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Mike Hunt offers another tip
for those experiencing intermittent headlight issues.
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Long story short;
intermittently, one or both of the headlights on my 2006 Z4-M would
fail to light in either the manual mode or “auto” mode. The problem
only presented itself a few times per year.The dealer from whom I
had purchased the vehicle could not find a cause.
As it became more
frequent, I never knew if I was going to have headlights or not. So,
I took it in to a new BMW dealership here in town.
I told the Service
Writer my long history and asked him if he could find the
actual cause of the problem. But I wanted to have input into what
parts were going to be replaced.
He called the next
day to say that they had decided the problem was the light switch
and for a mere $729, they would replace the switch. I swallowed hard
and authorized the work.
I picked the car up
the next day. On my way home, I tested the headlights. On about the
3rd try; the driver’s side headlight failed to illuminate. Back to
the dealer it went.
The Service Advisor
called two days later to say that they had put my old switch back,
replaced both headlight bulbs and the problem was resolved. The cost
of replacing the two bulbs came out to within a couple of dollars of
what I had been originally charged for replacing the switch.
This time, I tested
the headlights in both manual and auto mode a half dozen times
Before I left the dealership.
That was 6 months ago
and I have not had the problem since.
These bulbs are not
that hard to replace and are available from a Roundel advertiser for
significantly less than I paid for them!
Note that the bulbs are the same in the M and non-M version of this
particular vehicle.
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Mike Hunt offers the following regarding
extending the life of your under-hood plastic and rubber parts.
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I recently had an interesting conversation with Mike Miller, the
Technical Editor for Roundel magazine, the BMWCCA monthly
publication.
We were discussing the life of rubber and plastic parts, which
tend to be shortened in above average temperatures, such as here in
the Valley. He mentioned that he had been discussing the same
subject with some Club members living in Beirut, Lebanon. Their
solution was to remove their hoods!
We did not think that such drastic measures would be required,
but in places like Phoenix one might want to open the hood after
parking the vehicle. This is not always convenient, or secure. But I
have started leaving my hood open any time the car is parked in my
garage.
So as to not decrease the life of the hydraulic hood
hinges. I pop the hood and then lower it onto an old towel that I
have placed over the hood latch. This leaves a gap of a couple of
inches for the hot air to exit the under hood area.
- Cheers!
- - Mike Hunt
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Mike Hunt gives tips about changing
out the water pump on Z-4 BMWs with
6-cylinder engines:
Before I endeavored to replace the water pump
on my 2006 Z-4 M roadster; I cruised around the internet for
suggestions. I never found anything Specific to my S-54 engine in a
Z-4. I found a number of videos related to other BMWs with 6
cylinder motivation. The most detailed indicated that you needed to
loosen the passenger side motor mount and lift the engine in order
to get the water pump out of it’s home.
I found that this
is not actually necessary. You can get the pump out from
under
the car with a little twisting and turning.
Another “aha” moment was removal of the
lower radiator hose. The connection this hose makes with the
radiator is a rubber on to plastic fitting. After 70K miles, it
does NOT want to come off. Luckily, there is a temperature sensor
mounted on the bottom of the hose. If you remove the sensor; you
then have a pry point to help get the hose disconnected.
One other thing. If you are considering
changing your thermostat; go ahead and get a new pump. By the time
you get to the thermostat; you will be 80% of the way to changing
the pump.
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| Barbara Thompson tells us she was
told there's a guy who will replace your rag top.
"The people at Beyer Motor Works in
Chandler say there is a guy in Mesa at Top Notch named Ken
(480.834.8015) who can replace that canvas top. He has the
fabric there and does an outstanding job from what this guy said.
The cost is around $1700-$2100 to replace it."
Barbara also recommends Beyer (480.961.9449) who
does the work on her Z3.
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| Many of you may have heard about the
"tearing sheetmetal syndrome" in the rear of the car.
Sometimes this occurs where the differential mounts to the trunk floor
and other times, it fails where the anti roll bar mounts attach to the
body..........as in the attached picture. It's a good idea to take
everything out of your trunk, get right down to the sheeting and
examine it for cracks, splits, tears or other signs of failure. Also
check from the underside.
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| Here's another hint from Mike Hunt
for Z-4 owners looking for a place to keep that garage door
remote:
I wasn't willing to pay a couple hundred dollars
to have a factory installed garage opener put in my Z-4, so I came up
with the following solution.
Underneath the HVAC controls ( heat,
ventilation, A/C), I discovered a small removable panel; it's about
3" x 5" and cannot be seen unless you are looking up from
the console area. Gently pry this panel from the dash. It will bow
out, releasing the small plastic clips. Using the sunvisor clip on
your garage door remote control, hang the remote onto the panel and
replace the panel. You won't be able to see it from outside the car
(for that matter from inside the car). But it will be conveniently,
and firmly held, eager to open your garage door, community gate, or
estate gate.
