135i as commuter car (comfort and noise levels)

[TechieCarGuy]

I’m a long time car guy who is contemplating a 135i to replace an aging Mercedes SLk320. Despite owning some 17 different cars from 7 different manufacturers, including three German; I’ve not owed a BMW to this point. While this isn’t really relevant to anything, I only mention this b/c I am unfamiliar with the reliability and long term wear on Beemer’s, versus other marques.

My current car is about 14 years old now and has aged fairly well. Despite a front end crash about 40k miles ago, replacing all engine seals and gaskets at 90k miles, transmission service, coolant flush and routine maintenance. It has needed little in its 103k mile life. The interior did wear fairly badly after 70k miles and I invested in either new parts, or redyed the old plastic and recovered the leather about a year ago. There are minor rattles from the top and instrument surround, but the car is pretty quiet still. So far the hydraulics have held up and other than new rubber suspension parts and shocks I am good for another year or so.

Despite my being content with the car and fact it’s paid for, I want a little more room for commuting and the occasion weekend trip. I am looking at the 135i as a replacement which I will keep for a while, being that I am looking for a daily driver I want something that will be on par with what I have.

Since the 135 is bigger and has more space, it appears to be a good more modern replacement. My questions are for anyone who has had theirs for more than 70k, 80k or more miles as to how things have held up, what sort of maintenance you’ve had to deal with and how the comfort/noise level has changed as the car has gotten older.

Since I will probably be buying a 2010 or so with more than 25k miles, I’d be curious what I should be looking for on a car with those miles. I found a 2010 w/ Performance package and Nav nearby but am holding off for a while to do more research. I also am in negotiations with my bride as to justifying why I want a car payment versus no payment with a paid for SLK.

As a side note, one of my best friends is an independent who specializes
in German makes and has dealership level diagnostics. Despite him being the one to do any prebuyer inspection, I'd like to know what to look for.

Being new to the forum I plan on doing some research over the next month. But it’s my experience that questions as subjective as wear and noise levels aren’t ones that get asked a lot, so forgive me if this is a widely discussed topic and I have asked in violation of the search before you ask rule… (sarcasm)

[Dackelone]

A 135i is gonna ride a lot stiffer/harder than your CLK320. The 135i also sits a lot lower to the ground. How is your back? What do you like and not like about your CLK? Perhaps a 3er would be better for you?

[TechieCarGuy]

The car I have now is an SLK, which is the sport and short, or Sportlich, Leicht und Kurz version on the SL convertible. Due to its short wheel base and sport suspension it is the roughest riding car I have had, and I had a Miata with track package and bilstein shocks (SP1 Package). The previous owner installed after market springs and KYB's before I bought it so while I understand how the 135 with sport suspension may be stiff and rough on some roads, it couldn't be any worse than what I am use to.

As far as like and not like... no interior room beyond what fits in trunk (small) and passenger seat. A back seat to toss a brief case and hang my suit jackets would be nice. The hydraulics in the top are original and would cost probably more than the car is worth if they went, so part of my desire to find something new is preventative.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

A 135i is gonna ride a lot stiffer/harder than your CLK320. The 135i also sits a lot lower to the ground. How is your back? What do you like and not like about your CLK? Perhaps a 3er would be better for you?

The back thing is no joke. I'm tall at 6'5" and my back has been an issue with some cars. I had a loaner 5 series and I couldn't wait to give the car back as the driver seat killed my back if I drove it longer than 30 minutes at a time.

I hurt my back a couple of months ago and it was almost unbearable driving in my 135i. Glad I'm over my back injury.

[gap]

I have 70,000 miles on my 08 I bought new. Has been a great car, these are a few
of the regular maintenance items.
Plugs at 40-45,000 miles. Water pump and Walnut blasting 60,000 - 70,000 miles.
Oil filter housing gasket 70-100,000 miles. Plastic valve cover 100,000. Battery 6 years.
Oil change every 5,000 miles.
A lot depends on how the previous owner took care of it. A 128i may be a better fit for you if you want to keep it for a long time and have lower maintenance cost.

[PopsnBurbles]

I can only talk about the space, noise, and ride comfort. Consider that I am a single guy, no kids, no partners, and rarely ever need passenger space.

Space: It's more than enough room even for small trips. I went to a camping trip and the trunk was able to handle stuff for 3 adults, a huge tent, sleeping bags + pillows, and food and a case of water. It has LOTS of space if you're good at tetris. If you're just going to dump shopping bags or grocery mindlessly, you're in for a bad time thinking that the car has crappy space. Rear seating is a bit iffy.

