PDA

View Full Version : New member from Fort Bliss, Texas



Simongym
05-20-2016, 06:34 AM
I recently took delivery of my ZHP; big thanks to this forum for making the search much easier and more pleasant!

It's a 2004 Oxford Green / Natural Brown 6MT, and I am really happy with it. (full photo shoot to come at some point)25912

A year ago I bought an S2000 as a first project car just to get some experience working on and fixing a car a little. I didn't do all of the work myself, but really enjoyed the process. Overall I was pleased with the results. From the start I knew the project was not an investment, but I was very happy to sell it for a fair price and see it go to an excited new owner.

The ZHP is high-mileage, and while it's starting in much better shape than the S2000, I can tell already there are a few things needing some work. Notably the suspension doesn't seem as tight as I expected. The first car I ever bought myself was a 2002 325i, with the "Beast" package as my mechanic called it (no optional extras). I bought it in 2009 and fell in love with the handling. The ZHP right now just doesn't feel like it's staying as composed in the corners, which I am guessing is due to the age of the shocks or other suspension components.

I'm sure someone here can help me sort through some options to remedy the problem though! I have never done any suspension mods or repairs before, so the key for me is trying to getting it right without rushing to failure.

Lastly, a big thank you to Christian (GDMChriz) for being such a professional. I am absolutely thrilled with the car and plan on driving it for another 160,000 miles!

Vas
05-20-2016, 06:49 AM
Welcome and congrats on the rare zhp. The Oxford Green is a really nice color in the sun.

What is the mileage on it?

slater
05-20-2016, 06:52 AM
welcome! love oxford green! that car is worth the effort to refresh - you'll get all the help you'll need on here (and we have some TX forum members too :) ).

fredo
05-20-2016, 06:52 AM
Welcome ! Your ZHP looks very sharp. I went thru El Paso last year on my way to California.

Oli77
05-20-2016, 09:30 AM
Welcome, that is a rare color!

Simongym
05-20-2016, 09:55 PM
Welcome and congrats on the rare zhp. The Oxford Green is a really nice color in the sun.

What is the mileage on it?

Thank you!

160k. My "commute" is only 5 miles round trip, too bad now that my DD is such fun to drive.

Simongym
05-20-2016, 09:58 PM
welcome! love oxford green! that car is worth the effort to refresh - you'll get all the help you'll need on here (and we have some TX forum members too :) ).

El Paso is pretty far from anywhere else in Texas. I haven't seen another ZHP here yet but I'm sure it's out there!

danewilson77
05-21-2016, 02:23 AM
Welcome and congrats. You may want to stretch that drive out a little bit.

S7 Edge, out

ELCID86
05-21-2016, 04:56 AM
Nice car. Welcome and Hooah.

Simongym
05-21-2016, 05:08 PM
Welcome and congrats. You may want to stretch that drive out a little bit.

S7 Edge, out

I've been thinking of doing that for the engines sake. Is it normal that the thermostat reads normal operating temp within ~3 minutes? (I haven't timed it)

Simongym
05-21-2016, 05:10 PM
Nice car. Welcome and Hooah.

Thanks!

danewilson77
05-21-2016, 05:10 PM
The M54 warms up pretty quick, though 3 minutes seems too fast IMHO.

S7 Edge, out

az3579
05-21-2016, 06:01 PM
I've been thinking of doing that for the engines sake. Is it normal that the thermostat reads normal operating temp within ~3 minutes? (I haven't timed it)
What is indicated isn't actual temperature. The middle point on the temp gauge is a range between 75-110 degrees Celsius I believe, so as long as the value is between there, it will always read in the dead center. It probably isn't warming up enough by the time you get to work. Even if it was, it's still not enough to evaporate moisture, so you'll get the mustard under the oil cap.

The temp gauge reading can be corrected via coding.

Sent from my LG V10 on Tapatalk

3ZHP
05-21-2016, 07:29 PM
Welcome!


Sent from my iPhone 6S using Tapatalk

BMWCurves
05-21-2016, 10:26 PM
Welcome! I love Oxford Green, it's the same color as my father's '98 540i.

As for suspension stuff, there is a very large range of options, from simply replacing tired shocks/struts and bushings with ZHP stuff, to a sort of OEM+ of aftermarket shocks/struts and bushings, to full on coilovers. I went for the OEM+ which I love for a daily driver. You can read about it in my thread here:

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?16182-Help-with-Suspension-Refresh-at-50k-miles-10-years

Simongym
05-22-2016, 07:50 AM
Welcome! I love Oxford Green, it's the same color as my father's '98 540i.

As for suspension stuff, there is a very large range of options, from simply replacing tired shocks/struts and bushings with ZHP stuff, to a sort of OEM+ of aftermarket shocks/struts and bushings, to full on coilovers. I went for the OEM+ which I love for a daily driver. You can read about it in my thread here:

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?16182-Help-with-Suspension-Refresh-at-50k-miles-10-years

Thank you! I'm taking my time with any upgrades/mods and non-urgent repairs since I'll be keeping the car for the long-haul, so the more information and research for each change I make the better.

Simongym
05-22-2016, 04:41 PM
What is indicated isn't actual temperature. The middle point on the temp gauge is a range between 75-110 degrees Celsius I believe, so as long as the value is between there, it will always read in the dead center. It probably isn't warming up enough by the time you get to work. Even if it was, it's still not enough to evaporate moisture, so you'll get the mustard under the oil cap.

The temp gauge reading can be corrected via coding.

Sent from my LG V10 on Tapatalk

Thanks! I'll have to extend my drive and look into the coding.

ikeupinya
05-22-2016, 07:20 PM
Welcome to the site & congrats on the rare gem!!!