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| Mike Hunt offers provides the
following information:
On a recent Club drive, I noticed one of our
other member's radar detector seemed to be picking up warnings my unit
never noticed. Since we both have Valentine 1 units, I was surprised.
After going over the standard stuff, location of the mounting,
sensitivity setting, hearing test, etc., it occurred to me that his is
almost new and mine is about four years old. So I went to
Valentine's
webpage and discovered that they offer updates, both firmware and
software. It's not cheap, but it is sure cheaper than throwing your
old unit away and buying a new one. If you have a different
brand, check out their web pages to see if they have similar
upgrades.
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| Mike Hunt offers this tip:
The fabric on the Z-3 has a tendency to pull out from under the
rubber that surrounds the rear window. I have found the most effective
tool for getting the fabric back into place is a steel ruler with a
rounded end. And it is a lot less dangerous to the surrounding area
than screwdrivers etc. The last time I performed this operation (about
10 months ago) I put a smidgen (that's more than a drop, but less than
a dollop) of "Seals All" glue between the rubber and the
fabric. It has not come loose since. Of course your other alternative
is........don't put the top up!
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Member Dennis Bassi took these notes
from the November 10th, 2001 Tech Event, and shares them with us:
While attending the tech
meet last Saturday, I talked to Julio Picchio for quite a while
about his detailing techniques. I took a few notes, and figured that the rest of our group
may want the information also. This is what I learned:
1) Microfiber towels
are really excellent for finishing work, such as wiping off wax, using
quick detailer, or wiping away the clay treatment.
2) Julio used a rubbing compound for getting out scratches,
swirls, and other stubborn stains. His
rubbing compound of choice is 3M Body
Repair Rubbing Compound – Fine Cut (which is about 2000 grit).
It can be obtained at many auto parts stores.
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Former Secretary/Treasurer Virgil
Jackson reminds us to take advantage of service under warrantee:
If you are still lucky enough to be under the
3 year/36,000 mile maintenance warranty, you should take advantage of the free brake
system flush at 2 years and cooling system flush at almost 3 years.
Please see your owner's manual for details. These systems should still
be flushed as the maintenance schedule dictates to maintain proper working order (even if
you are not still under warranty).
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A reminder from TripMeister Mike Hunt to the patriotic
among us:
Many of us have chosen to fly the American
flag, ribbons, etc. from our
vehicles during the last few weeks. You will want to remember that if
these objects touch your paint, they can wear through your paint. Try to
mount these objects of pride where they won't damage your exterior.
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TripMeister Mike Hunt passes along some helpful
information on your cooling system:
I recently discovered that BMW was kind enough
to solve any problems with air in the coolant system. You can
inadvertently get air into the coolant system any time you have to
add a significant amount of coolant to the system (such as when you
change the coolant, or replace a hose, etc.) With most
vehicles, you have to spent quite a bit of time working with a hot
motor trying to get all the air out, since as you know, air is not a
very effective cooling medium. BMW has located an air bleeder
valve at the top of the radiator next to the filler cap. It looks
like a slotted circle, flush mounted to the top radiator tank. Once
you have refilled the system, warm the motor so as to open the
thermostat. Then turn the bleeder screw counter-clockwise until you
hear air escaping. You do not need to remove it entirely. Once
coolant starts to come out, you will know that all the air is out.
Let the engine cool again, then refill the radiator to the Cold (
KALT) mark. And you are done.
While we are on the subject, antifreeze is not
necessarily the most effective coolant medium either.
This is a case where more is not necessarily
better. Pure water would be the most effective coolant. Of course
the problem is water can freeze. Which will damage your vehicle
since water is the only liquid known, that expands when it freezes.
The point being, you need antifreeze to keep the coolant from
freezing. And you need the anticorrosion additives that are put into
the antifreeze. But you only want as much of this stuff mixed with
your water as you have to have. And unless you plan to drive a
rather long way from Phoenix in the dead of winter, you don't need
to protect yourself down to -40 degrees F. And the more water you
have in your system, the better it will be able to handle those 100
degree plus days.
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Virgil Jackson sent in this update
about caring for your convertible top - from the Z3 message board:
Thank you for your interest in our products
and web site. We have discontinued recommending the 303 product as a
result of our discovering a superior product. Although our web site
has not been updated yet, we are now recommending "Raggtopp"
Protectant as marketed by
Wolfsteins Pro-Series.
For future reference, The Haartz Fabric
Cleaner will also be marketed via Wolfsteins Pro-Series, under the
"Raggtopp" brand name.
Thanks again for your continued interest in
our products.
