|
About Me
Isn't this meadow soothing? Let's pave a road through it! I'm James Riswick and these are my random thoughts published daily. Recent Posts
Categories
Links
CarSpace Thoughts from the CurbCar Reviews, News and Random Thoughts from Edmunds.com Automotive Editor James Riswick Nov 24, 2008 - My Z3: Replacing the Effing Window
Remember how car reviewers always used to bitch about plastic rear windows in convertibles? Point now taken. After more than one year I had finally grown tired of my creased and cloudly plastic rear window. Plus, the rubber lining that blended the roof and window together was coming off and looked like crap. So I shopped around and decided to buy the official BMW part from Bavarian Autosport for $163 (shipping free) and install it myself. Bavarian Autosport suggested professional installation, but folks on the Internet had accomplished the install and if I couldn't do it as well, shame on me. Because of the awkwardness of installation, it's a two-man job, so I recruited Vice Lieutenant of Vehicle Testing Mike Magrath (aka my neighbor) to assist. The instructions that came with the window were for an E36 3 Series, not the Z3, but with a few exceptions things seemed to line-up with what we were seeing on the car (the E36 is actually more difficult). I also brought along the photo instructions someone posted on the Internet.
That's all well and good, but you actually have to follow the damned instructions. Everything was nice and easy for a while as the old window came out easily. But then we made a crucial mistake. Despite looking over the directions countless times, we started to zip up the new window in a clockwise direction from the outside -- it was supposed to be clockwise from the inside. This simple mistake cost us about 10 futile tries and more than an hour. We suspected something was up when putting two zipper parts together proved to be more difficult that stuffing a live turkey -- but we kept on trying until we got it together and couldn't get the zipper pull thingy out without unzipping what we had already zipped. Magrath finally figured out we were doing it backwards.
Now it was in with one try. Then we had to tuck in the roof fabric underneath the window's aformentioned rubber lining (which is pictured above). That two was a pain in the ass -- hopefully it stays tucked when I drop the top for the first time. But hey, at least I can now see out the back window. The first window lasted 10 years with a lot more raising and lowering and high temperatures than I'll ever subject it too. Lets hope this one lasts a lot longer ... 'cause I know Magrath ain't helping again. He's probably going to go out and buy some old British Leyland thing to get me back. Hey Riswick, could you help me with my Grandfather Clock? -James Riswick
Oct 13, 2008 - 1998 BMW Z3 2.8: A Drive Through the Smoky Backyard
At Edmunds, we get just about every holiday imaginable off, so in honor of Columbus Day (or for me, Canadian Thanksgiving) I'm writing this from home today. Since everyone I know outside of Edmunds is working today, I thought I'd drop off the Saturn Astra I was driving this weekend at the office and grab my Z3. As I cruised up PCH with the top down, it dawned on me that I've now owned her for more than a year (with only 700 miles) and this was the first time I'd drive her up my favorite stomping ground of Topanga Canyon Road. I therefore have never really found out what she can do on a twisty road. Obviously, the Z3 shows its age. The whole car jiggles and shakes over bumps, and forget 1998, the rear suspension is from the 1980s. And while the steering is wonderfully weighted and communicative at lower speeds, when pushed through the mountains, it lightens up a lot and stops speaking to you as fluently. But bless it, she can wag her tail and the 2.8-liter inline-6 is just a beautiful engine (happiness, thy name is torque). It's really hard to imagine BMW sandwiched in three engines that were more powerful than this, including a 315-hp version of our LT M3's engine. Unfortunately, with the Santa Ana's blowing and fires in the Valley, I didn't do my usual full Old Topanga Run -- I didn't feel like getting the Z3 filled with dust and smelling like barbecue. But even if the Z3 isn't the mechanical powerhouse that many of the fun cars I run through Topanga are, with the top down, the sun up and a cool breeze, what a way to spend Columbus Day. -James Riswick
Sep 30, 2008 - Countdown to Bond: GoldenEye, The One That Started It All
