nfbr's 2007 Ruby Black Z4 Coupé! Blog/Build-Thread

[nfbr]

Thanks enzed4,

Regarding the battery; Over in the UK and in Europe it's called a "110"

Specs as follows:
Amp Hours: (Ah): 85Ah
Cold Cranking Amp: (CCA): 800CCA
Length: 315mm
Width: 175mm
Height: 175mm
BOSCH DIN: 585 200 080

Having extra headroom in a battery's Cold Cranking power just means that it's less likely to ever struggle.
Your cars electrical system will only ever draw as much current as it requires.

[enzed4]

Thanks for the info nfbr, should be perfect for me to source a replacement for mine. I believe the sizes (110) will be the same here but those measurements will be helpful for me to double check before purchasing.

Thanks enzed4,

Regarding the battery; Over in the UK and in Europe it's called a "110"

Specs as follows:
Amp Hours: (Ah): 85Ah
Cold Cranking Amp: (CCA): 800CCA
Length: 315mm
Width: 175mm
Height: 175mm
BOSCH DIN: 585 200 080

Having extra headroom in a battery's Cold Cranking power just means that it's less likely to ever struggle.
Your cars electrical system will only ever draw as much current as it requires.

[nfbr]

I saw on an Australian Website a DIN110 battery but it was 397mm in overall length.

If you confirm the above measurements when buying the battery and make sure the +/- terminals are the right size and right way round. You should be fine

[nfbr]

Managed to get an evening in the workshop tonight to went ahead and sorted out the thermostat and waterpump

Having watched a few different peoples interpretations of how it should be changed on youtube, I set out with a good idea of what to do and a few tips and tricks under my belt.

Much to my surprise, the Z4 is actually a hell of a lot more accommodating than the E9x and the 1-Series models. This pleased me somewhat.
Just look at all that room!


Here's a pic of the pump and thermostat in position - Not sure how, but this one came out looking like a studio shot!

Another view from a different angle - Everything was relatively straight forward, nothing that really challenged me.


With the pump removed and the majority of the coolant drained, the thermostat was super easy to access


And here's a couple of comparison shots, Firstly Old vs. New Waterpump


and finally Old vs. New Thermostat


With everything all fitted back in place and tightened up, I then drained the header tank and the radiator to make sure I was getting as much coolant as possible.

Just a quick note regarding the coolant, all the usual motorfactors were totally useless and couldn't work out what coolant the vehicle actually needed. In the end, I phoned BMW Head office and asked for the Specification of the anti-freeze and found that any BASF G48 coolant was compatible, which is often known as 'Green Longlife' anti-freeze. I finally settled with Bluecol OE 48 from my local Andrew Page motorfactors in a 50/50 mix with De-Ionised water for optimum performance and longevity.

Then the full cooling system was refilled (around 6 litres before the coolant started to appear at the bleed point). I then carried out the Self Bleed procedure which was very easy. Once the first self bleed was done, I then checked the level and topped it up with a further 0.7 litres and carried out the Self Bleed procedure again. After this - All was good and time for a road test

Road test - Everything went swimmingly. Car felt great, wasn't too quick to reach temperature, heater blowers warmed up gently, rather than not at all... A good 40 miles covered on the road test and the car behaved perfectly. My next step will be to check the levels tomorrow, then get her back on the ramp on Friday evening for a quick hose clip check.

Next up - Scorpion Exhaust development! This I am really looking forward to... Then if things go to plan, Gearbox Oil Change and a Quaife diff.

[Ed Doe]

Sounds awesome dude! One thing - did you replace the bolts with blue paint on the heads? They're one-use and can end up seizing in the engine if used again...!

Looking forward to the exhaust and diff upgrades!

[nfbr]

Sounds awesome dude! One thing - did you replace the bolts with blue paint on the heads? They're one-use and can end up seizing in the engine if used again...!

Looking forward to the exhaust and diff upgrades!

