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Thread: Acquired Z3 3.0 Roady.. what to do/look at?

  1. #1
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    Acquired Z3 3.0 Roady.. what to do/look at?

    Since my Z4MC is taking a much more track oriented route these days, I was toying around with getting a z3 roady. (Owned a few before) just to jump in and hoot around on shopping/friends visit and such..


    Theres a nice 3.0 latest model available with hardtop, for 4.4k us asking price. Looks in ok nick, but has white interior.. with (bonus) woodgrain… and some shitty aftermarket radio.. id recon my oem z4 rims would go nicely on that as would my imola M chairs. (Anyone know if thats a straight swap?). would have loved an Imola one, but alas..


    I know the missus wont be happy about having another car hanging around..


    Any thoughts guys?








    200kms on the clock.. Just did the deal.
    So my question is what i need to look at, basically before i pick this puppy up.

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    Just bought the Z3m rear view mirror, (one of the must do mods for these cars imho) and alcantara brake and shifter covers

    Ill be looking for a cheap set of coils overs and possibly some z3m side mirrors..
    Last edited by Terry F.; 07-30-2016 at 10:09 PM.

  2. #2
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    4.4K that must be the bargain of the week.

  3. #3
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    Welcome back to the Z3 world. I dont think z4 seats will fit but looks to be a nice car

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  4. #4
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    Man, that is a sweet interior color.

    More pix?

    as you bought a hardtop Z3, you should probably take it off and inspect the soft top and rear plastic window if you haven't already.

    When i bought mine the owner admitted he had only taken it off once in his 3 year ownership..thankfully the window itself was fine, but the seals were a little messed up from being bent for so long.
    Daydreamer.

  5. #5
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    Looks like a Japanese Import.

    Did you buy from Al Aweer Auto Market near Ras al Khor?

  6. #6
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    No, its a private sale, and gcc spec. 822 and 823, gulf version and hot climate version. So yeah def Gcc spec.

    I do like wondering around at that car market though, lots of intresting cars there. Where is the switch to open up the roof automatically?

    I havent picked up the car yet, but soft top is in good nick the seller says.

    No heated seats :-(

    New tires, but oem rims need refurb, but will prob chuck on my 224 rims. What colour wheels go well with silver?

    Breaker, thanks for the warm welcome mate, you keeping well?

    Already have a coupe and missing the roof down thing sometimes...

  7. #7
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    The switch was moved from the front to the back console behind the handbrake in facelift models.

    What does the hot climate version/pack include? same with gulf, that's pretty cool !
    Daydreamer.

  8. #8
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    Hey vanne!
    I would hit the FAQ's - particularly the first couple such as the pre-purchase advice.
    You probably have the manuals but here is the link if you dont: https://www.mediafire.com/folder/kn3...jgzlpxo/shared (this is in the FAQ's as well).

    Looks like you got a pretty sweet bargain there and it looks in pretty good nick! Enjoy!

  9. #9
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    Bloody hell, at the last minute the sale fell through.. not zed-less, but z3 -less.. Awell, ill keep an eye out.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by vanne View Post
    Bloody hell, at the last minute the sale fell through.. not zed-less, but z3 -less.. Awell, ill keep an eye out.
    And the sale might be back on...

  11. #11
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    Nice! Sounds like you are in the proverbial drivers seat - maybe able to get an even better deal!
    And now you have had to time to do all that research - you are set!

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by khagan View Post
    Nice! Sounds like you are in the proverbial drivers seat - maybe able to get an even better deal!
    And now you have had to time to do all that research - you are set!
    Lol, sadly not much research has been done, going over to have a drive and a look see this afternoon, if i like it, ill bring it home.

    Looks like the wheels need referbing, and the seats need one hell of a good clean.

    Fingers crossed. Ill probably sell the hard roof, seeing as i already have an E86.

    I have a new interior console (from my last 2.8 coupe) that ill be putting in there, hopefully not too much work. I just hope that the seats arnet buggered and that they go back far enough.

    Do these late model Z3's still have that lump behind the seats where they've injected foam behind the carpet? that was one hell of a job i remember to get that stuff out to allow the seats to go back a little further.

