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E85 3.0 Z4 Roadster Project



Rob

ClioSport Moderator
Ok, so this is going to be somewhere for everything z4 related, no more threads. Honest.

As you all know I bought the car a fair while back from Laura off of here. Despite having never been to her house, I'm fairly sure Laura lives somewhere quite country side like, so upon picking the car up it was in very good condition, just a little grubby. A whole lot of hours cleaning the car with TheEvilGiraffe off of here and we had one nice looking zed:

1.jpg


2.jpg


I couldn't have been much happier but then after just one week it took a bit of a knock and ended up in the body shop courtesy of a 17 year old ginger kid.

3.jpg


Thanks for that ginge.

Anyway, after a long time in the body shop, and exactly 10 hours before I was due to go away on holiday to the lakes, the car was ready for collection. The crash had done me a few favours:

Upon picking the car up from Laura, the passenger door didn't open from the inside, which it turned out was quite difficult to fix. As you can see, the car needed a new door, so this was sorted at the same time.

I actually went to pick up the car two days before I went on holiday, but as I drove away, the passenger side window regulator failed, because the car had been in their care, I had a new one fitted in 24hrs and all was well.

The body shop also resprayed the petrol cap for me as it was chipped. Result.

Anyway, the car came back looking great, and off I went to the lakes where the car performed brilliantly:

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6.jpg


So yeah, up until now the car was just standard, yesterday I made my first "mod", which is why I'm writing this.

The old steering wheel was showing signs of mileage and age (the leather was worn quite heavily along the top), and the resprayed plastics were chipped badly.

The z4 forum is a really really helpful and friendly place, so I managed to source a wheel that had only been fitted to a car for a year, the condition is brilliant and the price was frankly amazing.

So from this:

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9.jpg


To this:

9a.jpg


9b.jpg


Much better.

So, as for what's coming up, there's a fair few things....

The piece surround the gear console is fairly chipped/scratched, which is a shame, so I've got a spare trim set in bad conditon and all of these parts are to be covered in real carbon.. I may keep or sell on depending upon how it looks.

9c.jpg


Next up will be a new gear knob, as that's pretty ruined, but I'm not sure whether to go for the zhp illuminated or standard. The difference is about £30.

9d.jpg


This weekend I hope to paint the inbuilt "spacer" as it's gone slightly rusty and with wheels as "see through" as the 108's you can see it very badly, hammerite silver to the rescue I guess.

Then I'll be upgrading the wheels, again, something I'm unsure on. I'm swaying towards going for the CSL's, you're only young once right? I'll be keeping my 108's so they can be refurbed at any time.

So I'll either be rocking these minty fresh standard wheels:

9e.jpg


Or these:

9f.jpg


So yeah, that's as far as I am so far.. there's a few other things on my list:

Full service
New mats
Roof clean and seal

I'll probably be fairly active with this car over the summer, so hopefully I'll update this a fair bit.
 
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Tom

ClioSport Club Member
  EV (s)
Love the new wheel, looks great!

You think carbon is the route to go with?

I'm starting to think its yesterdays news.
 

Tom

ClioSport Club Member
  EV (s)
Agreed on the light up Gearknob, but I don't agree with the CSL's
 
  Z4
Nice car man.

I will have to get one of these soon...
wheel looks good, wouldn't go for the carbon effect though, tacky IMO. Piano gloss black would look superb.
 

Scrooge

ClioSport Moderator
  E55 AMG
So many differing opinions lol. That light up gearknob will be proper Halfords.
 

_Tom

ClioSport Club Member
I like these. Are they heavy? I suspect its alot more fun to drive than the 330i.
 

Padso

ClioSport Club Member
  Merc
You can always get the dash parts carbon dipped to save the cost of covering in real carbon.
 
  FN2 Type R +MK6 Golf
I dont like the light up gearnob.

Carbon will look ok i think.

The CSL's are a must bar none.19" too.
 

Hixle

Hi Kiss Luke E****
ClioSport Club Member
  E90 M3
S'alright ;)

No to CSL's, just get the ones you have minty fresh and leave it be. Look forward to having a look at it on Sunday mate!
 
  328, MK1 Clio 1.4
CSL alloys by far the best.

Don't do carbon though, will immediately make it look cheap and tacky.

No light up gear knob.
 

Scrooge

ClioSport Moderator
  E55 AMG
Not really. My m3 had an illuminated gearknob standard.
Id probably just go for the cheaper one though, money could be spent better elsewhere.

So because your M3 had one it won't look Halfords? C'mon, it's a light up gear knob ffs.
 
  Listerine & Poledo
Those Multi-spokes are very nice indeed.

Tempted to run it at lawnmower-clearance with inner-edge-melting geometry?

+1 against light-up shifter.
 
  Z4
So because your M3 had one it won't look Halfords? C'mon, it's a light up gear knob ffs.

My point was that it comes standard on high end cars, and the Zhp is an oem gearknob anyway. It's hardly a blue flashing neon.
Each to their own. People are getting very snobby on here for a clio forum lol.
 

Gally

Formerly Mashed up egg in a cup
ClioSport Club Member
Some lovely opinions in here! No to the gearknob, not sure on the new wheels. :(
 

Scrooge

ClioSport Moderator
  E55 AMG
My point was that it comes standard on high end cars, and the Zhp is an oem gearknob anyway. It's hardly a blue flashing neon.
Each to their own. People are getting very snobby on here for a clio forum lol.


It's still a lightup gearknob no matter what way you look at it, it could come in a Bentley for all I care.
 

Rob

ClioSport Moderator
FFS this has divided opinions....

I'll start from the start.

The light up gearknob is a BMW item, only comes on when the lights are on and the light up-ness is quite subtle. It can be bought exactly the same without the light up, so I may well do that.

Why is everyone so against it? It's standard in the Z4M!!!

Carbon... Again, "carbon leather" was a very expensive BMW option, I admit it may look better in a car with red leather, but from what I've seen it looks pretty good.

I'll be trying it on spare trim, so it's no biggie, but we'll see. If I don't like I'll just sell it on.

If I do go for the carbon, I may follow up with the steering wheel, I've got the spare plastics off of the old wheel and I'm going to wrap them tonight to see how they look.

Wheels - I have three options, the CSL's being the most expensive.

I may get the standards re-done for now until I've saved some money up. They look lovely box fresh TBH. CSL's will 100% be fitted at some point though. If I come into some £££ I'll buy the CSL's in a month or two.

They will be 19's, they will be silver and with the lower of the two suspension options on mine, it shouldn't need lowering!

If it does look like a monster truck I'll drop it 30mm on some eibachs as they seem a popular choice.

Love the new wheel, looks great!

You think carbon is the route to go with?

I'm starting to think its yesterdays news.

My other thread had too much crap in it,t wanted it all in one place.

And I fitted a steering wheel god damn it!

Why are you so against the carbon anyway?


Shall I just buy the normal gear knob now then?
 
  Listerine & Poledo
Myself, I prefer it if the c**kpit is wihtout lights when driving at night. if I could fit a SAABeqsque "Night-panel" switch to my car I'd do it in a snap.


But, of course, that's just my idea.

Besides, are you going to forget your gate pattern and need to stare at the shifter to remember which way it goes? I can't imagine so. It just seems tacky. Z4M-spec or not.

Oh, and CSL wheels are superior. WHich is probably why they cost :(
 


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