Z4MC refresh

[grannyknot]

Originally Posted by maupineda

What diameter you say they are?

I have the bracket in my spares bin ready to go. I want to install one under either seat.

It's kind of an oddball, the shaft of that screw is 4mm, the outside of the threads are 5.5mm
The screw could be SAE as I found them in a container of mixed fasteners.
To install that bracket you need a small mirror placed on the carpet to actually see the holes.

[grannyknot]

The D/S A pillar had some noticeable scuffs/scapes and also sun faded so purchased enough black headliner material to recover them but now that I see the new fabric and original together, I'm going to have to recover the headliner as well.


I watched a couple of vids of headliner removal from a Z4 Coupe and it is quite straight forward but no one mentions the black clip at the centre back. You need to be careful sliding it out because it's very easy to break and the current price is $64. Also, the sunglasses storage cubby doesn't need to be removed until the whole thing is out, less chance of scratching it.


Laid out everything for the A&B pillar covers and got those done this morning.



Made a clutch pedal stop from a bolt,washer and rubber from an old conveyor belt I had on hand.


I wasn't happy with my paint job I did on the steering wheel trim so recovered them with black vinyl wrap, that looks a bit better.

[racerbruce]

Well done grannyknot,
This is not a refresh....it's a remanufacture!

So well done.

[wdb]

Originally Posted by grannyknot

The D/S A pillar had some noticeable scuffs/scapes and also sun faded so purchased enough black headliner material to recover them but now that I see the new fabric and original together, I'm going to have to recover the headliner as well.
Attachment 3098351 Attachment 3098352

I watched a couple of vids of headliner removal from a Z4 Coupe and it is quite straight forward but no one mentions the black clip at the centre back. You need to be careful sliding it out because it's very easy to break and the current price is $64. Also, the sunglasses storage cubby doesn't need to be removed until the whole thing is out, less chance of scratching it.
Attachment 3098353 Attachment 3098354

Laid out everything for the A&B pillar covers and got those done this morning.

Attachment 3098355 Attachment 3098356

Made a clutch pedal stop from a bolt,washer and rubber from an old conveyor belt I had on hand.
Attachment 3098357

I wasn't happy with my paint job I did on the steering wheel trim so recovered them with black vinyl wrap, that looks a bit better.
Attachment 3098358

This is what happens when you're snowbound.

[zed_fan]

Why not alcantara on the headliner pieces like BMW does in their more expensive models? It's not too late!

[grannyknot]

Originally Posted by wdb

This is what happens when you're snowbound.

You know what they say about idle hands

[grannyknot]

The black fabric I chose was a compromise, I could not find anything like the original coth so made due with what was available.
Well, after some more hunting I think I've a good match if not the real thing. I've ordered a couple of yards so I'll take some pics of both fabrics together when they arrive.
https://eliteautofabrics.com/headlin...vw-anthracite/

Made in Germany for VW


I got the fabric and foam scrubbed off the headliner yesterday with a wire brush on a drill then a hand held wire brush. There are 2 metal frames for the map lights and the sunglasses case, they need to be bent up to remove them.
If you end up doing this, these frames are very thin and can be warped easily when bending back the tabs.


And these are clean again, removing the original cement holding the fabric on was bad enough but nothing compared to the Permatex spray adhesive I used. Went through every solvent I have and none of them worked, finally I got it off with fine steel wool and brake cleaner.

[maupineda]

Originally Posted by grannyknot

I wasn't happy with my paint job I did on the steering wheel trim so recovered them with black vinyl wrap, that looks a bit better.
Attachment 3098358

Why the non-M steering wheel?

[Piper1]

Originally Posted by maupineda

Why the non-M steering wheel?

It’s funny some like/dislike the fatter steering wheels. In my 128 it’s fatter than the non M Z4s. For me I prefer the smaller it’s similar to my sword taste I prefer my rapier over my claymore.

[grannyknot]

Originally Posted by maupineda

Why the non-M steering wheel?

I don't like the feel on the M wheel, like holding on to a pool noodle.
It's up on the shelf for the next owner.

[wdb]

That headliner job is epic! The sunglass holder in my 3.0si needed repair and it was agonizingly hard to put back in place once I'd pulled it down. I had to massage that stupid tinfoil surround piece to get things back just right. Suggestion: check that fit before reinstalling.

