SiC

In the paperwork folder there is a UK price booklet. It's high spec but not quite all the options. Like the passenger seat isn't memory, no electric tailgate, no distronic and stuff like that. Tbh it's probably about the right level of spec without far too much extra electrical liability!

Brake caliper and airbag module for the Z4 only arrived today despite supposed to being here yesterday. Today is a gym day so I haven't had much spare time to do much on it. However I stuffed the left airbag module into the car to see if the car could talk to it. Yes is the answer. This is good as it means the wiring is good. There are a whole lot of errors in it as not paired to the car and it thinks it's a E65 (6 series convertible). I need to sort an old laptop out and install some BMW specific software to properly code it in.

According to the MOT manual: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mot-inspection-manual-for-private-passenger-and-light-commercial-vehicles/8-nuisance#section-8-2-1-2 ***************************** You need to inspect MIL fitted to: - petrol vehicles including hybrids with 4 or more wheels, not more than 8 passenger seats in addition to the driver’s seat and first used on or after 1 July 2003 - petrol vehicles including hybrids with 4 or more wheels, more than 8 passenger seats in addition to the driver’s seat and first used on or after 1 July 2008 - gas and bi-fuel vehicles including hybrids with 4 or more wheels, not more than 8 passenger seats in addition to the driver’s seat and first used on or after 1 July 2008 ***************************** So given the age, it shouldn't fail an MOT on that engine management light. The tester should know this but might need reminding of the section if they're not used to older cars.

@rantingYoof dad broke it after not realising that you have to remove the back seat completely before trying it. I fixed it when I got the car. Broke it again when I forgot about removing the back seat 🤦‍♂️ Fixed it again. Broke it good and proper when I forgot again about removing the back seat. 😫 So I'll put a health warning that you may end up doing the same with a new handle. 🤣

It's weird. If you search eBay for a Z4 caliper or 316i you get the first link I put above with the cheaper calipers. However if you check the listed part number it doesn't match up with realoem. I've ordered the more expensive NK caliper which hopefully should be correct. 🤞 Hopefully the flexi pipe isn't a problem as that might be a bigger job. Ferrules are rusted to hell and no doubt round off while possibly breaking the hard lines.

Okay so I've been doing a bit of double checking on caliper part numbers. The caliper pair I linked earlier are not for this. Those are bigger and only fit the 2.5si and 3.0i/3.0si. This 2.2 has the same as the 2.0 and 2.5i, which are more expensive. I think this is correct based on the part numbers on RealOEM: https://www.partsinmotion.co.uk/car-parts/braking/calipers/nk-2115207-brake-caliper-2115207-detail Unfortunately eBay doesn't have any offers on with parts in motion right now. At nearly £50 I probably will only buy that left side as I can't justify doing the right as well at that price, when it appears okay at the moment. Maybe I'll regret that decision...

This evening I had a few hours to put these new rear pads in. Apart from the E320, pretty much every car I've bought in the last year has its rear or front end in the air soon after I've bought it. 🤣 This is the offending side. There certainly isn't much meat left on this pad! (More in a moment) Slider pins are covered in white grease. Now I'm never sure if you should grease these pins? I thought you did but I have read that BMW say not to. Pulled it all off and inspected it all. Disc looked reasonable. It's had some heat through it but no massive scoring that I could see. Slider pins were covered in grease. The bottom one I'd already started cleaning up (then remembered to take a photo) hence why it has less on it in this picture. Piston doesn't look too bad under the boot from what I can see? Carrier was crusty and filthy. I cleaned this up and greased the pad touch points. Piston went in but did take a fair bit of force with the spreader. Now those pads... Bottom is the inner and top is the outer. I don't know what the pros think but my view is that I bloody luckily got away with not damaging the disc! There is a wafer thin amount of pad material left and the top just started kissing the raised lip of the disc. I reckon the disc will be perfectly okay to reuse and isn't damaged? Incredibly close to doing so though. I'd rather not change it if I don't have to, as they're not that old. Doesn't feel to have any high or low spots either. Bloody lucky though! The other side has loads of meat on the pads still. I didn't take pictures as I wanted to get it finished. The caliper piston and carrier were actually in far worse a state than the passenger side. Yet it span more freely. 🤷‍♂️ I put it all back together with new pads, cleaned up sliders and carrier. After pressing the brake pedal, the drivers side rear rubs ever so slightly but you get a tiny bit of spin after letting go. The passenger side however is really stiff and you need the wheel on for enough leverage to turn it. To me I definitely need a new passenger rear caliper. But tbh I think I might need both and be done with it. My thought is also that the drivers side might either be or become soon seized if the other side already has. I should also say while I think about it, I did try some hard braking on the way back. It didn't brake straight and true. More squirrelly and needed a fair bit of correction to keep it braking straight. Hopefully two new rear calipers will sort it all out properly. Also noticed the passenger side has an older (rusty) Bilsten damper while the drivers side had a shinier newer looking Sachs damper. Tempting to lob a new one on that passenger side to have a matching new(ish) pair. Depends how much they are though.

