Hi, I have recently purchased a Bertini GT25 Kit car which is based on a 2001 3.0L Z3, it's a project car and I have so many questions

[464 Bertini GT25]

Both the Kit and the donor car are in need of some TLC, its a great drivers car and I haven't stopped smiling since I collected it; I am so happy with the vehicle and am planning for it to be my forever holiday and high days car but I'm looking for some pointers some of which may upset the purists.

• From what I can tell it was a well specked Z3 in Blue up until circa 2015/16 when the customisation and colour change took place. is there a way to find the original factory build sheet to see if anything was lost/added during the customisation?
• It's currently done just over 116K miles so the next service due is 120K anything specific I should be looking out for, we have a well renowned BMW specialist in town that I am looking to get the work done by, plus any recommended additional checks (the AC is one of the things I'm thinking of having them check).
• It sailed through the MOT with just some minor advisory's to do with rust to the sills and front and rear subframes, I checked these before buying and the metal appears solid so noting that a wire brush and some stone chip wont fix, but wondering if I would be better to go for a full professional underseal?
• Does such a thing exist as a "paper" Haynes workshop manual for the vehicle, all I can find are electronic ones
• Niggles so far
  • Worn seat shims, how long should I allow per seat to swap these out I understand its a DiY job for a reasonably skilled person
  • Why is there wiring to the rear view mirror, I can't see what its there for, the mirror doesn't automatically dip, or have any lights so just wondering, as thinking about adding a aftermarket dashcam and mirror combo; plus its driving my OCD crazy
  • Automatic Interior light function, mine doesn't seem to be working; you can use the interior light when the headlights are on, but seems not to work on auto mode when you open the doors
  • Drivers side Door card, this has obviously been off in the past and the fixings have broken, are they reasonable to get hold of, or are they some kind of unobtainium
  • Electric operating roof, I was told, and this is backed up by the manual that you release the catches and then lift the roof a little before letting the motor take over, how far is "a little", mine is getting to about 18" is this a sign of trouble, and is it terminal for the motor, I know you can turn the valve on the system in the boot and do it manually, but its a feature I like so keen to keep it if I can
  • Security upgrades, is there a good and approved aftermarket alarm and immobiliser system that is compatible with the factory loom that I can install as an upgrade?
• Apart from that very happy up to now. Now for the controversial part I love the interior, but it is a car of its age and I'd like to carry out some subtle upgrades
  • I miss a centre arm rest for when your in top and just cruising along, does anyone have any experience of changing out the centre console for other BMW products such as 3 series 1 or 2 series or even Mini units look like they could be adapted and fitted has anyone tried this?
  • My seats do lack some support, is this normal for the model, or do they need refurbished side and seat balusters, I like the seats and want to keep them so any advice would be greatly appreciated; especially any pit-falls such as airbags and seatbelt accident tensioners
  • Dare I mention cup holders ;-)
  • I would ideally like to upgrade the head unit for a tablet style one giving me access to apple car play and Sat Nav, this does involve some surgery to the centre console. The M3 coup has a different layout but they are like hens teeth to find and horrendously expensive just to cut up, does anyone have any experience of after market 3D printed units, or even options from other BMW models that might be a better fit
  • Doing the above will allow the heater controls to be relocated, but does anyone have any suggestions on what can be done to retain the OBC if its re-located from the centre console, but keep things factory, the 3 & 5 series have similar brinicles, can they be swapped out for a unit that incorporates the OBC ?
  • Interior lighting is a bit minimalist, has anyone swapped out the interior lights for the unit from the Coup or 3 series with map reading lights, or dare I say it LED accent lighting options?

I hope I have not offended anyone, I would be genuinely interested to hear of any modifications and cool touches people have carried out to personalise their cars, and once I get a sense of how strong the M54 engine is then we can discuss suitable mods to eek some more poer out of the standard unit.

Thanks

Rich

 

[Pingu]

Firstly, hi and welcome.

Now, some answers...

