She's here!

[NYRhockey]

After waiting what seems like forever, finally got the call that my sexy redhead was on it's way. Met the truck at the nearby commuter lot.

This was my first time driving a zhp and LOVED IT. What a fun car to drive. The gears are so smooth and the car feels so solid. The rumble of the engine when you open it up a bit is intoxicating.

I noticed a couple of things upon delivery:

* There are a few small dings/scratches on the trunk lid. In some cases you can see the metal so i'm concerned about rust. Do i need to look into a respray?

* The headlights look like they are dusty from the inside. Is this what you call pitted headlights? Do i get this addressed at the local Midas or do i go to an Indy for that? not a real issue at the moment, though

On the initial drive i went on a roundabout and i heard a rubbing/scraping sound while on it with the wheel turned left (~20-25mph) so not sure what this was. Did the same roundabout later on and didn't hear it again. Odd.

Couple noob questions:

* What is the red bulb for at the bottom of the rearview mirror?
* In the trunk, on the right side towards the front there's a little green button. What does this do? it's across from the light
* Do you do oil/fluid changes at local Midas/Meineke or do you go to the Indy for this?

The car was bought CPO a few years ago from a local BMW dealer, so i'll be going next week to see what kind of records i can get and see what to do from there. As soon as i get it registered (i used an old plate i had to put on the zhp for my initial drive, but don't want to push my luck) i'll get a fresh oil change and probably fluids as well as a start.

That's me on the right signing the paperwork

18630186311863218633

[Just_George]

Congrats, very nice looking car! (I might be just a bit Imola-biased...) The red bulb is your mirror-dimmer, twist it to switch to the nighttime setting. On my 330Ci, it also blinks when the car is locked (gives the impression that the car has an alarm, even though it doesn't) Haven't even looked to see if my ZHP has that! Not sure what green button you're referring to - there is a green handle for opening the gas filler door if it won't open normally. I do all my fluid changes myself - don't trust any of the garden variety auto service places, although there are a couple of Indies locally that I would trust if I were unable to do it myself.

Love your car, and.....Go Wings! :)

[wsmeyer]

Congratulations!

They are a wonderful car and easy to work on too. I'll start with these:


* What is the red bulb for at the bottom of the rearview mirror?
Referred to as the "clown nose" if you have a factory alarm it will flash

* In the trunk, on the right side towards the front there's a little green button. What does this do? it's across from the light
That's a release for the fuel door. The fuel door locks wwhen you lock the car and if something goes wrong with that mechanism you'd release it with that.


*** Got sniped by Just_George!

[NYRhockey]

Thanks, George! it was getting a bit dark when i got to check the inside so i could have been a green handle vs. button. It had some kind of logo on it but couldn't make it out. Makes sense it's the gas cap door since it's on that side of the car right behind where the gas door would be.

[theothersawyer]

Congrats on the purchase, looks like everyone beat me to helping you out!

[WOLFN8TR]

Congrats, nice looking ZHP!

You can replace the headlight lenses easily, they just snap off. Khoalty has a set for $80.

I would recommend doing your own oil changes as it's super easy to do. Get a 5 qt jug of Mobile 1 from Walmart and a filter, total $30-35.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UjMQ2iuPOps

[NYRhockey]

thanks, Sawyer. but hey, i still need help with the dings on the trunk lid and how to fix that :)

and going through the records there's a receipt of work done in June 2012 when the car had 68,800 miles and it has 73,500 today. The PO did not drive this car much at all.

[Simmsled]

Awesome!
Sorting thru the issues is really great bonding time.

Enjoy it! She will feel like family before you know it.

[Oli77]

Congrats! For the dings, look at Dr. Colorchip. If you are patient, you can hide chips well. Perfect color match too. If too many spots, might consider a respray. Enjoy.

[3ZHPGUY]

Congrats

[UdubBadger]

Nice color choice


GoingHAM mobile

[Barefoot-ZHP]

It's awesome that she finally made it home. She a good one, that's for sure.
The noise that you described, I heard it too on the test drive but could not get it to duplicate it during the rest of the test drive. I thought it was coming from right rear.
I too did a left turn, it was off cambered turn, crossing an intersection, I did another left turn on flat ground and there was nothing. I think it may the right rear, the wheel with the curbing, could have a slight bend but also remember that the rear tires are stretched a bit so it could also be the side wall turning over in combination with a wheel out of round.
Any and all things mentioned are small little imperfections that any 11 year old car would have, she's a keeper and you got a good one. These little things that you will fix will help you bond with the car and make her yours when you're done. She runs really well and I would trade my 335i for her any day,
Congrats again!!!
You did tell your wife about your new mistress right?
LOL Enjoy!!!!!

