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      05-15-2017, 03:27 AM   #1
ZAR4MC
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Hello S54

HI All,

I'm from South Africa and so glad my account is now activated so i can post here. i've been a lurker for a few months now...

anyways onto the cars... Apologies for the long post, i've included all the previous posts from the other Z4 forum into one big one on here.

So i ended up selling my Santorini Blue E36 M3



And i was looking at jumping into an E46 M3 but all the M3's i had looked at weren't in the best of shape and since prices where starting to climb here in RSA, People where requesting high prices for poor quality examples. hence i started looking into the Z4M. I found one that was in ok condition but still cheaper and in better shape than any of the E46 M3's we had looked at... I immediately setup the deal and purchased the car. Thats where my Z journey begins.

Here it is just after i collected it.



What a machine, i've never driven anything like this before, the whole driving experience is just different lol its got the power yes, but you sitting on the floor, i feel like im sitting inside a rocket :roflol:

I always knew of the E86 M but never did i imagine it would be such a gem, so rare, powerful, fun and engaging. after i started researching more into it, i was blown away by this machine and glad i was lucky enough to have it..

Immediately, I got to work on it.. I always service any car as soon as i get it... so i started with these items:

> New Spark plugs from bmw (NGK DCPR8EKP)
> new oil filter from BMW
> new air filter from BMW
> BMW Brake Fluid DOT 4.1
> Liqui moly engine oil with Liqui Moly MoS2 additive
> Liqui Moly Diff Oil with new drain and fill plugs from BMW.
> Liqui Moly Gearbox Oil with new drain and fill plugs from BMW.
> Axis Poly Engine Mounts with new nuts/Bolts from BMW
> Axis Poly Gearbox Mounts with new nuts/Bolts from BMW

Some pics of my car at that point of its life...







doing some maintenance and Working like a bush mechanic :tumbleweed:

Draining diff.


New vs Old Gearbox Mounts.



New vs Old Engine Mounts



Changed Brake fluid + bled brakes and clutch after CDV removal..


new and old Drain and fill plugs.


--------------------
The next bit of work was a very expensive exercise for me but I have to say, Peace of Mind is Priceless...and i finally have it (had a very experienced ///M Master do this bit of work for me as i wasn't comfortable doing it myself and wanted the job done properly the first time around)

> Replace Rod Bearings
> Replace/Repair Vanos
> Set Valve clearances
> Replace Front Brakes

Here's some of the Parts:








Some of the work:















----------------------------

Now for the cosmetic stuff...

1st up - After we did the Preventitive maintence, the next issue on the list was Tyres... My current tyres where finsihed so i opted to fit some Toyo Proxes T1Sport, These where nicely priced and i'm impressed with them. Excellent Grip. [No Pics]

2nd - Had my windows Tinted with 20% Smash and Grab.

3rd - I had opened up the Rear Trailing Arms to inspect the bushes, they where in good shape so i just fitted the RTAB limiters and remounted the trailing Arms. I marked everything before i removed it so alignment was still 100% after. Limiters do give the rear a more planted feel on corners. Good yet cheap mod..[No Pics]

4th - the tyre was touching the fender lining so I removed the front bumper, headlights, Under trays, Fender lining. Lined up everything and refitted all properly. no more touching now and everything is in properly... [No Pics]

5th - My wheels had their fair share of action and had some nicks and scuffs... I opted to paint them Anthracite.. Thank you Herman for the advice bud...
> Wheels out



> Wheels De-greased with APC


> First Coat - Matt Black


Last Coat - Clear Gloss over Anthracite


6th - While the wheels where out, I decided the Wheel nuts and Caliper Clips looked a little dull, so i chose to spray them to neaten them up...

No after pics sorry... (Time was an issue)

7th - So some would shoot me for this but since it was exposed at that stage, i decided to paint the calipers Rosso Racing Red.


8th - My steering wheel trim was worn down and peeling so i had removed it, sanded it down and repainted them satin Black.. [No before pics]


That was all the work done for Friday evening/Saturday...

Sunday morning, Wheels fitted, jack stands removed, pulled the car outside for a wash.... now this is the fun part...

The previous owner of my car use to take it yearly for a "Buff" at Amazing Glaze. so for the past few years, Amzing glaze had done some proper damage to the Paint. It was swirled f****d, full of Holograms and Buffer trail like it was done by a child or something... anyways it always annoyed the crap out of me but I had been planning to sort it out and the time finally arrived...




> Vehicle was washed using 2BM (2 bucket method)
> This is what we had to work on (Amazing Glaze :smashScreen: ) see the swirls/holograms?



> Then it was clayed to remove any dirt/contamination from the paint and get it smooth again.

I whipped out my Rotary Polisher, Flexi pads Medium density cutting pad/ Lake County cutting pad and my swirl remover/polish of choice was Menzerna Medium cut polish...

