It occurs to me that I've got a lot of thoughts about my car where I've been, where I want to go, and where I'm getting ideas/info/help. But that I'm not recording this anywhere. In the end, hopefully I'm helping myself. And as a bonus, if it helps someone else,
2010 E89 Z4 35i with 38k miles. Sea Blue Metallic with the Kansas leather interior.
- The Purchase story
About 2 years ago I started looking around for an E89. Something about it is just timelessly classy. After a failed search around Phoenix, I found one in Los Angeles.
I rented a Mustang and drove from Phoenix to San Diego to meet up with my friend who was going to go with me to get the car. The ride to SD was fun in the mustang. Confirmed mostly that it’s a piece of shit and I wouldn’t want to drive it again. But it was fun for a minute.
We drove up to LA and saw the car for the first time. Took a spin around the block. This was going to happen.
It had a few scratches and a poorly repairs (rocker panel?) on the passenger side that could use some paint touch up and there were a few interior imperfections (dash cover coming up near front vents, and some (kid?) pressed the grills on the pillar speakers in.
Considering it was a huge savings over the phoenix market for some reason, I was willing to deal with these. The only real problem I saw what that the rear brake on passenger side was jacked up. It was hard to tell if it was just poorly installed or if there was a bigger issue.
The place I was buying from had a repair shop right next door and they agreed to replace the rear pads and rotors, and let us inspect it while it was on the lift. Long story short, nothing was really wrong with the brakes, but after some part# mix ups and this being Sunday the day before a holiday, no one was open. In the end they gave me a credit to fix it once I got home.
I had to take the rental back, but also take the car. I suppose we could have uber’d around but that was silly. This meant my friend got to drive me new baby off the lot before I did!
The next day I settled in to take the drive back to Phoenix.
A few hours in the BRAKE light comes on the dash. A take a few minutes to figure out it’s probably the sensor and not anything to worry about. I push on.
And then suddenly my leg is wet, my hand is wet. I look down and there is blood everywhere!
A quick confusing panic and I discover my finger is sliced open. I take the next exit and go into the gas station covered in blood. I ask if I can take some paper towels and bandaids and then come back to pay. They were nice.
Turns out the right hand side paddle shifter has some sort of fake chrome covering. It seems to be some sort of metal overlay and it is sharp as hell. I pick/peel some of it off to get rid of the sharp edges. These are going to need replaced!
- Brakes
As soon as I got home I ordered new pads and rotors. Easy enough. The install however...
After finding several YT videos that shows HOW EASY the electronic parking brake is to back out I figured I'd give it a go. The videos essentially show you are able to wind the piston back in (I think it's on a screw inside?) enough to clear the new pads.
A solid 4 hours later, several trips to AutoZone for tools, frustration, and some sore thumbs from trying to press wind this thing in, I gave up.
This led me down the rabbit hole of INPA ISTA, PROTOOL and BIMMERCODE. After about a week of setting up a laptop with the BMW Tools I was ready to place the brakes into Maintenace mode and do it "the right way".
New pads and rotors installed.
The one thing about this car that always got me though were the brakes. Not to be a garage queen, but they just look pathetic. Rolling up to a stop light and having the mustang next to you is a no fear situation. But you're just hoping he doesn't look at the calipers and pass you off as a wannabe
I immediately started looking for BBK's and the rabbit hole of hell that is.
Eventually wound up here, with hope in my eyes.
But alas the TL/DR is that there are a few bolt on options for the front and if you have a machine shop maybe some options for the back, maybe not.
At this point I'm thinking bite the bullet and just buy something. And this post is where I landed.
It's going to cost somewhere around $4k and you're going to have exactly what you want (need?) and it's going to be a bolt on BBK with rear parking brake in place.
This job is going to have to wait until I get other improvements.
In the meantime I started running HPDE events with a local group.
What I learned is, i don't think I need a BBK. I had (nearly) all the stopping power I needed. The only issue was fade and wear. I burned through at least 3/4 of the front pads in one day.
I've since added some track pads and we'll see how it goes. Still eyeing those upgraded calipers though.
Coming Soon
- Hard top woes
- Runflats
- Suspension
- Roundels
- DSC