[ELCID86]

Schweet!


Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

[Barefoot-ZHP]

Just my 2 cents on the subject: Oil changes are easy and everyone has their favorite but look at Pennzoil Platinum Euro, I switched to this oil at 31k on my car and swore that it was like a tune up in a jug. Car ran noticeably better and gas mileage increased as well. Change diff and trans fluids as well, I went with Redline MT and Diff fluid. Either way, just drive her she needs her legs stretched!!!

[Vas]

Welcome. Great color choice for a zhp.

As far as working on it, doing it yourself is the best way.

[NYRhockey]

thanks, guys. Yeah i want to start working on it myself little by little, but since the car has only been driven 2.5K miles in almost 3yrs i want to get the oil/fluids changed right away so want to do it at a shop since i don't have the tools to do it myself yet.

[oldzilla]

She looks good....

[wsmeyer]

Big day for you. New car and Lundqvist back.

[emoji106][emoji106]

[slater]

congrats!

as others mentioned, new headlight lenses from khoalty.com are cheap and easy to do.

fluid changes now is a good idea - if you're not up for it yourself, find a good indy. where are you located? perhaps other folks nearby can recommend someone trustworthy.

these cars are super easy to work on.

and post some pics of the scratches on the trunk!

peter

[NYRhockey]

I'm on the 95 corridor ~15 miles north of New Haven, on the shoreline. I've looked at bimmershops.com and found an Indy in Niantic that has gotten 5 stars on the 8 reviews it's received, so figured i'll start with that one, unless someone can point me a different direction.

BTW, i just went to bimmershops again, clicked on the link to the Niantic Indy and what do they have posted in their pictures, a red zhp sedan being worked. it's meant to be :)

I'll try to take pictures of the trunk scratches and post them.

[slater]

cool. you're close to BP, i bet he could recommend someplace (or give you a helping hand? :) ).

peter

[fredo]

I remember now, the ZHP in Fort Myers FL ... Well done ! We share similar preferences. Mine is IR, black leather, 6MT. :biggrin

[NoVAphotog]

After waiting what seems like forever, finally got the call that my sexy redhead was on it's way. Met the truck at the nearby commuter lot.

This was my first time driving a zhp and LOVED IT. What a fun car to drive. The gears are so smooth and the car feels so solid. The rumble of the engine when you open it up a bit is intoxicating.

I noticed a couple of things upon delivery:

* There are a few small dings/scratches on the trunk lid. In some cases you can see the metal so i'm concerned about rust. Do i need to look into a respray?

* The headlights look like they are dusty from the inside. Is this what you call pitted headlights? Do i get this addressed at the local Midas or do i go to an Indy for that? not a real issue at the moment, though

On the initial drive i went on a roundabout and i heard a rubbing/scraping sound while on it with the wheel turned left (~20-25mph) so not sure what this was. Did the same roundabout later on and didn't hear it again. Odd.

Couple noob questions:

* What is the red bulb for at the bottom of the rearview mirror?
* In the trunk, on the right side towards the front there's a little green button. What does this do? it's across from the light
* Do you do oil/fluid changes at local Midas/Meineke or do you go to the Indy for this?

The car was bought CPO a few years ago from a local BMW dealer, so i'll be going next week to see what kind of records i can get and see what to do from there. As soon as i get it registered (i used an old plate i had to put on the zhp for my initial drive, but don't want to push my luck) i'll get a fresh oil change and probably fluids as well as a start.

That's me on the right signing the paperwork

18630186311863218633

Congrats!!! Welcome to the Imola Elite. I love seeing pics of the car coming off the truck...I see these posts of people "taking delivery" of new Teslas and all that jazz and then see these from new members on here and it means JUST as much if not more so as they found the perfect car after searching! :thumbsup

[NoVAphotog]

cool. you're close to BP, i bet he could recommend someplace (or give you a helping hand? :) ).

peter

+1

BP is the man. Helping hand and maybe a coding session (Trifecta, comfort close, beep deletes) if you're lucky!

And I felt the same way about fluid changes last year around this time when I got my car..."I'm scared and not prepared!" Took a little longer to get the materials and tools, but all you really need is a laptop for watching Youtube videos on ALL of this, jack stands, a low profile jack, a socket set, a 14mm stubby hex for the drain and fill plugs, a couple of fluid pumps and the fluids (Redline 75W-90 for diff, Redline MTL for transmission, and Mobil 1 OW-40 from Walmart for the engine). It was the first major thing I did with the car and allowed me some bonding time rather than just shelling out cash...felt good when I was done. Noticed the shifting was improved.

