Z4M at 85k miles. Need help with "refresh" planning

[GP20]

My 2008 Z4MC now has about 85k miles and starting to feel a little old. I'd like to replace a few parts to make it feel newer again. The steering is also feeling a little vague and the front end "floats" at times.


So far I've already replaced:

- dampers / springs / strut mounts / RSM's
- RTAB's
- front end-links

Here's what I'm going to order:

- OEM FCAB's (front control arm bushings)
- Rogue Engineering transmission mounts
- Vibra Technics engine mounts
- engine mount bracket bolts (BMW motorsport bolts)


What else should I replace "while I'm at it"?

I thought about replacing the front control arms, but a couple of shops I've talked to told me not to bother unless they have obvious issues / damages. How true is that? Mine don't seem to have any noise so far.

And somebody please help me find the part numbers for the steering coupler. I looked up on realoem, but can't seem to figure out which part it is and how it looks like.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/partgrp.d...24&hg=32&fg=30

Thanks in advance!

[mtrhed]

Front wheel bearings, control arms, all rear ball joints. All completely worn when I replaced somewhere around 90k.

[GP20]

Originally Posted by mtrhed

Front wheel bearings, control arms, all rear ball joints. All completely worn when I replaced somewhere around 90k.

Thanks! Did you notice any symptom of the wheel bearings and control arms going bad before replacing them? Just to confirm, you replaced the entire control arms, and not only the bushings?

[RADRACR]

Hey Eric!

[an3ony]

Hey man, they're calling part number 6 "cup". It could be a coupler or simply the gasket to keep the cabin sealed from outside air.
http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/E8...mn_trim_panel/

[Shipkiller]

Originally Posted by an3ony

Hey man, they're calling part number 6 "cup". It could be a coupler or simply the gasket to keep the cabin sealed from outside air.
http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/E8...mn_trim_panel/

The 'cup' (part 9) is the bulkhead/firewall rubber diaphragm.

The steering coupler is actually two couplers on the telescopic shaft. There is a lower coupler that attaches to the rack and the upper coupler that attaches to the steering column.

Look here: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...82&hg=32&fg=30

[mtrhed]

Originally Posted by GP20

Thanks! Did you notice any symptom of the wheel bearings and control arms going bad before replacing them? Just to confirm, you replaced the entire control arms, and not only the bushings?

Loose steering and maybe some noise. Replaced complete control arm as the ball joints were shot and not replaceable separately. Wheel bearings actually fell apart as I removed them.

[inTgr8r]

Originally Posted by mtrhed

Loose steering and maybe some noise. Replaced complete control arm as the ball joints were shot and not replaceable separately. Wheel bearings actually fell apart as I removed them.

What mileage was on the car when you did this?

[GP20]

Originally Posted by Shipkiller

The 'cup' (part 9) is the bulkhead/firewall rubber diaphragm.

The steering coupler is actually two couplers on the telescopic shaft. There is a lower coupler that attaches to the rack and the upper coupler that attaches to the steering column.

Look here: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...82&hg=32&fg=30

It looks quite a bit different from the E46 steering coupler. Is it No.1 in the diagram; 32307836809?

Is there still any rubber bushing in this part?

[Vanne]

don't forget the rtab limiters.... Drak.. probably too late for that..

[GP20]

Originally Posted by Vanne

don't forget the rtab limiters.... Drak.. probably too late for that..

I did get the Rogue Engineering rtab limiters to go along with the new OEM rtabs. It's been 1.5 years since they were installed, but I remember noticing quite a positive difference after they were installed; my old rtabs were visually fine at 67k miles though I'm sure they were still very degraded at that point.

[Vanne]

Good stuff mate, way to go ;-)

[Finnegan]

Excellent ideas here.

[mtrhed]

Originally Posted by inTgr8r

What mileage was on the car when you did this?

85k for the control arms and wheel bearings. About 93k for the rear ball joints. I'm at about 113k now and am planning out a full rear end refresh along with fuel pump/ filter replacement.

[inTgr8r]

Originally Posted by Finnegan

Excellent ideas here.

I agree.
This topic will be more heavily discussed by many of us as these beauties age.

[RADRACR]

Bookmarked

Maybe the information derived here will eventually be sticky worthy.

[GP20]

I did a little bit of research on the steering coupler, and it seems like the Z4M's coupler is indeed different from the E46 M3's in that there's no rubber bushing.

So basically, I'm guessing that would mean there's no point replacing the coupler when trying to fix the steering's vagueness?

[inTgr8r]

^Good to know

[Shipkiller]

GP20,

I do not understand the reasoning behind replacing the wheel bearings if they have not developed an issue.
This is not a slam or anything. Maybe my thought process is faulty.

[GP20]

Originally Posted by Shipkiller

GP20,

I do not understand the reasoning behind replacing the wheel bearings if they have not developed an issue.
This is not a slam or anything. Maybe my thought process is faulty.

Many E46 M3 owners have replaced the steering couplers / rubber bushing to improve the steering feel and to fix the steering vagueness as the rubber gets older and deteriorates and softens.

http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showt...eering+coupler

But if there's no rubber bushings to begin with, I guess there's nothing in the coupling linkage to replace that would directly improve the Z4M's steering sensation.

I'm not going to replace my wheel bearings. Just the front control arm bushings, and maybe the control arms. The bushings are done. The control arms might still seem good, but I don't think they're going to out-last the new bushings and I'll have to replace them probably soon. So my thinking is to not try to squeeze every mile out of them, and to replace them now instead of paying for another install labor later on. But I'm getting an oil change tomorrow and will have the indy shop take a closer look at my control arms and give me a more definite answer as to how long they think my control arms will last and whether I should replace them now.

[StickMon]

Rebuilt Vanos and new timing chain guide.
Almost did mine last weekend at 117K miles, but stuff came up.
Rescheduling for next weekend.
I would also suggest the upgraded exhaust hub. Mine cracked at about 85k miles of DD use.

At around 90-100k I also preemptively replaced all of my belt tensioners and idlers.
Found one idler to be a little wobbly when I replaced my alternator.





P.S. I bought a depth mic and will be taking very careful measurements of the protrusion of the spline shafts from the Vanos hubs.
I plan to take the Voodoo out of timing the camshafts.
I'll put the measurements and the INPA results in the DIY section.

[GP20]

I was ordering the Motorsport engine mount bolts from BMW, and they told me that this part is discontinued.

07119913673 (2 pcs) M8x35 10.9

I looked up on McMaster-Carr and found this. Can anyone confirm that this is the right part? They also have an extra-strong version Class 12.9; is it a good idea to go with those?