Tag: BMW Z4 e89

MUST HAVE BMW Z4 BimmerCode Mods/Coding

Posted on by

Ever wanted to enable hidden features or modify how your car behaves?

SimpleCarGuy here and today I will show you my top 7 BMW Z4 Coding Mods. This platform BMW Z4 is older, so you won’t see as many options as I’ve done on the BMW i3 in the past, but there are still a few really good ones.

Content:

So, let’s quickly talk about what you will need. You can skip to THIS TIME on the screen if you are already familiar with the process, but I’ll make it super quick. You will need this Veepeak adapter. They don’t pay me to say this and I bought this with my own money, but I recommend it because it’s only $30 and works well. You will also need to buy the Full Version of the BimmerCode app. Then you simply plug the adapter into the OBD2 port on your car and follow the steps to connect. I will have coding steps for each feature I’m talking about on the screen or in the description.

My Favorite Coding:

We’ll start with something simple. Let’s make the Auto Start Stop function remember the last setting instead of always being on when the car is started. I think this should be the default option on all cars with this feature. I know when I need it and I will turn it on. Otherwise, I just find it annoying most of the time and turn it off manually. It’s also probably the reason my starter went out a few months ago.

This second mod is definitely my favorite. We can change the top speed the convertible top will operate while moving. On LCI cars, I believe you can already do so, but on my 2012 Z4 as soon as you start moving, the roof operation stops. Until recent I thought you have to get a SmartTop to do this, but you can code this using BimmerCode. There are a few things to consider, though. I would not open and close the roof while driving every time. This will be more for sudden rains or when driving smoothly. Some say that the hydraulics are different on LCI models, but after checking the part numbers, everything seems to be the same. So, I’m not really worried about it, but this does put more stress on all components, so use at your own risk. This can be set up to open the roof all the way up to 30km/h, which is pretty cool!

Also, some US spec cars do not have convenient closing, so you can enable opening and closing the roof from the remote. At the default setting, it takes a couple of seconds for the roof to start opening or closing, which is too long in my opinion, so we can change that as well.

On top of that, you can also allow your windows to be opened or closed freely while the roof is being operated. Gotta be a little careful with this one, but at least the passenger can freely open the door while the roof is closing. You can also enable easy access. This will lower the windows half way so you can get in and out of the car in tighter spaces. You just have to press unlock twice once the car is already unlocked.

I also added a digital speed read out in the instrument cluster, which is nice to have for a quick glance. Of course, you can just toggle this on or off with the BC button once coded.

If you didn’t know, most BMWs correct the speed that is shown to you on the speedometer, meaning it’s slightly higher than your actual speed, you can turn this off if you like.

  • Wipers

While we are in this area, have you ever noticed how the Windshield Wipers don’t complete the cycle when you turn the car off half way through? We can fix that! We can also fix the level of the wipers when not moving , I always found it annoying that it doesn’t go flat down when you have the auto wiping on but you are stopped.

Another setting that should work like this by default is the air circulation settings. It resets when you restart the car as well, but I prefer it stays as I left it last time. We can easily change this as well!

  • Warnings: Disable Seat Belt BONG!!

Last on my favorites list is the warnings and reminders coding. I have coded out the seat belt reminder gongs as I KNOW to wear my seatbelt and I don’t need to be reminded. Any time I’m not wearing the seatbelt is because I’m moving my car or working on something in the interior. I also hate when it tells my passenger to buckle up since half of the time my passenger is my work bag or some groceries. You can also remove the ignition key warning if that bothers you.

Navigation Specific:

If your Z4 has a screen you might also want to get rid of the startup warning that you have to click ACCEPT on, the camera warning for when you go in reverse and enable video in motion.

Not my Favorite, but you may want:

There are a few coding options that I chose not to do on my own car, but figured I would mention it.

You can enable auto locking of doors and set the speed at which it does this.

You can also have your doors automatically unlock when you eject the key.

You can add panic alarm activation to your keyfob.

You can disable the corner LEDs if you don’t like the look of those and enable double pulse hazard flashers or 5 flashes instead of 3 for turn signals.

You can even increase the angel eyes parking light brightness, just make sure your bulbs can handle that.