Check out this website for more of the basic tools you'll need (focus on the basics):

http://www.dvatp.com/bmw/tools

[cakM3]

+1

:thumbsup

[NYRhockey]

thanks, guys. This was the Ft Myers car indeed. Very good experience with the dealer (Cadillac).

Yes, the feeling is great seeing that car off coming off the truck after i searched for months across the nation for it. My current car ('07 Saturn Sky Redline) i bought new as well but i just went to the dealer and ordered it the way i wanted, so while exiting, it didn't take the effort this one did.

I don't think i've cross paths with BP on this forum, but i'm always happy to learn. Be cautioned i have never worked on cars before so i'll be a little dense at first :)

[brettbimmer]

thanks, guys. This was the Ft Myers car indeed. Very good experience with the dealer (Cadillac).

Yes, the feeling is great seeing that car off coming off the truck after i searched for months across the nation for it. My current car ('07 Saturn Sky Redline) i bought new as well but i just went to the dealer and ordered it the way i wanted, so while exiting, it didn't take the effort this one did.

I don't think i've cross paths with BP on this forum, but i'm always happy to learn. Be cautioned i have never worked on cars before so i'll be a little dense at first :)

Glad that she had a safe transit to you!! Car looks beautiful. As others have said, welcome to the Imola club. :)

+3 on getting in touch with BP - screenname: az3579. He is the man and knows Bimmers extremely well and is always happy to share his knowledge with a like-minded enthusiast, be they new to the mark or part of the old guard! If you decide not to tackle the work, I am sure that he could point you in the right direction in your area.

[johnrando]

Congrats on the car!

I didn't read all the answers posted due to time but a bit of clarity:

- if you have auto dim mirrors, I'm not sure you twist the clown nose to dim. I'd have to verify. As mine is auto-dim, I don't recall turning it, so I'm not sure it does.
- your clown nose CAN blink even if you don't have an alarm. It just has to be coded to blink. Blinking does not mean alarm. Not blinking does not mean no alarm.
- re: oil changes. Please do not go to Jiffy Lube/Midas, etc. Either DIY (very easy as said - the filter is on the top of the car, and if you get a vac pump, you don't even have to get under the car at all, nor get dirty), or go to Indy shop, or look for BMW specials from local dealer to do it - don't pay full price at dealer. Get on their email list.

Enjoy!

[theothersawyer]

I may have to get a vacuum pump, that sounds like its easier!

[NYRhockey]

Got the records from the FL dealer. It has had some maintenance done.

Battery = changed 300 miles ago
Lower intake boot = replaced 300 miles ago
Lower control arm bushings = 43K miles ago
Brake lines = 43k miles ago
clutch line = 43k miles ago
Trans mouunts = 43k miles ago

Next week i'll try to personally go to the CT dealer and see what other records they have so i can start putting the puzzle together and prioritize needs.

[fredo]

Please be advised sometimes the dealer refuses to share the info with the new owner, under privacy excuses. Just clarify you are not interested in the PO name and address. Very likely, you will get the records at the end.

[NYRhockey]

rook question #4;I opened the hood today and when i closed it i noticed the latch sticks out a bit past the grill. Didn't pay attention prior to opening it so not sure if this is always like this or i'm closing it wrong. i feel like the latch should push down further so it's not as visible.

[GE Geoff]

i feel like the latch should push down further so it's not as visible.

Mine does this as well, Always has. Not sure if its right or not but mine always has.

[az3579]

It's normal for the latch to be visible. If it's properly closed, then the latch should be visible but not protruding past the outer edge of the grille slats.
If it's protruding, then the hood isn't closed properly.

[FL116]

Congrats man! Me and you both just got beautiful IR ZHPs :D

[theothersawyer]

It kind of bothers me seeing the latch. I want it to sit back a little further!

[illirep]

Nice, congrats!

[GE Geoff]

It kind of bothers me seeing the latch. I want it to sit back a little further!

I'm totally with you.... It's my inner OCD coming out. LOL


iPhone 5/meat hook hands/Tapatalk

[NYRhockey]

update:

Went to the local BMW dealer and they refused to give me a print out and were not the most friendly to deal with. They agreed to read me whatever they saw on the screen but skipped fast trying to find the major repairs and the only one they gave me was the work in 2012 that i have the receipt for where they did the ECU, thermostat, some belts/hoses and couple other minor things. Blah. Was hoping to get confirmation of cooling system being done.

