This thread is my attempt to try and document my time with my Z4 as I thought it might be fun for some of you to see someone's journey getting to know the car. Also perhaps some of you might bless me with some pearls of wisdom along the way so without further preamble here we go…
In February this year I managed to put my MX-5 NA into a hedge. Unfortunately a large rock also lived in the hedge so this was the end of the old girl. When considering getting another, my wife rightfully questioned if a man with kids should be driving a car with such scant safety features and maybe I should consider something with at least ABS and airbags. To cut a long story short, the option to pick up a 2003 2.5l Z4 from long time friend of mine and forum member [ref]Caius[/ref], came up. The deal was sweetened by the offer to drop it off and considering at heart I'm a lazy sod this was ideal!
Off the bat there were two main issues
Along with the above I wanted to accomplish some fun stuff
Next I picked up some Bilstein B4 shocks, top mounts and some new springs for the rear and this is where the z4 really started to surprise me. I'm fairly handy but no mechanic, this would be the biggest job I’d done to date and it was really easy. Considering how old this car is with some persuasion everything came off fine really a joy to work on. The shocks that I took off I think where perhaps original and after about 118k miles had basically gone completely.
At the same time I managed to pick up some style 108s with Bridgestone runflats off gumtree for the princely sum of 150quid which I thought was a real bargain!
After fitting everything the car ran much better but tramlining was really pronounced on the uneven b-roads round where I live, to the point where it felt like a vengeful spirit was trying to kill me. Thankfully a couple of days later and with some more miles on the clock it did settle down a bit but still wasn't the best, so time to conduct some research...
It would seem that it's not uncommon for e85s to have this issue and that runflats and larger wheels don't help. The other thing I found was that the rear trailing arm bush and front wishbone rear bush can also cause issues when worn out.
I decided to do one thing at once and ordered some powerflex front wishbone rear bushes. I'm in the middle of doing that job at the moment and honestly using a gear puller to get the old ones off made it a breeze. I’ve yet to get everything back on and give it a test so will update next time.
In February this year I managed to put my MX-5 NA into a hedge. Unfortunately a large rock also lived in the hedge so this was the end of the old girl. When considering getting another, my wife rightfully questioned if a man with kids should be driving a car with such scant safety features and maybe I should consider something with at least ABS and airbags. To cut a long story short, the option to pick up a 2003 2.5l Z4 from long time friend of mine and forum member [ref]Caius[/ref], came up. The deal was sweetened by the offer to drop it off and considering at heart I'm a lazy sod this was ideal!
Off the bat there were two main issues
- We agreed to add some sports seats he had, unfortunately adding these caused the airbag light to come on. Unfortunately the car has a bit of history for doing this so no simple fix is likely here.
- The handling was not confidence inspiring verging on scary at 60mph+. Caius informed me that the rear suspension had not been done and was likely fit for the bin.
Along with the above I wanted to accomplish some fun stuff
- Replace the wheels with something bigger I feel like the car really suits larger wheels and for me the BMW style 108s really captures the 00s vibe.
- Add something to play music from my phone (very important)
Next I picked up some Bilstein B4 shocks, top mounts and some new springs for the rear and this is where the z4 really started to surprise me. I'm fairly handy but no mechanic, this would be the biggest job I’d done to date and it was really easy. Considering how old this car is with some persuasion everything came off fine really a joy to work on. The shocks that I took off I think where perhaps original and after about 118k miles had basically gone completely.
At the same time I managed to pick up some style 108s with Bridgestone runflats off gumtree for the princely sum of 150quid which I thought was a real bargain!
After fitting everything the car ran much better but tramlining was really pronounced on the uneven b-roads round where I live, to the point where it felt like a vengeful spirit was trying to kill me. Thankfully a couple of days later and with some more miles on the clock it did settle down a bit but still wasn't the best, so time to conduct some research...
It would seem that it's not uncommon for e85s to have this issue and that runflats and larger wheels don't help. The other thing I found was that the rear trailing arm bush and front wishbone rear bush can also cause issues when worn out.
I decided to do one thing at once and ordered some powerflex front wishbone rear bushes. I'm in the middle of doing that job at the moment and honestly using a gear puller to get the old ones off made it a breeze. I’ve yet to get everything back on and give it a test so will update next time.
