Hi Guys,
The other day I book an appointment for my 135i’s first oil service. I was kind of dreading this… because even though my car is a US spec car… since I am living in Germany all services are NOT included – for free - like it would be IF I was back in the USA. The basic warranty is also less over here… at just two years (no mileage) warranty instead of four years or fifty thousand mile on in the US.
When I first bought my car I was quoted 110 to 130 euros for this first oil service AND that was IF I brought them my own oil! Oil and gasoline are taxed like crazy over here. For ONE liter of oil you will pay about 23 euros!
So… anyway… I bit the bullet since I needed to have this service done. I normally do all my own service work… but I needed a BMW dealer to do this “service” so they would give me that golden service stamp in that warranty book. No stamp, no warranty.
My little local BMW dealer gave me a loaner car. I hear you guys complain about getting stuck with a 328i or X5… well… they only have 1-er loaners over here. I got a nice little 116i. It was sooooo slow! Anyway…. Here are some photos for you guys who are in e87 (hatchback) LUST!
The 116i is light on its feet. It is very tossable into the corners and you can feel how much lighter the front end is from the six cylinder big brothers. The doors close with a lighter feel. Really light! They feel downright cheap econo box light. All the controls are pretty much the same as our e82’s. I can not really fault much about the car other than the small engines. I have driven a 118d before… and that is a MUCH nicer car to drive. I would really like to drive a 120d or even a 120i one day. The general ride is more Golf like than premium GT ride like my 135i. My 116i really just did not feel like it was in the same class as my 135i in ride. Btw this 116i would barely break 189 on the speedo!
One thing is for sure… after a day in this 116i - I was ready for my 135i !!! I really love everything about my 135i and it is so painful even to give it up for a single day!
Enjoy my pics.
PS: when I got my service bill it was only 85 euros for the oil filter and labor. I brought them the 6.5L of German Castrol oil. It was a pleasent surprise!
front doors...
windup windows in back... power is an option. Even though my loaner had a lot of extras... this was not one of them.
euro headlight switch with HIGHT adjust level for low beams. This is bc this car had halogens and not Xeons.
back seat room - I'm 6'3" so you can see how far back my driver's seat is set to.
silver interior accents look like metal but are in fact plastic. It looks really cheap up close. In the fotos it doesn't look that bad.
one very dirty engine...
BMW AG recommends Castrol oil too
Life in the slow lane...
opening the hatch...
decent trunk...
German registration card...
note tires and tire sizes... these are your ONLY choices!
Line V7, that is the V-max speed for the car
180 kph!
