My first BMW and plans

**RX7ames** · 01-04-2021, 01:48 AM

So, this is my first BMW. It's a 1999 Z3M. I'm super excited about it. I've been on a National Guard deployment for the past year andy wife granted permission to buy a little toy. I'm a BMW salesman in my civilian life so I finally get to truly represent the brand I love to sell.

I fell in love with the color. It's white with black and red interior. It needs a little work but overall it's a good car. The first thing I'm working on is the paint. It's been very neglected. I've never seen a car with so many contaminants. I've been working on clay barring the entire car between the break in the Oregon rain. The pics below is what I'm dealing with.

I'll buff out the car as soon as I finish the clay bar. The paint will not be perfect though. Instantly you can tell the the front and rear bumper have been repainted. Upon close inspection you can tell the hood has been painted. There are 3 slightly different colors of white. I'm not done with the clay bar so I may find more.

I need to replace the suspension. I am thinking I'll go with H&r springs and Koni shocks. I'll be doing this as soon as the Koni shocks come in stock. Turner says it will. Be mid February.

I also need to replace the sound system. It sounds like you are listening to a radio show coming from a paper bag. It's pretty terrible. I have a Helix amp and 3-way component set coming

I also need to do a lot of little things like paint the tacky carbon fiber spoiler and replace the q-ball shifter. I look forward to logging my progress here.

Ames

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**Watch Carefully** · 01-04-2021, 11:00 AM

Congratulations and welcome!
That's a sharp color combination...I doubt it's very common among M Roasters.
Best of luck with the projects. In a few months, I am sure you'll be having a blast with warmer weather coming, and be very glad for the work you do in the off-season.
Brad in PA

**KBH22102** · 01-04-2021, 12:13 PM

Congrats and welcome. I have an 01 AW over black, but your color combo is better. There were only 84 AW over Imola M roadsters both S52 and S54, so indeed pretty rare. Post some more pics of the car inside and out. No one wants to look at dirt...

**RX7ames** · 01-04-2021, 12:51 PM

I will definitely take more pictures. It's just been so rainy and I've only had it a few days. The interior is pretty dirty too. I basically bought it from a wholesale dealer so it didn't really get cleaned up too well.

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**RX7ames** · 01-04-2021, 07:21 PM

Snapped a couple more pictures before the rain started. Then as I was putting stuff in the trunk I noticed a lot of water back there. Uh oh. Now I gotta find out where I'm leaking. This car was in California and Las Vegas so it probably rarely saw rain.

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**RX7ames** · 01-04-2021, 09:38 PM

Here is the leak. It's coming from the boot seal. It looks like you can try to seal it from the top but the sure way is to replace it. I'm not looking forward to that, but the convertible top is tired and could be replaced. I'm assuming the boot seal was not replaced when this convertible top was put on, but who knows?

Water is also leaking in from the passenger brake light. This seems like a much easier fix. I may just have to get a car cover if I can't rig up a fix for the boot seal leak.

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**TommyMaddox** · 01-04-2021, 10:28 PM

There is an outstanding and incredibly detailed convertible top replacement thread out there, I'd recommend doubling up on the butyl tape while you're there.

Heat gun + scraper works well for removal, xylene for residue cleaning of existing tape.

I had some heavier duty bow straps made/sewn together from the leftover top material that the window opening was cut from, which was included when I bought my top several years ago.

I have since removed the top assembly entirely and have been only using a hardtop for the last two years or so.

**RX7ames** · 01-04-2021, 10:50 PM

That sounds like a good idea. Tomorrow should be dry. I may try to seal it with some sort of leak sealer. If that doesn't work I may just get a car cover until I can replace the top as well. I have been reading the article on top replacement. It is very detailed. This forum has provided a wealth of information.

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**Colorado Z3** · 01-04-2021, 11:21 PM

There are two pieces that mount and seal the top to the boot. The top is mounted/stapled to a metal tacking bow and that is then sealed to the plastic sealing frame. Between the tacking bowand sealing frame is butyl tape to seal it and then butyl tape is also used between the sealing frame and the body of the car.
Looking at the pictures it looks like the sealing frame may have been broken or cracked when your top was replaced. There are several posts on members who have tried to repair the sealing frame with mixed results. There are also some threads of people trying to get some liquid sealer to flow between the sealing frame & body to seal the leak, once again mixed results.
The sealing frames have been on long term backorder so they are difficult to find.

If you want additional instructions on replacing the top, PM me your email and I can send you a copy of the instructions from when I replaced my top a while back

**CoconutPete** · 01-05-2021, 09:47 AM

Awesome looking car, welcome!

If you are not "Oem or death" then there are decent options out there for radios where the color pretty much matches the rest of the dash. I picked one up from Crutchfield when I did my system (A PO had hacked it up, it needed to go).