According to this: https://www.carsized.com/en/cars/compare/ford-mondeo-2007-fastback-vs-mercedes-benz-e-2006-estate/ The Merc is slightly longer but slightly narrower. Feck all difference in it though. I guess there is a physical maximum you can make vehicles before they become unusable in Europe and manufacturers are pretty much at that limit now.

Yeah the MK2 onwards have the swing calipers that were only ever used on the ADO16. I think the MK1 was MG Midget calipers. Longbridge Motor Spares do rebuilt calipers too.

Gone. Sold to a AS forum frequenter. I'll let themselves know if they want to. Will be one of the cars that I miss.

9th June! Less than 57 days left. So I need to get working on it as no doubt that will come around quickly and this will be a big MOT show stopper.

Bigger problem I'm having at the moment is finding a replacement airbag module. Plenty of right but not left.

Yeah these: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154750665374 Or individual on the same part for £29 each.

I'd like to get this back on the road quickly though and keep it on there. I don't have the luxury of trade parts supplier getting stuff to me same day, so whatever I buy will take 2 to 3 days until the mail order part comes. That's one of the bigger factors in my mind.

Fun* fact. The rear calipers on this are the same as the E46 and Rover 75/MG-ZT. Not sure why GSF don't stock them. I'm debating whether to be a skinflint by just replacing the one or just do both and be done with it. If I'm bleeding brakes after caliper replacement, I am bit tempted to do both. Don't want to do one and then have the other go soon after.

Took her out today as I needed to get my hair cut and give this a wash. She's been a good ol' bus and I'm going to miss it. Didn't think I'd like this car so much.

Just found this: (it's not HTTPS so might be a bit of a pain to download in some browsers) http://www.unofficialbmw.com/images/09 E85 Adv Safety Electronics.pdf You're right. There is no direct connection to the diagnostics network with these satellite modules. It's all done over the fibre-optic network (byte flight) with the Safety and information module (SIM) acting as a gateway. Which means that if the SIM can't see it, going by the codes on my scantool above, it disables communication functionality. I'd love to have a wiring diagram for that satellite module connector so I can see if it's at least getting power.

I don't know for certain as I don't have any wiring diagrams and only an assumption based on the Scantool should be able to see it. It could be also that the main airbag controller acts as a gateway for diagnostics so it doesn't need to be on any CAN to feed back. I forgot to mention on my post that the red light was shining out of the end of the cable with the ignition on, so at least the fibre-optic feed is good. I did wonder if the modules LED emitter has failed too.