Noise: My car has PPK and PE (and N55 DCT). It's pretty loud on cold starts. I've made a little kid cry because of the noise. (Kid went near exhaust, I didn't see kid, I turned on car, mother started yelling and cursing me.) My neighbor complained...I can't leave home at night with my head held high if I know it's going to be a cold start. While driving, the noise isn't too bad. It's pretty loud and drone-y between 2000 and 2500 rpm. WOT is simply beautiful!

Road and wind noise isn't something terrible but it's definitely there. I'm still on factory runflats.

Comfort: I have no problem with the comfort level on most surfaces (I live in SoCal). Of course, potholes make me cringe before, during, and after hitting them. Road imperfections are okay except when turning. Yes, it can get scary turning (even at low speed) because I can feel the rear end jump around. When cruising at 85+ mph, the car feels a bit sketchy. It could've been the wind, the road, or simply just me.

My mom complains about the ride being jarring and the car being too loud for her taste. I've had friend(s) say my car is loud and they honestly think I'm going 30 mph over than I actually am doing. Older cars with alarms tend to alarm on cold starts.

[nkmu]

My car seems almost too comfortable. My two previous cars were a Miata and Wrangler though, so I suppose it's all relative. I have a convertible and it is extremely quiet. Even with the top down at highway speeds I can still easily have a phone Bluetooth phone conversation.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by Quart

The car I have now is an SLK, which is the sport and short, or Sportlich, Leicht und Kurz version on the SL convertible. Due to its short wheel base and sport suspension it is the roughest riding car I have had, and I had a Miata with track package and bilstein shocks (SP1 Package). The previous owner installed after market springs and KYB's before I bought it so while I understand how the 135 with sport suspension may be stiff and rough on some roads, it couldn't be any worse than what I am use to.

As far as like and not like... no interior room beyond what fits in trunk (small) and passenger seat. A back seat to toss a brief case and hang my suit jackets would be nice. The hydraulics in the top are original and would cost probably more than the car is worth if they went, so part of my desire to find something new is preventative.

Then a 135i sounds like it might be a good fit for you. What attracted me to the 135i was its small package with its powerful six cylinder engine.

Things to look out for on a 135i...

HPFP - high pressure fuel pump. Some of the early cars tended to eat a few. Now you hardly see anyone posting about them. There was an extended warranty by BMWNA for 2008 & 2009 models.

Turbo wastegate rattling. Fix is to replace the turbos. Sometimes BMW will good will them.
Coils can wear out & injectors.

Carbon buildup on the intake valves every 45K miles. $500 cleaning.

Battery cable recall.
Seatbelt insulation recall.

Electric waterpump tends to fail early at 60K to 80K on early cars(mostly). $1,400 repair at the dealer or a $600 repair at any indi shop.

Brakes are kind of pricey.
RFT(run flat tires) most people here(including me) don't like them. Makes the car right very firm. Most of us replace them with normal high performance tires. Tire life no mater what you do is quite short. Normally only about 12K miles out of the rears... 20K miles out of the fronts. We all like Michelin's PSS tires for the 135i.

Maybe others can chime in with more thoughts on this.

All that said... I LOVE my 135i and I would buy it again. Its been a very reliable car for me. And its really sporty while being quite practical too. I also like its quirky looks and that not everyone "get it", but I do!


Some related pdf's for you...

[swagon]

Ride comfort can be easily addressed with aftermarket dampers and springs. Stock struts are crappy and with RFT tires it's unbearable on bad roads. On good roads, it's nice.

Seats are great. It's spacey enough for two adults in front and two short ladies in back on a Friday night. No ventilation and opening windows in the back row so the back is really made only for short trips. Trunk's enough big. Wind noise is not bad.

Sounds like it's the right car for you, OP. The E82 is basically the SK of the E92. No L because it weighs way too much.

[TechieCarGuy]

Thanks Dackelone and Swagon, this is exactly the sort of information I need. Keep it coming all.

Nothing so far sounds to bad... if I'd have read some of the repairs or issues a few years ago I might have been scared, but after dropping over $1000 for a Transmission service and a brake job on my wifes Mercedes GLK, and similar sized service bills in the past on my SLK. There is nothing here I am to worried about.

Question on the tires. With RFT I am assuming there is no spare. What about mini air compressor or fix a flat from factory? I would obviously follow suit and go the conventional tire as well; although I had Bridgestone RFT on my G37S and sort of like the piece of mind I had knowing I could make it home if I had a blow out.

EvenEsteban a nice exhaust tone might be enjoyable. As it stands now, the 3.2 Liter in my Merc has the ability to sound nice, but the exhaust is subdued a little to much. I might not mind a little noise from that. Highway noise when car is buttoned up is another thing

[Yeineken]

I use mine as a commuter except when it snows. Really is fun. Puts a smile on my face everyday. And I drive 500 miles a week. Not many cars can do that. Currently trying to find a really fun winter car.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by Yeineken

I use mine as a commuter except when it snows. Really is fun. Puts a smile on my face everyday. And I drive 500 miles a week. Not many cars can do that. Currently trying to find a really fun winter car.