Steering wheel: yes the M wheel is almost comically chubby. I still love it. It fits the character of the car, in the same way the thinner non-M wheel fits the character of that car. When I had both cars at the same time, the feel of the steering wheel in my hands was one of the delights that made each special.

[grannyknot]

Originally Posted by wdb

That headliner job is epic! The sunglass holder in my 3.0si needed repair and it was agonizingly hard to put back in place once I'd pulled it down. I had to massage that stupid tinfoil surround piece to get things back just right. Suggestion: check that fit before reinstalling.

Thanks, I could tell I was going to break something trying get that thing out while the headliner was still installed.
Once it was down though the clips are easy to see.

[racerbruce]

Greetings grannyknot -
Checking in on the remanufacture/refresh....never seen such a deep-dive into a beloved marque such as the Z platform....my previous beloved ride (Z4MR) was considered "refreshed" when LED turn signal lamps and new CoCo mats were installed ): We await the latest "refresh" and wish you well.

[grannyknot]

Originally Posted by racerbruce

Greetings grannyknot -
Checking in on the remanufacture/refresh....never seen such a deep-dive into a beloved marque such as the Z platform....my previous beloved ride (Z4MR) was considered "refreshed" when LED turn signal lamps and new CoCo mats were installed ): We await the latest "refresh" and wish you well.

Thanks,
I'm still waiting for the new headliner fabric to arrive, UPS manged to loose the first roll and Elite Auto Fabrics has sent out a second one, so twiddling my thumbs.
My buddy came over the other day with the INSTA and ISTA programs and cleared a bunch of stuff and reset some adaptations back to the default settings.

I'm setting up to try and restore the paint once things warm up so have ordered some new products and put together a deionizer tank filter to remove all dissolved minerals that cause water spots.
Most of the scratches and swirls happen when you dry the car so with this system you do the final rinse the car with the deionized water and let it dry by itself or blow it off, no towel drying.
That is suppose to be the way it works but we will see, fingers crossed.

[grannyknot]

Well finally the fabric came in, no thanks to UPS as they lost the first shipment.
It's not a perfect match but a lot better the first fabric I tried, will start laying it in tomorrow.
The lighter shade of black is the new material next to the original.

[racerbruce]

Well done grannyknot -
Some assembly required....what a task!

[grannyknot]

The interior is done, recovered the A&B pillars alright then started on the headliner.
I managed to screw that up completely, so ordered more fabric and was about to take another stab at it when a voice in my head said, "just pay someone else to do it you cheap bugger"
Glad I listened, just got it back from the upholsterer and he did a beautiful job.

The interior is all back to normal, very happy to have that done and out of the way.
The blueish tinge in a couple of pics is from the LED work light, the other photos are more like how it really appears.

[grannyknot]

Here we go on the paint restoration, this is 8 months of shop dust.
Pressure washed the worst of it off then let it soak in the foam.


The obligatory foam cannon shot,


Pressure washed the foam off and sprayed the car down with rust buster, let it sit for a few minutes then rinsed off and foamed it up again and did the first hand wash. After rinsing I brought it into the shop and clay bared the entire car.
Back outside for one more foam hand wash using a strip wash and a final rinse with deionized water, back into the shop for drying.
Here it is in just the bare clear coat ready for paint/clear coat touch ups, a few chips on the edge of the wheel well.
Tomorrow I'll decide if I'll start with compounding or go straight to polishing.

[wdb]

Where you live, you might consider one of these -- I have one and love it:

https://adamspolishes.com/products/a...rriage-cleaner

[grannyknot]

Originally Posted by wdb

Where you live, you might consider one of these -- I have one and love it:

https://adamspolishes.com/products/a...rriage-cleaner

That's pretty clever, good for the spring when there is still a lot of sand and dust on the roads.

[grannyknot]

I started early this morning and got the whole car compounded then polished with a DA orbital, then coated it with SONAX foam&seal.
Pretty much finished the car now, just have to get a proper alignment done.
It was a fun project, thanks for watching everyone.

[86Zed]

Originally Posted by wdb

Where you live, you might consider one of these — I have one and love it:

https://adamspolishes.com/products/a...rriage-cleaner

How well does this work with an electric pressure washer (if you know)? Been looking for a good solution for the underside