First impressions

UK forum for general and technical discussion about the Z3 roadster
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SHRS2000
Joined: Mon 02 Jan, 2017 12:25
Posts: 48

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

First impressions

Post by SHRS2000 »

Well I've had the car a month or so & been doing the jobs to get it where I want it. Some tidying to the bodywork including replacing both sills. TBH they were 90% perfect but had corroded at both ends & I'd never be happy with that. A very reasonable £110 +VAT each. Replaced all the fixings with new & replaced the sill tread plates with new items as the silver 'Roadster' strip wasn't good enough. New wing indicators as the seals were past their best. Rear bumper painted too due to parking scuffs. What I was pleased/surprised with was the condition of the inner sills. Almost perfect. When the car was put back together we used lot's of Bilt Hamber Dynax. Excellent stuff! Had all four wheels blasted & coated & shod with Uniroyal Rainsport 3's. Also painted the hubs & calipers silver to tidy up. Fitted a front Strong Strut brace. On the exterior to do list are thorough clean of the hood & try to improve the rear window as quite scratched.

The thing that strikes me about the Z3 is the build quality is superb. Given that the car is some sixteen years old it's in excellent shape & still feels really tight. I'm getting the alignment done this week as the steering wheel is a little off centre & the steering could be sharper i'm sure. The thing I really like is the 2.2 straight six engine. Gives the car a decent turn of speed when required & gives the car real character i think.

Couple of points of concern. When cold the car will not engage gear very easily at all. Which is strange because with the engine off no problem!Once on the go & changed gear a few times it's OK. I'm going to replace the clutch hose with a braided item & flush the system through to see if that improves matters. Open to suggestions. The other thing I can't work out is the drivers door handle sometimes refuses to open from the outside. If you press the door with your knee below the handle it opens! Again open to suggestions on this one.

On the interior not a lot to do but I'm going to have the seats professionally restored as that will make it top notch. Also got a new M Sport gear knob to go on.

All in all I'm really pleased I bought the Z3 as the other possibility was a Honda S2000 but that was just not for me! For the money the Z3 is an absolute steal at the moment. :D
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BladeRunner919
Joined: Fri 17 Feb, 2012 20:18
Posts: 2225

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: First impressions

Post by BladeRunner919 »

SHRS2000 wrote:The other thing I can't work out is the drivers door handle sometimes refuses to open from the outside. If you press the door with your knee below the handle it opens! Again open to suggestions on this one.
That could just be a little grease required in the lock where the pin goes in.
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colb
Joined: Sat 05 May, 2012 22:46
Posts: 690

  Z3 roadster 1.8 TU
Location: Newport South Wales UK

Re: First impressions

Post by colb »

Change the gearbox oil, check what yours takes, some use ATF, may be a label on the side of the gearbox unless its fallen off over the years.
BMW used fill for life fluid but a change is worthwhile to freshen up the box, gear changes will be smoother after a change, do it and see what you think.
Colb
1999 BMW 1.8 Z3
2003 BMW 2.5 Z4
1998 Honda Deauville NT650V
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lightning
Joined: Tue 27 Nov, 2007 08:15
Posts: 818

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Stockport

Re: First impressions

Post by lightning »

I agree with you that the Z3 is really well made, and easy to work on.

The clutch could be past its best, l had to replace mine due to it being notchy to engage gear when cold.
lt's probably the original still in the car.

I did all the other stuff first, and it did improve the gear change but replacing the clutch transformed it.
l also took off my outer sills when l got the car but they were both perfect.

Another great thing about the Z3 is that everything is still available from BMW, although parts are not cheap. We did 150 miles in my Z3 today, a highlight was wiping the floor with a Range Rover on the exit from a sweeping left turn on an A road.

And the hood was down all day! What a difference the mesh wind deflector makes....my wife's long curls needed no untangling when we reached our destination.
SHRS2000
Joined: Mon 02 Jan, 2017 12:25
Posts: 48

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Re: First impressions

Post by SHRS2000 »

BladeRunner919 wrote:
SHRS2000 wrote:The other thing I can't work out is the drivers door handle sometimes refuses to open from the outside. If you press the door with your knee below the handle it opens! Again open to suggestions on this one.
That could just be a little grease required in the lock where the pin goes in.
Is that where the lock engages with the striker plate on the door jamb?
SHRS2000
Joined: Mon 02 Jan, 2017 12:25
Posts: 48

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Re: First impressions

Post by SHRS2000 »

colb wrote:Change the gearbox oil, check what yours takes, some use ATF, may be a label on the side of the gearbox unless its fallen off over the years.
BMW used fill for life fluid but a change is worthwhile to freshen up the box, gear changes will be smoother after a change, do it and see what you think.
Thanks! Will research that & on the 'to do' list.
SHRS2000
Joined: Mon 02 Jan, 2017 12:25
Posts: 48

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Re: First impressions

Post by SHRS2000 »

lightning wrote:I agree with you that the Z3 is really well made, and easy to work on.

The clutch could be past its best, l had to replace mine due to it being notchy to engage gear when cold.
lt's probably the original still in the car.

I did all the other stuff first, and it did improve the gear change but replacing the clutch transformed it.
l also took off my outer sills when l got the car but they were both perfect.

Another great thing about the Z3 is that everything is still available from BMW, although parts are not cheap. We did 150 miles in my Z3 today, a highlight was wiping the floor with a Range Rover on the exit from a sweeping left turn on an A road.

And the hood was down all day! What a difference the mesh wind deflector makes....my wife's long curls needed no untangling when we reached our destination.
You could be right Martin about the clutch.

It's good that just about everything is still available ........... but at a price as you say!

Agreed the Z3 has a decent turn of speed & mine only has 170 BHP! 230 must be very rapid indeed. 8-) I've got the mesh wind deflector fitted on mine & I'm impressed with it. 70+ MPH & it barely ruffles the hair. Compared to my MK1 MX5 I'd get blown to bit's!!
Del
Joined: Sat 19 Nov, 2011 18:35
Posts: 2136

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: First impressions

Post by Del »

As above - I'd definitely flush some fresh fluid through the clutch hydraulic system, inspect/change the hose and change the gearbox oil before moving on to possible clutch replacement. As it's the 2.2 which I believe had a Getrag gearbox which is not known to be naturally "notchy" as suffered on some of the larger engine cars with the ZF box. The gearboxes seem to be fairly bullet-proof, I've seen more forum posts about failed engines than gearboxes - and I haven't seen many of those from this generation of BMW :D
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BladeRunner919
Joined: Fri 17 Feb, 2012 20:18
Posts: 2225

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: First impressions

Post by BladeRunner919 »

SHRS2000 wrote:
BladeRunner919 wrote:
SHRS2000 wrote:The other thing I can't work out is the drivers door handle sometimes refuses to open from the outside. If you press the door with your knee below the handle it opens! Again open to suggestions on this one.
That could just be a little grease required in the lock where the pin goes in.
Is that where the lock engages with the striker plate on the door jamb?
Yes, that's the spot.
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lightning
Joined: Tue 27 Nov, 2007 08:15
Posts: 818

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Stockport

Re: First impressions

Post by lightning »

The door trim is fairly easy to remove if you need to.

Type "Z3 door card removal" into Google and there's a guide to show you how to do it.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/techart ... cement.htm
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