I drove mine through the snow season last year. Had zero problems. The key is to get good winter tires. I bought a set of used OEM wheels and had Blizzaks installed on them. Even during one of the worst snow storms, I was out moving about while I passed a WRX stuck in an entrance to a strip mall parking lot spinning all four wheels.

[swagon]

Originally Posted by Quart

Question on the tires. With RFT I am assuming there is no spare. What about mini air compressor or fix a flat from factory? I would obviously follow suit and go the conventional tire as well; although I had Bridgestone RFT on my G37S and sort of like the piece of mind I had knowing I could make it home if I had a blow out.

EvenEsteban a nice exhaust tone might be enjoyable. As it stands now, the 3.2 Liter in my Merc has the ability to sound nice, but the exhaust is subdued a little to much. I might not mind a little noise from that. Highway noise when car is buttoned up is another thing

That's not a problem. http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-1872-bmw-m-mobility-kit-emergency-tire-repair-and-air-compressor-kit.aspx

I have bought all the things separately, and a jack. There's a space for it on the left side behind the light.

Golf-tee or the zip-tie mod is basically a free exhaust mod. There's a vacuum pipe the operates an exhaust flap. If you zip tie it, it stays open all the time.

[Yeineken]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

I drove mine through the snow season last year. Had zero problems. The key is to get good winter tires. I bought a set of used OEM wheels and had Blizzaks installed on them. Even during one of the worst snow storms, I was out moving about while I passed a WRX stuck in an entrance to a strip mall parking lot spinning all four wheels.

Agreed. I just choose not too. They like to put a thick layer of sand on the highways around DC and Virginia. Saves some rock chips from happening.

[IEDEI]

the 135 is a great commuter car....comfortable....pretty soft suspension...easy to maneuver and with decent mileage....had one before the 1M.

[Schalldampfer1]

I primarily bought my 135i for commuting and secondarily for power and fun. It is a very comfortable car to drive to work in. Coming from driving my e36 M3 to work for a few years, this feels like a Cadillac. It is quiet with the windows up and the stock exhaust is not very loud with the windows down, but has a little growl. The gas tank is relatively small so trips to the gas station are more frequent but MPG's are not that far off from my M3 so it works out in the long run (29-30 MPG HWY in ideal conditions).

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by Quart

Question on the tires. With RFT I am assuming there is no spare. What about mini air compressor or fix a flat from factory? I would obviously follow suit and go the conventional tire as well; although I had Bridgestone RFT on my G37S and sort of like the piece of mind I had knowing I could make it home if I had a blow out.

Yea... IF you ditch the run flats you have a few options. You can get the glue stuff that ///M sells or Conti makes for BMW. But you have to remove the inner tire valve to put that stuff in! And then once all the glue is inside the tire... you need to re inflate the tire. I did not want to "deal" with that. Plus is really unbalances the tire and your never gonna get all that glue gob stuff out of the tire/wheel.

At first I went with the Euro mini space saver tire from BMW. BMW offers this only in Europe, bc the tire does not have ANY DOT rating. Some people have ordered the silver alloy wheel, then ordered a space saver tire from TireRack or the like.

Some people have also found out that a Mitsu Gallant space saver wheel works on the 1er's. You can pick them up relatively cheap in the US junk yards.

But after I had to use that mini spare in the rain... on the rear of my 135i... 8.5 inch wide wheel on one side vs that 3.5 inch wide space saver... the back end wiggled around so much that I said NEVER again.

Some use one of their winter tires/wheels as a spare. Thats also an option - IF your gonna have a winter set. ?

I instead bought a steel wheel from an e46 330Ci. It's a 7j x17 wheel(fits fine over the front brakes) and bought a cheapo 205/55VR17 tire. I think I spend less than 160 euros for both. The wheel was only 45 euros.

Here are some pics...









standard wheel on my car, mini space saver and my steelie spare...

EvenEsteban a nice exhaust tone might be enjoyable. As it stands now, the 3.2 Liter in my Merc has the ability to sound nice, but the exhaust is subdued a little to much. I might not mind a little noise from that. Highway noise when car is buttoned up is another thing

BMW dealers sell a "Performance Exhaust"... it is the most over priced (~$800) exhaust that I absolutely do not need but LOVE that damn exhaust! Best money I spent on the car other than an Performance Short Shifter(SSK) and M3 leather steering wheel and a CDV-delete mod.


