Forgot to share: Back in May I replaced the headlight lenses and side fender markers.
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Last edited by Ruskii; 01-03-2019 at 09:19 PM. Reason: pictures disappeared
Current: 2007 Z4 M Coupe (blue/black)
Previous: 2001 740iL Sport (black/black), 2000 528i Sport (black/tan), 1995 318is (black/black), 1991 318is (white/black)
So my front right tire developed excess outer shoulder wear -- tread almost smooth! -- even though all-wheel alignment was performed 3k miles ago and tires only have 14k miles on them. The car never pulled to any side and tracked true.
I took it back to the shop that did the original alignment and they checked and then corrected it free of charge. Per 01-Aug-2018 specs, my "final" toe on both front wheels was set to 0.12 degrees; however, 3k miles later on 07-Dec-2018, the "initial" toe was Left = -0.01, while Right = 0.22. Ideally, both wheels should've been close to 0.12, which got corrected back to 0.12 as my "final" toe for today...
What could've caused such weird change in the toe misalignment 3k miles later?
01-Aug-2018 specs:
Alignment 01Aug2018.jpg
07-Dec-2018 specs:
07Dec2018 alignment.jpg
Current: 2007 Z4 M Coupe (blue/black)
Previous: 2001 740iL Sport (black/black), 2000 528i Sport (black/tan), 1995 318is (black/black), 1991 318is (white/black)
Did the shop inspect all of the suspension components? Sounds like you may have some worn out parts that are not staying in alignment. Possibly, worn upper or lower wishbones, centerlink, or tie-rods.
Tie rods and centerlink were replaced Jul-2017; all control arms/bushings/ball joints (front and rear) were replaced Aug-2018. The only original suspension parts are struts and shocks.
Current: 2007 Z4 M Coupe (blue/black)
Previous: 2001 740iL Sport (black/black), 2000 528i Sport (black/tan), 1995 318is (black/black), 1991 318is (white/black)
Hi all,
I am considering doing paint correction myself during the week of Christmas, since I will have 1.5 weeks off work, and was wondering if you could guide me in the right direction for paint correction products.
1. Which cutting/polishing product would you recommend? (anyone used these 3M Perfect-It products?)
2. Which budget (ideally under $100) polisher/buffer would you recommend? (there are so many on Amazon! any good results with Harbor Freight?)
Since I won't be doing this on a regular basis, I don't want to dump too much money on these products. Thanks in advance for your input!
Current: 2007 Z4 M Coupe (blue/black)
Previous: 2001 740iL Sport (black/black), 2000 528i Sport (black/tan), 1995 318is (black/black), 1991 318is (white/black)
I have a HF dual action polisher that seems to work OK. I’ve never tried the more expensive Porter-Cable tool so have no basis for comparison. I paid $59 online for this but now it says in store only clearance item. Get ‘em while you can!
https://m.harborfreight.com/6-in-57-...her-69924.html
Only real issue is that the attachment plate tends to chew up the foam pads that I also got from Harbor Freight due to the fastener pad on the foam being smaller than the diameter of the foam.
For polish people gonna laugh but I tried some Turtle Wax polishing compound and it really made a big difference in the look of the paint. It doesn’t seem to be strong enough to really cut through the haze though. Was reluctant to go to their rubbing compound so have this to try next, after a clay bar treatment:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00P6...op_mb_pd_title
Should work better but results likely equal time spent. Check the detailing forum for more expert advice. Enjoy the time off!
Thanks, clark! Yeah, I've looked at that HF DA polisher but it's store only, so I bit the bullet and got the Porter-Cable one ($123 shipped).
I was able to find the following thread on reddit, which listed suggested products to use, so I am going to run with it: https://www.reddit.com/r/cars/commen..._i_learned_to/
After paint correction (and tax return!), I plan on looking into changing my struts/shocks, possibly with BC coilovers... and I am really digging Style 231 rims after seeing this picture from Schmidti:
Last edited by Ruskii; 12-15-2018 at 08:08 PM.
Current: 2007 Z4 M Coupe (blue/black)
Previous: 2001 740iL Sport (black/black), 2000 528i Sport (black/tan), 1995 318is (black/black), 1991 318is (white/black)
That’s a good thread. Makes me want to go polish the car.
Sooo, this polishing process is extremely time consuming! Plus, my paint it totally shot on hood, roof and trunk -- I have a feeling PO used those car washes with giant spinning brushes, as there are a ton of tiny deep gouges (not scratches!) all over them.
IMG_1756.jpg
Also, I had to remove the rear badge, as there were a ton of small scratches all around it. Note that most of them were already there (i.e. not from me removing the double-sided tape):
IMG_1758.jpg
Current: 2007 Z4 M Coupe (blue/black)
Previous: 2001 740iL Sport (black/black), 2000 528i Sport (black/tan), 1995 318is (black/black), 1991 318is (white/black)
Okay. I got most of it done, except roof and bumpers... maybe will tackle that in spring.
As I've mentioned previously, hood and trunk had tiny deep gouges which turned white after cutting with a polishing compound. In the below "before" picture you can see a ton of swirls and some scratches but no white lines. However, in "after" picture, these lines are obviously present. Maybe fine specs of dirt got removed?