Sincerely, THE HAARTZ CORPORATION Gordon
Goodwin Sales Manager - Exteriors
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Former member Matt Metz was given the following information from a local BMW
service advisor:
One of the functions of the engine computer is
to ensure that the air-fuel mixture is correct. If this mixture
is outside a preprogrammed tolerance range, your "Check
Engine" light may come on. But the fuels dispensed in
Arizona's major metropolitan areas are oxygenated, and this slightly
skews this mixture. If your "Check Engine" light comes
on soon after refueling, pull over, stop your engine, and check that
your gas cap is seated securely. You might try removing the cap
and reinstalling it, making sure you get a good seal. If there
was even a slight leak (allowing additional air into your fuel
system), that extra air (combined with the extra oxygen contained in
the oxygenated fuel) could be the cause of the "Check
Engine" light coming on.
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Former member Matt Metz gives this hint:
- Most of us know that maintaining proper tire
pressure is important for safety, performance, and getting maximum
mileage from your tires. Most of us also know that tire
pressure should be checked when the tires are "cold"
(after resting overnight, they are cold and stay cold if you don't
drive more than about a mile or two). But most of us don't
know that if you travel at high speeds, you must adjust your tire
pressure.
Discount Tire
recommends that you increase your cold tire pressure by 1.5 psi for
every 4 mph over 100 mph. (You would only do this if you were
driving on a closed racing track, of course.) This means that
if you plan on going 120 mph, you should increase your cold tire
pressure by (120 - 100) / 4 x 1.5 = 7.5 psi for that track.
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Club member Mike
Hunt reminds us:
- Most tire dressings contain silicone,
and silicone makes rubber very slippery. So when you clean up
those tires with tire dressing, make sure not to get any on the
tread (including those parts of the tire you are going to roll
under during those fun and challenging turns)!
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Your president, Paul
Ebeyer, submits another bit of help for those with "creaking"
clutch pedals.
- The clutch pedal of my 1997 2.8 Z3
roadster (with 7,500 miles at the time) suddenly began a strange
creaking sound during operation. The sound was most noticeable
during a slow depression or release. Since the 1.9's have the
same clutch linkage, I suppose this fix applies to them as well.
- The problem:
the factory lubrication has dried out and must be replaced.
- The solution:
This process takes only about 10 minutes.
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Has your convertible cover ever threatened
to come off your Z3 at high speeds? That might have been because
you left those two middle pins unattached - and you probably
left them unattached because they are a pain in the you-know-what
to get secured.
Well, from Greg Wenzel and Peg, here's a modification to your Z3 to
make it easier to secure those two center pins. And of course
if you secure these two middle pins, this will prevent the convertible
cover boot from coming off at high speeds.
- This is a simple (about 45 minutes)
modification that installs easy-to-use twist locks in place of
those two difficult-to-attach clips. It's cheap (about $7 in
parts), and easy.
- In this procedure, we're going to remove
those difficult-to-reach pins on the back of the rear console,
and replace them with twisty clips. We are NOT going to change
out the pins that are at the edges - near the door - because
those are easy enough to use.
- You'll need a few common tools - vice
grips or pliers, exacto knife, and a screwdriver.
- So here we go.
You
might want to print out the PICTURE PAGE - it has the pictures
referred to in these instructions.
- Here is the part of the car you'll
be working on (picture A). Of course, you'll also be working
on the removable convertible cover, not shown in this picture.
- Here are the parts you will be using
(picture B)
- Remove the old pins from the car, using
a pair of pliers.
- In their places, install the twisty-clips. You
might want to space them out just a bit using a few spare washers.
- Now remove the old grommets from the
convertible boot with pliers or a screwdriver. (picture C)
- And here is what the convertible boot
looks like when you've removed the old grommets (picture D)
- Now you're going to replace the old
grommets with the new ones. Place the new grommet over the old
hole. Make sure that the shiny half of the new grommet is on
the INSIDE of the cover - so that when it is installed, this
piece faces the REAR of the vehicle (picture E). The dull side
of the new grommet goes on the opposite side. You'll use the
exacto knife to create small slits for the ears of the shiny
half of the new grommet to go through the cover (picture F).
Those little ears will poke through to the other side and bend
over the dull half of the new grommet. Greg used a small nut
and bolt to hold the two halves in place while he bent the ears
over, then removed the nut and bolt.
- You're done!
Thanks, Greg and Peggy, for this great
and simple fix!
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Here's a tip that applies to all your vehicles,
not just your Z. It was provided by former member Matt Metz:
- Make sure your run your car's air conditioning
at least once a week, every week of the year. Run it for at least
three or four minutes - enough to make the compressor run through
a cycle or two.
- Although it may seem silly to run your
air conditioning when you don't need it, running it once a week
ensures that the seals and bearings remain lubricated, possibly
avoiding VERY costly repairs.
- In the winter, you can turn your temperature
knob all the way to the right (heat) while the air conditioning
is running.
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