Performance Exhaust...

Dackel

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

BMW dealers sell a "Performance Exhaust"... it is the most over priced (~$800) exhaust that I absolutely do not need but LOVE that damn exhaust! Best money I spent on the car other than an Performance Short Shifter(SSK) and M3 leather steering wheel and a CDV-delete mod.


Performance Exhaust...

Dackel

Sounds awesome, Dack.

[MightyMouseTech]

Love our car commuting, long weekend drives, gotta be there now! long drives.

This thing just eats the miles up on long drives.

Best thing you can do is ditch the run flats ASAP. Ride is so much better, and better grip, and they are half the price. Win, win, win!

[TX135i]

I used to have an SLK32AMG. I sold a Mustang Cobra convertible to get it. What sold me was the power, that thing was brute force and made the Cobra look slow. I drove it for almost 4 years, loved it EXCEPT it was too small. I'm 6'2" and it made me sit up too straight and hurt my back on long drives. I read about the 135i and decided to try it out. It's a perfect daily driver for me, and I can lay the seat back and it fits perfectly. Sport seats are great for a DD, and after I ditched the runflats, the ride is fine. The power isn't quite like the AMG, but close, and I know you can easily get that via JB4 and other methods but I don't really feel like it's necessary. Granted, I'm 54 now. The power in the BMW is smoother I guess, you're going fast before you know it. The AMG was a beast while the 135i seems more civilized. All in all, it was a good move for me. My first BMW as well, and I've been quite happy (after the throttle lag in the DCT got fixed via a software fix at the dealer).

[Sfaticus]

I had an SLK in the family that I spent some time driving, so I might be able to provide some relevant comparisons. It had the AMG sport package, the smaller supercharged engine, and was automatic.

What I remember about the SLK was:
1. It was needlessly stiff, and bumps were very harsh. I'm not sure if you had the same setup, but it was one of the roughest rides I have experienced. I doubt the suspension was modified by the previous owner.
2. At high speeds the car didn't feel planted, little bumps felt like they would knock it off the road.
3. Lots of cabin noise and some creaking from the hardtop, especially at higher speeds.
4. Really difficult to maintain a comfortable temperature. The lack of internal volume removed that "buffer" larger cars have, so the temperature swings were wilder. It's really meant for driving with the top down.
5. It would become really uncomfortable after long drives. Ergonomics didn't work that well.
6. It had a roof line that was lower to the ground, and people would be less likely to see you. One morning I had 3 separate "incidents" where I had to avoid cars pulling into my lane (ex. out of a parking lot).
7. Interior peeling. (Really, Mercedes?!)

Despite these complaints I would have still held onto it, but I was looking for something a little quicker, with a stick.

The 135 experiences none of the "problems" listed above. I've got the msport suspension, non-runflat tires (pilot supersports), and the sports seats, and it really is comfortable, quiet, and smooth (compared to the SLK at least). It's planted at high speeds, and the interior has a sense of refinement that generation SLK failed to achieve. I also think the 135 does a better job transmitting what the road is doing (the SLK had already set the bar pretty high).

The drawbacks I've found with the 135 vs the SLK:
1. Not as small and nimble.
2. It's noticeably heavier in turns and in braking, but it does a really good job of hiding that most of the time.
3. Requires far more maintenance than what you are used to. We hardly did any work to the SLK in over 55,000 miles, but I've had to take the 135 in for warranty work about 4 times in the last ~25,000.
4. No hardtop

It's a bigger car, but in my eyes it's so much nicer in almost every aspect that it far outweighs any "drawbacks". Driving it is a blast and I probably wouldn't trade it for any other car right now, but the bottom line is that you have to pay for it - the level of maintenance vs the R170 platform is significantly higher.

If your wallet allows it, my recommendation is to test drive a few different 135s - get them on the freeway if you can (and pay attention to tires/suspension/interior seats). I also might recommend the 128i - look for a model with the sports package and a stick. I felt it was a little more balanced and nimble than the 135i, and might be a good compromise between the two (the automatic/non sport model felt slow and boring - almost completely turned me off from BMW). I personally wanted the extra power from the 135i, otherwise I would have gone with a 128i.

[Matticus91]

I didn't have the time to read the other posts so sorry to all if this was already covered.

But anyway, being in somewhat the same boat and having made the plunge, I LOVE my car as a DD.

I would suggest:

1. Go 2011+, especially if not modding. The N55 has a few issues sorted out over the N54, though the N54 will definitely be the go to for people looking to mod since TT is fun.
2. Any mileage under 50k should be OK, but have the car looked at first.
3. Check for Oil Filter Housing Gasket leak. Easy to spot and a costly repair if done out of warranty.
4. BUY IT.