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[yalden]

2000 (W) Z3 Roadster Individual 'Cosmos Black Edition' (1 of 1800)
63,000 miles @ Purhase - Facelift model
303 Cosmos Black Metallic



Latest updates are marked with

Please read on for details and photos of the below listed updates



DEPOSIT PAID - 30/03/2008
HPI CHECK REPORT - CLEAR 03/04/2008
HPI VALUATION - £8446 - 03/04/2008
COLLECTION DATE - 05/04/2008



PURCHASE HISTORY:-

Basic Total £22,021.27
Value Added Tax £3,853.73
Grand Total (from new / excludes on the road charges) £25,875.00



GENERAL OPTIONS:-

Electronic Stability Program (ESP)
Air Conditioning (AC)
BMW Business RDS
6 CD Changer Preparation
Electric windows
Heated windscreen washer jets
Heated/Electric mirrors
Heated/Electric seats
Interior Chromeline Pack
Drivers coin holder
M Steering wheel
OEM Leather Centre Console 'boomerang' trims
OEM Black velour floor mats
Black tonneau hood cover
White indicator lenses
Clear light pack
Alarm system
Black soft-top
First aid kit & Triangle
Foglights (Front)
Passenger Airbag
Roll over protection
Smokers package
Rear wind deflector
BMW Tyre bag
M Sports suspension
Chrome kidney grills
Chrome exhaust pipe extensions



INDIVIDUAL OPTIONS:-

Individual M Sports Steering Wheel, Bi-Colour Arizona Sun nappa leather
Individual Handbrake Lever Cover, Arizona Sun nappa leather
Individual Selector Lever Cover, Arizona Sun nappa leather
Individual M Sports Seat Upholstory, Bi-Colour Arizona Sun nappa leather
Individual Door Upholstory, Bi-Colour Arizona Sun nappa leather



ADDITIONS:-

Wheels & Suspension

BMW 17" Style 32 alloy wheels (7.5J front/8.5J rear)
Eagle F1 tyres
[Front 225/45/17]
[Rear 255/35/17]

AC Schnitzer 18" Type 1 Racing alloy wheels (fully rebuilt 08/09)
Fronts:-
Genuine OZ Racing 9J x 18" ET32 Tubes (2-Piece)
Mirror polished
Genuine OZ Racing decal
Genuine AC Schnitzer hubcentric spiggot rings
22ct Gold plated bolts and new OZ nuts
Rears:-
Genuine OZ Racing 10.5J x 18" ET26 Lips & Barrels (3-Piece)
Mirror polished
Genuine OZ Racing decal
22ct Gold plated bolts and new OZ nuts

Jamex Coilover Suspension
TPI 5mm hubcentric front spacers

Interior
VW Boot Cargo Net
Castrol emergency oil preparation kit
Carbon Fibre centre console
OEM BMW Fire extinguisher with mount
OEM BMW First aid kit
OEM BMW Umbrella with Leather sheeth
Storm Motorwerks billet stainless steel V1 shifter
Storm Motorwerks billet stainless steel Cig. Lighter blank
Roadster Solutions Custom Leather Armrest

Audio
Becker Mexico Pro MP3 7932
Custom rear glove box sub enclosure (leather trimmed by Bespoke Leathering)
6.5" Elemental Designs subwoofer (sprayed black)
Infinity 465A 4-Channel Amplifier

Engine & Transmission (Cosmetic & Mechanical)
UUC Clutch Stop
Citroen blue washer cap
Mirage Stainless service inspection cap cover
Mirage Stainless brake fluid reservoir cover
Mirage Stainless brake fluid reservoir cap cover
Mirage Stainless header tank cap cover
Mirage Stainless oil filler cap cover
Mirage Stainless power steering reservoir cover
Mirage Stainless power steering reservoir cap cover
Mirage Stainless oil puralator cover
Mirage Stainless oil puralator cap cover
Mirage Stainless fuse box lid cover
Gruppe M Replica induction kit
Blue silicon induction hose
AC Schnitzer E36 M3 CLS stainless steel exhaust tips
Custom painted (gold) brake calipers
Custom painted (black) hubs
Strong Strut Competition Light Alloy 'Black Textured' front strut brace
Strong Strut Small-Accessory Installation kit

