. Its also weirdly sticky, which i think is the original material breaking down, so it needed doing.
Got it for £12 and its a good colour match for Coral Red. They also did other colours and carbon fibre ones.
Prices for OEM parts on ebay are between £85-£106 currently, so I’ll say so!I would never know looking at it. Value for money
Here you go. Make sure you pick the correct one for RHD / LHD as they sell both.
a.aliexpress.com
LHD RHD Innere Beifahrertür Zuggriffabdeckung Verkleidung Ersatz für BMW Z4 E89 2009–2016 - AliExpress 34
Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com
a.aliexpress.com
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So my eBay 326m front wheel arrived..in surprisingly good condition for a £110 wheel…
Almost tempted to use as is for my BBK space saver ..but…my OCD can’t cope with that..so off to the rim doctor for matching graphite grey finish, check it’s true and a nice new 235/40 19
Conti SC7..should save feeling desperately out of control on a normal space saver or running a punctured run flat…
Almost tempted to use as is for my BBK space saver ..but…my OCD can’t cope with that..so off to the rim doctor for matching graphite grey finish, check it’s true and a nice new 235/40 19
Conti SC7..should save feeling desperately out of control on a normal space saver or running a punctured run flat…
Ohio
It's cheap as chips to replace all of the gas struts in the bonnet, boot, and top. And as Peter says, it makes it operate as if it was new from the factory, which is a good thing. You will need a tool to replace the two gas struts that operate the top -- they are completely different than the struts that enable the boot.
