Author Topic: My BMW E85 Z4 3.0i (Read 2205 times)

stradale · « **on:** 19-Aug-2010, 01:19:08 »

As some of you might know my E36 320i needed replacing. Since it has done remarkably well and it has always been fun to drive BMW was at the top of my list when I started to wonder what car to replace the 320i with. At first I started looking at an E46 330i and I also had a test drive in an Alpina E46 B3 3.3. I even drove a Renault Clio RS phase III just to see if a hot hatch would not be a better alternative. As much fun as the Clio was on twisty B roads, it was way too bouncy IMO to serve as daily driver. A large part of the kms I drive in a year, I drive on the motorways, so it would soon start to become an unsatisfying experience.

The 330i and especially the Alpina are superb cars and I would have one in a heartbeat, but then I started thinking that now is the time to get a roadster. For now (and the near future) it's just me and my girlfriend, no kids yet. I drove a Z4 3.0i and then there was no way back... The way the car grips the road, the view over the bonnet from the driver's seat, the torque, the top end power, the noise, the gearbox, everything is just exactly right. A proper sports car, without having to compromise too much in terms of luxury and comfort.

I started scouring the internet, mostly German websites. Compared to similar cars in the Netherlands, cars in Germany are generally cheaper (even if you add the dutch luxury tax, which is not as bad as in Norway but still ridiculous), better maintained, better specced and usually have lower mileage. You do have to go through the hassle of importing the car, but if you do your homework it's not that big a deal. Even so, I have found that bureaucracy still manages to create some unpleasant surprises. Imagine my surprise that the Strassenverkehrsamt don't provide export registration for cars after 3 pm, even though it's open till 6 pm. Apparently they don't think it's necessary to mention this anywhere in the information they provide. Thank god we walked in at 2.58 pm...

Anyway, I found a gorgeous 2003 Z4 3.0i. It had about 80,000 kms and had almost all boxes in the options list ticked by its first owner. Among others it has 18" ellipsoid wheels (225 front, 255 rear), a set of 17" twin spoke wheels with winter tyres (225 front and rear), xenon, sat-nav professional, DSP sound system, cd changer, electric roof, heated seats, electric seats with memory, electric folding mirrors etc. It took some time to finally get it and get the dutch registration for it. My holiday was getting nearer and nearer and needless to say there was only one car I wanted to go on holiday with. It was a close call, but it worked out. So, upon returning from my holiday, I can finally share my purchase with my fellow TAU-ers... Of course I managed to take some nice shots of the car in France.

All I can say is that it's been nothing but fun so far!

I absolutely adore it.

I can even say it's quite practical. The boot has enough space for all our luggage, even with the top down. Despite some spirited driving it also manages to be more frugal than my 320i...

On the last day of our holiday however, I noticed that other people unfortunately don't care as much about your precious car as you do yourself. Some fucking asshole had made a nasty dent in my right rear fender and didn't have the decency to leave so much as a note. I had been extra careful in selecting parking spaces where risk would be minimal, especially after witnessing how your average french driver parks his or her dented and scratched Renault Scenic or ratty old diesel fuming Citroën... Perhaps I shouldn't even have bothered. Thanks to the retard who did it, I now have to get my car fixed barely two weeks after getting it...

MIHALS · « **Reply #1 on:** 19-Aug-2010, 07:28:44 »

wow, what a replacement!!!

Have fun with your new Top-Less lady, enjoy the sky above your head and take care about her!!!

about the parking. I always park my old E30 far from other cars by supermarkets. I don't mind walking few more meters, if that helps keep my car in the shape I drove in to the car park... ppl don't care about their cars as we do

ZfrkS62 · « **Reply #2 on:** 19-Aug-2010, 07:37:09 »

Beautiful choice Stradale

Even though BMW detuned the Z4's engines, their lack of weight more than makes up for it.

The dent in the quarter panel sucks balls. Fortunately, there are people that specialize in paintless dent repair and just massage the metal back into shape. they make a damn killing over here.

MIHALS · « **Reply #3 on:** 19-Aug-2010, 07:42:53 »

yes, that dent looks repairable without replacing or re-painting fender. they can suck it back into the previous shape, or just fix it with a wooden hammer from the inside of fender. I wouldn't worry about it, it definitely is fixable

I know, it still pisses you off...

ARMAN · « **Reply #4 on:** 19-Aug-2010, 09:05:37 »

thats one beautiful roadster, love z4 look

many km's without problems... oh and park your car on the other side of the parking lot

Darkel · « **Reply #5 on:** 19-Aug-2010, 10:14:14 »

Congratulations on your new car

The 3.0 is quite an engine

Too bad about the dent, parking a car you care about should become an olympic sport around here, I've got a dent like this (albeit not that deep) on each rear wing thanks to the assholes at the university.

Skaala · « **Reply #6 on:** 19-Aug-2010, 11:47:22 »

congrats on the new car! Better start getting the car ready for the Nordschleife during RR11!

stradale · « **Reply #7 on:** 19-Aug-2010, 11:56:38 »

Thanks guys! I'm still over the moon with my Z4.

Unfortunately there are scratch marks too and I doubt they'll just buff out. I'll see what the experts have to say.

@ Mihals and ARMAN: I also seek out parking spots where no one else parks or at least where someone else can only park on one side of my car. It's a pity that that's not enough to stop rudeness, stupidity and inability in other people...

