Bought BMW 128i and excited to learn

[asalazar8383]

Picked up my first BMW EVER, excited to learn as much as I can about my car.

Looking to join local car clubs and chat groups. Hopefully make some buddies along the way.

Learning about mods and appearance kits. All in due time.

Any feedback is welcome!

[lab_rat]

Welcome to the family!

The 1er is a great chassis and the N52 is a wonderful engine.

[asalazar8383]

Originally Posted by lab_rat

Welcome to the family!

The 1er is a great chassis and the N52 is a wonderful engine.

Originally Posted by lab_rat

Welcome to the family!

The 1er is a great chassis and the N52 is a wonderful engine.

Thanks mate. I've been in catch up mode trying to get my research done and knowledge up. I am gearing for a fun time!

[Olgeezer1]

Joining BMWCCA wouldn't be a bad start. Cheap source for events, service, great monthly magazine, networking. Nice thing about the car is it's a fun drive as is. That said, there's an almost endless array of performance/ cosmetic mods. Beware of falling down the rabbit hole. For me it was handling/ performance, a little at a time, within a reasonable budget. The result is a great little road car, very reliable so far, last of the old time BMW's. Definitely not for sale.

[asalazar8383]

Originally Posted by Olgeezer1

Joining BMWCCA wouldn't be a bad start. Cheap source for events, service, great monthly magazine, networking. Nice thing about the car is it's a fun drive as is. That said, there's an almost endless array of performance/ cosmetic mods. Beware of falling down the rabbit hole. For me it was handling/ performance, a little at a time, within a reasonable budget. The result is a great little road car, very reliable so far, last of the old time BMW's. Definitely not for sale.

Yea, I already have a nice little list of things lined up already. Haha But, I keep telling myself to do it a little bit at a time, and enjoy the journey. I have read tons about how happy people are with this car

Other than small little convenience upgrades, I wanted to do the BMW Performance Air Intake upgrade.

From all the reading I have done, my expectations are not high, it will be just a modest if slightly noticeable upgrade to HP and sound. I'm interested in the more aggressive sound.

For the BMWCCA, I haven't seen it or know anyone who has it to know if it will be a benefit to me. The little bits I see, the events are far away, I am thinking of reaching out on the Contact Us page to get a better idea of what it is and what it will mean to me. Thoughts? I am in So Cal and I am sure there's plenty for me here, I just have to run into it.

Originally Posted by Olgeezer1

Joining BMWCCA wouldn't be a bad start. Cheap source for events, service, great monthly magazine, networking. Nice thing about the car is it's a fun drive as is. That said, there's an almost endless array of performance/ cosmetic mods. Beware of falling down the rabbit hole. For me it was handling/ performance, a little at a time, within a reasonable budget. The result is a great little road car, very reliable so far, last of the old time BMW's. Definitely not for sale.

[NorthernDancer]

I too recommend joining BMWCCA: 1. great monthly magazine with info A. technical service advisors, B. Ombudsman, C. 7 pages of Tech Talk D. classified ads, cars, parts, etc. Free ads.
2. very quick access to Mike Miller (he writes Tech Talk) who will answer your questions within 24 hrs but often within 4 hours. He, saves you MONEY.
3. local club membership: these are the guys who are going to tell you where the best indy garages are and maybe someone who will help you do a simple repair. For instance, many oil filter housing gaskets (OFHG) start to leak after 5-10 years. Its really easy to change gasket on our N52 engine when you do an oil change. Club also knows where to buy parts for best prices.
4. CCA has really great prices on performance driving schools, West and East run by BMW directly. CCA clubs run high performance driver education (HPDE) schools at race tracks; we are the weakest link in driving fast.

[..Rush..]

Hello & welcome!

[asalazar8383]

Originally Posted by NorthernDancer

I too recommend joining BMWCCA: 1. great monthly magazine with info A. technical service advisors, B. Ombudsman, C. 7 pages of Tech Talk D. classified ads, cars, parts, etc. Free ads.
2. very quick access to Mike Miller (he writes Tech Talk) who will answer your questions within 24 hrs but often within 4 hours. He, saves you MONEY.
3. local club membership: these are the guys who are going to tell you where the best indy garages are and maybe someone who will help you do a simple repair. For instance, many oil filter housing gaskets (OFHG) start to leak after 5-10 years. Its really easy to change gasket on our N52 engine when you do an oil change. Club also knows where to buy parts for best prices.
4. CCA has really great prices on performance driving schools, West and East run by BMW directly. CCA clubs run high performance driver education (HPDE) schools at race tracks; we are the weakest link in driving fast.

ok sweet! Thanks for the info, I appreciate the guidance. I will definitely check it out then.

