New Owner - I'm in love

[ryank382]

Hey everyone,

Just bought myself an 06 33k mile M Roadster. I've had an F80 M3 for almost 4 years now as well and this car is making me forget all about it. I am absolutely blown away at how amazing the raw driving experience is in a tiny roadster like this with that awesome S54. I don't even find myself missing the torque from the S55 to be honest, which was the only thing I was worried about when buying this car. I may be in the honeymoon phase but this is one of my favorite cars I've ever driven. Just had a few thoughts and concerns

-1-2 gear shifts are tricky, I can see why people are grinding gears. I am not having that issue thankfully but am still not getting a very smooth shift every time. If anyone has any suggestions they'd be welcome. Only time I get it smooth is if I shift fast and get the timing exactly right or if I let the clutch out in 2 motions. So clutch in, shift into 2nd fast, clutch out to engagement point and hold for like a millisecond then release. It works the syncros just a bit but feels the most natural.

-No cold air from left vent. Not sure if common issue or not

-Horn doesnt work. I read that there are 2 physical horns so I'm thinking the chances that they are both defective is low so I hope its just a fuse

-The car came with the aftermarket center armrest thats way too high and gets in the way of comfortably shifting. Tried tearing it off but I guess that adhesive is super super strong so I'm gonna tell my shop to take a heat gun to the corners and try to pry it off. Hopefully wont rip my trim apart

-Suggestions for bluetooth for music? Is the best way to install an AUX input and buy one of those small bluetooth things that plug into the AUX?

-Does anyone know how I can find out if valve adjustment service was done? Previous owner had maintenance records that show Inspection 1 which he claims were when the valve adjustment was done but AFAIK they are normally done on inspection 2 which I don't have a record of

-Will be changing oil and intake filter but I am not used to owning an older vehicle. Is there any other maintenance items that I should handle? Want to make sure I handle all preventative stuff. Not sure if any fluids should be changed just because of the age of the car rather than the miles. Maybe I should do tranny fluid with an oil change?

Super excited to keep driving this awesome thing. Some pics just because

[Our03z4]

For the 1st 2nd gear issue it's most likely the clutch delay valve. You can remove it with no needed parts. Made a huge difference in my 2.5. Pretty sure the M has it also, hopefully someone else can chime in. Enjoy your car!!!

[aarofloyd]

In Re: to your aux comment... I use one of these and it is very unobtrusive and works very well!

https://www.amazon.com/AUKEY-Transmitter-Bluetooth-Wireless-Handsfree/dp/B07F5H84HT/ref=sr_1_16?crid=1CR5HXZB0ZAMU&keywords=aukey+blue tooth+receiver&qid=1553538298&s=gateway&sprefix=au key+bluetooth%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-16

[XMetal]

Originally Posted by Our03z4

For the 1st 2nd gear issue it's most likely the clutch delay valve. You can remove it with no needed parts. Made a huge difference in my 2.5. Pretty sure the M has it also, hopefully someone else can chime in. Enjoy your car!!!

While removing the clutch delay valve helped a bit, it ultimately comes down to timing on the ///M. After 10yrs+ with the ///M, I still feel like a noob on the 1-2 shift, especially if I don't drive it often. Not coming completely off of the gas help too, but I just have to remember that 1-2 shift needs to be done differently from all other shifts.

[boca1]

if you get that center console out without braking it, I might be interested

[ryank382]

Originally Posted by Our03z4

For the 1st 2nd gear issue it's most likely the clutch delay valve. You can remove it with no needed parts. Made a huge difference in my 2.5. Pretty sure the M has it also, hopefully someone else can chime in. Enjoy your car!!!

Plan on doin this asap, thank you!

Originally Posted by aarofloyd

In Re: to your aux comment... I use one of these and it is very unobtrusive and works very well!

https://www.amazon.com/AUKEY-Transmi...59&sr=8-16

Awesome will look into this but I think I'm gonna want to go with another solution for better audio quality but thanks!

