Press Release Photos... reprise

I was able to finally get my hands on an original German Z3 and M coupe press release kit.  The kit is in German, sadly, but it did have an original, unused CD-ROM with all the press release pictures in original high resolution.  I have never been able to get the high res versions of these.  Click on an image for full size.  There are also a few new ones I didn't have and hadn't actually seen, too.

MZ4 Coupe Detail

I recently detailed my wife's Z4 M Coupe.  Car needed some TLC.  Full clay bar, 2 coats of Menzerna Power Lock.  I also detailed the leather inside, and there is a lot of it on this car since it has factory Extended Leather.  My favorite cleaner of all time is Swissvax nappa leather cleaner, with their little brush to work it in.  I follow the cleaner with Spinneybeck conditioner, which I apply by hand like moisturizer on skin.  I put on a thin coat, let it sit for a few minutes, then I blow it dry with a hair dryer.  I don't buff it.  The hair dryer helps the leather absorb all of the conditioner and leaves the leather feeling almost like velvet.  Car is clean and ready to run.

Supersprint X-pipe

I recently saw a post on a forum about replacing the US-spec S54 H-pipe with the Euro-spec S54 resonator box 18107831421.  That reminded me the Supersprint makes an X-pipe for the S54 M coupe, so I went ahead and bought one.  It was not in stock and took about 6 or 7 weeks to get.  When it arrived it is nearly identical in length to the stock H-pipe.  It's well made like other Supersprint parts.  I installed it without issue.

At the same time, I reworked my Supersprint muffler installation.  Under some conditions, the tips could touch the bumper cover.  It was minor, and I'm told when the exhaust does burn into the cover, the plastic tends to melt inwards (away from view) and the pieces easily crumble off the car.  And, because the SS tips are double walled, they never get super hot anyway.  Regardless,  melting the bumper is not OK with me.  My fix was to remove a 6mm x 35mm triangle from the bumper inside corners.  Then touch up the edge with paint and clear coat.  Next, I reworked the exhaust hangers by adding steel plates I made with high-temp rubber washers.  This restricts the exhaust from some side-side movement but does not affect forward-aft or up-down.  Finally, I re-aligned the exhaust to use the added clearance better.  Works like a charm.  The tips cannot touch the bumper cover now under any circumstance.

I thought the SS exhaust sounded good before, and it sounds even better (less rasp) with the X-pipe.  Next plan is to keep adding SS parts going forward, but it's going to get very expensive from this point on!!