125i Buyers....

[cozza]

Originally Posted by jksgoh

Does anyone know if the 125i with sport pack comes standard with the high-gloss satin chrome?

Are you talking about the high gloss (black) shadowline trim around the windows? If so, then yes, the M Sport adds it to the 125i...

[jksgoh]

cheers, thanks mate, was getting confused between the "shadow line" and "satin chrome"

[jksgoh]

A question for you 125ers... i know everyone is going for the 135 for its engine and ridiculously fast times, but i don't see the 125 as "slow" according to its numbers (but its the impression i get from these forums!). And as a daily driver i think it would more than suffice.
So i just wanted to know why you guys chose the 125i? cost is an obvious one, but are there any other reasons...? eg you thought 135i was excessive for what it will be used for?

[WAY]

Jono, I have seen a couple of people here stating cost as their reason, and that is no surprise. You have to remember that this is a car forum, and only enthusiast would bother coming here. Majority of those coming here are interested in the fastest car they can possibly afford lol. But out there in the world, you can be guaranteed that there will be plenty of others who thinks 0-100 in 6.4s is more than sufficient. In fact, it is. 125i is no slouch!

[cozza]

I think that once the 1er hits showroom floors, they'll sell more 125i's than 135i's, as they're targetting a younger market with this car. This forum is for the real car enthusiast, who would stop at nothing to own the twin turbo version. Sadly, the price of the 135 in Australia is still too much for the average buyer, especially once you've added a few options.

One thing I don't really understand though, is why the 125i and the 128i are tuned differently, they have exactly the same engine. Who decides that the Australian version needs to be 10kw less that its American counterpart??

[Kizzt]

I've been told (conned) by a bmw dealer stating that the 128 and 125 have different exhaust systems and its not just a chip-tune issue. Why the 130i would have 30kw more than the 125i is another matter entirely. But again, its supposedly not something a chip-tune will fix. Again, not happy, and reading about all the little differences between the 128 and the 135 that aren't in the book are getting me really down. I am pretty pissed off that the 130i has better performance and is like 10 grand cheaper too. Who knows why a car 2 years older with the same engine is more powerful than the latest release.

[cozza]

^ Can anyone here answer these concerns?

What can we do with our 125i's to give them some more grunt?

[WAY]

Cozza and KizzT, I can guarantee you that there will be a ECU flash by a tuner out there somewhere that will help you bring the power up to much closer to the 130i level. Don't worry! It's the same situation with the C63. AMG has given it 336kw when it's big brothers like SL and CL has 378KW, in identical engines. There is already an aftermarket company I know of that can tune it to 360kw. So don't worry guys, just make sure you save a couple of grand and there WILL BE a reputable tune out there to help you.

[Kizzt]

I certainly hope so. A decent tune and some weight reduction just might be the ticket to a really fun ride... but by the time i've done that i'll probably been in 135 cost range (but hopefully not insurance price bracket).

[cozza]

Hmm, depending on the gains I dunno if I'll be able to justify the cost... A couple of grand is pretty steep for a chip.

[WAY]

It's not even a chip, all they do is plug the computer into the car and reflash the ECU! But look, if $2000 gains you 30kw, then it is cheap. Very cheap!

[cozza]

Well, if it's 30kw we're talking about, I'm in! Wish I could just plug it into my computer and work some magic!

[jksgoh]

Kizzt,
what are the differences between the 128 and 125.??

[RICHARD NEWTON]

Professor,There is no difference between the 125 and 128. It is just an identity code to follow suit . Eg, The States get the 328 and we get the 325, both have the identical engines.

[cozza]

That's not entirely correct. There are a few differences between the 125i and the 128i. Although they have the same engine, they're tuned differently, with the US variant rated at around 170kw compared to our 160kw. Also, the options in the US are slightly different. For example, the M Sports kit gives us much more here than it does in the States.

[jksgoh]

with the engine being the same, is there anything physically different about it or the exhaust? or just some sort of ecu upgrade?
Kizzt, just out of curiosity, why didnt you go for the 130i then? (was looking at pricing of 130 and 125 myself when i was choosing... and i thought they were quite similar, if you spec them up the same that is)

[Kizzt]

Originally Posted by RICHARD NEWTON

Professor,There is no difference between the 125 and 128. It is just an identity code to follow suit . Eg, The States get the 328 and we get the 325, both have the identical engines.

They may have the same engine, as does the 130i, but they are all tuned differently. A gentleman working at BMW here in Brisbane has suggested that apparently the 128i has a different manifold and exhaust system, which may be shared with the 130i but not with the 125i, which apparently has a more basic system. Out of interest, i beleive the 125i and 128i both get General Motors gearboxes, rather than the european ones in the 135i too...

Originally Posted by jksgoh

with the engine being the same, is there anything physically different about it or the exhaust? or just some sort of ecu upgrade?
Kizzt, just out of curiosity, why didnt you go for the 130i then? (was looking at pricing of 130 and 125 myself when i was choosing... and i thought they were quite similar, if you spec them up the same that is)

Yeah, i had the option of taking a 130i with sportspack and all the options, for a steal second-hand, or obviously ordering one new; but i think it is just awful looking. It seriously looks to me like the back end has been reversed into a wall at speed. If they had the option of a 128i i would have bought it just for the power difference.

I was also looking at a Nissan Z (no-go; turbos) Audi TT (new one looks awesome, but audi wasn't willing to deal and tried to insinuate i couldn't afford it, also found gear changes jerky - that's another story). Alfa Brera (looks great, but too slow). Also woulda gone Volkswagon R33, except i hate the look - if they had a modern Karrman Ghia i'd totally be there!

[jksgoh]

i agree that the coupe looks way better than the 1 hatch... well from pics anyway, didnt go to the motor show, so not too sure what it looks like in the flesh!

General motors gear boxes??? i thought i read getrag? whered you get that info from?

[WAY]

Jono, trust me when I say the 1 coupe (well the M sports version) is better in the flash!

[Kizzt]

Originally Posted by jksgoh

General motors gear boxes??? i thought i read getrag? whered you get that info from?

Another thread on here suggested that the window stickers on 128i state the gearbox info as being GM. This may have been Getrag misenterpreted.
I've since been unable to find that post. It may have been erroneous, scaremongering or somesuch - I may have accidentally bandwagoned on this - but given how little info my dealer has given me, i couldn't really say accurately.

But if we assume the statement in the afforementioned post to be true then:
Given that the engine in the 125i has been tuned lower and apparently has a different exhaust system to the 128i i can't see any reason to put the 'better' gearbox in the 125i while putting the 'better' engine setup in the 128i with the 'worse' gearbox. I may be wrong on the Australian ones - it may just be a result of US import that they receive US 'boxes... But i get the feeling BMW has cheaped out on a fair few 'little' things on our version, i don't see why this would be any different.

So with this one take it with a grain of salt, i feel a little foolish for having jumped on this now that i can't find my evidence again.

EDIT: Found the link - http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...general+motors
Apparently Getrag don't make any of the automatic boxes for BMW, but only GM. Any thoughts?

[WAY]

Sorry dude. Never been interested in autos so I don't know...

[jksgoh]

didn't realise you were talking of autos. but read through that thread, and it seems ppl cant really get a definitive ansewr for the autos at least.

anyone know where the manuals are from?