Originally Posted by NorthernDancer

I too recommend joining BMWCCA: 1. great monthly magazine with info A. technical service advisors, B. Ombudsman, C. 7 pages of Tech Talk D. classified ads, cars, parts, etc. Free ads.
2. very quick access to Mike Miller (he writes Tech Talk) who will answer your questions within 24 hrs but often within 4 hours. He, saves you MONEY.
3. local club membership: these are the guys who are going to tell you where the best indy garages are and maybe someone who will help you do a simple repair. For instance, many oil filter housing gaskets (OFHG) start to leak after 5-10 years. Its really easy to change gasket on our N52 engine when you do an oil change. Club also knows where to buy parts for best prices.
4. CCA has really great prices on performance driving schools, West and East run by BMW directly. CCA clubs run high performance driver education (HPDE) schools at race tracks; we are the weakest link in driving fast.

Originally Posted by Rush1

Hello & welcome!

[Thunderguts]

Originally Posted by asalazar8383

Other than small little convenience upgrades, I wanted to do the BMW Performance Air Intake upgrade.

From all the reading I have done, my expectations are not high, it will be just a modest if slightly noticeable upgrade to HP and sound. I'm interested in the more aggressive sound.

I have the Performance intake. You will not notice any performance improvement. It looks cool and adds very minimal sound gains, but that's about it. You can remove the charcoal filter and add a K&N filter to the stock intake and see virtually the same gains as the Performance intake. I've heard good things about the Turner intake as far as sound improvement.

[minirips2]

That BMW Performance air intake is a nice looking, well made piece, but very expensive for what it is. Unless you have found an extraordinary deal on one, I'd pass. No measurable HP gains that I know of. For half the price, you could get the European N52 intake.
Edit: Thunderguts must have beat me by a few seconds!

[asalazar8383]

Originally Posted by minirips2

That BMW Performance air intake is a nice looking, well made piece, but very expensive for what it is. Unless you have found an extraordinary deal on one, I'd pass. No measurable HP gains that I know of. For half the price, you could get the European N52 intake.
Edit: Thunderguts must have beat me by a few seconds!

Originally Posted by minirips2

That BMW Performance air intake is a nice looking, well made piece, but very expensive for what it is. Unless you have found an extraordinary deal on one, I'd pass. No measurable HP gains that I know of. For half the price, you could get the European N52 intake.
Edit: Thunderguts must have beat me by a few seconds!

Are you saying if I go with the Euro N52 Instake, I'll get about the same if not better gains? I'm interested in performing better but definitely sound better and deeper. Not expecting huge difference but modest ones. I saw a video just now advocating it. Found something

[Thunderguts]

Originally Posted by asalazar8383

Are you saying if I go with the Euro N52 Instake, I'll get about the same if not better gains? I'm interested in performing better but definitely sound better and deeper. Not expecting huge difference but modest ones. I saw a video just now advocating it. Found something

The Euro intake offers no gains over the stock intake, just an easier way to change the filter. It also shouldn't sound any different.

At least the Performance intake offers slightly better sound, but not much. It has a little outlet on the top that directs some intake noise towards the cabin. If you don't care about the cost, it's worthwhile. The reward is definitely not commensurate with the cost, however.

[lab_rat]

Originally Posted by Rush1

Hello & welcome!

Anybody else read this in Jason's voice (from Engineering Explained's YT channel)?

[Dackelone]

Welcome to 1Addicts


Here is some homework for you!

***The ultimate handing machine: 128i ?
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=575027

128i: Simple Fun, Great Price! ...in Bimmer Magazine...
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=734600

The Ultimate 1-Series Buyer's Guide
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/show....php?t=1285231

Collection of 135i Reviews / 128i Review
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=205964

Toy models of our cars... 1:43, 1:87 and 1:18...
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=507986

[Kheadley]

The n52 with the performance exhaust is one of the best if not the best exhaust I've heard imo.
An intake won't do much for power but sounds good.

If you want power the three stage intake manifold is the most bang for your buck. 230hp to 270hp.

[asalazar8383]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

Welcome to 1Addicts


Here is some homework for you!

***The ultimate handing machine: 128i ?
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=575027

128i: Simple Fun, Great Price! ...in Bimmer Magazine...
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=734600

The Ultimate 1-Series Buyer's Guide
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/show....php?t=1285231

Collection of 135i Reviews / 128i Review
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=205964

Toy models of our cars... 1:43, 1:87 and 1:18...
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=507986

Originally Posted by Dackelone

Welcome to 1Addicts

Wow, thank you! I appreciate the home work!!! hehe good stuff.