    Radio will need to be pulled, sadly the guy does not have the original business cd..

    Gonna have a good look under the hood.. might take a jack and see how the wheel bearings are.

    are these last model z3's still prone to the weld in the floor of the boot ripping?

    cheers...

    V.

  13. #13
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    Yes the 3.0 L Z3's can still tear the boot cross member and diff mount. The manual's are more likely than the Auto's. I have powerflex poly sub-frame bushings in my 3.0 L auto to reduce the likely hood of future damage.
    1999 2.8L Z3 Roadster,
    2000 3.0L Z3 Roadster,

    There is only one thing more pleasurable than working on a Z3, that's driving it top down on a fine day.

  14. #14
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    OK, i went and had a look at the car/drive. (though there was so much traffic, i didn't get much of a drive at all, let alone stretch its legs, will need to do that tomorrow), but the car is in good condition, let alone a few pieces of the trim which like normal, door handles are a little buggered and will need looking at. Gear shifter seems to shift smoothly, (much more smoothly than my 2K 2.8 coupe ever did) seems to start fine, though thats with the engine being hot. hopefully no issues on cold start. (my 2.8 had issues on start)

    the car seems ok, clean under the hood, tires are good, the only disappointment so far I've noticed that one of the rear rims has a nick out of it.. its not a crack from what i can see, there is just a little chunk missing on the edge, and that kinda makes me think i have to chuck these wheels away instead of refurbing them. ill get a picture soon, but yeah a little bummed about that.

    anyone know if its worthwhile to get this welded? as i dont mind the stock spoke wheels and would save me some cash in having to outlay for a new set of rims.

    The other thing that peeves me atm is that i just received my Z3m mirror, and its one of those wide oval ones, not the shorter oval ones so not happy Jan!.

    anyways, will take the car for a good drive tomorrow and then decide if ill buy it or not.

    Also, I found the seats rather ... hard upon sitting in the car, I don't remember them being that harsh in my old 1.9 for these same seats, my 2.8 had sport seats.
    Last edited by vanne; 07-13-2016 at 09:08 AM.

  15. #15
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    I think the hardness of the seats is related to how well they were taken care of, and what kind of leather they use

    the original seats my Z3 had were disgusting. they were torn apart and really stiff. absolutely shameful.
    swapped them out immediately for sports seats which were a little better.

    I have read here that the leather gets stiff if it comes in contact with a lot of water, but i'm not entirely sure.


    good luck with the sale, and you should post some pictures when you go see it again!
    Daydreamer.

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yazure View Post
    The switch was moved from the front to the back console behind the handbrake in facelift models.

    What does the hot climate version/pack include? same with gulf, that's pretty cool !
    Most of us with auto soft top have moved the switch from back to front....so much easier when letting the top up and down. I think there's a DIY on this forum how to do that. Just go to "search thread" in top right-hand corner of the page. It's not a difficult DIY...just time consuming. If you're thinking about doing that, are you considering changing out the wooden center console too? I did mine to match the car color....after removal, I took the 2 inserts to paint/body shop that painted my hardtop which was originally brown. Check out these pics...If you do this, be sure to remove the hardtop. Go slow and take pics so you'll know how to put everything back together. It requires patience and time, but worthwhile. BTW...Welcome to the Forum....lots of nice people and good information to help you with your questions/projects.

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    Here is another link to help with the expected items to check....http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...urchase-Advice Good Luck with your decision making.
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    Last edited by MORRIE; 07-13-2016 at 07:48 PM.

  17. #17
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    Hope it works out to be a decent car, I love the white interior. Seats can probably be brought back a fair amount with some conditioner.

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  18. #18
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    Morrie, thanks for the advise mate and also for the link, that's good reading and reminded mea lot of those things I didn't do, so will do them this morning. Fingers crossed it all goes well.. I won't be doing a compression test, but will give it a bit of a flog to make sure it goes alright.

    Breaker,lol you mean with a hell of a lot of elbow grease. :-)

    I think its gonna be a bit of a project car, will refurb the stock wheels, until I knida know where I am at with this car.

