Mad Max's - Z3 3.0l - Shattered Rear Screen - Oct-10

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Sun 13 Jun, 2010 21:47

Hi everyone!

Right, well due to my little Z3 getting whacked off the road, I've bought a new one.

She's a 2002 Z3 3.0 Sport with a mother of a spec list. Highlights of which are:

- LSD
- M sport suspension
- Heated electric sports seats
- Air con
- Cruise control
- Headlight washers
- OBC
- Fire extinguisher
- 17" BBS Alloys

...and no chrome!

About a week after I bought mine, my mate Paul bought this one from the same place. Since then he's done a few subtle mods under my supervision:

- Remap from Enda
- K&N induction
- Strut brace
- 4 x Toyo Proxes T1-R

So she's up from the stock 231bhp and handles pretty well too.

The 3.0 isn't quite as... tactile as the 1.9. The steering rack isn't as tight, and the throttle is electronic which takes a bit of getting used to. Tell you what though, the engine note is superb with the K&N on, and the stock exhaust burbles and pops like a good 'un! As she's four years younger than my 1.9 was, and a six cylinder she actually looks quite different. Big, haunched arches at the back, much deeper front and rear bumpers, front and rear lights, wind deflector... they're all different. The hood has a headliner too, which is a nice touch and this one has roll bars - that's more reassuring

Since I picked her up yesterday I've given her a good clean (I don't think Paul cleaned her in 8k/6mths!), fitted the e46 Clubsport gear knob, gone over the hood with cleaner and protector and swapped some bulbs over. Oh, and I fitted a BMW tax disc holder - no suprise there then!

Anyways, enough talk, here's some pics! I was trying to wait for a dry period... but it didn't happen!

The funky front indicator bulbs:

The haunches:

New style third brake light:

Tax disc holder:

Silver rear indicator bulbs:

Wheels:

Inside:

e46 knob and lots of buttons:

Extinguisher:

The strut brace:

The motor:

That fills out the engine bay a little better, eh!

I know there's no heat shield around the K&N, but the noise is great and the car really doesn't need any more power.

The wheels do need a refurb, the six disc autochanger in the boot appears to be stuck - that'll need investigating, there's a few paint chips (as you'd expect!), the rear screen isn't great, she needs a brake fluid change... but I'll set about fixing these niggles

First on the cards is a visit to Bluebell tomorrow for some nice new number plates and a touch up pen. I'll see what other bits and bobs I can find that she needs.

Now, the performance... well, Parkers books this at 5.8s to sixty - exactly the same as it says for the 3.0 M3! To be honest I don't think she's as quick in a straight line, but it wouldn't be far off! I think through the whole rev range the Z might be a little quicker, but if you were keeping them both in their power bands, the M3 would wipe the floor with it - it does have another 50bhp! I used 3/4 of a tank yesterday, averaging 38.6mpg - I'm more than happy with that!

It's a great car to drive. Cruises at 70 happily, it can get there very quickly if you want it to, it corners well. It isn't as softly sprung as the 1.9 was, so it's a little lumpier, but I can live with that.

I don't have any plans to mod it, again. I mean, if I wanna make a car go faster, I'd be much better off spending on the M3!

I'll just keep her looking nice. I'm gonna have a play around with the Carsoft on it tomorrow, see what modules I can play with

I know I can get live data on this, I've done it before on this car. Everything down to lamda readings and fluid temps

It's nice to have a faster daily than the missus, for a change!

Thanks for looking

delvis · Post by **delvis** » Sun 13 Jun, 2010 21:59

It looks a very nice car bud. I must admit i do like the colour too.
Regards, Derrick

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Sun 13 Jun, 2010 22:05

Cheers. This one is Topaz blue, I think the last one was Montreal.

I've gotta say though, if I'd of found a Dakar one I'd of had it like a shot. Yellow cars just do it for me!

Hard Top · Post by **Hard Top** » Sun 13 Jun, 2010 22:23

Mad Max wrote:Hi everyone!

Right, well due to my little Z3 getting whacked off the road, I've bought a new one.

Hi Mad Max, good looking car, like the spec, but what plans have you got for the damaged one?

HT

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Sun 13 Jun, 2010 22:26

Well there's a few options. The BMW specialist I bought it from is after buying it back, I've got a BMW breakers thinking about it... I might put it up on here, see if there's any interest. It wouldn't take too much to get it back to perfect.

marcusplowman · Post by **marcusplowman** » Mon 14 Jun, 2010 08:55

Great spec! I never knew those wheels were BBSs before!

tom_sk · Post by **tom_sk** » Mon 14 Jun, 2010 23:33

Like the colour co-ordinated tail (pic 7)

Where can I get one

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Tue 15 Jun, 2010 06:38

Yea, yea... the other question I've had is about electric Zed's: "Didn't know they made one of them!".

