135i Newbie

[Scooby2]

Hi guys,

Lets just say life with BMW has not started off to well so far. I have had Subaru's for 12 years and zero breakdowns. (Sti's and a Modified Forester)

24 hours into ownership of a 2008 my09 135i and the water pump failed. Joined RAC on the spot and towed back to the dealer to repair under warranty.

I am curious... what else should I expect to go pop on me? Motor just turned 100ks so its on the higher side but has service history. (Not full though)

Also where do you guys source parts from in Australia?

So here she is.... I am loving the upgrade and quality compared to the Subaru's. I just hope its reliable.

[IMG][IMG]

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[questionable]

Let the mod bug bite hard

[thezone135i]

Well come mate, jeez that's bad luck! I have had my 2008 135i for 12 months and not one failure yet Fingers crossed (mines almost at 90k). As far as sourcing parts go we just had this conversation here.

Cheers

Paul

[Kirst]

Hey there. Welcome to 1er ownership.

It's unlucky that the pump died when it did but generally they will need replacing every 80-100k km. Otherwise the only real issues are hpfp failure (common on this engine), coil packs (cheap enough fix) and injectors (doesn't happen AS often). If it hasn't been done prior I'd suggest getting carbon cleaning done to clear the build up out of the valves (also should be done relatively regularly).

Overall it's a pretty reliable car, as with most 6 cylinders bmws it's not unexpected given how many km are on it.

We generally buy our parts online (ecs tuning, bms etc etc) although the exchange rate is a bit dodgy currently. Alternately bmr autowerkes in sydney tend to be ok on pricing.

Have fun! It's a great little car

[Scooby2]

Thanks guys... I hope it turns out to be a good relationship. I already have a rough idea of what I want to do in time.

Sorry for all the questions guys. I will do some searching on the forums and keep researching.. promise.

Originally Posted by Kirst

Otherwise the only real issues are hpfp failure (common on this engine),

I read that in the US the hpfp has an extended warranty until 120,000km. Is that the same in Aus?

Originally Posted by Kirst

coil packs (cheap enough fix) and injectors (doesn't happen AS often).

Any idea how much this costs? DIY option?

Originally Posted by Kirst

If it hasn't been done prior I'd suggest getting carbon cleaning done to clear the build up out of the valves (also should be done relatively regularly).

Again is this a DIY and costly to do?

I would like to source a Berk straight pipe race spec muffler but looks like that's from the US.
Also a JB4 or something to remap the ECU.
Air Intake and Charge pipes.

Is it safe for bolt on mods without the JB4 etc?

From previous history in Subaru modifying I had to get my ECU flashed each time I added a new bolt on mod.

Does the same apply to N54's?

[Kirst]

Originally Posted by Scooby2

Thanks guys... I hope it turns out to be a good relationship. I already have a rough idea of what I want to do in time.

Sorry for all the questions guys. I will do some searching on the forums and keep researching.. promise.



I read that in the US the hpfp has an extended warranty until 120,000km. Is that the same in Aus?




Any idea how much this costs? DIY option?




Again is this a DIY and costly to do?

I would like to source a Berk straight pipe race spec muffler but looks like that's from the US.
Also a JB4 or something to remap the ECU.
Air Intake and Charge pipes.

Is it safe for bolt on mods without the JB4 etc?

From previous history in Subaru modifying I had to get my ECU flashed each time I added a new bolt on mod.

Does the same apply to N54's?

Nope. No extended warranty in aus. But if you can DIY it's only a 300 buck part and a couple hours labour yourself.

You can DIY the coils, they should be around 50 bucks each if you buy them in aus, cheaper overseas. Injectors, also easily DIY-ING but a little more fiddly (plenty of how to posts on the forums)

Walnut blasting is easy enough to do yourself but it can be simpler just to take it to a decent indy shop and get done. From memory mine was around 490 to get done

Yes it's safe for bolt ons without a tune it won't affect too much. Except if you get catless DPs- that'll throw a code

you can pick up a handheld Cobb flash tuner or a jb4. The Cobb I have found a little more user friendly but others swear by the JB4. Only need to re flash really if you're changing your tune, if you get a Cobb I know pro tuning freaks in America do custom tunes which are great.

really, it's no different to the previous cars you have owned. Just do plenty of reading if you want to DIY and it's fine.

[thezone135i]

Except the tunes are a fraction of the cost of the ecutek. $2k for an ecu tune anyone?

[Kirst]

Wanna talk about expensive tunes? Have a look at revo tunes. There's a guy in bris who has the licence for most of australia. 1.5k for a "stage 1" OTS tune. He was talking upwards of 5k at stage 3 for the tune only

[Prodigy.]

Welcome to BMW Wes, good to see my old Scooby2 plates are still around. 👍

[Scooby2]

Thanks Kirst, very helpful.

Hey Prodigy, it's a small world. I've had the plates on my Wrx and My sti converted Foz. Debated selling them but people know me through the plates. Looks ok on the bimmer too but will probably get something different at some point.

What you own now?

[Prodigy.]

Originally Posted by Scooby2

Hey Prodigy, it's a small world. I've had the plates on my Wrx and My sti converted Foz. Debated selling them but people know me through the plates. Looks ok on the bimmer too but will probably get something different at some point.

What you own now?

Currently driving a 2013 135i but thinking of maybe a 1M or a Merc later in the year.