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I finally bought a Z4 - Ownership thread!

So, now I need to find a specialist to look at the alignment (replacing the front track rods) and the aircon (potentially replacing the compressor), before I head off to cover 2500 miles to Italy and back in June.

RBM in Hampshire don't do alignment or aircon, so they are out. TWG in Camberley are booked solid until the end of June, so they are out.

Any suggestions?
 
For alignment, on a previous car I've used Wheels In Motion/Blackboots at Chesham if that's not too far from you. Very knowledgeable and worth a phone call.
 
Alignment wise, Merrow Tyres in Farnham are very good - the guy there had a Z4M in the past and asks you what sort of setup you want.
 
It's not just alignment I need. I have an excellent place near me in South London, but I want someone who can do everything (including fitting the track rods and fixing the aircon) in one visit.
 
DaveP said:
TWG in Camberley are booked solid until the end of June, so they are out.

That's a shame as my car was transformed after Will worked his magic on the alignment. I had to book it 5 weeks ahead, but as it was last November/December it didn't matter much as I was mostly using my 3 Series that time of year!
 
Well, it looks like good things are going to come to a temporary end sooner than expected.

The car was bought specifically to do the Mille Miglia trip next month - a bucketlist opportunity with some of my best friends. However, in the past 4 weeks my partner and I have found our dream second home and I've been offered my dream job (having been on a career break since December). Timing of starting the new job means that I can't make the trip, and the house being an old country pile means that I need a proper 4x4 as a priority.

I was never going to keep the car forever, but can't really justify keeping three cars going for the next few months where household maths get quite tight.

So, I'm going to get it MOT'd and get it up for sale next week.

The good news is that I'll probably be back in the autumn/winter looking to pick up a manual 3.0i for weekends and trackdays, coming full circle to the very first post linked in this thread. :rofl:

On the very long-shot offchance that anyone wants the car and has a facelift 3.0i X5 they'd like to p/ex against it, please get in touch. :lol:
 
I'll be back in a Z4 before Christmas unless something goes badly wrong.

We've given ourselves until Christmas to get the house sorted too, so no competing priorities there at all... :D

We are having about a dozen folk come and stay for a big New Year's party, so I guess that's technically the housewarming party.
 
Car is booked in for an MOT on Tuesday, which I expect to pass without issue. Should mean that the car is sold with ~13mths MOT and ~11k miles until the next service.

Always feels good passing on a car that doesn't need any work done.
 
Forgot to mention that I cleared the airbag fault, which appeared when I had the battery disconnected for a few days, with my newly-acquired C310 scanner thing, and it hasn't come back. Money well spent!
 
Well, the ad is up here and on Autotrader. I need to keep telling myself it's only a temporary departure!
 
Much has changed, but some things stay the same. I might well be back in a Z4 in the next week, if luck falls my way.

In the ~7mths since I sold my lovely grey auto for £3700 to a delightful chap from the Midlands, I've bought a second home in the countryside (that is currently draining my bank account), and bought the most countryside of accessories to go with it.

IMG20221217123918.jpg

That's a vanishingly rare petrol V8 Discovery 3, running a Jag 4.4L engine. It's been an absolute pleasure to potter around the countryside in, and has performed dutifully at shuttling various things between London and Norfolk. 8mpg around London is hard to stomach, but it's pretty happy to do 22mpg on a motorway run at 70ish. The Volvo continues to provide perfectly adequate service pottering around London on its battery, and that's about all there is to say to that.

So, what of the Z4? Well, I put a few Wanted notes out on the various Facebook groups, stipulating a few non-negotiables (3.0i, manual, £4k budget) and a few desirables (heated seats, parking sensors, service history). I was contacted by a lovely chap locally to me in Norfolk who's likely to need to sell his car after getting caught considerably the wrong side of 100mph. A shame for him, but wonderful news for me.

I went and drove the car over the weekend, and it's in every bit as good condition as he described. As sad as it is to appear to profit from another's misfortune, we immediately agreed his asking price and are waiting to hear the outcome of his court visit this week.

Plans at the moment are fairly loose. I've bought a set of sunflower 17s to get refurbed and shod with decent (square) rubber, as the car is currently on (mint) MV3s. I've booked a trackday for the end of August at my local circuit (Snetterton) with some friends, to see how it goes without any tweaking - although I'm planning to swap in some DS2500 front pads and a spot of fresh ATE Typ200 fluid. Then I'm aiming to make up for my missed Eurotrip last year (see further back in this thread) in late May, by taking a week-long drive around Switzerland and a few laps of the Ring on the way home with some friends.

Here's to updating this thread in a few days' time!
 
So, the poor chap has been given a 6mth ban with ho hope of appeal (for going really quite fast). Looks like I've just bought another Z4...

In terms of spec, it's boring silver with black leather. It has almost every option ticked, bar the Carver stereo - a shame, but at least gives me the opportunity to fit an Android unit. Powerfold mirrors are apparently not working (shocked), but everything else seems in really decent nick barring a small patch of dull paint on the rear wing.

The owner was also quite fastidious about maintenance, and has fixed a lot of the classic failure points. New seals on the rocker cover and oil filter housing, as well as serviced VANOS and DISA bits and pieces.

Z4.jpeg

The 17s are in pretty rough shape, and I'm not sure if I'll have time to get them refurbed before I go on track at the end of March. Might just chuck on some fresh rubber and YOLO it...

Anyone want to buy a set of very good MV3s with tyres that have plenty of tread?
 
Cheers chaps. As Gary Glitter said, it's good to be back.

I seem to have rolled the insurance algorithm dice and bagged a double six. The Disco is with Admiral, and I thought I'd give them the chance of taking more of my money on a multi-car policy. I filled in all the details on their website (they were very helpful about having cars registered at different addresses - I need the Disco registered in London to keep my parking permit), and clicked the button to be told how much more my policy would be to add the Z4.

The answer? -£200.

I looked at it a few times, wondering if I'd done something thick. When it all checked out, it turned out that adding the Z4 to my existing policy for the Discovery made it £200 cheaper...

Completely baffling, but I'm not going to argue. I suspect they'll look to reclaim some of that come renewal time, but even then it's still substantially cheaper than taking out a second policy with a different provider.

Sometimes being an old git (at 40) and living in the countryside pays off.

Aiming to collect on Tuesday evening, and feeling a bit like a child on Christmas Eve.
 
paddy wright said:
Looks well!
Yeah, the seller definitely falls into the "active enthusiast" category, which is exactly the kind of person I enjoy buying cars from. I think this is his third Zed, and he's been very good at the whole proactive maintenance side of things.

I'm sure it will require some fettling, but it seems like it's in a really good place to start with.

Having not driven a manual before, I found the gearshift to be very notchy. I'd love to do a Coolerworx conversion on it, but I think I'll start with the basics. Changing the transmission fluid seems straightforward, and I'll probably do the diff oil while I'm in there. Looking at the kit to refurb the shifter bushing initially, but needing to take the exhaust off seems like a royal pain. I might grab a slightly heavier knob while I'm thinking about it - I don't mind the ZHP, but it's not my favourite. Maybe Storm Motorwerks?
 
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