OV9

£33 for a repair seems expensive, but just do that if it’s not getting trackdays in etc

I’d go £33 for repair also - I couldn’t put a new tyre on unless its partner on the axle was “almost new”…. Otherwise my brain would force me to buy a new pair.

I’d be fine with a decent repair too assuming the tyre has plenty of tread left.

Some E86 thoughts.

Needs:
Detail look at the suspension - I can believe a friendly (not *that* friendly, just friendly) MOT station might have let some of the groans and creaks from the top mounts slide - or they just didn't drive it enough to notice it - but I won't.
Suspect ARB bushes are a bit creaky, and top mounts want looking at. I'll let my local indy loose on it. if they find anything that they think should have caught an MOT testers eye, I'll instruct them to go over it with a fine toothed comb and make The List. I do think it was just an MOT tester who was enamoured with it - the car seems to have that effect on people. Neighbour was cooing over it last night like a five year old

It otherwise drives straight and true without any noticable slack etc.

A passenger side window regulator (it's a 20 year old BMW, of course it does) - it's doing that repeaty squeaky thing and feels a bit tight to move. That might need more than Gummi Phledge.

That solenoid issue (that I cleared tonight, gave the car a run around town with some WOT moments, hasn't come back - maybe it just needed a few hundred hot-supper miles on it to free it up?)

Otherwise it doesn't appear to really need anything. Which ain't bad for a 20 year old car that's been well maintained, if reactively rather than proactively (the first, near 20 year owner, was a lady in London who bought it at 60 years old and sold it at 80 when she just couldn't get in and out of it any more). The previous owner to me (2nd) spent most of their time doing things like fixing interior trim and some of the common issues (oil filter/cooler gasket) and pootling to the office and pub in it. I expect the window regulator was 'on the list'. I'm the 3rd owner.

Wants:
Android Auto - it's really ruined me for older ICE setups. There are some hacky ways, some OEM alike ways (IE you can feed the carplay into the existing screen and control it with the existing controls, no I'm not joking) or the standard way (device that makes a bluetooth endpoint pretend to be the CD changer, just send audio from phone in a mount)

A good machine polish/paint correction - there are two small scuffs that will likely polish out on the car. Absolute worst case, I have two contacts who are good with paint if the bumper needs blowing over and blending in etc but honestly I don't think it will. They're very small and low on the body so if they're worse than they look, touch up paint, wet sand and polish would do me fine. It's a car to be driven, not a show car, so I'm not letting perfection be the enemy of good enough in that respect, but boy howdy does it have lots of swirls in the paint - so it definitely wants a bit of attention. That'll have to wait till after two neighbours have stopped practically rebuilding their houses - two days and the car is already covered in fuckin' concrete dust, so better to wait for that to finish first methinks.

A wee driveline check. It has similar shuntiness as to what the E46 had at low speed, so I suspect this is just one of those 'they all do that (at this age) sir' things, but I hear getting shot of the clutch delay valve helps as it makes clutch bite more predictable, which would definitely help. I'll speak to me indy about that.

New keys. Previous owner replaced the (presumably scabby) keys with 'like new' replacements, but I assume he's never owned an E-chassis BMW before because the 'new, clean' keys are fucking awful chinese shit that feel like garbage and have barely any button travel. I'll see what the other options are, although £300 a key or whatever from BMW can get to fuck. I don't even think that style of key is still supplied, think it's a flip type key now - I saw Sytners Stevenage had the key as being NLA, but they might just be bullshitting. It's genuinely the only real downer I've had so far.

One shot close on drivers window doesn't work, but that's likely just needing the Dance Of One Shot Windows done on it, that I can't remember off the top of my head (hold open for ten seconds, hold closed for twenty or something). I'll sort that once the passenger window regulator is sorted.

Any Other Business:
At some point I'll get all the fluids done - yes, including the diff - because, again, twenty year old car, unless I can find evidence of it being done in the past, which I doubt it will have.

The seats are electric memory, but don't appear to have the auto-dip mirror on reverse coded in, so I'll have to look into that.

The car has some fucking incredible angles on it visually, and some that are slightly less flattering - but it's still a really striking design. Twenty three year old me can shut the fuck up, the Bangle Era designs have really matured very nicely. It got lots of attention tonight at Lidl and outside the local pizza shop. Friend of mine who does number plates reckons it wants an 'ageless' number plate on it (just a simple £250 XXX 123 type plate) to hide the fact it's a 2006 car, and to be honest, other than wanting to make some money he might have a point. It looks way more modern than it actually us in a lot of respects. That really is a proper, long-tail optional thing though. I'm more concerned about where the spiders are in my bathroom than I am about that; I'm just surprised that I agree with him about private plates for a change...

