zroadster.net

Tilly

I think the central point to this is that the claims in the article have to be taken with a pinch of salt. I read a lot of BMW boards and if there was a real issue with S54 VANOS then it would come up a lot more than it does. I went back an did a search as well and could not find anything to sugges...

Tilly

I think that the "problem" with the S54 is the bolts are the weak point, whereas the S50's weak point is the seals. Seals leak and cause a loss in performance, but don't usually get so bad that they catastrophically fail as the noise before failure would be horrendous. When bolts fail it ...

Tilly

Gazza wrote:Send an email to the magazine Editor

Great idea.

E-mail sent.

Tilly

Firstly, a happy new year to all Zedders. I bought the new BMW car magazine to read the Buying guide article on the Z3 M Coupe. One comment that alarmed me was in the section on engines. “A few years ago it was the S54 engine that was generally regarded as the least susceptible to Vanos issues but r...

Tilly

Thanks fellas, All your comments are really appreciated. Whilst I am waiting for the parts the work continues on the bodywork. http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/tt147/Tillyzm/Car%20restoration/carrepair084.jpg Underseal being applied. http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/tt147/Tillyzm/Car%20restorati...

Tilly

Thanks guys, I am pleased and it feels like an early Christmas present. I am also glad that there was no quibbling. They admitted that it was poor workmanship almost immediately they saw the engine. I think that although it has caused me unnecessary anguish it has now been resolved to my satisfactio...

Tilly

Result,

A master engineer from the BMW main agent inspected the car. After just five minutes the guys at Classic Heroes convinced him that the damage was caused by poor assembly.
Replacement parts have been ordered from Germany and there will be no charge.

Tilly

I'm having a similar experience with the renovation of my car. My simple advice is work with a reputable garage and discuss what needs doing, whether you want OEM new or second hand parts and the time frame you need to have the work carried out. These cars are not common and they will appreciate in ...

Tilly

Bi11 wrote:Good luck - fingers crossed for you

Looks like it is working. The engineers will be meeting to inspect the car and discuss findings. In the meantime BMW have ordered a new cam carrier from Germany. When the deliberations are complete we will start to negotiate who pays for what.

Tilly

Further update under 18 year check

Tilly

...... Find a second hand cylinder head if possible and have it re-conditioned, or buy a re-con head. A new head will cost more than you paid for your car ! You will also need a full set of gaskets and new head bolts. The cylinder head bolts are torqued to stretch when fitted, and can only be safel...

Tilly

Now found out where the engine oil leak is coming from. 1. Nine of the cam cover bolts have been stripped, two completely. Sealant was used to try and stop the leak. 2. Bridge over the top of the Vanos had cracked. This was caused when the vanos was not aligned correctly with the pump. http://i606.p...

Tilly

If one of the garages is a main dealer then I would at least put your experience down on paper and send to BMW UK for comment. I am writing to one of the directors of the company listing the details so they can conduct an internal enquiry if they choose. I want nothing else to do with them. There's...

Tilly

From your account, it seems the damage to threads can be comfortably attributed to the initial service outlet, even though at that time they suggested 2 threads were stripped. The possibility existes they were being 1/2 honest and may have been responsible for stripping those initial 2 threads. At ...

Tilly

I would welcome any comments from members on the following situation. My car is currently having an overhaul. I have to rely on expert help since I don’t have the skills, tools or manual dexterity to do the work myself. In the initial overhaul inspection at 142,418 Km it was recorded that there was ...

Tilly

It may look like a lot of work and may be disheartening, but it is 18 years old and I'll bet that it is in considerably better shape than other 18 year old cars. Imagine what an 18 year old Mondeo would look like. The consolation Tilly is that you are investing in a car which is likely only to appr...

Tilly

Scared to look underneath mine now! :shock: Don't worry..... If you aren't thinking of keeping the car a long time or you intend later to scrap the car and sell the parts. I can imagine for a number of years the resale value of an M roadster could be lower than the sum of the saleable parts. I beli...

Tilly

work has now started so I thought I would share some pics. Came as quite a surprise as to what appeared. First the car about three months ago. Original paint work after 80,000 miles. Never resprayed and all chips and dents still in place. http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/tt147/Tillyzm/Car%20restor...

Tilly

........ ditto........ Don't fancy those models.....but an i8 with a V8 turbo charged engine might enthuse me more.... :lol: Sounds interesting but currently the i8 has been commanding, I have been reliably told, a £100,000 premium over the new price of around £100,000. So how much do you think the...

Tilly

...... after all these years, BMW still insists on the prices...they should be grateful for people like us who drive these old cars...it's a good ad for them to demonstrate just how good they are !! :sunny A Lot of PR about Classic heritage but as the technician in the main agent said, when he apol...

Tilly

Just received two quotes for a new OEM headlight unit for the M. First was £600 inc VAT. Wow!! Second: £895.84 Plus VAT WOW !!!!!! Apparently these are the prices for all New OEM headlights irrespective of model. If I was insane enough to get both sides fitted at a main agent if would cost approx be...

Tilly

You might consider buying a second Z3 as a donor and selling off all the extraneous parts to recover some of the initial costs...seems a reasonable car can be had cheaply there...and if it's a "categorised" vehicle, it's generally even cheaper...May be worth thinking about... at least you...

Tilly

Most of the rubber components and gaskets are available from a Meile stockist. They are excellent quality -as good as OEM - and at around 1/2 the price or less. That includes items like drive belts, front steering / suspension bushes etc. I would recommend a complete gearbox exchange for a 2nd hand...

Tilly

The labour charges for those jobs would kill me. There is nothing there to be concerned about, but if it's your only car you will have problems as some of the jobs could easily turn into epics as you discover more "problems". For example, when you drop the rear axle, you will be tempted t...

