robyntan 0 Report post Posted October 28, 2009 Hi everyone I posted in the general discussion thread about the value of the car and you were all really helpful. Thanks to your advise and guidance I believe I got the car at a good price, knowing (and negotiating upon) all the problems with the car. I picked up the car Friday morning last week and by early afternoon it had four new tyres and a wheel alignment, followed by a good wash at home. Saturday my son (20 year old Andrew) and I removed the headlights so I could use a plastic cut and polish product on the headlights to get rid of that fogged up look. I followed that work on both headlights with a complete leather clean and conditioning. Headlights look GREAT now. Andrew, in turn had a good look at the electrics, and we removed the passengers seat so he could get a good look. By days end he had the electrics working on BOTH seats. Sadly they failed in one direction each the next evening -- but all his efforts have given the auto electrician we spoke to some good insight into where the problems likely lie. The air con unit does not work (and has not done so for probably a year and a half -- it was like that when the previous owner bought it and she saw no reason to have it fixed). We have found a great guy to have a look at that for us. Soft top needs some patches on the inside to tend to wear and tear areas, but in order to put new stitching in the soft top would have to come OUT of the car. Does anyone here know if that is easy or difficult? I need to take care of the soft top...but am thinking in a couple of years or more I may look to replacing the soft top with one off a wrecked Z3, one with a good back window. Am having an alarm installed next week. A bit dearer than I hoped it would be, but a necessary cost I think. Anyway, my name is Robyn, I am 46, married, mother of two (20 yrs old and 17 yrs old -- they told me to buy the Z3!!!!). I am also enjoying doing some of the work on the car, as I think that is the best way to get to know the vehicle. I have always loved cars, and would have been content to carry on driving the old Honda Accord LXI, but a VW hit it and wrote it off so I have to replace the car. Since I have access to the family big car and my husband has a company car, there was no need for me to be practical and sensible. The only issue was the family car is automatic and I love to drive a manual. It was always a toss up between an MB BGT or a BMW Z3 ...and the Z3 won out. I love this car, and I aim to keep it for a long long time -- which is why I am doing all the work on it to get it to where I want it. Here's a pic of Zee. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
*Glenn* 854 Report post Posted October 28, 2009 Welcome to the forum Robyn... nice looking ride you've got there Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cale 36 Report post Posted October 28, 2009 Hi and welcome to the forum. Looks like a fun car. Manual ftw! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jjs 64 Report post Posted October 28, 2009 Hi Robyn. Looks like a nice car, you will have a lot of fun in it. These are great buying now - I'm considering buying my Mrs. one too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robyntan 0 Report post Posted October 28, 2009 Hi Robyn. Looks like a nice car, you will have a lot of fun in it. These are great buying now - I'm considering buying my Mrs. one too. I'm sure your wife would love it!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robyntan 0 Report post Posted October 28, 2009 Hi and welcome to the forum. Looks like a fun car. Manual ftw! Damn right she's manual drive!!!! Two and a half months of searching for it, and I was prepared to wait as long as it took to find the right car. I am LOVIN the hand on repairs on the car. Next job my son and I plan to work on together is the replacement of the seat bushings. Passengers one's are shot, but figured we might as well replace both at the same time. Husband (businessman) did not want me to buy the car, and thought the family sedan was sufficient....now he is asking when i will let him drive my Z3!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robyntan 0 Report post Posted October 28, 2009 Welcome to the forum Robyn... nice looking ride you've got there She's a beauty all right. And such a joy to drive. She even SOUNDS like a real car! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yuen 16 Report post Posted October 29, 2009 Welcome, very cool that you prefer a stick over the auto! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drifty325i 0 Report post Posted October 29, 2009 Nice car, welcome to the forum Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