Basically, pretty solid car that cost £3-4k less than other cars that would need broadly similar work, the only real difference being they'd have 80k miles on them rather than 106k and I'd still need to have spent some £1200 getting CSL reps and tyres on it because sometimes, just sometimes, it's OK to be a right fuckin' tart about these things, especially when it looks so good on 'em.

Don't feel like I've done too bad overall. No Regerts.

I'll maybe do an End of Term report on the M135i once my broadband is back up. It was certainly an interesting car, but the Z4 has thrown a few things into pretty start relief. It's surprising to think the cars are only ten years apart.

You'll need a shit covered stick to beat away all the Lidl women and random middle aged men.

Mito Man wrote: Tue May 13, 2025 10:29 pm You'll need a shit covered stick to beat away all the Lidl women and random middle aged men.

It's the Lidl Angels, Mito.

Get it right!

Bean, just replying on two things:
- point the mirror adjuster knob to the passenger mirror and try putting it in reverse. The auto dip should only work if it’s switched that way.
- a £250 plate in that format will be a Northern Irish one - they look less classy than a decent short prefix plate which would be available for £250 if you choose carefully.

If it's anything like that gen of 1er and 3er, mirror dipping on reverse was an option. Mine doesn't have it, but our E8x 120d did. Whether it's codable I don't know

I always have the adjustment set to passenger.....



.... So that I can dip it manually, for parking

It's not a big thing, it's just a nice to have.

Re the plate thing, I'll look into that if I decide I want to do it. I don't particularly care at the moment, just an interesting thought

Glad you’ve got sorted beany and sounds like you’ve got a good one. Agreed on the styling, bangle stuff has aged well, but the z4 coupe is definitely the best of them

I don’t think either of my Z4s had auto tilt (both with electric seats, one with folding mirrors). I had them before Bluetooth bmw coders were cheap/available, so didn’t try to do anything about it, but seem to remember that it wasn’t an issue anyway because you hardly needed to dip them to see the wheel because of the seating position, and the adjuster was really well positioned on the door.

You will be hypersensitive to any driveline slack compared to an E46 because you’re sitting on the rear axle. The rear differential and prop donut were in much better condition than the E46 that I was running at the same time, but I could feel the smallest amount of play on the Z4 and not notice anything on the E46.

I think the shape is great. When you own one and spend time looking at it, particularly the sides of the car, you realise that it is a standout design.

Apparently no e85/e86 Z4s came with auto dip mirrors as an option - it just wasn't a thing. On any of them, anywhere, ever.

What an odd choice!

Also apparently Copart are sending me a package.

I put the car handbook/MOTs etc in the car at insurances request (which they thanked me for) when collecting the last of my stuff from it, I'll be annoyed if they are sending that back.

In hindsight I can see the logic, but it'll still be annoying. I don't fucking want it

@Beany decent suggestion but its £399. squint hard and the 2 could be a Z

Sundayjumper wrote: Fri May 09, 2025 8:21 am

scotta wrote: Thu May 08, 2025 7:35 am

Sundayjumper wrote: Thu May 08, 2025 7:30 am Oh, how much is the discount ? I need a battery too.

10%. Decent discount. It’s through the number 27 YouTube channel.

It only gave me 5% but it all helps And it has arrived already this morning ! Brilliant service.

Maybe i read that wrong but its better than zero. I've used Tayna a few times and they have always been excellent. @mik Has had experience of their returns as well with good reports.

I thought we had all agreed that I'd get

D4 3EAN

scotta wrote: Wed May 14, 2025 9:23 am @mik Has had experience of their returns as well with good reports.

1 warranty return - 18+ month old battery. They sent return packaging and organised pickup. Slight pain as they then needed a couple of days to test it, but they agreed it was faulty and provided no-quibble replacement (actually gave me a higher price option as they were out of stock on the original). No complaints.

1 return as I bought a new battery before realising my starter motor brushes were humped. My fault, so I had to package it up safely (unlike Steve I had already recycled the excellent original packaging ) and pay £15 for a courier to return it). No complaints.

Side note - heated seats are amazing.

Does a lovely job on my back.

Our local ATS did a repair and didn't want to charge, the manager suggesting we just buy 'the lad' a beer. Top blokes.

Fuckin' winning.

I have decided today that despite the E86 Z4 Coupe 3.0si clearly being a Very Serious Sports Car, that it could do with some whimsy.

I have added Whimsy (tm)
The cute lass who suggested to me that cars should have some whimsy is very pleased with me.

Dear god, man, did you not consider the micro abrasions ? THE MICRO ABRASIONS.