  1. Auto lock of doors driving above 2mph/ car locking past 11 km/h.
  2. Unlock doors when key is ejected (if you don’t have comfort access)
  3. Panic alarm activation from the fob.
  4. Double pulse hazard flasher (looks super cool I think… )
  5. Indicator ‘tip’ up to 5 flashes (from 3)

Summary:

Of course, there are so many other things you can do with coding that doesn’t really have anything to do with visuals or convenience. For example, you can change the battery type allowing you to upgrade to a bigger battery or you can turn the voltage monitoring off so that you can upgrade to LED lights without having warnings on the dash. I think it’s pretty cool what we can do with our cars by just using a cheap little adapter and an app. What are your favorite coding options? Let me know down below, I’d love to see if I missed anything cool. Also, if you are new to this channel, why not check out where this car started and how it ended up here by watching this 2-year transformation video. Thanks for watching and I’ll see you in the next one.

BMW Z4 Aftermarket Apple CarPlay Retrofit – Full Installation DIY

Posted on by

After upgrading the speakers and subwoofers in my BMW Z4, it’s now time to modernize the infotainment system even further by installing an aftermarket Apple CarPlay and Android Auto unit with a BMW style controller. My Z4 came with a storage box instead of the screen, so I couldn’t do what I did in my BMW 550 and just add an interface to the existing screen. Anyway, let’s take the car apart and get this installed!

Last generation BMW Z4 (e89) never offered Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and most didn’t even have a screen fitted. My Z4 is a perfect example as it doesn’t have any kind of display and came with a storage box instead. So, in this video I go through each step of installing an aftermarket Android unit that offers CarPlay and AndroidAuto. This unit also displays vehicle information when the car is running. Even though this head unit is touchscreen, I decided to add optional controller to make it easier to use while driving. This unit can be installed on any BMW Z4 E89 that doesn’t have a display or you are willing to replace the original CiC unit.

I have now wirelessly connected my phone to the Apple CarPlay and played with it for a little bit. CarPlay works as you would expect and connects automatically. Of course, you can also use it without connecting your phone and still have music, navigation and car data. This unit pulls this data from the car computer and can show you speed, revs, mileage, temperature and other data in various screens. Anyway, this concludes the install video, subscribe to the channel to see the follow up video for a quick review of the unit after I use it for a couple of weeks. Also, if you have any questions about the install or the unit, leave those down below and I will answer them in the same video. Thanks for watching and I’ll see you in the next one.

BMW Z4 Full Speaker Upgrade DIY

Posted on by

Have you ever felt like your stock speakers are just not good enough or you wanted more quality and bass? In this DIY video, I go over each step of installing and upgrading the dashboard speaker, the rear panel midrange speakers, the door speakers and tweeters and even the woofers behind the seats on my BMW Z4 (e89). The speakers and woofers I’m installing are AlphaOne by BimmerTech and I have been very impressed with the quality of the speakers, the sound they produce and even the packaging that they came in. All of the bracketary, adaptors and crossovers were included as well which made for an easy sound system upgrade. BMW Z4 speaker upgrade has been the best modifications I’ve done to the car so far!

My BMW Z4 (E89) came with the HiFi system (S676A), with included the following speakers:

5 x Midranges

2 x Tweeters

2 x Woofers

but you can also find the following sound systems on the E89 platform:

Base System:

4 x Midranges

2 x Tweeters

Top HiFi (S677A):

5 x Midranges

3 x Tweeters

2 x Woofers

1 x DSP Processor

My BMW Z4 (E89) Journey – 2 Year Transformation

Posted on by

This story starts a little different from most BMW owners. It didn’t start at a fancy dealership or even a used car lot. This car took many days of work, some frustration and lots of learning experiences to get here and I love it for it. So, let’s start from the beginning when this beauty showed up on a back of a truck, looking sad and broken, to now, 20,000 miles later and still bringing a smile to my face every time I drive it. I hope you enjoy this trip down the memory lane of my journey with the BMW Z4. If you hit that like button, I will even talk about my favorite things about this car I didn’t except!

I’m sure I’m not alone in this, but almost on daily bases I scroll through different website looking for cars I can’t afford or projects I should definitely not take on and wonder.. what would happen if I just bought it. One of those nights, I stumbled upon a few very blurry pictures of a BMW Z4 that was listed at an auction house and only had some ‘mechanical issues’. As not many people were bidding on it, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to get my hands on a very unique hard-top convertible. To be honest, I’ve never even seen one in real life before buying it. Hit that like button for buying cars sight unseen!