    So glad that the auto box is nice and smooth, can't wait just to jump in and just cruise.. This is my first roady since my old hellrott m44. (Auto too)

    Just ordered some 12mm hubcentric spacers and bolts for the rear wheels.(hope that's not too wide)

    Not too sure, but will probly put on a cheap coil over system, if this is the original suspension, no doubt its shagged.

    Any recommendations, on very cheap coilovers?

    Cheers

  19. #19
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    Lol

    Well its been a project alright.. Lol, i bought the car home without taking it for much of a test drive. seemed alright.. wasn't.. lol!!

    The driveshaft is knackered, so had to source a new one (that in itself has been one heck of a story, digging around the wreaking yards of Sharja), and finally gave up and just ordered a reconditioned one from the US. (kinda lucky my company has a shared interest with Fedex, so my shipping is heavily discounted) Ive given up on trying to save the seats as they are just too far gone, not to mention one of them has a hole in it that i didn't spot before buying. So ill be recovering them completely as pretty much the whole interior.. going for a two tone Black with Charcoal Alcantara look.

    The shocks are also shot, but have already ordered a new set of coilovers and a rear camber adjustment kit for when the car is lowered.

    Thats the bad news, on the upside, all the bushes and rubber, mounts and supports look to be a excellent near new condition. The steering , fcabs,rcabs and the whole steering geometry is very solid, and looks brand new. The rear axle and diff support/hanger is also in top nick, looks like a lot of work was done on this car to recondition pretty much the whole underside of the car. (i guess maybe the driveshaft/u guys call propellor shaft i believe, took a hit somewhere along the line?)

    Also on another not so important point, but needs to be fixed was the arial and mount, completely non stock, crap piece of junk with nothing connected to the underside… weird.. removed and waiting for OEM base and mount to arrive.

    I haven't yet removed the hardtop, but I've tried to press the up/down button on the roof thing and there is movement back there, so hopefully the top motor works fine..

    Ill post some pics when i get the car back , gotta drop the drive shaft to the shop tomorrow when i get home from Bali.

    Just completed and waiting for driveshaft to be installed.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    Oil/Engine flush
    Air/oil/cabin filter
    Flushed the cooling system and put new stuff in
    new Guibo, and OEM centre carrier bearing
    New pads front and rear
    Front claws removed, new seal kit installed and cleaned, refitted (was leaking) so all new brake fluid
    Sparkies replaced.
    Style 68 wheels (staggered)

    Bought and waiting to arrive
    --------------------------------
    20 mill spacers and bolts for back wheels
    Coilover kit
    camber kit for rear
    New alcantara OEM steering wheel
    Arial kit
    Z3M Gills (thanks mate )
    Z3m mirrors (dark silver)
    Z3M rear view mirror
    Lots of 2 tone Alcantara (black and charcoal)
    Dougs chair sliding fixing kit
    Alcantara Ebrake /gear covers (ill need to seriously modify the gear cover to fit the auto gear shifter)
    New OEM center console with new buttons (airco/acs/etc) and this one has the nice classical clock. (the trip computer one in the car does however surprisingly work just fine)
    Seat heaters for when i get the seats redone (YES!!!)

    There are probably a few more items that I've missed out, but yeah you get the picture.

    Kinda more stuff than i was initially willing to do to the car, but you know how you can get carried away when your cruising on the inter-nerd highway.

    All in all pretty pissed actually, i bought the car to get mobile while my Z4 has been in the shop undergoing some major surgery, and now i haven't had the car since i dropped it at the shop over a week ago.. Kinda weird how things work like that. I was a little disappointed that the car needed fixing like that, as i asked the guy if it had any issues, and took him on his word that it didn't, shows you how far trust like that goes, not that i really give a hoot, but more so for the humanity factor of things. Kinda weird how things like that happen, its not a big deal for me, a driveshaft is chickenfeed at a couple of hundred bucks, but just the fact that the guy lied about it.

    At any rate, the car feels good on the road, and i can't wait to get it back, my kids LOVE playing in it (key removed of course) and they love going for slow cruises in it around the community.

    Hopefully a few pictures soon.

  20. #20
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    Picked up the car today , and had a good look after i got home. On the way home i put the car through its paces and it held up very well, no more tramping noise, nor any vibration. Driveshaft (prop shaft) seems to be perfect.

    Brakes are great and stops really well. Suspension still shot, but have stuff for that already.

    Somewhere along the line ill tackle the interiors, waiting atm for the fabric to arrive. bought both 0.8m and 1.1mm sections , the thicker stuff for the seats.

    installed the rear spacers, looks great, but could have maybe even used 25 or even 30mm once the car is lowered..

  21. #21
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    Have you removed the hardtop yet to look at the plastic window on the soft top and how does the soft top look? Pics would be nice. Question: How do you plan to store hardtop when it's off the car? If you have a garage, there's a lift you can order or you can make your own. That's what I did...inexpensive & works very well. (See pics). If I can be of help, send me a PM. Glad to help you any way I can.
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    Last edited by MORRIE; 08-02-2016 at 12:53 PM.

  22. #22
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    Thanks Morrie,

    to simply answer your question, nope haven't had to hardtop off it yet. (the car has literally been in the shop for about 2 weeks while i was waiting for the prop shaft) Man, i was going to have a heart attack if the new prop shaft didn't sort the issues i was having.

    But.. today is the day the roof is coming off, i need access to the rear shock struts , so i gotta put the soft top up. ..

    Ill let you know what condition the soft top/ motor is after today… Fingers crossed its all good..

    cant wait to get my new coils/shocks in there. both fronts and 1 rear stock socks are blown.
    Gotta love it. But bought the car knowing the suspension would be shot.

    That lift thing you've got in your garage looks awesome mate, very cool. Ill need to build a storage system first for the hard top, as after today, it will probably stay on the car until it goes in for its repaint/end of summer.

    looks rather similar than what guys have got for the Jeep wrangler hard tops

    I bought this car wanting to do very little to it, and now, it looks like the bug has bloody bitten me again, and am already amassing lots of parts to turn this into something special. and that will bring with it in itself another problem… how am i going to keep 3 cars in a 2 car garage?
    I might be forced to buy a 2 post lift and park my Z4 on the lift in the air? the Z3 would be the daily hoot around car.

  23. #23
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    Vanne,

    Where did you go to get that complete printout of all the options installed in your car?

  24. #24
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    You mentioned in one of your post about getting a set of 'cheap' coilovers:
    I have a 2001 Z3 Roadster 3.0i and the coilovers I installed were from AP in Germany (about $800).
    They do not have adjustments for dampening but are height adjustable (ilowered my zed about 1.5 inch all around and have 20mm spacers rear, 8mm front).
    I have read that KW, Weitec and AP are all made by the same company and these are the three grades (in order).
    Some of the drawbacks to the AP are supposed harsher ride (I have not noticed much harsher than stock) and less corrosion resistance (not a problem for my area, no salt on roads, avoid driving in rain, etc.)

    The other mods I would consider are the Vanos seals upgrade and the DISA repair kit (aluminum flapper vs plastic, by German Auto Solutions).
    Also change out the water pump (if stock) for one with a stainless steel impeller or the high performance Stewart water pump.

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    Sorry, re-read your posts and noticed I missed "Coilover kit" in your list of purchases....
    What coilovers did you end up getting?

  25. #25
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    Healy,

    http://www.etk.cc/bmw/EN/vin/decoder/online/

    there ya go.

    I just removed the hard top, soft top is in good nick, but window needs replacing, and the fabric can use a re-blacking of the fabric.

    what do you guys recommend for products to re black the roof and whats a good windows (cheap) to get?

    gonna tackle the rear shocks.. wish me luck..

    pics on their way.

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    Also replaced mirror with M mirror last night, the rewire took a while, i had to cut the wires and the re-solder the plug. works great. pics inbound.

    Also , i have a M (elongated) version rear view mirror for sale, 90 US shipped. brand new.

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