To get to the left satellite B Pillar module, everyone online says you need to remove the seat and a whole load of plastic trim. Being a savage I figured most of that was unnecessary. Turns out I was correct. The foam is wet but not sodden. Tbh this is probably less risky as much less brittle plastic to break. This is a satellite module. Basically it appears there are multiple airbag modules (why BMW??) that are connected together optically and on CAN. Not sure if this fires an airbag as the usual special yellow airbag connector (the one that shorts the pins when disconnected) only has the optical feed but no detonator connected to it. Anyway inside looks fine. Connector is dirty though. I tried cleaning the connector but it's still not playing ball. The other airbag modules say it can't see this left module. If I try connecting directly to the Left Satellite module, it can't connect to it. Auto detection doesn't see it either. So it looks like this module may well be dead. But why? Inside looks fine. Presumably it speaks over CAN as well as optical. So that optical transceiver should be fine. My fear is the loom connector is damaged. I might try sticking the right satellite module (which I know works) into that left side and see what happens. Presumably it won't do stupid stuff but should hopefully tell me communication is okay on that loom connector if it can be seen on the main car network. I also need to find a known working replacement of this module. Need to have a gander on RealOEM and see if any other later ones are compatible too.

I was about to ask what is recommended on eBay. There weirdly seems to be more and more parts NLA on these Z4. That fan resistor is NLA and even I've found cruise control stalks (E85 specific) are now NLA. They used to be £100 for genuine but scalpers have bought up the last stock and want £250+ for them. I'm surprised at how much is not available given the popularity of these cars. Ime with VAG, possibly because of so much commonality, you can get parts easily for much older models than say this. For example the Golf MK4 has loads of aftermarket and genuine bits still available.

This'll do. Hopefully 🤞 If it's the hedgehog then I'm going to need to contact breakers directly. Realoem shows one exists but I'm not 100%. Pelican parts guide on replacing this panel says almost always this panel that is the problem and not the hedgehog on the E85.

Yeah they do that. The wipe is actually to the correct amount to the right of the windscreen and not too far. The park seems quite approximate and depends on windspeed. They're as variable as my BL stuff. 🤣 I suspect the wiper mechanism maybe worn. If so I'll keep an eye out for a cheap second hand but tbh it might stay like it. They wipe the windscreen perfectly fine after all. Or maybe the park switch can be adjusted.

Went to a local cars and coffee this morning. Some extremely nice tin on show - I'll put some photos up later. Anyway I glanced at that rear left. Err yeah I've smoked that. Other side has a reasonable chunk of pads left on it. Absolutely baking hot that side but cool the other. I can't get a caliper today from GSF, Euros or my local parts place. So I bought some cheap pads and I'll give the caliper piston/sliders a clean up and hope I can get away with it. Cheapest pads I could buy too. Discs will stay on for now as even though they have obviously got very hot, there is a lot of meat left on them. I'll have a check for warpage but I don't think they're bad going on that it's not an intermittent scrape. Hopefully I haven't quite fully had metal to metal yet. If a clean up and new pads doesn't work then I'll have to get in a new caliper. I don't think they're expensive for an eBay special. GSF didn't have any even listed unfortunately. Hopefully I can get it sorted today so I can at least use it in this nice weather. Steering is 100% okay too. So must be when the rack gets hot on a long drive. Not checked the tyre pressures yet - just driven the thing.

I've just bought this cable as it's only £25 after promo codes. https://amzn.eu/d/2A9sRIm Didn't see a need of paying for the £40+ ones as likely all the same circuit and should be a proper FT232 at that price. But as it's Amazon, it'll be easy to send back if pants. Heater fan resistor is NLA. I can't see any aftermarket ones either. However reading around it seems they almost never fail. It appears usually it's the climate control panel that fails. Tbh that would make more sense as I wouldn't expect the fan resistor to fail so that it only run on full when 50% or more and then cut in/out. Actually better to be that panel too as can be had for ~£35 second hand and massively easier to fit than delving into the depths of the dash for a fan resistor. Unfortunately I don't think it's one easy to diagnose (at least without wiring diagrams and INPA) and will likely be a parts dart exercise.

It's a fantastic car that was a flipping bargain. Nothing major wrong, just common Z4 faults because of BMW bollocks. On VAG you'd just swap over a second hand airbag module and it'd be good to go. Or worse case 30 seconds copying the coding across. But that's because I'm very familiar with how VAG deal with modules and so I know exactly what I'm doing. Squeaky brakes are probably me ragging the shit out of it near home to get a proper feel for the car. Probably fine now it's cooled off a bit. 😁