When I'd had the 1.9 I'd run the heaters inside the car with the battery on charge to help dry out the hood. I tried the same with the 3.0 but thought "Hey, let's put the AC on to really dry the air out" and instead it really dried the battery out!

kruisn · Post by **kruisn** » Wed 16 Jun, 2010 03:39

Damn! ! ! Those Zs have a sexy ass.

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Wed 16 Jun, 2010 06:58

Why thank you sir

indizee · Post by **indizee** » Wed 16 Jun, 2010 07:13

I was going to ask what is that your hiding in your garage? Until I saw your signature pictures.

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Wed 16 Jun, 2010 16:46

Ooooh, there's a dark, devilish beast that lurks in the garage... she only comes out to nip down the road to Oulton Park for a blast...

...and hopefully the 'ring later on this year

BretagneZ · Post by **BretagneZ** » Thu 17 Jun, 2010 21:57

Beautiful car, great colour!!

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Fri 18 Jun, 2010 20:19

As per usual a nice set of BMW plates have gone on:

Had a go at the hood with the old Autoglym stuff, worked quite well!

I looked at it through Carsoft and I can't actually program anything through it, which is a shame. It only seems to do the e46, e39 and e60, D'oh! Ah well, it does do the live data. I tried taking some pics off the old laptop screen, I think you can just about make out the readings. Quite impressive!

I've also stuck some silver side repeater bulbs to fully rid the car of the "fried egg" effect:

Much better now!

Some better pics of the e46 gear knob:

Just the inch or so shorter it is makes a massive difference. That knob has been on my M3, then onto a friends M3, then back to my 1.9 Z3 and now this one!

Well travelled that knob is

Been on a lot of 5spd cars, considering it's got a 6spd badge on the top

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Sat 26 Jun, 2010 15:26

Well I gave her a good wax last weekend, as when I'd put the hood protector stuff on it'd run down onto the body, some Autoglym soon got it off

Went over the interior.

Not too much to report really, I've got a filter as I plan on servicing it soon. As she's got all bar one BMW stamps I'm not sure if I should take her to a specialist or even to BMW (that's where she was last done!). If I supply my own oil they'll do it for fifty quid... but that's a lot of money for a stamp. I guess it depends on how long I keep it, and I plan on keeping it for a while. Hummmn...!

Some proper pics:

I love the rear arches!

Inside:

I've whipped the windbreak off to give it a clean. I like the look with it off... I'll give it a drive tomorrow and see if I like the wind!

Same old tonneau from the old car

List of things to do:

- Refurb wheels
- Service
- New ariel base rubber bit (on order)
- Brake fluid change
- Get rid of overspray on front bumper or maybe just have it re-spraeyed as it's got some chips
- Re-dye faded bits on hood

...and probably more! Lol! More to do to it to get it up to standard than the old one, but it's more than worth it for the way the car feels. Burnt through half a tank today just running errends in it. It doesn't drink too much (it's got an ave of 36mpg so far) but it's got a tiny tank! Still, it just feels special to drive. More of an event than my previous cars. I think the sun may have gone to my head... lol!

VikingSven · Post by **VikingSven** » Sat 26 Jun, 2010 17:29

Mad Max wrote:- New ariel base rubber bit (on order)

Where from? I need to replace mine.
Very nice looking car btw

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Sat 26 Jun, 2010 18:03

It's about £2 from BMW

Ravo · Post by **Ravo** » Tue 29 Jun, 2010 17:03

Hi Guys

Sorry, but off the topic:
I am from South Africa, and here there are not many retailers that sell aftermarket stuff for the Z models, can you guys point me in the right direction for a RELIABLE online shop in the UK, that delivers worldwide.

I am looking for the clear side repeaters and the clear/RED taillights.

thanks, any info would be appreciated....

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Tue 29 Jun, 2010 17:13

Hi Ravo,

You will probably do better with this by starting a new thread in the "Let's Talk" or "Stock Exchange" forums rather than a thread about my Z3.

Any chance you could delete your post from my journal, it's a little off topic and I don't particually want it spammed with answers to your question.

Cheers.

p.s: can a mod delete this one for me when the other post has been removed?

