coldel Posted July 1, 2023 Share Posted July 1, 2023 (edited) So, the market was ripe for Coupe Z4 sales, I made a few quid on the one I sold a couple of months back. Happy days. But I have been left driving my other halves Qashqai around, not so happy days. I was looking around, I thought about a face lift SLK 350 R171, but soooo hard to get one. The odd supercharged MX5 popped up on ebay. I held off. Anyway, I missed the humm of that glorious N52 so much, I thought, why not get another one, this time be able to hear it properly. After a few long round trips to see cars that the owners blatantly lied about the quality of (its got wear and tear, then turn up to see three or four panels with crash damage on) I went and looked at one I wouldnt usually look at. I am very much a 'pay a premium for a low mile' kinda guy but went against the grain and looked at a 114k mile example, and well it beat the other low milers hands down for quality and also maintenance. So, I said 'old out yer 'and and got the deal done and now its sat outside the house... An 06 three litre SI roadster. And shes a beaut. The perfect spec for me with M sports pack, electric everything but not including the ageing plastic pop up sat nav in the dash which I think ages the interior terribly. MV2 BMW wheels recently refurbed, MPS4 all round, all the main jobs done including a Pierburg water pump, bushes done all round etc. A very tight and nice drive. Was a nice surprise also to find it had the upgraded HiFi with bass speakers behind the seats. A few jobs to be done: Roof needs a proper clean, stains etc. Headlights are dulled, Turtle Wax clean and seal kit on order Bluetooth installation, I ordered the same kit as the last car which is plug n play behind the head unit Seats as you can imagine need a refresh, kit ordered Valvetronic motor gasket is leaking, had to do the same job on my last Z4 takes an hour, easy job Oil cap gasket needs replacing In all though very small jobs, all doable outside the house by even this cack handed guy. I gave it a quick wash today, but could feel it needs a proper all over clay and full polish etc. But otherwise, very happy to be back in a Z4. Stunning cars, very underrated, with that N52 which is an engineering masterpiece. Edited July 1, 2023 by coldel 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted July 1, 2023 Author Share Posted July 1, 2023 Well the headlight cleaning kit arrived, I had a quick go at it by hand. Hard to show on the pics but it definitely looks clearer... 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy james Posted July 2, 2023 Share Posted July 2, 2023 Very nice Col. Need to find a tunnel to fully appreciate the noise roof down! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Muxlow Posted July 2, 2023 Share Posted July 2, 2023 Very nice indeed Col. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Payco Posted July 2, 2023 Share Posted July 2, 2023 Glad you are back in the game Col. Looks like a lovely example and I know how much you enjoyed the previous one. Enjoy your latest journey.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADPHONES Posted July 2, 2023 Share Posted July 2, 2023 I'm a fan of the Turtle Wax headlight restoration kit. Love the little square sanding pads in particular. If it's the same one I always buy, I'd recommend maybe a clear vinyl wrap instead of the TW top coat sealer as the sealer only ever lasted me one summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coz@TORQEN Posted July 3, 2023 Share Posted July 3, 2023 As a major fanboy of BMW's, this is very nice 😍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted July 3, 2023 Author Share Posted July 3, 2023 On 02/07/2023 at 21:50, HEADPHONES said: I'm a fan of the Turtle Wax headlight restoration kit. Love the little square sanding pads in particular. If it's the same one I always buy, I'd recommend maybe a clear vinyl wrap instead of the TW top coat sealer as the sealer only ever lasted me one summer. Yep thats it, kind of. I ordered it from Amazon, £9. It came with a bit less stuff but yes those pads are great! I have other headlight sealant wipes which I will use to top up what I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted July 3, 2023 Author Share Posted July 3, 2023 A few jobs done now cosmetically. A degrime of the engine bay never goes amiss, Chemical Guys Degreaser Before After I also got my convertible top cleaner from Meguiars, actually worked quite well for a Halfords brand. I annoyingly forgot to take a pre photo, anyway from the suds you can see the brown yuck coming away from the hood. Very pleased with the outcome. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Payco Posted July 3, 2023 Share Posted July 3, 2023 Col. did it restore the colour too ?. Need to do the wife’s MX5 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted July 4, 2023 Author Share Posted July 4, 2023 9 hours ago, Payco said: Col. did it restore the colour too ?. Need to do the wife’s MX5 .. …a subjective guess but yes it looked darker, that could be because of all the dust and dirt it lifted. For £15 it’s worth a go and very easy to use. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted July 6, 2023 Author Share Posted July 6, 2023 Few subtle improvements Wheel badges both the centre caps and the little M badge fixed Before After Replaced the chrome grills with black ones There were definitely some issues with the battery. When I locked it on the fob and set the alarm the hazards would randomly come on and also sometimes the car would beep. Anyway, a top quality Yuasa battery got delivered today and replaced the ageing (as it happens Jaguar branded!) battery and all problems have gone away, hurrah! Before After 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted July 7, 2023 Author Share Posted July 7, 2023 (edited) ...and the alarm beeping problem came back 🤯 A quick question posted on the FB page and someone suggested unplugging the bonnet alarm switch (you can see it in the photos above where the engine bay struts meet at the back of the bay, anyway pulled it and bingo seems to have resolved the problem. OEM BMW replacement switch £34 🤑 Edited July 7, 2023 by coldel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted July 10, 2023 Author Share Posted July 10, 2023 A few more little jobs done Bluetooth unit installed. it’sa plug and play that sits behind the head unit, so keeps the OEM look whilst still being able to stream music. Is a bit of a faff to remove the vents and head unit but being a veteran at this as I did it on the previous Z managed to knock this job off in about 30 mins The bolster was looking every bit it’s 114k miles so some Furniture Clinic All in One Paint ordered and applied Before After 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted July 12, 2023 Author Share Posted July 12, 2023 Oooo this arrived will have to install it today see what difference it makes Feel free to guess what it is just for fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Payco Posted July 14, 2023 Share Posted July 14, 2023 Gear knob adapter ?. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bounty Bar Kid Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 Bumper stops? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Umster Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 Pedal stop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortPaul Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 Bonnet stop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted July 15, 2023 Author Share Posted July 15, 2023 Good guesses, Umster with the cigar though! Sits behind the clutch pedal so it stops the clutch travel in the dead zone. Forever tinkering... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Umster Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 Manual BMWs do need the tinkering though it's all worth it in the end. I've always preferred a German auto or a Japanese manual. Germans are terrible with sloshy manuals and the Japanese do sloshy auto's 😆 look forward to a few more updates Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted July 15, 2023 Author Share Posted July 15, 2023 I do like the manual box on the Z4, its definitely a smoother tighter shift than the 350z was. I got a few more bits arrive this week so when the weather sorts itself out will get those done...oil cap and valvetronic motor gaskets. Also a new bonnet badge but need to get some rubber grommits to hold it on. Also bought some metallic black plastidip, the wiper arms are in a sorry state so going to take them off and spray them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted July 19, 2023 Author Share Posted July 19, 2023 More stuff done! Wipers looked very worn… Decided to buy some premium sapphire black plastidip. Then needed to pull the arms off…no budging…so had to buy this little chap Popped the arms off with a bit of an alarming bang when they popped but did the job! A quick tidy up, sprayed, and some AG tr gel on the scuttle and everything put back together The steering wheel when new has a soft touch covering to the plastics which over the years wears and looks generally a bit crap. So out came some panel wipe and some energetic rubbing later (Ooo err) and all tidied up Engine bay generally is in good nick for 100k+ miles no leaks from valve cover gasket but the oil cap gasket was a bit worse for wear. Anyway cleaned up and looking better with a replacement. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted July 19, 2023 Share Posted July 19, 2023 Tidy work. There's a nack to getting tough wiper arms off. Cap off, nut off and push down on your palm at the joint/hinge which aligns the tapered splines and she'll come right off. Method worked on my 31yr old Nissan Sunny arms, what had never been off 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted July 19, 2023 Author Share Posted July 19, 2023 I tried all that and more. Forum advised that these need pullers. I soaked it in wd40, and needed a leverage with a socket wrench to get it off. Absolutely mental. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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