Got an appointment on 4/13 for oil change at the Indy i found on bimmershops.com. When i called the guy was very friendly and willing to talk about the car and stuff. Since it's the first time being taken there and just bought it, he said he'll do a check to confirm what the PPI said and give me opinion on overall shape of the car,

In the 8 days i've had it i've put 300 miles on it, so it's hard to keep it parked :) I have noticed the following:

* Sometimes i hear a squeaky belt type noise but not always, so hard for me to identify it
* Sometimes i hear a light rattle noise from inside the engine. It's hard to hear unless you open the hood and it's coming from under the engine cover
* When shifting into 2nd (from 1st) there can be some resistance and even a slight grind-type feeling before it engages. Oddly enough, i've had this exact same problem on my other car for the 8yrs i've had it

Hoping when i take it in that they can hear the squeak/rattle and can help me diagnose the issue. At the very least i'll be getting the cooling system refreshed in the spring.

[BADCLOWN]

reference your rattle noise:

that COULD be the vanos unit, it sounds like marbles under the hood when going bad.


reference your 1st>>>2nd shifts, id say a flush of your trans and throwing in some redline fluid wouldn't hurt. same with the rear diff.

[Just_George]

Oddly enough, I had a similar occurrence earlier today - I knew the previous owner of my car (a friend/customer of mine) had the car serviced at a local Indy. Went in today to have them mount/balance some new tires on a set of wheels I bought and asked if they could print out the service history for me as part of my quest to know everything possible about what's been done to the car. He also said he couldn't do it, citing privacy concerns...but said he would do it if the P.O. called and gave his approval (service rep new P.O. well, which helped) Call was made, service history will be available to me now.

Regarding the rattle in the engine, I'd be checking the DISA valve - it's very, very easy to pull it (2 screws!) and see if the vane is lose. If so, I'd highly recommend the German Auto Solutions rebuild kit...we're currently trying to put together a group buy for these. It's an easy rebuild that results in a DISA valve that's far superior to the original...

For the belt noise, you want to check the idler and tensioner pulleys as they are a common cause of belt noises. Best way to check is to remove the belts and spin the pulleys by hand - they shouldn't spin freely or loosely. If you can't remove the belts, a mechanics stethoscope might isolate the source... If you're going to do the cooling system refresh, you might as well do belts, pulleys, and tensioners while you're there - it's all in the same area!

On the shifting, everything I read says your problem is common, maybe even 'normal'. Could be some wear on the synchros....many say that switching the trans fluid to Red Line will cure the problem. Haven't done mine yet, but going to shortly.

Edit: Badclown types faster'n me!! Vanos is also a potential source of your rattle, but I don't know enough about the diagnosis of that one to help. :(

[NYRhockey]

yea, i thought of Vanos when i first heard it. This weekend i'll stat 'er up and try to take video/audio of the rattle and see if i can post it here.

[BADCLOWN]

Your explanation was a little more detailed haha.

if the vanos unit is going out, it really does sound like marbles. causes some running issues as well. Besian sells rebuild kits that are priced very well (cheaper than you think) to rebuild the vanos, most cost comes with labor or your own personal time.

the DISA rebuild kit from G.A.S. is excellent and as mentioned by George, we may be having a group buy on them and some other G.A.S. products here soon once they get back with us on whether or not they want to/potential discounts.


fluid flush with Redline replacement fluid = :fistpump

[ELCID86]

Ref the hood "tongue". I think they get worse when someone yanks on it when it's still locked. One of mine was worse than the others (I've had 4 e46s). Not much you can do now. Be sure to lube it and the spring "sockets ". I had one that got stuck as the mechanism got stuck.


Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

[Imola.ZHP]

Late congrats!

[NYRhockey]

ok, here's a video of the rattle i've been hearing. It's hard to hear from the cabin and somewhat noticeable outside the car, but quite obvious once you open the hood.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlxORIFqzS8

[ELCID86]

ok, here's a video of the rattle i've been hearing. It's hard to hear from the cabin and somewhat noticeable outside the car, but quite obvious once you open the hood.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlxORIFqzS8

Make the video public so we can see it.


Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

[KevinC]

Please be advised sometimes the dealer refuses to share the info with the new owner, under privacy excuses. Just clarify you are not interested in the PO name and address. Very likely, you will get the records at the end.

Ah, but try this: create a free account at mycarfax.com. Enter VIN of car you want to check on. It will show open recalls and reported service history for the car - whether yours or not, since it has no idea whose VIN you are entering. Works like a charm! I've used it to check a bunch of used BMWs and almost always come up with a ton of dealer history, and even some indy history.

[NYRhockey]

ugh, what an idiot. sorry about that. I made it public so should work now. Reposting video too just in case.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlxORIFqzS8