Ya Never Know: BMW Z4 Black (again)

Totoland Mach

Totoland Mach

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Story behind this car I just got: The dealer has a former customer that was ready to send this back to BMW Leasing, so the dealer purchased it and flew to Nashville. Drove it back to KC (600+ miles) and said it was hydroplaning in the rain. He knew the tires were worn, but not to the extent seen when I put it on the lift. OMG!.....what a potential disaster!

AnyHoooo......it's a 10 foot car right now and I'm attacking it starting tonight.

Here's a pic of the car at 10 feet...

May07_Z4_10footPicBefore.jpg


Whoa on this tire!

May07_Z4_TireTreadGone.jpg


Whoa on the finish

May07_Z4_SwirlsOnDoor.jpg


I'll start tonight with a wool pad (should get my new "woolie" from AG today)

Toto
 
Not a bad vehicle, man every time I look at that lift I keep wanting to pull the triget and getting one for my garage. The only thing holding me back is that I don't have the height in my garage. Maybe in the next house, the lift isn't too expensive..mmm...food for thought.

Those are scary pictures Toto, specially the tire. Talk about requiring new tires and some. As usual the paint is what I expect, do the BMW's have soft clear coat? I have a friend that has a BMW and he would like for me to detail it for him, I told him soon I'll be able to do it...so be gentle on me when you see it Toto hahaha.

Well, looking forward to the write up and the pictures Toto.

Thank you for sharing sir Toto.
 
Looks like you have your work cut out for you again Toto! And yes, you can see the actual belts potruding through the rubber on that one tire, scary stuff indeed.
 
Nica: I've found that BMW clear coats are somewhat softer on their Black cars than the other colors. For the most part, they are pretty easy to correct, but you can't use a ton of aggressiveness or you'll end up with a ton of buffer swirls.

The dealer got real nervous after he saw that rear tire...he said he was really pushing the car fast on the drive to Kansas City. That could have done some serious damage if that tire would have blown.

Scary stuff to be sure. We're pulling the wheels and getting new rubber today, but I'll start on the paint anyway (that lift is a real saver for these type conditions). Plus, while it's on the lift, I can do a ton of interior detail without stooping and bending.

Toto
 
Thanks for the info Toto, I got a question for you with regards to the lift. How safe is it? Any chance of the vehicle tiping over? There are points on the vehicle to lift from have you ever had a vehicle that was difficult to find a point to lift (I hope this question makes sense to you)?. I've seen one at a store here but I didn't see it being operated...may have to go back and take a look at it again.

Hope you don'g mind the questions.
 
Nica: I always "test" the vehicle on the lift by a short lift (6 inches or so) and rocking the car a little. The Snap-On lift is completely adjustable so you can get the engine weight balanced correctly.

So far, shop safety is a number one priority and we haven't had any incidences with cars on the lift.

That Z4 is a Sport Package equipped vehicle and we had a heckuva time getting the lift points centered due to the low height.

Toto
 
Can't wait to see and hear what you do with it Toto.
 
What happened to that tire? Couldnt have been from a bad alignment.
 
03gtmustang said:
What happened to that tire? Couldnt have been from a bad alignment.
Click to expand...

Don't understand that one either. Except they are the original tires on the car and it has 25/k on the odometer. I suspect they were never balanced correctly and you can't rotate them because of staggered sizes.

I compounded the car last night....aaaargh...soft black paint. I need to finish the car tonight because it's going in the paper tomorrow.

Toto
 
The tires I have looked at on BMW's seem to be a softer tire to make them handle a little better.
Better get the front end checked on a 4 wheel machine.
How many miles on the Z4 ???
 
Ed: the car has 25,000 miles on it and they were the original OEM tires. We've got new tires coming from Tire Rack and will check alignment when they mount the rubber.

I suspect the original owner never checked the condition of the tires and ject drove the car on weekends or pleasure trips.

Toto
 
I would love to see how off spec the alignment is, wanna bet someone clipped a curb or two ?? Balancing would NOT have done that. Infact, with only the inside worn you can rule out over and under inflation. (one wears center, other both sides)
 
Totoland Mach said:
We've got new tires coming from Tire Rack and will check alignment when they mount the rubber.Toto
Click to expand...

Tire Rack is a great place to buy tires. I have about 10 sets from them.
I check the date codes and on one set of 4 one of the tires was about 9 months older than the rest. I called and they replaced it.
 
Its more likely camber than bad alignment. Both my 3-series and Toyota Supra have the same tire wear. The Supra is not only staggered, but directional, so the tire goes on and it never moves off that corner. Vehicles like this one are given agressive camber adjustments to help them with cornering. On rear wheel drive vehicles, it helps keep the rear end from sliding out. I'm sure Killer's Corvette is the same.
 
I'm sure it will look great when your done Toto. That dealer must really like black bimmers.
 
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