Agreed on that spoiler. Looks like Dominic Torretto went to PepBoys on his lunch break.

Good luck w/ the paint. My front bumper was resprayed too, I think that's very common on these cars.

**RX7ames** · 01-05-2021, 09:48 AM

My plan is to keep the radio for now and replace the speakers and amp. If I upgrade then Blaupunkt has an awesome radio that matches the interior very well.

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**s8ilver** · 01-05-2021, 11:56 AM

Sorry about the Koni wait. I got ECS/Turner's last set in stock delivered yesterday. When I placed my order before Xmas, delivery showed Dec 29. After my order, the ETA changed to Feb 5, 9, 11... I did see fronts and rears sold separately on eBay but not sure what the prices were like. I paid $599 from ECS as a reference.

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**RX7ames** · 01-05-2021, 12:53 PM

Price just went to $640 for Feb 15 delivery, unfortunately.

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**RX7ames** · 01-07-2021, 07:15 PM

I just added copious amounts of silicon around the sealing frame. I'll let it cure up for a few days and test it again for leaks. I'm not too hopeful but maybe I've made some improvement.

I called the dealership and asked about a sealing frame but the part has been discontinued. There's a broken one on ebay for about $400 so I guess I'm stuck with what I have.

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**RX7ames** · 01-13-2021, 10:37 PM

I had a very productive day. I finished all the clay bar. I had to order a heavy bar. The polishing bar in the meguiars kit just wasn't cutting it, literally. I also swapped out the horrible q-ball shifter. I removed window tint that you couldn't see out of.

I also fixed the horribly saggy glove box. It was a pretty easy with the ebay kit and only took about 40 minutes. The worst part was working around all the brittle plastic. 3 of the 6 mounting locations broke, so unfortunately it isn't very secure. I will have to find a fix for this eventually, or replace the glove box.

I also got one of those half covers from roadster solutions. After putting it on I see some obvious design flaws. It is very loose for one. Second, it does not stay secure around the convertible top around the back. The slightest wind will blow the cover back letting water come around my broken and leaky sealing frame. I think I can fix this by adding two more straps that secure the cover to the trunk. This should have been fixed before this cover ever went to market though.

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**robb1887** · 01-14-2021, 09:00 AM

Welcome and good looking Roady.

I'd reach out to Ed (Bimmerbum Company) for the suspension stuff. He may be able to help sooner than Turner and is a resident Z3 Coupe nut and avid BMW junkie.

**RX7ames** · 01-26-2021, 11:05 PM

After 3 days of rain the trunk is bone dry. I guess the silicone at least provided a temporary fix. I have received the parts fo my next project. The factory radio had got to go. The volume button is wonky and I need hands free calling options. I'm excited for this period correct radio.

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**BladeRunner919** · 01-27-2021, 10:05 AM

That's a nice looking stereo - I look forward to pics of it in the car.

**z3forlife** · 01-27-2021, 02:14 PM

I almost thought it was a auto reverse cassette player at a distance. Lol. Looks good.

**RX7ames** · 01-27-2021, 06:26 PM

It looks good and phone mic comes through very clear. I tested the mic in several locations and it worked good right above the steering column. I'm still running the factory amps and speakers, so those will get swapped out next. I have a Helix system that should sound pretty sweet.

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**solimans** · 01-27-2021, 06:52 PM

Love that unit. Matches the car

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**z3forlife** · 01-27-2021, 06:52 PM

You’ll love it once you’re done. Next to suspension tightening this was the most beneficial mods to do. There’s a guy on zscca Facebook that’s selling a IA 8” enclosure. he says 10but I’m pretty sure it’s the 8. Cheap price compared to what the sold /sell for new.

**RX7ames** · 01-27-2021, 06:56 PM

I'm really enjoying sorting this car out. So many little things have been ignored. Or were done in bad taste. Next week I'm dropping her off at the body shop. I'm having the spoiler holes in the trunk lid welded and painted up. 3-way Helix sound system will be going in soon.

My suspension is ordered but keeps getting delayed. Mid-March is the estimated ship time now. Eventually I will do some paint less dent repair and refinish the wheels. After that I don't have much left but to enjoy it.

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**KBH22102** · 01-28-2021, 07:07 AM

That head unit looks great. I've been considering it myself, but I'm getting by with an aftermarket BT connector with my stock CD43.

Look over the pre-purchase checklist thread by wildag that is bookmarked at the top of the forum. At 90K+ miles, there are some other services that maybe due (cooling system). What kind of suspension are you installing?

**RX7ames** · 01-28-2021, 08:45 AM

Thanks. I'll look over the checklist.

I'm installing H&R springs with Koni shocks and struts. Koni shocks and struts are out of stock everywhere I've checked so I'm having to wait for backorder. No big deal. I have plenty of work to do.

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