Originally Posted by boca1

if you get that center console out without braking it, I might be interested

Sounds good, I'm not expecting any damage to the console but rather to the trim underneath so I'll let you know when it's out

[SCHMOUPE]

Congrats! Those pics look like right by Son Cubano in North Bergen area on River Road. I am a little further up north in Edgewater although the car has not come out of storage yet.

regarding your questions. 1-2 shift is definitely tricky. Taking out CDV makes it a little more better but still not perfect. What works for me is changing gears in a higher RPM and not granny shifting 1-2.

Get the AUX installed and then get a BT to AUX system. Look around the forum, there are instructions for both.

[Manxman1950]

Originally Posted by Our03z4

For the 1st 2nd gear issue it's most likely the clutch delay valve. You can remove it with no needed parts. Made a huge difference in my 2.5. Pretty sure the M has it also, hopefully someone else can chime in. Enjoy your car!!!

I suggest you consider replacing the engine and gearbox mounts with something more robust (VibraTech/Rogue) The engine/gearbox is heavy and moves around on the (old) standard mounts, which hinders shifting. These made a much bigger difference on my car than the cdv elimination.

[ryank382]

Originally Posted by SCHMOUPE

Congrats! Those pics look like right by Son Cubano in North Bergen area on River Road. I am a little further up north in Edgewater although the car has not come out of storage yet.

regarding your questions. 1-2 shift is definitely tricky. Taking out CDV makes it a little more better but still not perfect. What works for me is changing gears in a higher RPM and not granny shifting 1-2.

Get the AUX installed and then get a BT to AUX system. Look around the forum, there are instructions for both.

Cool, thanks for the suggestions. I live in Edgewater as well, let me know if you know of any events/drives/meets in the area (Other then the thurs night meetups by the starbucks lol if they even still do that)

Originally Posted by Manxman1950

I suggest you consider replacing the engine and gearbox mounts with something more robust (VibraTech/Rogue) The engine/gearbox is heavy and moves around on the (old) standard mounts, which hinders shifting. These made a much bigger difference on my car than the cdv elimination.

Was considering doing this if I had more miles as 33k is still fairly low but will look into it if it will make a significant difference. Thanks

[garz747]

Welcome. Try applying some pressure to the left as u pull the shifter to 2nd gear. Many forum members have had good results with royal purple syncromax trans fluid although Ive yet to do it myself. Forget the CDV. Clutch bites perfectly on my coupe- exactly half way.

[W///]

Welcome! I like the F80, but wasn't quite in love with it like my current M's. The Z4M is refreshing that it came out of the factory like this, and the Roadster adds another layer of fun IMHO.

Regarding the trans, I also recommend changing the fluid. I went with Redline and it made my shifts so much smoother! Fluid was filthy.

Mine is out of commission until I do rod bearings and VANOS, and I miss it terribly. Congrats on a great choice!

[KevinC]

Originally Posted by Our03z4

For the 1st 2nd gear issue it's most likely the clutch delay valve. You can remove it with no needed parts. Made a huge difference in my 2.5. Pretty sure the M has it also, hopefully someone else can chime in. Enjoy your car!!!

+1

Also add a clutch stop, either via Ebay or Rogue Engineering..

https://goo.gl/xUKgMw

[KevinC]

Some other comments..

Valve adjustment is scheduled for both Inspection 1 and 2 (and future ones beyond that). So if a dealership performed 1, then it should have included it.

Lots of options for audio while retaining the stock head unit. I'm currently streaming SiriusXM and whatever else (my own library, etc) from my iPhone to the aux port. You need a lightning-to-aux cable to do this, with a DAC in the cable to convert the digital signal out of lightning to analog for the aux port. I use this cable from Amazon:

https://goo.gl/EYbdZa

Obviously if you use an Android phone, you would need either a standard aux cable if your phone has a headphone jack, or possibly USB3 if a newer phone without.

Grom Audio also makes a nice little box that allows you to do lots of stuff, including Bluetooth audio, USB dongle, etc...

https://gromaudio.com/store/all-bmws.html

You do NOT need their DSP adapter, even if you have the "premium" audio setup with DSP, because the Z4's DSP is analog. Confusing, but that's the deal.

Set up a free account at mycarfax.com, and plug in your VIN. It will pull up whatever service history has been reported, and it's completely free. A lot of times you'll get a pretty complete history picture there, depending on who has been servicing the car.