Tilly

Winter is here and in a few months the car will be 18 years old with 135000Km under its belt. I felt that a review would be desirable, mainly to take preventative measures to preserve the car. Since I drive the car on a regular basis I do not want the body in pristine condition. I know it is persona...

Tilly

BostonGreenZ3 wrote:Hi

I am now a very happy owner of a Z3M S50 in Evergreen

Once again, thank you for your replies

Shirley

Brilliant. Welcome to the group and enjoy your new car.

Tilly

Hi Tilly That is an interesting and rare car indeed! Must be the earliest Z3M in the UK. 8-) Have you owned it from new? Mike I think it is the oldest in the UK and one of the oldest in the world. First owned by a BMW main regional agent in Germany who kept it for just over one and a half years and...

Tilly

Almost two decades with the M ...... Ah, one of the rare '94 Ms.....I heard that they suffered from aquaplaning! :wink: When I said almost two decades my car is Feb 1997 so it is seventeen and a half years young. It is actually an S50 M Roadster sent to Germany a few months before the official Germ...

Tilly

Almost two decades with the M and I can only repeat what has already been said. It is mainly about the tyres. Yes you must compensate in the wet and I have found one of the main dangers being aquaplaning. But I believe that you have to adjust your driving in the wet irrespective of the electronic ai...

Tilly

Is worth a long shot to speak/write to BMW about a manufacturing fault causing al this damage to see if they might help in some way? Sadly, my experience of dealing with BMW service is entirely negative, they seem to be in utter denial when it comes to accepting that they can make engineering desig...

Tilly

Mine is 6113 and was first brought over to the UK in Jan 1998 when they started selling them over here - with it being the first in the UK mine was owned by the director of BMW UK when it was first brought over and used on Top Gear a few weeks later That is a great provenance. If 6113 was the first...

Tilly

Wow that is early my vin is LB06201 so maybe mine is the first off the production after the initial preproduction run you speak of. Somewhere on this site is a reference to how you can put in the VIN and get details of when your car was manufactured and for which market. Digging around I have manag...

Tilly

aceman wrote:Interesting mine is a very early one with a build date of Jan '98 so could be one from the initial production runs I guess.

That is an early UK car. Mine was built Feb 97 and was in the first couple of hundred built, excluding the few manufactured for pre launch testing.

So we own two oldies.

Tilly

Tilly mine is exactly the same as yours and I was always under the impression I was missing a spanner due to the empty slot on the left but very interesting to hear it was how it was supplied from new. Strange though how there is a disparity between toolboxes. Hi Aceman, Mine was a pre launch car s...

Tilly

pingu wrote:We all have our little secrets .

Well boys comparing the size of their tool kits. That's novel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Tilly

Mine is slightly different. I have an extra slot on the left and an extra locking nut. The right is as supplied when the car was delivered over 17 years ago. I'll try and download a pic http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/tt147/Tillyzm/ZMtoolkit002a.jpg The white bag is a desiccant, made in the USA,...

Tilly

Mine is slightly different. I have an extra slot on the left and an extra locking nut. The right is as supplied when the car was delivered over 17 years ago.
I'll try and download a pic

Tilly

In mine if you remove the ecu box cover there are slots for three relays. In my car one slot has a single white relay. ( siemens V23134-c52-x90) the other two are blanks. I do not know what this relay is. All the other relays are in the fuse box on the other side of the engine bay. that sounds like...

Tilly

hi Brian, thanks! but alas no, the m roadster doesn't even have that little relay e-box thing in front of the ecu box, all its fuses and relays are on the n/s (same area near the bonnet hinge, but opposite side), its the same fuse box with mostly the same locations as an e36 m3 but the dme relay po...

Tilly

Great news. Hope the weather now improves so you can really enjoy your car.

Tilly

Looks a good car. I am sure you will enjoy both working on it and driving it.

Tilly

Yes the vacuum hose containing the idle speed control valve runs from the intake manifold into the intake duct.

Tilly

I believe it is the vacuum hose from the idle speed control valve.
If that is correct the part number is 13411401660

Tilly

Would it be safe to disconnect the Lambda sensors then start the engine? Just a thought of what Janijoeli mentioned, about the Lambda sensors. I mean, if they aren't active until they get warm and the engine runs ok when cold, maybe then the car will still run off default setting? Then I'll know to...

Tilly

Hi Tilly, What was the fault on your car in the end? It was the Vanos. When the Vanos was stripped down the pushrod on the exhaust side had sheared so when the exhaust Vanos solenoid actuated nothing happened as the rod was not attached. Diagnostic checking had indicated that there may have been a ...

Tilly

Hi all, I have a 2.0 Z3 1999 and am having trouble with it actually running. It starts up fine, then after a minute or so the /!\ light and CEL or EML comes on and it goes all lumpy & rough. Trying to rev it just results in nothing. If I turn off the engine and try to restart it straightaway it...

Tilly

isleofthorns wrote:Yes, lhd in green with two tone black / grey leather..... on a p-plate

One of the first made. My M was a prelaunch German registered car built in Feb 1997. Wonder if your old car is still around, and in the UK.

Tilly

Hi - after a 16 year gap, have just bought another zm roadster. First one was a P-plater, this one on an 02. Quick question... what are the tyre of choice? The car is still running its original dunlops!! thanks Was your first one a left hooker? P ended in July 1997. Reason for asking is mine is a P...

Tilly

I started thinking, over a nice port at Christmas, that the two Zeds would need new MOTs in the New Year. Checking the current certificates showed one was due on 14th Feb and the other 24th Feb. In reading I also noticed that to preserve the anniversary of the expiry date the earliest I could take t...

Tilly

Welcome to the club.

Great looking car and obviously well cared for. Hope the weather improves so you can enjoy the new experience.

Search found 439 matches