Ravo · Post by **Ravo** » Tue 29 Jun, 2010 17:20

Apologies dude,

To all, Please do not reply to this thread, i will start new thread...

Sorry again, just was excited to find fellow Z owners, Z3's kinda scarse her..

BTW awesome ride,

Milo · Post by **Milo** » Wed 30 Jun, 2010 07:48

Mad Max wrote:It's about £2 from BMW

Question for you: Does the E46 gear knob fit straight on to the existing Z3 gearstick or is some modification required? Are all E46 gear knobs 6 speed? Many thanks.

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Wed 30 Jun, 2010 09:05

All gearknobs, with a few exceptions (e46 M3 springs to mind as it's got a gaitor attached) fit just fine. My mate's got an e92 Msport one on his e36, but the Clubsport one is the weightiest and shortest you can buy from BMW.

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Sun 04 Jul, 2010 16:29

Ok, well here's my pic from the meet yesterday - car looking pretty good even if I do say so myself!

I also got her 4WA's at 'Tweeks. She wasn't far out, but she's right back where she should be now

So then I let my mate Andy have a go and managed to get this pic, I quite like it

So today I used some Lamin-X to do a little mod on the rear lights:

Before:

After:

I'm not the first to do it, but I think it looks ace

Next on the list - a good service and a honda aerial...!

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Tue 06 Jul, 2010 22:49

Right, well finally the Honda aerial turned up:

Honda on the left, standard on the right. It's a lot smaller and smarter than the BMW one.

Brill!

Right, got these ready for the weekend:

Should keep me out of trouble...

for a while at least!

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Tue 06 Jul, 2010 22:52

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Tue 06 Jul, 2010 22:52

Hard Top · Post by **Hard Top** » Tue 06 Jul, 2010 23:09

Hi Mad Max, did you get your Honda aerial?

HT

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Fri 09 Jul, 2010 17:58

Right, well the oil has turned up for the service... but with it being the Silverstone F1 this weekend and having a few other things to do it probably won't get done 'til next weekend.

Ready for tomorrow morning is some Wetter Water:

A new top radiator pipe as I suspect the original one is leaking a tiny bit:

Some nice AP DOT 5.1 brake/clutch fluid:

...and finally a replacement rear light seal as one looks quite crushed and can't be working as well as it used to!

When I popped to the post office to collect a parcel earlier (it was some more AG fabric hood protector!

) I took a few quick pics of her in nicer surroundings:

Got another little mod off eBay that should turn up soon too...

Pinnacle · Post by **Pinnacle** » Mon 12 Jul, 2010 09:59

Hello,

Lovely looking car you have there. I'm after getting the rubber mount for the aerial for my Z3. But looking at your post I'm thinking about fitting th honda aerial instead. Can you give me any more details on it ?. Is it form an S2000 or another model?

Thanks

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Mon 12 Jul, 2010 16:39

I think it's fitted to most Honda's to be honest, it's generally called the "stubby". I'm quite impressed with it, and it works as an aerial too, which is always a bonus.

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Sun 18 Jul, 2010 13:08

Right, well I was gonna service the Z3 today, but it's pretty miserable out there and I don't really fancy spending my Sunday afternoon lying in a puddle. So I've kept myself busy with some other stuff.

New aerial grommit:

Looks much better than the tatty bit of rubber that was there before

Now the bigger one...

Before:

After:

6000K HIDs, the cheapest you can get off ebay - £28. They look a bit blue in the pics but they're a lot whiter in the real world

Arrived in a week from the far east and they work. What more could a man want? They also come with comically translated instructions

Thing is, it just makes me wanna do something with the side lights... maybe some LEDs or something? Suggestions..?

I've also got a Z3M shifter to see if that fits, it was only £25 delivered off a forum member so if it doesn't fit I won't really loose anything! Lol!!

Now, do I gamble on the weather...?

w4tkins · Post by **w4tkins** » Sun 18 Jul, 2010 15:29

Looking good Max

As for the side lights I got a set of these, they look good but now I need a set of HID's (another thing to add to my never ending list

) have you got the ebay link for the items you bought?

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Sun 18 Jul, 2010 15:39

Cheers Watkins, they've been ordered!

Here's the link for the HIDs: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWNX:IT

Dead easy to install, and they came much quicker than expected

w4tkins · Post by **w4tkins** » Sun 18 Jul, 2010 15:44

Nice one cheers fella

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Sat 24 Jul, 2010 20:44

Right, well I some of those super bright LEDs, and I'm quite impressed!

Before:

After:

The bulb:

...and I finally got around to servicing it today!