*Glenn* 854 Report post Posted October 29, 2009 Next job my son and I plan to work on together is the replacement of the seat bushings. Passengers one's are shot, but figured we might as well replace both at the same time. There are no bushes available for the seat bases Robyn. They do not come as a seperate part. You have to buy a new base frame. The frame cant be pulled apart. An engineer may be able to and make up bushes, however I have never seen this done. The Z3 seats can be quite troublesome. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robyntan 0 Report post Posted October 29, 2009 There are no bushes available for the seat bases Robyn. They do not come as a seperate part. You have to buy a new base frame. The frame cant be pulled apart. An engineer may be able to and make up bushes, however I have never seen this done. The Z3 seats can be quite troublesome. You can get replacement seat bushings from BMW NZ and also from Roadster Solutions (on line -- USA). The ones that BMW made with the cars disintegrate over time and are a fairly common problem. We had the seat out on Saturday and had a look at the bushings, and have ordered the parts. It will save quite a lot of money to do the job ourselves. You Tube have videos of the entire process, and the seat bushings we have ordered come with full instructions. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
*Glenn* 854 Report post Posted October 29, 2009 (edited) Whats the Chassis number ?? I looked up the seats on ETK this morning before posting and it doesnt show bushes as seperate. What style seats are in your car ? You can buy the guide bushes from BMW but not the lever bushes. Is it the guide bushes you are talking about ?? Edited October 29, 2009 by *Glenn* Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robyntan 0 Report post Posted October 29, 2009 Welcome, very cool that you prefer a stick over the auto! You just have SO much more control of the actual driving process with a manual, and you are FAR more likely be slip in to what I call Zen Driving, where you are the car operate as one. Getting to know how a car responds in all weathers and conditions, knowing how much brake or power to put on and when ... it just makes the driving such a joy. My husband says "a car is just a way of getting from A to B", but my theory is "a car is a way to have FUN getting from A to B!!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robyntan 0 Report post Posted October 29, 2009 Whats the Chassis number ?? I looked up the seats on ETK this morning before posting and it doesnt show bushes as seperate. What style seats are in your car ? You can buy the guide bushes from BMW but not the lever bushes. Is it the guide bushes you are talking about ?? Yes, I am talking about the seat bushings. If you click on this link you will see what I mean http://www.roadstersolutions.com/page39.html Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
*Glenn* 854 Report post Posted October 29, 2009 Yes, I am talking about the seat bushings. If you click on this link you will see what I mean http://www.roadstersolutions.com/page39.html Those are just the guide bushes. I thought you were having problems with the rest of the tilt mechanisms. The guide bushes are a common problem and the base mechanisms give problems too. Hope yours are ok Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robyntan 0 Report post Posted October 30, 2009 Those are just the guide bushes. I thought you were having problems with the rest of the tilt mechanisms. The guide bushes are a common problem and the base mechanisms give problems too. Hope yours are ok Base mechanisms seem to be all fine. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwi535 538 Report post Posted October 30, 2009 Hi everyone I posted in the general discussion thread about the value of the car and you were all really helpful. Thanks to your advise and guidance I believe I got the car at a good price, knowing (and negotiating upon) all the problems with the car. I picked up the car Friday morning last week and by early afternoon it had four new tyres and a wheel alignment, followed by a good wash at home. Saturday my son (20 year old Andrew) and I removed the headlights so I could use a plastic cut and polish product on the headlights to get rid of that fogged up look. I followed that work on both headlights with a complete leather clean and conditioning. Headlights look GREAT now. Andrew, in turn had a good look at the electrics, and we removed the passengers seat so he could get a good look. By days end he had the electrics working on BOTH seats. Sadly they failed in one direction each the next evening -- but all his efforts have given the auto electrician we spoke to some good insight into where the problems likely lie. The air con unit does not work (and has not done so for probably a year and a half -- it was like that when the previous owner bought it and she saw no reason to have it fixed). We have found a great guy to have a look at that for us. Soft top needs some patches on the inside to tend to wear and tear areas, but in order to put new stitching in the soft top would have to come OUT of the car. Does anyone here know if that is easy or difficult? I need to take care of the soft top...but am thinking in a couple of years or more I may look to replacing the soft top with one off a wrecked