As for other maintenance items - I recently bought a decade-old coupe with only 34k miles and it had not yet had Inspection 1 done, so I had that done before taking possession, and then shortly after getting her home, had the belts replaced, battery pro-actively replaced (it was original!), power steering fluid, and brake fluid (had been 3 years plus, should be done every 2). Tranny & rear end had been done recently enough so I left them. If you don't have documentation for any of that having been done within a reasonable timeframe, I'd get 'em all done. Good luck!

[Our03z4]

Originally Posted by KevinC

+1

Also add a clutch stop, either via Ebay or Rogue Engineering..

https://goo.gl/xUKgMw

Man totally forgot about that, good pointer. That was an even bigger help than the CDV delete, I just made my own but what a difference.

[kaybat]

changing the oem tranny fluid helped for me,I also did a RE short shifter.Nice ride,enjoy!

[Lucky1]

Congratulations. I'm going to tell you nothing drives like this car, even more expensive sports cars like the 991.1 that I just drove don't capture the raw ragged edge that this car does. The engine with its high redline and wire sharp throttle response thanks to the independent throttle bodies cannot be reproduced especially on modern turbocharged engines. I've driven M2's and the F80 M4 and would never trade this car for either unless I was desperate for back seats and a fixed roof.

As for the 1-2 shift, to be honest I think shifting fast is actually the enemy. Removing the CDV doesn't really help either IMO. You actually have to shift "slow", in other words add an artificial "delay" to releasing the clutch. The real issue as I see it is the gearbox doesn't actually immediately seat properly into 2nd even though it feels like it is. You can't always trust the feel and sound of it to guide you. There's actually a "notchy" clunk feeling normally in this gearbox when you get into second but it can be deceptive because it doesn't always signal the gear is lined up. You almost have to wait for a second, deeper notchy clunk as you put it in before you clutch out.

It is hard to describe but for me 100% anytime I grind its because I clutched out too fast for this gearbox after putting in second and each time I felt stupid. Only one time did this approach fail me and I have to admit it was frustrating in that moment because it made me feel like it was hopeless to avoid but it only happened once. I am definitely going to try to Royal Purple oil at some point to see if it helps. Not really an ideal situation if you're trying to break 0-60 records or drag race but for just regular go fast enjoyment it isn't a detractor to shift this way at all IMO.

And way to go, now after writing this I miss my car and can't wait for spring to come so I can take her out

[StickMon]

As for the 1-2 shift the CDV delete and clutch stop help, but you have to resign to the fact that the car has a high torque-to-weight ratio.
It's naturally going to be very unforgiving of the slightest rev mismatch.
Driven mine for 8 years and 150k miles. I can almost get it right every time, but not every time, especially when cold and on fast idle.

I don't grind it, just a little jerky. Same for 3-2 downshift. Very small window to hit between not enough blip and too much blip.
Fly-by-wire throttle conspires against you, too.

If I'm "on-it" I can hit my upshifts and downshifts 99.9% of the time with perfect rev match.
I think that comes from driving a MK1 MR2 for 22 years. That car was under powered and perfectly balanced so I never had to worry about the tail coming around on me.
Flogged the snot out of it 100% of the time.
Driving with "restraint" in the Z4 is something I had to learn.

Is it more fun to drive a slow car fast or a fast car slow? After 8 years jury's still out. MR2 was a hoot.

[ryank382]

Originally Posted by garz747

Welcome. Try applying some pressure to the left as u pull the shifter to 2nd gear. Many forum members have had good results with royal purple syncromax trans fluid although Ive yet to do it myself. Forget the CDV. Clutch bites perfectly on my coupe- exactly half way.

Originally Posted by W///

Welcome! I like the F80, but wasn't quite in love with it like my current M's. The Z4M is refreshing that it came out of the factory like this, and the Roadster adds another layer of fun IMHO.

Regarding the trans, I also recommend changing the fluid. I went with Redline and it made my shifts so much smoother! Fluid was filthy.

Mine is out of commission until I do rod bearings and VANOS, and I miss it terribly. Congrats on a great choice!