Out with the old and in with the new:

She's running very sweetly now

I also reset the fuel adaption values and the throttle values, see if that makes any difference to the way it drives.

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Fri 06 Aug, 2010 10:05

Sticking with the LED bulb theme I've got an interior light:

About £3 from eBay.

Old light (check out the concentration!):

New one installed:

So now it looks like:

Light emitted:

I'm 50/50 on it at the moment... It's a nicer white light than the old one, but the light itself doesn't seem to "fill" the lamp.

Oh, and I'm sick of the HIDs, I've ordered some 4300k bulbs for them, if they're not white enough the whole lot is going!

Mr Silver · Post by **Mr Silver** » Tue 10 Aug, 2010 15:36

Hi Max, may I ask how you " reset the fuel adaption values and the throttle values". I suspect my bank settings are not as they should be but can't find where to do anything about it. And how are you getting 36mpg???? Best I've ever had is 25.5!

Regards.

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Tue 10 Aug, 2010 16:25

To reset the fuel values you need Carsoft or some similar diagnostic program. If you're in the area you're more than welcome to stop by and I can do it for you.

As for the 36mpg... it's certainly not because I'm scared of the throttle - I do my best to get it down and keep it there! I put most of it down to the remap and that I never, ever keep anything in the car that I don't need

On the subject of my HIDs, I've now fitted the 4300k bulbs and they are much better than the 6000k bulbs:

4300k:

6000k:

Massive difference! Some more of the 4300ks:

Much happier now

w4tkins · Post by **w4tkins** » Tue 10 Aug, 2010 18:19

Looking good Max

Are the 4300's a good match to the LED side lights?? are the a crisp white headlight? Also where did you get the bulbs from and how much. Sorry to bombard you with questions.

Cheers

w4tkins

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Tue 10 Aug, 2010 21:59

Yup, they're a perfect match for the LEDs now

The seller on ebay was "canadaautoparts".

EDIT - I've actually given you the link earlier in this thread!

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Tue 10 Aug, 2010 22:22

Just been out to get some night time pics... might of blinded the old fella that lives across the road! Oooops!

I'm impressed with the light they put out, I can see them being much better at night

Here's the light colour and the LED colour, pretty good match I think

Tori · Post by **Tori** » Tue 10 Aug, 2010 22:24

The pictures of your old hids look 8000k or even higher

New ones look much better.

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Tue 10 Aug, 2010 22:49

Cheers

You're not the first person to say that to me Tori, I don't think they were 6000k either

I chose 6000k because I'd seen it on other cars and it looked like the 4300k I've got now. I can only imgagine they've got their bulbs mixed up, the excuse the company came up with is that it's the Zed's headlight lens causing the colour. I can't see that myself..!

Still, at £28 for the kit and £11 for the 4300k bulbs, that's still a set of HIDs for £39 - can't complain too much

w4tkins · Post by **w4tkins** » Wed 11 Aug, 2010 07:42

Hi max,

cheers for the pics and help, I will order the 4300k kit from them, (had it saved on myebay

) they look spot on now!!!! exactly what I was after and at a bargain price.

Well done Sir!!!

(just in case, did you buy the replacement bulbs from them???? or was it another comany???)

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Wed 11 Aug, 2010 10:19

It was from them.

Gio · Post by **Gio** » Wed 11 Aug, 2010 10:56

Do you find that the HID's interfere with the radio?, as some people have reported this with HID's they have fitted.
Thought about fitting them, but the reports of interference put me off.
If yours don't I might order a set.

Cheers

John

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Wed 11 Aug, 2010 11:03

Well I've just been out and tested this, no problems with the radio

Gio · Post by **Gio** » Wed 11 Aug, 2010 11:13

Thanks for that.
Sorry have another question.
The kit listed is single beam, do you have to buy 2 kits to get both beams lit when you use high beam?
The Hi/Lo Bi-beam kits imply they are for a single light that has both dipped and high in one unit, unlike the Z'd 2 beams.

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Wed 11 Aug, 2010 11:26

Well, if you wanted to you could get two kits, one for the dipped beam, one for the main beam and if so inclined one for the fogs... but I've only done my dipped beam lights.

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Sun 22 Aug, 2010 12:43

Well I've been re-aquainting with the M3 before next month... As I had to dig her out it was time for a little group whoring:

With the Missus's Mini:

My pair:

Strange, if it rains I won't take the coupe and I'll take the soft top...! Lol!

zroadster.net

Mad Max's - Z3 3.0l - Shattered Rear Screen - Oct-10

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