Yep, my supplier provided the three genuine BMW replacement aluminium bolts with the Pierberg OEM replacement Waterpump

[z4pilot]

Just out of interest, where did you source the pump and thermostat from? Starting to think I should get one of these in, just in case!

[nfbr]

Just out of interest, where did you source the pump and thermostat from? Starting to think I should get one of these in, just in case!

I got the Waterpump and Aluminium bolts from Sam at BM Autoparts in Birmingham. Sam is a very helpful bloke and will even check the part number against your Chassis number to ensure correct fitment. Really good guy to deal with and even answered my e-mails at 6.30pm on a Sunday evening!
They trade on eBay and are the Cheapest in the UK for a Brand New Pierberg pump
- eBay Listing - N52 Pierberg Waterpump + Bolt set

The thermostat I bought from GSF car parts as they were the only place I could find a BEHR thermostat.
Sam at BM Autoparts also does a Pump + Bolts and Thermostat kit for £285.00 inc Delivery which is a cracking price!
- eBay Listing - N52 Pierberg Water Pump + Bolt set + Wahler Thermostat

The American N52 owners seem to swear by the Wahler Thermostats, but I went for a BEHR one on account of my local BMW dealer friend checking a brand new BMW one on the shelf and it having the BEHR logo on it

The Bluecol OE48 coolant I got from Andrew Page, but this can also be got cheapest from Motorworld's eBay Store
- eBay Listing - Bluecol OE48 Anti-Freeze - 5 Litres
Just don't forget to mix it 50:50 with De-Ionised water.

[z4pilot]

Excellent - thanks for the info!

[kammy1975]

Just out of interest, where did you source the pump and thermostat from? Starting to think I should get one of these in, just in case!

I got the Waterpump and Aluminium bolts from Sam at BM Autoparts in Birmingham. Sam is a very helpful bloke and will even check the part number against your Chassis number to ensure correct fitment. Really good guy to deal with and even answered my e-mails at 6.30pm on a Sunday evening!
They trade on eBay and are the Cheapest in the UK for a Brand New Pierberg pump
- eBay Listing - N52 Pierberg Waterpump + Bolt set

The thermostat I bought from GSF car parts as they were the only place I could find a BEHR thermostat.
Sam at BM Autoparts also does a Pump + Bolts and Thermostat kit for £285.00 inc Delivery which is a cracking price!
- eBay Listing - N52 Pierberg Water Pump + Bolt set + Wahler Thermostat

The American N52 owners seem to swear by the Wahler Thermostats, but I went for a BEHR one on account of my local BMW dealer friend checking a brand new BMW one on the shelf and it having the BEHR logo on it

The Bluecol OE48 coolant I got from Andrew Page, but this can also be got cheapest from Motorworld's eBay Store
- eBay Listing - Bluecol OE48 Anti-Freeze - 5 Litres
Just don't forget to mix it 50:50 with De-Ionised water.

Another great post fella, keep up the good work.

But am a little confused. Before I bought my Zed, there was a lot said about failed water pumps\thermostats and the high cost of replacement. I could have sworn I read something that the high cost was due to labour, as the water pump wasnt accessible without dropping the engine off its mounts. From your pics and post, that clearly isnt the case ! So what is all this scaremongering regarding water pumps about ? I appreciate they arent the cheapest, but still they are hardly the £1000+ repair bills that some Z4 sellers were claiming. (Unless of course we are talking main stealer prices, and then it would be less of a surprise.)

Cheers
Kam

[nfbr]

Another great post fella, keep up the good work.

But am a little confused. Before I bought my Zed, there was a lot said about failed water pumps\thermostats and the high cost of replacement. I could have sworn I read something that the high cost was due to labour, as the water pump wasnt accessible without dropping the engine off its mounts. From your pics and post, that clearly isnt the case ! So what is all this scaremongering regarding water pumps about ? I appreciate they arent the cheapest, but still they are hardly the £1000+ repair bills that some Z4 sellers were claiming. (Unless of course we are talking main stealer prices, and then it would be less of a surprise.)