Originally Posted by kaybat

changing the oem tranny fluid helped for me,I also did a RE short shifter.Nice ride,enjoy!

Just dropped the car off for some work and told em to change tranny fluid too, thanks for the recommendations

Originally Posted by KevinC

+1

Also add a clutch stop, either via Ebay or Rogue Engineering..

https://goo.gl/xUKgMw

Sounds good thanks!

Originally Posted by KevinC

Some other comments..

Valve adjustment is scheduled for both Inspection 1 and 2 (and future ones beyond that). So if a dealership performed 1, then it should have included it.

Lots of options for audio while retaining the stock head unit. I'm currently streaming SiriusXM and whatever else (my own library, etc) from my iPhone to the aux port. You need a lightning-to-aux cable to do this, with a DAC in the cable to convert the digital signal out of lightning to analog for the aux port. I use this cable from Amazon:

https://goo.gl/EYbdZa

Obviously if you use an Android phone, you would need either a standard aux cable if your phone has a headphone jack, or possibly USB3 if a newer phone without.

Grom Audio also makes a nice little box that allows you to do lots of stuff, including Bluetooth audio, USB dongle, etc...

https://gromaudio.com/store/all-bmws.html

You do NOT need their DSP adapter, even if you have the "premium" audio setup with DSP, because the Z4's DSP is analog. Confusing, but that's the deal.

Set up a free account at mycarfax.com, and plug in your VIN. It will pull up whatever service history has been reported, and it's completely free. A lot of times you'll get a pretty complete history picture there, depending on who has been servicing the car.

As for other maintenance items - I recently bought a decade-old coupe with only 34k miles and it had not yet had Inspection 1 done, so I had that done before taking possession, and then shortly after getting her home, had the belts replaced, battery pro-actively replaced (it was original!), power steering fluid, and brake fluid (had been 3 years plus, should be done every 2). Tranny & rear end had been done recently enough so I left them. If you don't have documentation for any of that having been done within a reasonable timeframe, I'd get 'em all done. Good luck!

Thank you very much for the details and links helps a lot. This community is awesome

Originally Posted by Lucky1

Congratulations. I'm going to tell you nothing drives like this car, even more expensive sports cars like the 991.1 that I just drove don't capture the raw ragged edge that this car does. The engine with its high redline and wire sharp throttle response thanks to the independent throttle bodies cannot be reproduced especially on modern turbocharged engines. I've driven M2's and the F80 M4 and would never trade this car for either unless I was desperate for back seats and a fixed roof.

As for the 1-2 shift, to be honest I think shifting fast is actually the enemy. Removing the CDV doesn't really help either IMO. You actually have to shift "slow", in other words add an artificial "delay" to releasing the clutch. The real issue as I see it is the gearbox doesn't actually immediately seat properly into 2nd even though it feels like it is. You can't always trust the feel and sound of it to guide you. There's actually a "notchy" clunk feeling normally in this gearbox when you get into second but it can be deceptive because it doesn't always signal the gear is lined up. You almost have to wait for a second, deeper notchy clunk as you put it in before you clutch out.

It is hard to describe but for me 100% anytime I grind its because I clutched out too fast for this gearbox after putting in second and each time I felt stupid. Only one time did this approach fail me and I have to admit it was frustrating in that moment because it made me feel like it was hopeless to avoid but it only happened once. I am definitely going to try to Royal Purple oil at some point to see if it helps. Not really an ideal situation if you're trying to break 0-60 records or drag race but for just regular go fast enjoyment it isn't a detractor to shift this way at all IMO.

And way to go, now after writing this I miss my car and can't wait for spring to come so I can take her out

Totally agree the way the car feels. My first time experiencing anything like that. For the shifting I've had success with the slow artificial delay method you mention but also had success shifting fast but your method is easier to get a smooth shift id say. Guess need more practice

Originally Posted by StickMon

As for the 1-2 shift the CDV delete and clutch stop help, but you have to resign to the fact that the car has a high torque-to-weight ratio.
It's naturally going to be very unforgiving of the slightest rev mismatch.
Driven mine for 8 years and 150k miles. I can almost get it right every time, but not every time, especially when cold and on fast idle.

