Hi there,
We bought our Z3 last March - its a 1999, 1.8 - as a weekend fun car. Only thing we did was put on the original pepper pot alloys - what a difference that made to the looks an handling of the car. It's only done 75k and its in decent condition given its age.
Decided on the Z3 after looking at numerous MX5s, hoping that the rust issue that meant the demise of our first convertible had been resolved in newer models. Well the rusting problem with MX5s has not been solved.
Came across the ad for the Z3 and fell for it straight away. For its age it has not dated at all and still looks fantastic. The car has a complete service history and has been well looked after. Even had the original wheels with four good tyres.
So far so good.
The plan is to start tidying the car up. But, sadly it failed its MOT with:
- headlight adjustment out
- hole in exhaust
- failed lambda emission test (probably due to the hole in the exhaust)
- brake cable clips missing
So now getting that sorted out - not straightforward so far.
Back to the tidying up - and any advice or suggestion appreciated:
Hood - botched replacement window job has meant the fabric has separated out from the window gasket in several places. Been quoted £800 for a new hood. My idea is to try and glue the fabric back in using epoxy resin and a syringe. The hood itself in reasonable condition apart from the green mould. I tried the Autoglym cleaner but it was pretty ineffective.
Am I better to bite the (expensive) bullet on the hood or is it worth attempting a repair and an alternative cleaner? I see that there's a company in Swansea who will do a new hood for much cheaper.
Bodywork - overall the bodywork is in ok condition. Being black there are numerous scratches which according to the folks in Halfords many will come out with one of the magic rubbing polishes. There are a couple of sizable stone chips - called chips away - about as much use a chocolate teapot!
There's a couple of rust problems. First is at the rear of the cill on the passenger side. Its now starting to extend inside the wheel arch. Second is a slight bubble at the drivers side rear wing - just at the join between the lower and upper wing. Its tiny but know that if I leave it it will just get worse. Las one is just cosmetic - the mounting thingy for the drivers mirror is bubbling.
So would it be better to just get a local bodyshop to fix these bits and pieces or try and fix up myself? Any advice on the best scratch removal polish to use. I have access to an electric polisher which may or may not help.
We are in Central Scotland close to Edinburgh in case anyone wants to recommended garages and so on.
I'm looking forward to learning from all the experts on the forum.
Thanks,
Jim
We bought our Z3 last March - its a 1999, 1.8 - as a weekend fun car. Only thing we did was put on the original pepper pot alloys - what a difference that made to the looks an handling of the car. It's only done 75k and its in decent condition given its age.
Decided on the Z3 after looking at numerous MX5s, hoping that the rust issue that meant the demise of our first convertible had been resolved in newer models. Well the rusting problem with MX5s has not been solved.
Came across the ad for the Z3 and fell for it straight away. For its age it has not dated at all and still looks fantastic. The car has a complete service history and has been well looked after. Even had the original wheels with four good tyres.
So far so good.
The plan is to start tidying the car up. But, sadly it failed its MOT with:
- headlight adjustment out
- hole in exhaust
- failed lambda emission test (probably due to the hole in the exhaust)
- brake cable clips missing
So now getting that sorted out - not straightforward so far.
Back to the tidying up - and any advice or suggestion appreciated:
Hood - botched replacement window job has meant the fabric has separated out from the window gasket in several places. Been quoted £800 for a new hood. My idea is to try and glue the fabric back in using epoxy resin and a syringe. The hood itself in reasonable condition apart from the green mould. I tried the Autoglym cleaner but it was pretty ineffective.
Am I better to bite the (expensive) bullet on the hood or is it worth attempting a repair and an alternative cleaner? I see that there's a company in Swansea who will do a new hood for much cheaper.
Bodywork - overall the bodywork is in ok condition. Being black there are numerous scratches which according to the folks in Halfords many will come out with one of the magic rubbing polishes. There are a couple of sizable stone chips - called chips away - about as much use a chocolate teapot!
There's a couple of rust problems. First is at the rear of the cill on the passenger side. Its now starting to extend inside the wheel arch. Second is a slight bubble at the drivers side rear wing - just at the join between the lower and upper wing. Its tiny but know that if I leave it it will just get worse. Las one is just cosmetic - the mounting thingy for the drivers mirror is bubbling.
So would it be better to just get a local bodyshop to fix these bits and pieces or try and fix up myself? Any advice on the best scratch removal polish to use. I have access to an electric polisher which may or may not help.
We are in Central Scotland close to Edinburgh in case anyone wants to recommended garages and so on.
I'm looking forward to learning from all the experts on the forum.
Thanks,
Jim