The rebuild:

I was scared and excited, I won a car at auction that I knew almost nothing about. A week later, a car hauler pulled up in front of my house and that’s the first time I saw this Z4. I could see the sexy curves of the body behind all of the dust and dirt and then I heard it start up as it was driven off the trailer. It sounded hurt, very hurt. With my very limited experience at the time, I was excited to jump in and get this engine repaired! After hours of Youtube videos and forums posts, I was convinced that the noise coming from the engine was timing chain related.

Attempting a timing chain replacement for the first time felt very ambitious and perhaps a little dumb, but what did I have to lose? After 2 weekend of work, I replaced the timing chain, the timing chain guides and sprockets and everything else along the way.. but when I started the engine, I heard the same knock, knock.. knock.

At that point I knew I mis-diagnosed the issue and the real issue with the engine was the famous rod knock.. which I later confirmed by taking the engine apart. Check that video out at the link in the description if you’d like to see the damage. The best course of action at this point was to get a replacement engine. Luckily I was able to source a 2015 engine with only about 30,000 miles on it for a very good price. This was the new plan, replace the engine. Surprisingly, engine replacement has gone smoothly and I honestly believe that it has given me a lot more confidence with working on cars in general and later on rebuild the BMW N55 engine.

When the engine fired up for the first time, missing it’s intake and exhaust and still barely attached to the car. I was on cloud nine and figured I’ve done the hardest part.. but of course, it’s not so easy. What I failed to realize is that there are many N20 engine variations. For the longest time, I had lean codes that I just couldn’t figure out. I replaced the HPFP and fuel sensors, tested for vacuum leaks using a smoke machine, replaced various other sensors and even put a new set of sparkplugs and coils, but my lean code remained. This is when I learned more about the differences between different year N20 engines. Turns out, BMW has upgraded the injectors from EU5 to EU6 sometime between when the Z4 was manufactured and when the donor engine was produced. I installed the old injectors into the new engine viola! No more lean codes! If you are doing something like this, you will also have to replace the Oil sensor and the HPFP has a different connector.

With the engine running like a champ, I started fixing many other little items on the car and cleaning everything I could. One of the items that I knew had to be done was to service the hardtop roof. It’s super important that these are very well maintained as repairing one of these is not easy at all. How hard is it? I called my local BMW dealers and out of 3, only 2 would even take a look at it. Anyway, I have a full video on how to properly lubricate all of the moving parts and moisturize the rubbers so it doesn’t leak and squeak.

One issue I still have with the engine is hesitation or failure to start up when the engine is fully warmed up. I’ve tried over 20 different items to narrow this down and have found nothing. I won’t go too much into it as I’m planning on making a video about this in the near feature, so subscribe and see what happens!

The Mods:

Even though I enjoyed how the car looked stock, I wanted to make it a little more my style. So, I did what everyone else has done on their Z4s and replaced the front grill from chrome to black and installed white LEDs to modernize the front end a little bit. I then installed a body color spoiler to lift up the back end as well. After the spoiler I tinted the windows for that slick hard top roof and even though I debated whether I should or shouldn’t tint a convertible, I love it! Since my Z4 is pre-LCI, I also decided to swap out the old blub looking side indicators for newer style chrome ones and painted the side reflector body color. These two modifications changed the side profile and gave the car a sleeker look. 

The biggest difference as far as style was done by the new wheel and tire combination. I went for the M437 style rim that normally comes on a BMW M3 and M4. I was surprised that my little Z4 happily accepted 19 by 9s on the front and 19 by 10s on the back. I had the wheels wrapped in some Nitto tires and this combination has been a dream ever since. Never rubbed and the ride has been decent as well. I must say, this has been my favorite change on the car and I love how it completely transforms the look. Later-on I converted to studs for ease of changing the wheels and tires to the winter set and this is what it looks like now.

Since I didn’t want to drill my intact front bumper, I installed some magnets behind the bumper cover and modified the license plate bracket as well and now I had a removable license plate I could use when parking on the streets.

For a while, I left it alone and just enjoyed driving the car, but then I had an itch that needed to be scratched. I wanted better sound out of the exhaust. I started by deleting the resonator and replacing it with a super sprint stainless steel pipe. It definitely made a difference and added many pops and burbles. Half a year later, I upgraded it further with a super sprint sport muffler and now she sounds just perfect.. well, at least for a 4 cylinder turbo engine.