I don't grind it, just a little jerky. Same for 3-2 downshift. Very small window to hit between not enough blip and too much blip.
Fly-by-wire throttle conspires against you, too.

If I'm "on-it" I can hit my upshifts and downshifts 99.9% of the time with perfect rev match.
I think that comes from driving a MK1 MR2 for 22 years. That car was under powered and perfectly balanced so I never had to worry about the tail coming around on me.
Flogged the snot out of it 100% of the time.
Driving with "restraint" in the Z4 is something I had to learn.

Is it more fun to drive a slow car fast or a fast car slow? After 8 years jury's still out. MR2 was a hoot.

Def requires more accuracy with the revs. When I jumped back into my M3 I couldnt believe how easy it was to shift smoothly, even in sport plus with rev matching off. Makes the Z more fun and rewarding when your hooning it though haha

[XMetal]

Originally Posted by StickMon

As for the 1-2 shift the CDV delete and clutch stop help, but you have to resign to the fact that the car has a high torque-to-weight ratio.
It's naturally going to be very unforgiving of the slightest rev mismatch.
Driven mine for 8 years and 150k miles. I can almost get it right every time, but not every time, especially when cold and on fast idle.

I don't grind it, just a little jerky. Same for 3-2 downshift. Very small window to hit between not enough blip and too much blip.
Fly-by-wire throttle conspires against you, too.

If I'm "on-it" I can hit my upshifts and downshifts 99.9% of the time with perfect rev match.
I think that comes from driving a MK1 MR2 for 22 years. That car was under powered and perfectly balanced so I never had to worry about the tail coming around on me.
Flogged the snot out of it 100% of the time.
Driving with "restraint" in the Z4 is something I had to learn.

Is it more fun to drive a slow car fast or a fast car slow? After 8 years jury's still out. MR2 was a hoot.

I don't grind it either after switching to RP Synchromax. However, that jerkiness is what I strive to get rid of in every drive and is only able to hit it maybe 30% of the time But that's what makes it interesting/fun to drive it - makes me look forward to perfecting my skill no matter how minute it may be.

Originally Posted by ryank382

Just dropped the car off for some work and told em to change tranny fluid too, thanks for the recommendations

Make sure to tell them to use Royal Purple Synchromax to smooth out the feel in the stick

[KevinC]

The tranny is a compromise, and bit of a turd. They wanted to use the E46 M3 gearbox but it wouldn't fit, so they stuck with the non-M Z4 gearbox. Thankfully it has proven durable, if not ideal, for the application.

[Huz-Z]

Originally Posted by KevinC

The tranny is a compromise, and bit of a turd. They wanted to use the E46 M3 gearbox but it wouldn't fit, so they stuck with the non-M Z4 gearbox. Thankfully it has proven durable, if not ideal, for the application.

I learned stick on my old and still-missed 1989 VW Golf Wolfsburg (oddly it was also blue). It had terrible shifting between 1st and 2nd but after 8 years, I fully mastered it. But I gotta say, by comparison, the manual shift in the E85 is lovely.

Congrats on the new ride.

[yousefnjr]

Welcome to the club! Really pretty one you got there. My .02c :

-CDV removal made no difference in the 2nd gear shift for me
-Stiffer engine & tranny mounts and SSK, while all very good improvements in terms of feel, didn’t really help the 2nd gear shift either
-best thing to do is just slow down a hair and use some force. Haven’t been locked out of gear since!

Re: valve adjustment, I believe it’s part of both inspection 1 and 2. If you can wrench yourself, it’s not difficult to do. Aftermarket shim kit and tools are reasonably priced and are just as good as OE.

Expect to swap rod bearings at some point. Some people are lucky, but it seems for most people it’s a wear item. Better safe than sorry IMO. Oil analysis via Blackstone Labs can help you know how close you are to kaboom.

Should check the vanos bolts and hub ASAP. There’s a lot of good info on here you can search. If the hub is in good shape, the Beisan pump disk is an excellent way to make sure it never breaks in the future. It will also remove the engine rattle that comes around ~3k rpm.

Cheers and welcome again