This is my 96 occasional drift car. Just finished up installing Ireland engineering subframe and RTA bushings, along with the Randy Forbes reinforcement kit. In my driveway lol. Finally happy with where I’ve gotten this car, it’s the worst it’s been cosmetically but has never driven better 😁
I am so frustrated with my z3
I have a 1996 BMW Z3 (1.8 M44) and originally had the fault “Ignition circuit not closed” for the seatbelt tensioner. The previous owner had the tensioner unplugged. After reconnecting it, I cleared the fault and the scanner showed no errors, but the airbag light stayed on.
When I checked under the seat, I found that the previous owner had cut off the original yellow airbag connector and replaced it with heat‑shrinked wires. One of those wires, the pink wire. Is corroded (green, brittle copper). I cut the shirnkedbeires and connected them with WAGOs for now.
I don't have any idea what to do now.
Any help??
Swapped out the headlights yesterday, I’d have loved to stick with the originals but all the plastic brackets had broken off and it was roughly the same price for used originals vs new aftermarket ones. Install went smooth, wired the halos to the low beams, and everything worked perfectly when I tested it all. Only thing I didn’t check is the turn signals, which are the same bulb as the marker lights, and now I see that the left turn signal doesn’t work. Weird part is that the marker light does work. First thought was that it wasn’t connected right since the connector was a little finicky, but now I’m thinking either it’s a dual filament bulb that’s messed up (weird for brand new) or the fuse is bad (weird bc the other side works perfectly). Any advice? Ideas of where to check? Electrical is where I’m most confident, I’m just not sure I trust myself on a 30yo German car. Seems like fixing one thing breaks two things on these.
Side note, are any of you z3 people in NC? I’ve got one or two more things in the immediate fix list and I’d love to know another z3 owner to drive around and talk car issues, as corny as that might be
I’d like to show some parts I designed specifically for BMW Z3 cars. I really feel these cars are missing a few practical modern features today, like minimalistic USB phone chargers that fit the interior style properly.
At the moment, I already have all button covers available for both facelift (FL) and pre-facelift (pre-FL) models, including the rear button covers as well.
Also, because of the age of these cars, many button covers are cracked or broken, so I started recreating some of them to restore the original look.
I also wanted to ask the community, what other Z3 parts are commonly broken today and could be recreated? Or maybe you have ideas for new upgrades or custom parts that would improve the Z3 while still keeping the OEM-style feel?
Spotted at the local Trader Joe’s.
Hello everyone, picked up this 99 m roadster over the winter that wasn’t going into gear. Ended up needing a clutch slave cylinder. After doing that and bleeding it, I still have to push the clutch all the way to the floor to get it to disengage. Also, when it’s pressed in if you lift your foot the slightest it engages. To my knowledge there is no adjustment. Thank you!!
What’s this button do? Other than the obvious passenger ejection seat…
1999 - 50k miles - 2.8. Any advice gratefully received - how to keep it running, what to address first, etc.....
Hi everyone,
I picked up a used tonneau cover last week, but it was missing one of the mounting nuts. Just wanted to share a quick tip: instead of paying €60 for the official BMW repair kit, I found a replacement on Amazon for only €12.
If you're looking for it, search for: Tenax Sheet Metal Screw (2 upper/lower parts) Black, 4.2 x 16 mm.
Hope this saves someone some money!
Edit: I've edited my original text with AI, english isn't my mother tongue
I recently bought this Z3 for a steal from a friend as me and my wife were planning a road trip down the west coast of Italy later on this year.
They are really not my cup of tea but my wife fell in love with it on the first sight, so I couldn't say no.
I am no stranger to BMW as I run a shop building race cars and track tools for vehicles in Europe, however this is my first ever roadster/convertible vehicle I have ever owned and a little bit different from the M3's, M4's & M5's I have or have owned previously 😅
I have already order a bunch of new parts to keep her reliable for the road trip, (including but not limited to..) all new power steering hoses, all new coolant hoses, new rear window, front and rear axle bushings, joints and arms, fresh tyres and more.
She is booked in next week for some bodywork TLC as the lacquer has peeled like crazy considering it is only on 44,000 miles. (Backed up by service and vehicle test history.)
I do have some questions regarding the Z3 if someone would like to chime in....?
I would like to make it the wider 2.8 body but is there much of a difference between in regard to wheel sizes?
I also have a spare S50B52 3.2, 5 speed gearbox with ancillaries and engine control. Apart from the usual upgrades needed (prop, diff, brakes rear axle.) do these fit well or is there anything I should know before?
We honestly can't wait to road trip in August/September with the top down through parts of Europe and the coast of Italy, it's going to be awesome.
Thanks for reading and I can wait to share more on this resto project with potentially major upgrades!
i’m currently at the junk yard picking up some parts and i found this. does anyone know if these OEM cup holders off the e36 fit the Z3 slot???
Are the ‘01 & ‘02 M Roadsters, S54 engine, rare? I don’t see them out and about anywhere and I rarely see one posted here. Just curious.
I’m 16 turning 17 soon and looking for my first car, to all the people in the uk you will know what insurance is like, if you’re not in the uk, it’s EXPENSIVE, especially for first time drivers. I ran an insurance quote on this exact z3 and it is relatively good for a first car. I would just like to know if there are any common problems, running costs, potential issues in the future etc etc.
My ‘98 1.9L 5-speed with 99k miles… 1,200 mile round trip with no problems going 85+ mph the whole time
Just bought a new to me 99 M Roadster with around 15k miles on it. Thoughts on the condition of the weld spots? Should I take any precautionary measures yet? Thanks in advance for any guidance folks!