Before:
IMG_1756.jpg
After:
IMG_1771.JPG
After (not as obvious):
IMG_1781.jpg
But vertical panels got polished up really nice, especially by the front doors, where you could see where people grabbed when closing them (just above door handle). Driver's side was the worst -- it was so scuffed, it looked almost flat gray. I forgot to take pictures of it. Here are some shots of the passenger side.
Before:
IMG_1765.JPG
After (before wax):
IMG_1769.JPG
Current: 2007 Z4 M Coupe (blue/black)
Previous: 2001 740iL Sport (black/black), 2000 528i Sport (black/tan), 1995 318is (black/black), 1991 318is (white/black)
Current: 2007 Z4 M Coupe (blue/black)
Previous: 2001 740iL Sport (black/black), 2000 528i Sport (black/tan), 1995 318is (black/black), 1991 318is (white/black)
hey Ruskii, I bet you $10 you cant do the same on a silver one located in PA!!
Nice job, looks stunning!
Hi gang,
I've mentioned previously that both of my front tires outer edges starting to wear quicker in post #102 above. As a result, re-aligned was performed.
Today, I looked at the tires and saw that my passenger front wheel outer edge is almost bald! Compare the picture to the driver's side below. So what the heck is going on here?! I had it re-aligned in Dec-2018 and now my problem got worse.
So the question is: Is it still bad alignment OR suspension parts?
Please note that the control arms were replaced in Jul-2018 and tie rods/drag link in Jul-2017; stock shocks and springs.
Passenger side:
IMG_1802.jpg
Driver's side:
IMG_1803.jpg
Current: 2007 Z4 M Coupe (blue/black)
Previous: 2001 740iL Sport (black/black), 2000 528i Sport (black/tan), 1995 318is (black/black), 1991 318is (white/black)
I am not familiar with the 7 series, E31 owner here, but there really isn't a way to adjust the camber on a stock vehicle if I am not mistaken. I actually use camber plates on my car because I have lowered it. Maybe there is a ball joint or bushing that is worn out. And its even possible that strut or axle is bent.
I’m getting the same wear on mine. Not sure what’s going on.
I would put the car on jack stands and climb under it with a pry bar or very large screwdriver and try wiggling control arms, tie rods, and ball joints, to see if you can identify any loose worn parts. And, grab top of tire and wiggle it in and out to see if there is any wheel bearing play.
I've been fixin' to do that but haven't gotten around to it. Sounds like Ruskii's stuff is all new. Mine now has about 40k miles on it all so something could be worn out. One think I am very certain is worn out are the strut mounts but that's not something I could see wearing the tires like this.
Hopefully you get some enlightenment Ruskii!
Ed
That is one nice cut and polish job, Ruskii! The clearcoat hazing on the trunk is something that is unavoidable unless the car has been
covered/garaged ALL its life. UV takes its toll. No fix except stripping and refinish. You can diminish it as you have done and apply a
coat of wax frequently. My trunk and roof exhibit the same hazing cracks, looks better for a while after waxing. A painter/friend measured
the thickness of the panel's finish recently and found the hood much thicker than roof or trunk. Hood is perfect, so that was his explanation.
Not sure I buy it, but they're getting refinished anyway.
Looking at your Aug/Dec alignment specs, there is some shift in camber/caster before and after specs. Some could be attributed to variance in
the machine used, but I suspect you have some component play causing your issue. Since you already know the strut mounts are worn, I would
start there. No need to realign. Move the two front side to side and drive for a while and see if the wear diminishes.
Beautiful ride, by the way. Just beautiful.
Thanks for the feedback guys. And compliments on the ride.
I am going to take it back to the shop and talk to the manager and alignment guy, and show what's going on with the tires; and request for toe-in to be set to BMW's min. specifications. I will also ask them to swap the front tires from side to side since they are not directional and check for anything loose in suspension. I feel like extra tire wear came on AFTER replacing the control arms... still, could it be poor alignment, twice? Could bad shock mounts or even shocks themselves cause this type of wear?
I never had this issue with any of my previous cars I've had. I had a similar tire wear on the inside of a front tire on my '01 VW GTI but that was due to a bad inner tie rod.
Current: 2007 Z4 M Coupe (blue/black)
Previous: 2001 740iL Sport (black/black), 2000 528i Sport (black/tan), 1995 318is (black/black), 1991 318is (white/black)
Well, I found the source of my excess tire wear on the front right tire = too much toe-in. I asked the shop owner why the toe got out of alignment in the first place and he had no idea. He said usually hitting something hard will throw it off, but I never hit anything. They also checked all suspension and steering parts; everything is tight. He said I can come back in a couple of months to re-check the alignment free of charge.
Unfortunately, my rear toe looks a little out of spec and they were only focusing on the front-end issue.
Spec sheet as of 12-Feb-2019:
specs.jpg
Current: 2007 Z4 M Coupe (blue/black)
Previous: 2001 740iL Sport (black/black), 2000 528i Sport (black/tan), 1995 318is (black/black), 1991 318is (white/black)
I am wondering why it changed? Definitely go back and have it checked again and if it changes then you may have a worn ball joint or tie rod.
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