• There is a build list on the internet somewhere, but I don't know where, as it was so long ago that I last saw it. This one may work ( https://bimmercat.com/bmw/en/vin/decoder/online )
• Servicing is measured by dashboard lights. You may have a different dashboard if the interior has been restyled. You need to know what service is due. There are three, maybe four types of service. Oil Service, Inspection 1 Service, Inspection 2 Service, and you may have a 2nd Inspection 2 Service. Your BMW mechanic should know about this. I always give a new car the most thorough sevice as soon as possible (Inspection 2 Service).
• As you are keeping the car, a full underseal, or I prefer full paint (Smooth Hammerite for bodywork) and Epoxy 2-pack for running gear. Either way, preparation is more important than what you apply.
• Haynes 3-Series (18021), Chilton 3-Series (18400) and Bentley BMW Service Manual for Z3, but best of all is BMW TIS (only available soft copy)
• Seat shims 2 hours for one seat, 3 hours for two seats. Start to finish. You need good weather or a garage big enough to fully open the doors and get the roof down.
• Mirror wiring is for the rear mirror auto-dimmer.
• Interior lights may have been plugged in reverse when the mirror was disconnected. I don't think the headlights and the interior lights are on the same circuit, and I've not heard of that fault. Full wiring diagrams are here ( https://www.porterbility.co.uk/Z3_Wiring_Diagrams.htm )
• Driver's door card fixings may be optainable from BMW, but they are fairly generic. BMW parts list is here ( https://www.realoem.com/bmw/ )
• Electric roof. 18" is a lot. It is usually about a hand's width before the motor starts. The usual culprit is the microswitch on the passenger side, but that is usually a complete failure. Is the valve on the pump fully closed and is the fluid level correct. I think you may have low fluid level.
• No idea about the alarm.
• There are centre arm consoles on the internet. I've seen some with E46 consoles. They are probably the best I have seen, but they were home-made.
• There are three types of seats, Standard, Bolstered and M Seats. Bolstered and M Seats are basincally the same, but with some subtle cosmetic differences. If you can slide from side to side, you probably have Standard seats.
• Cup holders are available.
• I've seen video head units that fit a standard single DIN radio slot. The VDU slides out of the radio unit. You may need to make some modifications to stop the VDU being fouled by the centre heater nozzles.
• Relocating the heater controls is a major piece of work. I've not seen anybody do it successfully. The OBC is just a simple display. It can be located anywhere you want to fit it using suitable wiring extensions. Most cars don't have it.
• I don't know about the lights, but I have seen LED strips being sucessfully used around footwells.

 

[464 Bertini GT25]

Thanks, Lots of great info there, currently I still have the original brinicle installed, the Odometer is showing 116507, and I have 2 green bricks left, but will probably get a full 120K inspection 2 service arranged before over wintering.
I thought the roof motor was on life support, It literally couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding last time I tried to lower the roof I did wonder if it was related to me disconnecting the battery but now know to look closer to the source.

Thanks again

Rich

 

[Pingu]

Battery could be the problem if the engine isn't running. Test voltage to confirm you have plenty.

 

[MickyG]

Z3M style seats offer a lot more support through the twisty bits, both for hips and particularly shoulders: I found the basic seats are like a flat bench offering very little lateral support.
Disconnect your battery when taking the seats out - otherwise you will trigger the Airbag light, which had to be faulty code reset.
It’s a straightforward job - raise the seats and undo either the front or back and then power the seats to expose the opposite end, before disconnecting the battery.

 

[Pond]

Never seen one of those 'rebodies' before but it looks good IMO.
The 3 litre M54 is a very good engine (as long as it has been well looked after), but you will struggle to get more power out of it (especially with your mileage). 230bhp and 300nm is more than enough for the Z3 chassis IMO. The Z3 chassis is not very modern, most dates back to the early 1990s.

I have a 3 litre M54 on a 2001 car which has been 'rebodied'. The weight saving on mine is around 150kg, so the 230bhp seems much more. If you have an issue with power maybe look at a VANOS refurb. Mine was refurbed at 54k miles and it pulls like a train over 3k revs.

Regarding the roof motor: the Z3 electric roof has just one tiny hydraulic ram (on the nearside) to do all the work. During colder weather when the roof, and especially the plastic rear window, get a bit 'stiff' the motor and ram do struggle IME. This is possibly amplified by the bodykit slightly fouling the roof folding into the rear easily. I notice on mine that it needs a 'helping hand' to fold completely if the roof and window aren't very warm. In warm weather it folds completely by itself.

If you have to raise the roof more than about 4" before the motor kicks in, there is a problem with the microswitch. The microswitch should 'make' when the roof is about 3" from the windscreen which allows the pump to operate the ram.

Regarding the heating controls: I totally stripped my Z3 internally and externally and started again for my replica. Of all the hundreds of jobs the heating controls 'changes' were among the most difficult.

Regarding the rear view mirror wiring: the central locking module (including aerial) is located in the rear mirror and top of the windscreen. I removed my mirror and now have a dash-mounted mirror, so I re-routed the wiring and PCB behind the dash. I did have to put a new aerial wire back up to where the mirror was for the central locking to work. If you mess with the wiring your central locking won't work.

 

[Pond]

Relocating the heater controls is a major piece of work. I've not seen anybody do it successfully.

Ahem! Many have (including moi) as per DNA-spec californias. It isn't easy but it is do-able (successfully).