Cheers
Kam

Thanks Kam I aim to please.

I think the highest price I saw banded about on here was £700 ish.
That was with a quoted figure of £440.00 for the genuine BMW fuel pump, £100 ish for the Thermostat and then £12.00 or so per 1.5 Litres of Coolant before the book times of 1.2 Hours (waterpump) plus 0.7 Hours (thermostat) then 0.7 Hours (coolant change) in labour are slapped on top.

Something I've seen a lot of in the past though with main dealers is the prices falling heavily on parts that are a common issue.
If they see a lot of a particular item fail, they tend to bottom out the retail price on the item, so that it doesn't look back on the dealers for warranty comebacks.

A good example of this is VW / Audi's 2.0CR TDI Engines. The injectors used to be around £600.00 each, but when a shed load of them started failing, they came down to as little at £180.00 a piece!

[enzed4]

But am a little confused. Before I bought my Zed, there was a lot said about failed water pumps\thermostats and the high cost of replacement. I could have sworn I read something that the high cost was due to labour, as the water pump wasnt accessible without dropping the engine off its mounts. From your pics and post, that clearly isnt the case ! So what is all this scaremongering regarding water pumps about ? I appreciate they arent the cheapest, but still they are hardly the £1000+ repair bills that some Z4 sellers were claiming. (Unless of course we are talking main stealer prices, and then it would be less of a surprise.)

Cheers
Kam

Perhaps they weren't talking about the Si N52 engine? Could be difficult to access on the older M54's.
Just a thought.

[kammy1975]

But am a little confused. Before I bought my Zed, there was a lot said about failed water pumps\thermostats and the high cost of replacement. I could have sworn I read something that the high cost was due to labour, as the water pump wasnt accessible without dropping the engine off its mounts. From your pics and post, that clearly isnt the case ! So what is all this scaremongering regarding water pumps about ? I appreciate they arent the cheapest, but still they are hardly the £1000+ repair bills that some Z4 sellers were claiming. (Unless of course we are talking main stealer prices, and then it would be less of a surprise.)

Cheers
Kam

Perhaps they weren't talking about the Si N52 engine? Could be difficult to access on the older M54's.
Just a thought.

Nope, was defo the N52, as I only looked at Z4 coupes.

Plus, there's a lot been said about the damage that could be done to the magnesium alloy head should the car overheat. Plus, I don't think the M54 engines had the electric water pump, but could be wrong on that.

[kammy1975]

Thanks Kam I aim to please.

I think the highest price I saw banded about on here was £700 ish.
That was with a quoted figure of £440.00 for the genuine BMW fuel pump, £100 ish for the Thermostat and then £12.00 or so per 1.5 Litres of Coolant before the book times of 1.2 Hours (waterpump) plus 0.7 Hours (thermostat) then 0.7 Hours (coolant change) in labour are slapped on top.

Something I've seen a lot of in the past though with main dealers is the prices falling heavily on parts that are a common issue.
If they see a lot of a particular item fail, they tend to bottom out the retail price on the item, so that it doesn't look back on the dealers for warranty comebacks.

A good example of this is VW / Audi's 2.0CR TDI Engines. The injectors used to be around £600.00 each, but when a shed load of them started failing, they came down to as little at £180.00 a piece!

I think you are spot on with that explanation/breakdown of costs. Still doesn't explain why one seller claimed £1100 spent on replacement water pump! But that's enough of me hijacking your thread/blog...

[nfbr]

I think you are spot on with that explanation/breakdown of costs. Still doesn't explain why one seller claimed £1100 spent on replacement water pump! But that's enough of me hijacking your thread/blog...

Inner City London labour rates could tip it over a grand easily I suppose.
I know Audi Dealers inside the M25 charge £240+VAT per hour as opposed to the £105+VAT per hour they charge local to me.