I tried to get 50/50 shots but the weather wasn't on my side... It was over cast and started to drizzle a bit...
Before:


after 2 Passes:


My weapon of Choice


Rear Quarter


after this i didn't bother too much with pics and carried on with paint correction.

> The entire car received 2 passes with the rotary polisher to remove the swirls and holograms. once that was done the paint was looking fresh again... it was time to move on....
> Hand polished the whole car with a colour enhancing Polish
> Then applied Poorboys dark show car glaze to the whole car.
> Then applied sealant to the whole car
> and then top it off with some of my favorite wax (dodo juice rubbish boys carnuba wax) for that deep gloss and protection.
> Tyres where treated with Turtle wax tyre dressing.
> Black grills and air ducts where done with Auto Glym spray on treatment/dressing.

Lastly Some final shots:







Now i can say, this car is looking fresh again.. like black glass :driving:
----------------------

I had some new Meyle HD rear shock mounts at home with Axis Re-enforcing plates so i decided to fit them as its a quick job and my old SHock mounts developed a sqeeky noise over uneven roads. Pulled the Rear shocks out, removed old Mounts, installed new mounts and fitted it with the Axis Plates... No more sqeeks/creeks.

Shocks out, Mounting off...


Old vs New


New mount fitted to shock and Axis re-enforcing plates shown..


------------------

I had some time recently and decided to clean up my steering wheel stitching...

Here it is after i sprayed the trim pieces it looked like this... dirty.


I cleaned the stitching. not the best pic but atleast now the 3 colors are visible.


I also collected this:


Hello Spoiler


and then fitted:







And this is where i was 3 months into my Z journey ...

-------------------------------------
So my brother decided to purchase an E46 M3 and since he doesn't have the parking space to keep both the E30 325i coupe and the m3, This m3 now lives with my Z4M most of the time... and i get to drive it whenever i want... SMG S54 vs Manual S54 what fun :driving:







------------------------
This past weekend I had some free time so decided to give the Z4 a quick oil service... its done 6000km's since the bearings where replaced.

some pics for my thread..

Ready to go...



The stuff I put in






cleaned/ swapped seals and ready to go back into the OFH


These has some oil and dirt so i washed them and put them back.



quick and easy :=):

-------------------------

and we also decided to give the M3 some loving....





The stuff we put in


Previous owner called himself a BMW Fanatic but took the car for services at a workshop where they put shit like this in the car.. cheap ass filter



New OEM filter ready to go in


Right at home


New fuel filter


Cleaned up the under guard



and service done

------------------------

and a pic of the E30 because ..... "respect your elders" they such awesum cars...



---------------------

and this is where we are now..... May 2017

So i'm not sure if you guys have ever experienced a grinding noise coming from the rear of your M's when you cold start the car and start driving, making tight left turns?

Mine started to make this grinding sound, it does go away after some few km's but if the car stands for a few hours and you start driving, it grinds on the tight left turns (90 degree turns)... so i decided to replace my Diff oil with Liqui Moly LSD Oil (was very expensive) in attempts to resolve the grinding but it did not seem to help the problem. so after that i decided to use the recommended Castrol LSD oil as i saw most people have used them and their diffs didn't grind so i went out and drained the Expensive LM LSD oil (what a waste) and filled up with the castrol alternative but still it didn't resolve the grinding and at this point i was going to bite the bullet and buy the very expensive BMW Diff oil with the friction modifiers in a final attempt to get this sorted because BMW says you should do an oil replacement using their oil that contains the friction modifiers and it will resolve the issue, there's even a TSB for it. but i did a bit more research and found out that in some cases where bmw replaced the oil, the grinding would come back after some time and then they would then replace the diff (which i was not prepared to do as they are so damn expensive and a 2nd hand one could also end up doing the same). thats where i stopped with the Z4M and parked the car off until we knew what really causes the grinding...

Then my Brother starts getting a really bad grinding sound in the M3 and decided it was time to put her up on stands and go under to have a look...



We (my Brother and I) had to strip out some of these as they where in the wau


we had to remove the exhaust to get to the prop. we disconnected it where the headers meet the cats and then dropped it.



We started off with diagnosing her with the following:
> Minor cracks on the Prop Coupling (Guibo)
> Worn down Prop Shaft center Bearing...

So we set out to remove the Prop Shaft so we could replace those two items..


While under there we checked whatever else we could and then came across some slight play on the side shafts (diff output shafts) and so we decided then pull the diff out and give it a proper check... This is where the fun starts...

Diff out


Hello LS,


Started keeping things away in Ziplock bags


A bit more stripping..


Boom, LS Core Out... This is where we realize these Bearings Should be replaced and that it made sense for these to cause the Grinding on the Diff... So we set out replacing them... wasn't fun hey..


Old Bearings out
1st one was a learning experience,

2nd one out still in one piece.