@ Skaala: LOL! I'd really like to take the Z4 for a lap of the NS! Perhaps I should start with ordering a spare set of brake pads...

Skaala · « **Reply #8 on:** 19-Aug-2010, 12:04:59 »

Quote from: stradale on 19-Aug-2010, 11:56:38

@ Skaala: LOL! I'd really like to take the Z4 for a lap of the NS! Perhaps I should start with ordering a spare set of brake pads...

I can recommend Ferrodo DS2500. They work well on the street as well as on the track. A lot of "racing" pads available aren't that good on the street because they need a "healthy" temperature to work properly.
http://www.ferodoracing.com/catalogue/search.php?search=car_tuning_vehicle&cat=brake_pads

llastarri · « **Reply #9 on:** 19-Aug-2010, 18:12:28 »

Congratulations & beautiful car!!!

Thamar · « **Reply #10 on:** 19-Aug-2010, 21:34:43 »

Congrats!

I know about the parking problem. I also try to park the car at work where the chances are smallest. Hospital = a lot of old people who just don't care about a dent more or less

I never park to an old car, the fancier the car the better

Saadie · « **Reply #11 on:** 19-Aug-2010, 23:14:41 »

thats a pretty good looking car ... the newer version looks even better
this color suits this car best

get the dent fixed! .. and stay away from donutts

DMF · « **Reply #12 on:** 20-Aug-2010, 03:15:40 »

What a nice upgrade from a E36 320i! Looks great, I actually like this first generation Z4 more than the current one. Nothing better than the sound of a motor screaming in a car with no roof

Phobo · « **Reply #13 on:** 23-Aug-2010, 22:30:25 »

wow nice upgrade - me likes it alot.

Mr. Bangle did an awesome job when he was designing the car. Especially I like how they
integrated the side indicator into the bmw logo. Often a feature that I hate on most of the newer cars.

You must be a proude owner - any upgrades planned or do you leave it standart for the next time?

yeckmohr · « **Reply #14 on:** 23-Aug-2010, 22:43:02 »

congrats roland, what a beauty. my mother had two Z3 in the past, so i know how they drive, okay it's a better car now then the old ones. it looks perfect

TopGearNL · « **Reply #15 on:** 24-Aug-2010, 00:21:19 »

Nice little beaut you have there Stradale, and also the right engine!

Stoffie · « **Reply #16 on:** 24-Aug-2010, 00:22:12 »

Very nice! And with that glorious inline 6 to keep you company

stradale · « **Reply #17 on:** 24-Aug-2010, 11:42:04 »

Thanks for your comments, all!

About mods in general, I'd like to keep the original look as much as possible. Although I have no complaints about the brakes for street use, I have heard that they fade when used on track. For the occasional Ring lap, the Ferodo pads as suggested by Skaala might be a good idea.

Furthermore, many Z4 owners have taken out a piece of foam from the sound generator. The sound generator basically is a tube that connects the air intake to the passenger cabin. At full throttle or above 4,000 rpm a valve in the sound generator opens up and gives you that wonderful induction noise. Only the 3.0i has that, although it can also be retrofitted to the 2.5i. Taking one of the two pieces of foam out is supposed to give you an even more glorious sound. The beauty of it, is that the valve remains unaltered, so that it sounds stock when cruising. Plus, you don’t need an aftermarket exhaust that blares all the time and wakes up the neighbours to get some more sound. According to various forums it’s very easy to do it yourself and there are plenty of write-ups with pics on how to do it. I’ll try that shortly.

The last thing that needs to be done is that the language of the board computer, sat-nav etc. is all in german. I understand everything it says, but still I would like it in dutch. The dealer is unable to give me a quote on how much it would cost to fix that – if even possible, which they don’t guarantee. All I know is the dealer will charge me €90 excluding VAT an hour to have a go at it. There are supposed to be independent specialists who deal with this all the time, so I might try one of them.

In about a month the car is going to be fixed completely. The dent from the rear panel is going to be repaired. Unfortunately the scratch marks are so deep they have gone through the paint in places, so a respray is also in order. A couple of other small dents on the left door are also going to be repaired, as well as a respray of the entire front bumper to sort out some other scratch marks.

A colleague of mine knows a guy who does this for a living and his boss doesn't mind if he does the occasional repair in his own time, while still be able to use his boss' facilities. He knows all BMWs like the back of his hand and he's going to fix the whole lot for €525, which is an absolute bargain if you ask me.

TopGearNL · « **Reply #18 on:** 24-Aug-2010, 18:18:47 »

I came across that Satnav problem at the BMW where I worked Stradale. They said the same thing to customers then, that it would take some time in labour and they charge 250 euros for the dvd... An awfull lot if you ask me.

Like you said yourself there are specialists who do it but is it not possible to buy a dvd and do it yourself? My neighbour has got a 3-series and bought a dvd off the internet and did it himself. Then again he's got the new idrive system so not sure if it works the same..

pterps · « **Reply #19 on:** 24-Aug-2010, 20:27:18 »

Van harte Roland, dat is nog eens een stap voorwaarts

Geniet er van in goede gezondheid!

Lijkt me geweldig om zo'n trip te kunnen maken in je eigen roadster, tegen de tijd dat de meiden bij ons het huis uit gaan hoop ik dat toch ook te kunnen doen, dus dat duurt nog wel even