It was November 1995. I was 12 years old and sneaking into my first movie. The ticket girl asked in what year I was born and I fumbled out "1981" since the movie was rated AA14 in Canada. This was the first Bond movie made in six years and the first one I ever saw in theatres. Sure, I had seen a bit of "Live and Let Die" and "Thunderball" before, but I was not hooked. The movie was "GoldenEye" and it started a 007 obsession that continues strong to this very day. But "GoldenEye" started another obsession, one that currently sits downstairs in the Edmunds garage. "Your new car. BMW. Agile, five forward gears, all-points radar. Self-destruct system and as usual, all the usual refinements. Now, this I'm particularly proud of. Behind the headlights, stinger missiles." Of course, we saw none of that on the BMW Z3 in the movie. New Bond Pierce Brosnan just briefly putters around the Caribbean with the Bond girl before handing it over to a C.I.A. ally. And with a measly 1.9-liter four banger, it was hardly the high-performance machine Bond was accustomed to. But I didn't care (and neither did the people who sat on waiting lists to get one). The Z3 was simply stunning, especially in its "GoldenEye" color of Atlanta Blue. This was the car I yearned for the rest of that decade. When my father had to sell his Miata because of U.S. safety standards, I begged him to get a Z3. I still remember the day the saleswoman from Dreyer & Reinbold BMW in Indianapolis let him take me down the street in a new-for-'97 Z3 2.8 (in Atlanta Blue). I'd never been in a car that quick before. Sadly, we couldn't swing it at that time. Years later, "GoldenEye" remains amongst my favorite Bond movies even though I've now seen them all countless times (including the four subsequent adventures). And even if I've now driven the latest and greatest Bond car, the Aston Martin DBS, the Z3 holds a very special place in my heart. When I decided my TSX was uselessly gathering dust and depreciation down in the garage, my search for a less expensive and more collectable automobile began and ended with one choice. I found a 1998 Z3 with a mere 38,900 miles on her. It was of course Atlanta Blue with a tan interior, just like Bond's. It didn't have the stinger missiles, but it does have the sweet 2.8-liter straight six. I'd call that a push. So that's why I own the car I do and why I feel compelled to dedicate one blog per week to a Bond car until "Quantum of Solace" opens. And it all started with "GoldenEye." -James Riswick
Jun 9, 2008 - 1998 BMW Z3 2.8: Back on the Road
Remember two weeks ago when I said my Z3's battery could only be purchased through BMW? Yeah, that was total horse crap. The dude at Costco Automotive and various keyboard jockeys on the Internet were totally wrong. After the battery trickle charger failed to charge up the battery (it's more of a battery maintainer), I put a quick call into PepBoys who informed me the battery was a Group #48 and they had plenty in stock for $99. Better than the $220 BMW quoted me, the greedy buggers. I readily admit this shows the limitations in my automotive knowledge. I can tell you the entire Skoda line-up presently sold in England, but when it comes to car mechanicals and repair, I'm pretty hopeless. Vehicle Testing Assistant Mike Magrath subsequently assisted in my battery change since I was thoroughly convinced I'd electrocute myself or spray battery acid on my face, turning to a life of crime hell bent on revenge against Batman. I watched and learned for the future, but I primarily got to carry the old battery to PepBoys. And I must tell you, if you should ever have to replace a BMW battery, bring an American Gladiator. I couldn't pick it up with one hand -- you'd think it was made of lead or something. I'd swear they could use that old battery for a commercial fishing trawler. The new Bosch battery was easily half as heavy. Probably won't last for 10 years like the old one did, though. With my Z3 back up and running, I rolled back the top, snapped on the tonneau and wind deflector, grabbed a babe, and took a drive down the coast through Manhattan, Hermosa and Redondo beaches. The perfect roadster experience and reason I bought it in the first place. It's good to have it back on the road. -James Riswick
May 28, 2008 - World's First Plug-In Hybrid BMW Z3
Actually no, I haven't converted my 1998 BMW Z3 2.8 into a plug-in hybrid version. But the car is plugged in, or more specifically, a battery charger is. Since my car sits down in the Edmunds garage collecting a fine layer of dust (some editor's cars look like they were parked next to Mt. St. Helens), it's recently had a tendency to lose its battery charge in the nearly seven months I've owned it. I should obviously drive the poor thing more, but who wants to sit in traffic in a manual transmission roadster when there's a perfectly good Saturn Aura available? Well, I'll let you ponder that. Anyway, the battery's been dead for a while and given its potential age, I decided to get a new one. Problem is, after looking around, I'm almost certain the Z3's battery size and type is only produced by BMW. Our local Santa Monica dealer quoted me $220 -- ouch. So before going down that road or hitting the treacherous BMW battery black market, our new testing engineer Al Austria loaned me his battery recharger. He says it may take a day or two, but it's worth a shot given the potentially expensive alternative. I'll keep y'all posted. -James Riswick
|
