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new member z3m Coupe - Silver S50.... love it! it wont stay in garage all year long

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  • new member z3m Coupe - Silver S50.... love it! it wont stay in garage all year long

    Hello forum!
    Since 1999 as a teenager, I remember seeing a blue z3m coupe in a barristers chambers just off fleetstreet. On that day I said Id own a m coupe... one day... today is the day!
    The Car is mechanically ok, its done 118k, I intend to use it on nice days as much as possible, this wont sit in a garage not being used. Overall it needs some TLC, so this is my to do (comments welcome)
    1. 1hr inspection - by http://www.turner-autos.co.uk/ - they are great with my E28 528i (another story) - want a professional inspection (something thats hard to do when private buying) to give me a professional “to do list”, as a mechanical engineer, I will take on most jobs myself.
    Main concern is slight shaking under braking and not 100% balanced breaking. I plan to replace all front bushings / tie-rods and remove the "grooved" discs (I think they only bite well under racetrack breaking, not when behind a nissan micra).
    Car has cheapo tyres on it, unbalanced at motorway speeds, I plan to enjoy them irresponsively before putting some pilots on her.
    Rear subframe, now this got me paranoid
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TaXegd_LsQ
    https://www.redish-motorsport.com/ContactUs.html

    I hope things are ok down below on the rear….
    2. Already picked up new genuiwine bmw parts (Cobham BMW – great service gave my yound son an M2 toy car, loves it)
    • Front grills (current held inplace with to wind resistance)
    • Replacement gearknob, current one is worn and want the illumination!
    • Floor mats, current ones are wornout
    • Hazard button surround

    2. Audio
    BMW Business tape unit is garbage, I have ordered Alpine UTE204DAB , reasonably priced and Im not going to be driving around town centre with my tunes blasting on a Saturday night. I do however have some audio questions:
    Question: Where is a good place to run / secure DAB aerial?
    Question: what are the front mid-range / tweeter / main speaker sizes
    Question: what are the roof speaker sizes?

    3. Lighting
    - Struggling to understand the bulbs associated with this car, without pulling them out, H7 for dipped beams, but not sure on main beam?
    - HVAC lighting the bulbs are gone, do I have to but its hard to find a replacement ? Help?
    - Boot light doesn’t come on when you open the boot, is this common? Easy fix?

    4. Rear window wiper, why the F doesn’t it turn off? Had to pull over off motorway it was so annoying

    5. Workshop manual? I have e38 manual and a non “M” z3 manual, but could do with a proper one??

  • #2
    Welcome

    I’m not an audiophile so will let others have a go at answering that one.

    Rear wiper could be working properly but you might not know how to turn it off - some things to try here https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...off-rear-wiper

    Best repair manual is done by Bentley. Not cheap but I’ve always found it useful and worth the investment http://www.bentleypublishers.com/bmw...ir-manual.html
    1998 ///M Coupe

    Comment


    • #3
      Thanks Ian, always worth paying out on a good manual, saves time and mechanic costs, thanks!

      Weird rear wiper electrics, thanks for link

      Comment


      • #4
        Bulb types fitted to our cars can be found here,


        https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=63_0316




        Heater bulbs are a pain to replace and expensive from BMW details here,


        there are two bulbs fitted one at base at base of heater control panel and one at rear



        https://www.z3mcoupe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11978




        Rear wiper can appear odd at first but should switch off with a flick of the stalk.


        BMW OEM floating discs as fitted as standard are seen by many as the ones to fit but as with most M parts are expensive.


        Different audio options came with the M Coupe so speakers and sizes may vary depending on what you have fitted - have you got a sub in the boot?
        Last edited by Dave P; 10-12-2020, 09:41 AM.

        Comment


        • #5
          Dave, thanks for response!

          The headlight diagram is brilliant, exactly what i was looking for! Annoyingly Europarts said it was a H7 bulb, so Ive ordered the wrong ones.

          I shall order HB3 and HB4, thinking OSRAM NIGHT BREAKER SILVER, current bulbs are terrible.

          I removed the stereo, popped my hand down to the right and the bulb popped out! so I have removed the tiny bulb with the massive surround. I shall order another and hope that with some patience i can find the hole again!

          I shall give the rear wiper trick a go, not germany's best engineering

          My car has no sub!

          thanks
          M

          Comment


          • #6
            Post here with speaker sizes ,




            https://www.z3mcoupe.com/forum/showt...=speaker+sizes

            Comment


            • #7
              Congratulations on becoming a MC owner. I remember when I first saw an instructor at a Goodwood track day turning up with Comos Black Coupe back in 1998 I also thought - one day. Took me 6 years before I bought my first one in 2004, I'm on my second one now after briefly having a E46 M3 in between.

              I've got a DAB radio installed in my car, an Alpine CDE-136BT, it was professionally installed by auto electrian and at the time I got a matching DAB powered ariel and cable installed which involved dropping the roof lining. There are ariels that you can get to stick on the corner of the windscreen but I don't know how effective they are. Maybe someone can give feedback on how effective these items are. My car has the Harman Kardon OEM sound system and the results are quite good.

              Heater control and instrument gauge bulbs are an absolute pain to replace, I ended up taking the complete console out (hanging it from bungy cords) to complete the job. I also had to change the cigarette lighter unit at the same time, another pain to remove!

              This Forum is a mine of information, so if you have any problems just put a post up or do a search.
              Pete C

              2000 Z3M Coupe - Cosmos Black Metallic/Black interior. 805 of 821 RHD built

              Previous BMWs

              2003 E46 M3 6 speed manual - Carbon Black/Black interior.
              2000 Z3M Coupe - Cosmos Black Metallic/Black interior. 692 of 821 RHD built
              1986 M635
              1985 E28 M5
              1983 E28 528i Alpina

              Comment


              • #8
                RE: Audio... Does your car have the HK Audio system? If so I advise against fitting an aftermarket (alpine or whatever) radio as it will bypass the onboard amp and won't deliver the full sound.

                The previous owner of my car had done the same - ditched the factory tape unit, replaced it with a Sony system but it still sounded pretty naff, plus the uber-modern radio didn't sit well with me - didn't look "period" enough.

                So after reading up, I settled for the BMW Business CD unit - which I am told has a better sound output than the tape unit, but crucially, powers up all the HK system properly. Since fitting this unit, the sound quality is quite frankly, stunning. And there's no need to upgrade any of the speakers.

                There are also aftermarket plug-in kits for the Business CD unit which give it Bluetooth, USB, SD Card capabilities etc. I use my mobile phone for DAB stations and simply play them through the radio via Bluetooth.

                BTW welcome from a fellow "usable classic" driver. Since buying my car in Feb this year, it's done more miles this year than it had managed in the previous 10 combined!
                Feels good to actually use & enjoy the car rather than just park it up and look at it.
                Last edited by 137699; 10-12-2020, 05:26 PM.
                ----------------
                David
                1999 M Coupe (S50)
                >>Read my journal here<<
                2005 Smart Roadster-Coupe Brabus
                2022 Range Rover Evoque PHEV

                Comment


                • #9
                  I have one of these installed:

                  https://www.blaupunkt.com/en/nc/prod.../single/19059/

                  It has a DAB aerial stuck on the near side rear side window just behind the passenger seat- works perfect and looks discreet enough.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Welcome, look forward to seeing some pictures.
                    2001 E46 M3 Coupe for me / 2007 E91 335i for the Dogs.

                    Comment

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