Lighting
Lamin-X yellow fog film
Lamin-X yellow high beam film
Lamin-X red tail light film
Lamin-X gunsmoke front indicator film
Amber side repeater lenses
US-Spec amber marker light lenses
Osram front indicator bulbs
Chrome rear indicator bulbs

Exterior
Honda Civic Type R Aerial
Carbon fibre fog brackets
OEM Z3M Side intake vents [M Badge smoothed]
US-Spec rear registration plate moulding
Custom shortened registration plate
OEM BMW Aerodynamic rear spoiler
OEM BMW Z3M wing mirrors
OEM BMW Aerodynamic sideskirts
OEM BMW Aerodynamic rear bumper
Colour coded kidney grill surrounds
Colour coded door handles
Flushed petrol flap



NOTED PROBLEMS:-

- Gear gaitor worn - Restored with Scuff Master
- Scuff on O/S/F bumper
- 3 no. car park dents on drivers door - Repainted
- Both upper seat belt retainers broken
- 1 no. odd front tyre - Replaced
- Toolkit screwdriver/wheel brace/socket poor condition - Replaced
- Passenger seat forward/backward motor not working - New OEM Seat linear actuator fitted
- Cigarette lighter print worn - New lighter purchased/Storm Motorwerks Lighter Blank purchased
- Cheap & Nasty Tax disc holder - Replaced with official BMW dealership holder
- Airbag light permanently on - Drivers prestensioner fault - reset
- 1 no. bonnet pin not latching - Latch adjusted - fixed
- Ashtray bulb blown - Replaced
- 2 no. Clips missing from interior headlining - All clips replaced
- Washer jets not functioning - Blockage cleared, washer bottle jet cleaned
- Toolkit pin/tow eye missing - Replaced
- Stereo displays CD ERROR message - Stereo reset, changer fixed
- N/S headlight beam adjustment motor not working - New motor fitted
- Passenger interior door release handle surround missing - Replaced
- Drivers door coin holder clip broken - Replaced



INITIAL PURCHASE PHOTOS:-
Click to enlarge

13/04/2008















Thanks,

Chris (Saltash, Cornwall)

[yalden]

Interior Makeover - Part 1
Stripping the centre console - 20/04/2008



Having owned the Z3 for 2 weeks now, it was time to make the most of the overcast, yet dry weather.

I managed to wash, clay bar, polish and wax the entire car. I knew the car was in deperate need of a cleansing session, and the clay bar really proved that.

I also purchased an autoglym roof maintenance kit, I had been dying to use this since I got the car, so I'm glad the day stayed dry long enough for me to do the job!

As I finished doing the glass and exhaust the heavens openned, so my hopes of another nice shoot evolved into some interior fiddling...



More on this later :wink:

Until then, here's some of the beeding...

[yalden]

Interior Makeover - Part 2
Carbon Fibre Centre Console - 20/04/2008



As promised, here's some shots that explain the reason for my interior fiddling 8-) :wink:

Click to enlarge

[yalden]

Interior Makeover - Part 3
Carbon Fibre Centre Console - 26/04/2008



Today I had chance to refit the centre console, it was almost straight forward; where the resin had sank into switch/dial recesses I had to carefully file the edges to allow correct fitment. This took a while but I've managed to achieve a factory finish once again! It's just a sad thought that I'll have to remove it all again soon to fit my leather trimmed boomerang's when they arrive from the US! :roll: :lol:

Click to enlarge

[yalden]

Interior Makeover - Part 4
Dressed in leather - 03/05/2008



Today I received my OEM leather boomerangs! I've stripped down the centre console again and refitted it with the new boomerangs! A nice touch I think! 8-)

Click to enlarge



REAL OEM PARTS DIAGRAM - Part 6
51168401153
51168401154

[yalden]

Maintenance
MOT - 12/05/2008



I had my car booked in for MOT, thankfully it passed straight through! Advisory sheet indicated the following:-

- Rear indicator bulbs losing colour - Replaced
- Small chip outside of drivers view in windscreen - Needs filling
- Greater wear on o/s/f tyre, recommend tracking - Tracking carried out

[yalden]

Interior Makeover - Part 5
I Bit the Billet - 24/05/2008



I decided to replace my chrome gearknob with something a little nicer, a Storm Motorwerks V1 shifter! I had this in the titanium finish on my E36 so know how nice it feels and am looking forward to the enhanced shift from the +0.5kg knob. I chose the regular billet stainless finish in hope that it'll better suit the Z3 interior with it's splashes of chrome.