Driving:

And here we are.. after all of the stuff I have fixed, upgraded and updated.. what have I been doing with the car lately? Well, we have had a beautiful summer and I enjoyed it taking it on long drives into the country, city and just around the neighborhood. If you truly enjoy driving and a car is more to you than just an appliance, this Z4 will keep you engaged and having fun while the sun shines down on you and the wind blows through your hair. I like that it doesn’t pretend to be a hardcore, aggressive sports car. It’s a sport, fun to drive grad tourer.

Conclusion\Future Plans:

To finish off the video, let’s quickly look into the future plans and what I want to do with this car. To start off, this is a long-term car for me. I’m not selling it any time soon, so expect to see it on this channel for years to come. I will get the startup issue fixed on it, hopefully sooner than later and I’m also planning on installing an Apple CarPlay system to bring the infotainment department into 21st century, but the good ones are at least $750 at the moment and I’m not sure it’s worth it. I mostly focus on driving and enjoy nature when I’m in this car, but I also like the convivence it provides. Either way, after two years of ownership and two years of videos, let’s continue this journey for many more! I hope you stayed tuned by subscribing and leave some ideas for me as well down in the comments. On that note, thank you guys so much for watching, I really appreciate it and I’ll see you in the next one.

5 Reasons to Buy a BMW Z4 E89

Posted on by

Today I’m going to talk about 5 Reasons Why You need to pick up a BMW Z4 e89 right now!

  • I’ll start by talking a little bit about the driving experience
    • If you truly enjoy driving and a car to you is more than an appliance. You’ll enjoy driving a Z4 every time. You are fully engaged in the driving experience whenever you are behind the wheel of this car. You get the wind and the sun, the unique sounding inline 6 or even the 4 banger, a manual gear box and a sporty, yet comfortable handling car all in one. With its sporty ride, a fantastic feel of the road and a cool breeze blowing through your hair, it’s hard to say no. This is not a hardcore sports car, more of a Grand Tourer that can act sporty when you ask it to.
    • The engines put into these Z4s were mainly the N52/N54 which were incredibly strong/award-winning engines with adequate power and a beautiful sound out of the in-line 6. The N20 engine is not as robust, but the later models are not a bad choice.
    • Not to mention, the N54 Engines are easily tunable to over 400 HP and even more torque which equates to more speed and even more dynamic driving experience.
  • The next reason for me is the looks
    • One of the main reasons to get this car is because of the unique BMW design.  She’s a timeless beauty that seems to get better with age and always puts a smile on your face. Whether the top is up or down, you’ll love the shape and aggressive but sleek design. It looks great as a coupe, and even better as a roadster. To me, it’s the only convertible car that looks just as sexy as coupe as it does as a convertible.
    • The exterior design also seems to be aging very well, most people don’t believe it’s a 12 year old design. With that long hood, It has the looks of a (future) classic and allows you to sit all the way back almost on the rear wheels.
    • The Z4 will put a smile on your face every time you get in and drive it, even if it’s for a simple reason that every time you park, you’ll turn your head to look back and glance at the unique shape. It’s art on wheels with long, sexy and voluptuous curves. Never seizes to amaze me how much of a head-turner this car really is.
    • The interior is exclusive, refined with those rounded knobs and integrated leather. It definitely takes inspiration from the Z8. It may look a little dated now; especially, with the old looking radio, but at least it’s not like many current BMWs that look the same on the inside.
    • Fun fact: This is the first and I believe only BMW to ever be designed by a team of women designers
  • The Next reason is Exclusivity
    • BMW E89 doesn’t look like the rest of the cars, it is not a common sight; especially in the Midwest where I live. Which makes this car very unique and exclusive. Not only is it distinctive from other makes, it’s even unique in the BMW family as this is the only hard top roadster that BMW has made in recent history. This makes it a very special and exclusive looking BMW on the road.
    • I’ve always loved cars with long hoods like the Mercedes GTS or the Dodge Viper, so being able to afford a car with this exclusive feature was a great feeling and just added to the classy, sexy and aggressive look that the car projects.
    • And if you think about it, it’s also excusive because you can only take one other person with you, which will make your lady friend feel very special!
  • Next, let’s talk about the value and cost of ownership
    • I believe these cars will be appreciating in value soon. People are starting to realize what a cool car this is and good examples are now being kept in garages. To be clear, not every Z4 will go up in value. As an example, my Z4 has lots of miles, a replacement engine and doesn’t have all of the fancy options or the top spec engine, but they still sell for more than the KBB value.
    • These cars also tend to have better specs and technology compared to other roadsters in this price range. 
  • Now let’s take a look at the cost of ownership and how it compares to other cars like this
    • For being such a unique and fun car to drive, it surprisingly is not crazy expensive to run and maintain. The N52 and later N54 engines are some of the more reliable BMW engines. The n20 engine is a bit of a troublemaker, but parts aren’t expensive. To learn which models are best, check out my videos on BMW Z4 Problems to Expect.
    • You also get lots of technology, especially on the higher trims that you wouldn’t get in the less expensive cars like the MX-5, which makes this car more suited for a luxury daily driver or a fun weekend cruiser.
    • Not to mention it’s cheaper than a Porsche Boxster.
  • Speaking of the Boxster, let’s compare how the two cars stack up
    • I have noticed a lot of people comparing the Z4 with the Boxster. While I do not deny that a Boxster is a great car, I do think the Z4 represents a better car for the money.
    • It’s less expensive
    • It has a hardtop and it’s arguably a more reliable and easier to work on car. The engine and many other mechanical parts fit from many other BMWs, like the 3 series, which are plentiful.
    • It’s also rare compared to the Boxster and even cars like the SLKs and MX-5’s. You see those on the road all the time.
    • Not to mention it’s one of the few roadsters that fits a person over 6 foot tall. My taller friend couldn’t get into the SLK or Boxster but just fits in this car.
    • Of course, if we take a look at a Porsche 718 Boxster,  it most likely is a superior machine in every ways, but when it comes to looks; especially, with the roof up and down, and looking at the price, it’s a very hard sell at being twice as expensive.