New Bearings on and looking good


closing it up with the new seals in place.


Once the sides where all back together and all bolts Torqued to spec, we gave it an oil flush just to get any metal debris out and then closed up the back over, cleaned it up and double checked everything again to make sure all was torqued to spec.


Diff Back in place


Then changed out the old Guibo


with a new Guibo and cleaned up the input shaft bolts ready for install


Then regreased, added a new gasket and Fitted the Prop Shaft.


Heat Shield fitted


Replaced this broken exhaust suspension mount


Even More Torque Specs


Exhaust back in place


Almost there.... filled up the new Diff oil..


All Done!! and better than before...



Happy to report that the grinding is no more!!! the drive train is now smooth as silk 😊

Now to plan this job for the Z4M. It has a different LS Unit but the bearing job should still be the same... will update here with that job.
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      05-15-2017, 05:31 AM   #2
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Hats off to you brother, that's a lot of work. Your car looks fantastic, it's just getting warm hear so you've inspired me to get out and do my spring clean up and detailing of my Zed.
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      05-15-2017, 06:16 AM   #3
ZAR4MC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RABAUKE View Post
Hats off to you brother, that's a lot of work. Your car looks fantastic, it's just getting warm hear so you've inspired me to get out and do my spring clean up and detailing of my Zed.
Thank you sir, its been a real learning experience... Enjoying the //M life..

Let us know how it goes with your Detail and spring clean..
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      05-15-2017, 09:35 AM   #4
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Great post! Hats off to doing a lot of work yourself.

Car looks fresh.
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      05-15-2017, 10:30 AM   #5
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Looks great, even more impressive that you and your brother did that whole list diy. Very cool.
Congrats on the car and enjoy the ride.
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      05-16-2017, 01:21 AM   #6
ZAR4MC
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Thanks for the kind words Gentlemen.

You get people who think they can just buy a 10 year old ///M car and then do an oil change and the car is going to last them forever... This thread shows some of the maintenance involved in buying a 10year old M car.
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      05-16-2017, 06:57 PM   #7
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Great restoration work!
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      05-21-2017, 10:39 AM   #8
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Great thread work too. Nicely put together. Thanks, and an enjoyable read.
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      05-21-2017, 04:43 PM   #9
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Holy first post batman

Welcome aboard nice content!!!
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      05-22-2017, 07:27 PM   #10
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Very nice! Awesome work
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      05-25-2017, 01:18 AM   #11
ZAR4MC
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Thanks guys... appreciate the positive comments.
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      05-28-2017, 07:07 AM   #12
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Love seeing new parts!

I really miss SA, still one of my favorite countries to visit. I'm hoping to get to go back on a business trip next year
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      05-28-2017, 04:45 PM   #13
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Incredible work. And a candidate for best first post ever!
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      07-12-2017, 12:48 AM   #14
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So a little update to this thread...

I had some time recently so i decided to take on that annoying Diff leak on the input seal which was bugging me out since i took ownership of the car and while i had the diff out, i decided to rather change all the seals and bearings in the diff as well as a new Guibo and Prop Shaft Center bearing one time so that i wouldn't have to open up there again in the future...

Here are some pics of the job...
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      07-12-2017, 12:55 AM   #15
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While i had the exhaust out for the Diff Rebuild, i also decided to clean up the exhaust cans and tail pieces... Polished them up nice and good...
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      07-12-2017, 02:06 AM   #16
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I also removed the seats, Cleaned them with some Leather Cleaner and then some Conditioner... They looking great again...
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      07-12-2017, 02:24 AM   #17
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and some pics while putting her back together again..
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      07-12-2017, 03:00 PM   #18
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Nice work. Got a lot done. I noticed the wear on your rod bearings, how many kilometers on it when you did the rod bearing job?
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      07-17-2017, 01:40 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by onebluemcm View Post
Nice work. Got a lot done. I noticed the wear on your rod bearings, how many kilometers on it when you did the rod bearing job?
Hi Bud,

Thank you.... MyRod bearings where replaced at 106000 Km's.
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      07-19-2017, 01:56 AM   #20
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Some pics of the car
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      07-23-2017, 09:36 PM   #21
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Nice ride.

Have been to SA last November and saw a Z4m coupe on our trip from Cape Town to Langebaan. Wasn't you?

Ps: I love the color of your seats!!!
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      07-24-2017, 04:47 AM   #22
ZAR4MC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hammam View Post
Nice ride.

Have been to SA last November and saw a Z4m coupe on our trip from Cape Town to Langebaan. Wasn't you?

Ps: I love the color of your seats!!!
There's some great roads that side in CateTown... But no sadly, was not me. I stay in johannesburg...

SA received 206 Z4 M Coupes so you see them around every now and then.

Thank - the seats do look spectacular, i'm also enjoying them
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