To compliment this I also purchased a Storm Motorwerks billet stainless cigarette lighter plug.

Fitted pics:-
(excuse the yellow appearance of the leather *cheap camera alert*)

Click to enlarge

[yalden]

Interior Makeover - Part 6
Anti-Slip Mat - 24/05/2008



Another tiny addition was that of a section of anti-slip mat, to stop anything placed inside the console pocket from moving around and marking the inside surface or making any noise.

Click to enlarge

[yalden]

Exterior Makeover - Part 1
Black Tonneau Cover - 24/05/2008



I ***** the unfinished look of the car with the roof down, as a result a Black tonneau cover had to be purchased (especially with all the recent sunshine). The lines of the car look much cleaner while it's fitted! 8-) Also note the Honda Civic Type R stub aerial.

Click to enlarge

[yalden]

Exterior Makeover - Part 2
Lowering Springs - 30/06/2008



The car felt a little too high considering it's apparent Sports Car title! Although coilovers are planned, at present they're further down the priority list. Until then, I will make do with a set of lowering springs to improve the stance temporarily. Not the best of photos but it'll have to do for now!

Click to enlarge

[yalden]

Exterior Makeover - Part 3a
AC Schnitzer Type 1 Racing - 05/07/2008



The long search for the right set of wheels finally came to an end on Thursday evening! Today I took a long trip from Cornwall to London and picked up a 2nd hand set of 18" AC Schnitzer Type 1 3-piece split rims, not the Hartge Design E's I was hoping for, but none the less a great wheel!

I believe the rears are 9J ET38 and the fronts 8.5J ET38, unfortunately the fronts are meant to be fitted with 7mm hubcentric spacers. This is because the wheels were originally purchased for an E36 M3, the spacers would've been necessary to prevent the wheel from fouling the brake caliper. As I don't have this problem I don't want the spacer, however without it the front wheels remain non-hubcentric. As a result I have removed the wheels until I can call Rossiters on Monday and order some spigot rings. The dishes are all tarnished, some more than others, likewise there are various degrees of kerb rash. My intentions are to split the wheels, replace all the bolts with gold alternatives, respray the centres in high power silver, the inners in gloss black and fit new stainless/wider dishes to both front and rear. This'll be a gradual build over the winter nights... I can't wait!

Click to enlarge

Before:-


After:-

[yalden]

Exterior Makeover - Part 3b
AC Schnitzer Type 1 Racing - 05/07/2008



Rossiters managed to supply me with a pair of ACS spigot rings (72.5mm ID/82mm OD), meaning the wheels fitted hubcentric onto the front! As a result I thought it'd be rude not to clean them up a little and take a few photos! You'll notice the scuff on the front bumper, mostly as it's full of polish... that'll be the next thing to sort out :idea:

Click to enlarge

[yalden]

Exterior Makeover - Part 4
J'adore French Fogs - 20/08/2008



In a bid to follow the euro trend with my Z3 I decided to go to work on the foglights! I contacted the US firm Lamin-X with regard to precut coloured adhesive laminate, within a week the postman came knocking! I'm very impressed with the product and even more so with the service.

After removing the foglights and applying the film, I thought it'd be a nice touch to update the fog light access covers. Being black plastic I contemplated getting them colour coded; but in the end I settled with carbon wrapping them...

Click to enlarge

[yalden]

Performance/ Engine Cosmetics - Part 1
Gruppe M Replica - 25/08/2008



Due to serious withdrawal symptoms over the noise of my previous car, I decided to purchase another Gruppe M Replica induction kit. I sourced one second hand and had to trim the metal sleeve and carbon shroud to fit the Z3, in all I think I did a very tidy job, coupled with a new blue silicon hose to replace the black split one that came with the kit and a set of new jubilee clips I'm more than happy...