In conclusion, It’s just an amazing car, a great combination between Sportiness and Luxury. Enough modern features and tech giving you the best of both worlds, a beautiful convertible and a sexy coupe.  If you can afford the 35s or 35is then definitely go for those models for the great sounding, silky smooth straight six engine. If you cannot, the smaller engines are still a great buy as you will love looking at it, driving it, and love how you look in it.

Is BMW Z4 the best daily driver?

Posted on by

If you are anything like me and like cars, you can’t make yourself drive a boring, slow car to work every single day without loosing your mind. This puts a lot of pressure on what to get as a daily driver and I think I have found the perfect one! Without spending a fortune, you can have a very cool and practical looking 2 door car as your daily driver!

Your daily driver doesn’t have to be a dreadful driving experience and you should enjoy some power and excitement every time you drive. Let me show you WHY the BMW Z4 works so well as a daily driver!

Since most commuters drive all on their own, you don’t need more than two seats. One for you and one for your laptop or a briefcase, it’s perfect.

BMW Z4 is low, feels fast even in traffic but you must be able to get in and out as it’s not as easy as it looks since the seating position is quite low.

Another great reason to get a BMW Z4 as a daily driver is that you get to practice your manual driving every time you are in traffic and the use those skills to go on the track and do some spirited driving there.

It can fit a suitcase and plenty of groceries as well as you and your passenger very comfortably, It’s an enthusiast car, so it’s only practical for a sports car. You can’t expect to go on a Costco trip and bring back a month worth of groceries, but it works well for most everything else.

Another reason BMW Z4 is a great daily driver is because it’s economical. Even though this is a sports car, you can get around 22mpg in the city and 34mpg on the highway but you still get around 240 HP to play with each time you drive.

It’s also very versatile, when it is nice and warm outside, you get to use the car as an awesome convertible cruiser and just enjoy the sun and great weather. Once it gets cold outside, you you gotta do is swap to some winter or all season tires and you have a very competent sports coupe to drive around.

If you worry about the ride quality for you daily driver, BMW Z4 offers a decent enough ride on OEM tires and even more so on non run flat tires. So if you want the best comfort, going with a good regular tire on the 17 inch wheels will do wonders. Now, if you are like me and enjoy the look of the car just as much as the ride quality, you can go with 19 inch low profile sticky tires for the summer and enjoy every minute of driving. With the regular tire and traction control off, you can also have lots of fun in the winter by sliding (controllably and safely) around corners.

What I also love about having a BMW Z4 as a daily driver is that you start taking less direct way home to enjoy your drive even more! You want to go on the smaller roads, not take the highway and just enjoy your time with the car every time possible.

As a perk of having only two seats and not a lot of cabin space, the interior the cabin warms very quickly as there isn’t much space to heat up

Last and probably most important for a lot of people, the BMW Z4 is as reliable as any BMW 128, BMW 228, BMW 328, BMW 428 or BMW 528 as they have the same engine and if you pay any attention on the roads you can see how many people actually drive those cars on the daily bases.