Z3, one with a good back window. Am having an alarm installed next week. A bit dearer than I hoped it would be, but a necessary cost I think. Anyway, my name is Robyn, I am 46, married, mother of two (20 yrs old and 17 yrs old -- they told me to buy the Z3!!!!). I am also enjoying doing some of the work on the car, as I think that is the best way to get to know the vehicle. I have always loved cars, and would have been content to carry on driving the old Honda Accord LXI, but a VW hit it and wrote it off so I have to replace the car. Since I have access to the family big car and my husband has a company car, there was no need for me to be practical and sensible. The only issue was the family car is automatic and I love to drive a manual. It was always a toss up between an MB BGT or a BMW Z3 ...and the Z3 won out. I love this car, and I aim to keep it for a long long time -- which is why I am doing all the work on it to get it to where I want it. Here's a pic of Zee. welcome,nothing like working /cleaning up a new car to get to know the car/make it yours Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
martyyn 2 Report post Posted October 30, 2009 Congratulations Robyn, there is nothing like picking up a new car on a Friday and getting stuck into it on the Saturday Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robyntan 0 Report post Posted October 30, 2009 Kiwi, you are oh so right! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robyntan 0 Report post Posted October 30, 2009 We've ordered the bushings from Roadster Solutions in USA (cheaper) and are looking forward to installing them. I'm lucky my son is such a DIY guy, and it is so much more fun to work on the car WITH someone. Quite a mother-son bonding time!!! We also ordered a lexan windshield, because they are the nicest I have seen, plus two door protector strips....and just for the OVER THE TOP touch, I insisted on the black leather covers for the external mirrors!!! I think they kind of make a statement: "Car obsessed nutter!" I have got way past that "I don't want to break anything" stage, and am pretty much ready for anything, although I know you have to do thorough research and have all the steps in the process identified. I'm not a BMW snob or anything....the Z3 is just the most beautiful modern car I have ever seen....can't quite believe I now own one! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robyntan 0 Report post Posted October 30, 2009 Sorry to create confusion, but have changed my log on name from my married name to my OWN name. Robyn Speed is the name I was born with, and the one I identify with more. Tan is my married name, and, for those who know others with the same surname, it's Chinese, and I don't want people to think I'm someone I'm not. Robyn M Speed is also the name I write under as a freelance writer. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwi535 538 Report post Posted October 30, 2009 Sorry to create confusion, but have changed my log on name from my married name to my OWN name. Robyn Speed is the name I was born with, and the one I identify with more. Tan is my married name, and, for those who know others with the same surname, it's Chinese, and I don't want people to think I'm someone I'm not. Robyn M Speed is also the name I write under as a freelance writer. and is M your initial....?If it is you need an M car....... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robyntan 0 Report post Posted October 31, 2009 (edited) You think maybe I should have hung out for an M Roadster??? Seriously, though, I use the M becuase I have a cousin who is Robyn G Speed, and she works as a naturopath in Tauranga, so to save us being confused with each other (which HAS happened) I use the M. M for Mother M for Maniac behind the wheel M for must have M for mmmmm a Z3 Edited October 31, 2009 by Robyn M Speed Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OP6 27 Report post Posted October 31, 2009 Congratulations on securing a rare beast. Love the colour. The link is very useful, with pretty fair prices. Will be interested in hearing how the seat repair goes as we have a similar problem that my wife has ignored and still ignores! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robyntan 0 Report post Posted October 31, 2009 I'll post back here once we have installed the new seat bushings. Oh, and just for interest..the drivers seat has the broken seat belt guide, so I took a hint from another site and put a length of black heat shrink tubing (3 cm width) on the guide and then put the hair dryer on it. The tubing holds the seat belt guide nice and secure. One day I may install a replacement seat belt guide...but for now it's not a priority. This is a fix, however, that I would recommend for ALL Z3 seats! There is a nice holding on Roadster Solutions that could also be used, but if someone doesn't want to pay the price, then black heat shrink tubing is a way to stop that seat belt guiding breaking in the first place. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
