r/bmwz3

Hey guys!

This is pt 2 of my journey to overhaul my 02 3.0 Z3. This time, I focused on removing the exhaust, mainly because I cannot do anything else when it comes to the interior as I'm waiting for parts to arrive. Also, so I can access the driveshaft and the shifter components. It took me all day to remove the exhaust bolts because they were rusted and jammed. Pro tip: DO NOT USE AN IMPACT GUN ON THOSE BOLTS. I used it on one of the bolts and it stripped it. I had to use a bolt extractor to get it out What I did instead was soak it in PB blaster for at least 30 mins to an hour. After that, I just used a breaker bar and went slowly on it, and it came out easily (you still have to apply some pressure). This Friday and over the weekend, I will work on replacing the shifter components, as well as work on changing driveshaft components, and installing the Eisenmann Race Exhaust.

So I recently picked up this 97, most of these buttons are worn away and I’m brand new to this car. Do they all have seat warmers? Or is this potentially a “higher trim level” any info would be greatly appreciated. Nerd out please🙏

Ive been looking for an undamaged titanium silver z3 hood for a couple months now and am having no luck nearby. eBay prices are ridiculous and I’d rather not drive 9 hours for the one in Myrtle Beach. Do any of yall have one or a lead to one near Tennessee? Willing to drive 6 hours or so from Nashville. I’d rather buy a matching color since painting or wrapping is expensive and time consuming. Does not need to be perfect! Just straight.

Recently installed a Costco battery on my 2000 Z3. After driving it for a few days, the battery light started coming on. I checked the trunk and when I removed the trunk cover, saw some smoke come out and noticed the positive wire burned off. Has this happened to anyone or why it happened? Please help!

Currently restoring a low mileage Z3 1.9 and the interior was feeling really sorry for itself.

Can anyone confirm if this is the correct order for the centre console switches please? (Yes I'm a weirdo.)

Hey everyone,

I’m still fighting with the airbag system on my 1996 BMW Z3 (1.8 M44) and could use some guidance.

I finally bought an SRS reset tool and now I’m getting the fault:

“Firing circuit belt tensioner passenger side.”

The previous owner had already messed with the wiring under the seat. The original yellow connector was cut off and replaced with heat‑shrinked wires. One of the wires (pink) was corroded, so I cut everything open and temporarily connected the wires with WAGOs just to test.

The airbag light still won’t clear.

My question:

What’s the best way to track down this fault?

Should I check resistance at the tensioner itself, inspect the wiring further back in the harness, or is there a common failure point on the Z3 that I should look at first?

Any advice on how to properly diagnose the firing circuit for the passenger belt tensioner would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Long story short, I bought a fully loaded 1998 Z3 2.8 site unseen (well, only a deposit of $500 so far, will pay the rest on delivery). Heated seats, electric windows and top, even a six disk cd chamger in the trunk. There seems to be very little wrong with it. There is a small dent in the front quarter panel, the automatic top sticks a little when putting it down, and the odometer light is dim. You can still read the odometer though - 77k miles. Price, $6500 which seems fair.

I trust the guy that it’s in very good shape, but the car is in Maryland and I am in Nebraska so it’s 1200 miles away.

He bought it a year ago, drove it a bit initially and then let it sit until a few weeks ago in which he drove it for a day - about 15 miles. He’s says it runs great and I believe him.

The current plan is to fly to MD and drive it home. The owner thinks it won’t be a problem.

So my question is, what are the odds I can make it 1200 miles without incident? I’m mostly worried about the cooling system + belts and hoses. 77k miles is pretty low miles, but 28 years is 28 years and neither of us knows the maintenance record.

The alternate plan is that I have a truck and could rent a trailer for $250, drive up and get it, and haul it back. But the main reason I want the car is to reduce the miles I put on my truck every year to keep my 100k/10 year extended warranty as long as possible. So adding 2400 miles is a bit counter productive.

The owner doesn’t think I’ll have a problem driving it home and wouldn’t hesitate a 1200 mile trip.

I plan on taking it in for an oil change before I leave and having them check the belts and hoses. He says there are no leaks (nothing under the car).

So what are your thoughts and what do you think my chances are of making it home?

What would you do?

Was planning to change these for styling 32 wheels but im not sure what ti do… these look sick too but a bit big for the z3 imo (18”)

Hey all!

I wanted to document my efforts in preparing my 3.0 Z3 for the woodward dream cruise in Michigan. I got the car in September of 2025. As soon as I got it, I replaced the cooling system (new hoses, stewart water pump, reservoir, thermostat housing, etc). I replaced vacuum lines, rubber seals, other seals, etc because the car had lean bank codes. The code is gone now . I installed engine mounts because the old ones were disintegrated. I also installed an aluminum radiator small enough to fit an electric low profile spal fan (controlled by a fan relay).

After a hiatus of not working on my car because of the brutal Michigan winter, I finally started working on it again. This time, I want to change the interior (I hate beige interiors) to a black one. When I took out the carpets, it was soaking with a pool of water. I think that got in when I left it outside one day and it rained. Mind you, I had a convertible cover on it, but my 3 IQ a*s tucked the cover inside the trunk because it was extremely windy and I didn't want the cover to fly off the top. I sourced a black dashboard from eBay, and bought interior parts from a junk yard. For the sound system, I'm changing all speakers and the head unit. Speakers will be Audison Ap1p, audison ap2, audison ap4, audison ap5, and the Audio System CARBON 06 EVO Subwoofer. For the head unit, I got the blaupunkt milano 200 bt. I want to make the car have a more vintage BMW look on the inside. I will be posting more pics as I start installing back stuff.

I purchased a Twillfast II black top from German Auto Tops and I will be installing that when it arrives. I originally got a chinesium one for cheap, but after going through the disassembly of the convertible, might as well get a good brand to save me time in the future. It wasn't an easy job.

As for the exhaust, I'm keeping it simple. I got an Eisenmann Race Rear muffler. I will be installing that in the next couple weeks.

I will be doing a shifter revamp also. Got a Garagistic DSSR and a Schmeidmann adjustable shifter, alongside other rebuild components.

Pictures are of before and after so far! I might be posting some YouTube vids as well of the before and after. We will see.

Cheers!

Here’s my 1998 Z3 2.8 with 114k miles. I bought it kind of blindly without doing much research into the car. Now that I look at the trunk welds it looks like this car was driven very hard. The question is. Should I park the car until I get the RF kit installed? Or is it okay to keep driving every now and then until I get it done

Was perusing my local marketplace looking for a miata (is that blasphemy here?😆) and came across a really clean 1999 z3 2.5 liter for a great price. 5 speed, ran amazing, and couldn't pass it up. So now a first time owner of a z3 and a convertible. So super excited to start carving some corners soon!

Unfortunately, I am not super familiar with the platform. Is there anything I should be aware of, or keep an eye out for any known issues? I have heard oil leaks are a thing, curious what else are normal occurrences for the z3 platform. The original motor was transplanted with the newer year BMW M54B25 and trans, so will obviously keep an eye for any shotty work there.

TIA