Click to enlarge

[yalden]

Performance/ Engine Cosmetics - Part 2
Magpie - 28/08/2008



Being a bit of a magpie, I decided to fit some parts I'd kept my mitts on following the sale of my E36:

Mirage Stainless service inspection cap cover
Mirage Stainless brake fluid reservoir cover
Mirage Stainless brake fluid reservoir cap cover
Mirage Stainless header tank cap cover

In addition, to compliment the blue hose I fitted a blue citroen washer cap!

Click to enlarge

[yalden]

Performance/ Engine Cosmetics - Part 3
UUC Clutch Stop - 20/09/2008



To improve the drive of the Z3 I thought I'd begin at the lower end of the spectrum, fitting a UUC clutch stop I have reduced the amount of pedal travel; in my opinion this is such a worthwhile modification with regard to bang for buck.

[yalden]

Interior Makeover - Part 8
OEM 'R US - 20/09/2008



After getting sick and tired of my aftermarket floor mats getting caught up under my pedals and forever sliding around I bit the bullet and got hold of a genuine set. The aftermarket ones suited the interior well with the two tone edging, but the OEM ones make use of the all important carpet clips and for that reason were a must have!

[yalden]

Exterior Makeover - Part 6
No More Gills - 03/10/2008



I have always been a fan of the Z3M's replacement for the regular Z3 side gills, firstly I prefer the retro design and secondly I prefer the loss of the oversized BMW badge!

While having them sprayed in BMW's finest 303 Cosmos Black I ensured to have the recess for the //M badge smoothed out as I'm not trying to build a replica.

Click to enlarge

[yalden]

Exterior Makeover - Part 7a
Painted Plastic > Plain Plastic- 03/10/2008



I **** plain black plastic, especially when polishing my car... thankfully the Z3 doesn't have much on show, even better yet the main bit is easily removed, rubbed down, primed and sprayed. A turd attempt at a photo, but it's getting dark and I'm sure you get the idea...

Click to enlarge

[yalden]

Exterior Makeover - Part 8
The man with the Golden bolts - 14/10/2008



The first parts of the wheel build arrived from Germany today... 8-)

[yalden]

Exterior Makeover - Part 9a
Mirror Mirror on the drawer- 15/10/2008



I should really have saved this update until the weekend/next week as they'd be sprayed and fitted by then, but what the heck... yet another parcel arrived today, so here's another update from the Yaldenator...Genuine Z3M wing mirrors with heated glass.

(Click to enlarge)



They are so much nicer than the standard BOX-TV style ones, I can't wait to get them fitted!

[yalden]

Exterior Makeover - Part 10a
BMW Aerodynamics - 27/10/2008



Before getting the mirrors painted I decided it'd be worthwhile acquiring a few more exterior additions first and sending them all into the bodyshop at the same time.

There are only 4 remaining exterior body parts I'd like on the car; after selling a few parts following a garage clear out, I decided to invest some paypal funds towards one of the 4 parts.

I phoned BMW, armed with the necessary part number, only to find out that the item has been discontinued! A quick search on Google and I'd located an American enthusiast that'd posted on a board about a 'new and unused' BMW aero spoiler that he'd bought for his '98 Z3. I contacted him to explain that the spoiler he'd bought would only fit facelift Z3's and as a result he sent it back to the original seller. I then contacted the original seller and after many messages managed to convince him to agree to ship internationally! Hurrah! So on order is the below:-

(Click to enlarge)

Part #5



I have a feeling that the ETK image was an initial design which was superceeded in practise when the spoiler came into manufacture; you can see below that the actual spoiler has a raised 3rd brake light mould, presumably to maintain good visibility of the brake light when in operation.



Fitted examples:-

[yalden]

Maintenance
Inspection 1 Service - 07/11/2008



With the car being due an Inspection 1 service; I phoned around the local dealerships and found that Oceans Plymouth was over £100 cheaper than Westerly Exeter, better yet, it was cheaper than Oakdens of Plymouth (a local Porsche and BMW specialist). Despite being cheaper than it's local competitors, I still felt that £250 for an Inspection 1 seemed a touch heavy. I looked closer to work and found a specialist firm based in Fenny Bridges, Devon (12 miles from Exeter) called The Paddock, the cost of the service came to £155; better yet the customer service was brilliant, they allowed me to drop my car off the late in the evening prior to the day of the service and they communicated with me the following day to update me with each process. No additional work was carried out without my authorisation.

I'd highly recommend the team, their details can be seen on their WEBSITE

[yalden]

Exterior Makeover - Part 7b
US-Spec Licence Surround - 16/10/2008



I’m forever looking for inspiration and ideas when it comes to cars; a while ago I was browsing a US based forum and noticed that their cars have a rear registration plate surround to suit the regular US sized licence plate. I thought it would’ve been a nice touch to run one of these surrounds with a UK road legal plate; this is possible due to my personalised registration only containing 5 digits.

As usual, I managed to strike gold when a forum member made a post to say that he actually had the US spec rear plate surround with a square motorbike plate fitted, he wasn’t sure if he liked the square plate on the rear so I made him an offer; in true enthusiast style he refused and offered to hand it over free of charge!

I began by trimming the surround so that its base didn’t extend down to accommodate the deeper US plates, leaving approximately 110mm of depth (regular UK size).

I then dropped it into the body shop for painting at the same time as I handed over my Z3M wing vents last month.

Earlier this month I ordered a road legal registration plate; plain with no border. I masked the plate and carefully used a jigsaw to trim its edges off, reducing the length down to 335mm for a snug fit within the new surround, a final run over with some wet and dry saw a nice smooth edge with rounded corners.

Today I got around to fitting the surround with new plate, a small touch… but I feel it adds a little character and individuality while also remaining road legal.

Click to enlarge

[yalden]

Audio - Part 1
Becker Quality Sound - 17/10/2008



Although I was always contempt with the OEM BMW Business RDS stereo and 6-Disc CD Changer, it was somewhat flawed by its lack of line-out channels and incompatibility with MP3 CD's. In addition to this it looked somewhat dated.

I'm not a fan of multicoloured flashing headunits or flip out screens. I wanted a replacement that maintained an OEM look and feel, something with elements of class that would look at home set in the dash while also have the capability to deliver top quality sound, with the added option of line-out channels for any future audio upgrades.

After a little bit of research I came to find that the words 'Harman' seem popular amongst many BMW enthusiasts, the Harman group are highly regarded as one of the better manufacturers of OEM headunits, producing unfound clarity through both their Harman Kardon brand, and also their Harman Becker brand - incidentally Harman Kardon are the key supplier of BMW upgraded audio setups through the options list. A little more digging unveiled that Harman Becker supply a similar service to the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes and in the case of the original Becker Traffic Pro, also BMW; superseding models such as the Becker Indianapolis dropped the BMW specific display format, although as can be seen below; a few fanatics took it upon themselves to dismantle older traffic pro models and rebuild the newer Indianapolis models to reproduce the ability to switch between positive/negative display colours (allowing BMW’esque amber on black display).

(Click to enlarge)



I don’t have the knowledge or time to carry out such a conversion so I decided to live with a newer model and accept that it won’t display amber text against a black screen. Newer Becker models are released with a small range of illumination colours; red, yellow and green. The red illumination seems to be the common choice amongst BMW owners; providing a good match to the amber dial lights, it seemed the perfect choice; as for which headunit to go for, I opted for the Becker Mexico Pro MP3 7932; it’s virtually identical in appearance to the Indianapolis models (albeit non-sat nav), however it boasts additional features which have more appeal to me as I’m more than contempt with my Tom Tom.

(Click to enlarge)



Unfortunately I haven't yet been able to fit the headunit as I need to purchase the required connection block to link the headunit to the fitted BMW jack. I'm hoping Becker can supply this, otherwise I'll need to get out my soldering iron and start splicing.

The only downfall is that the line out channels aren't present in the form of RCA connectors; instead I need a Becker adapter that will plug into a custom socket on the rear of the unit and then present me with the standardised line-out sockets... more money to be spent :roll: