What's not so great about your 1er?

[mtowle182]

Originally Posted by BigRussia

Yeah, that's what Ive read about the mirror... and Ive tried many times with the switch in both positions and my mirror has never once tilted down in the 6-7 months Ive owned this car.

not all the cars turn the mirror down. pretty sure it has to do with manual seats

[The Wind Breezes]

The only complaint I have so far is the car appears to be limited at 250 kph or 155 INDICATED, not actual.

Haven't measured the speed with radar or GPS yet but I'd guess it's actually in the 140s.

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by ChiBimmer

Maybe BMW will fix for free?

Don't bet on it.

[angler]

Small gas tank. Seems like I am always at the gas station!

[Lucky1]

Today?

The size of the trunk lip. There's lots of cargo space in the car with the seats down and its great for long, narrow things like ladders, longer slim boxes, skis, etc. But forget about most medium to large sized boxes or pieces of furniture. I get nervous each time I go to the FedEx depot worried that after I accept a package I won't be able to fit it in the car.

[ChiBimmer]

Originally Posted by Lucky1

Today?

The size of the trunk lip. There's lots of cargo space in the car with the seats down and its great for long, narrow things like ladders, longer slim boxes, skis, etc. But forget about most medium to large sized boxes or pieces of furniture. I get nervous each time I go to the FedEx depot worried that after I accept a package I won't be able to fit it in the car.

The only thing that would make the coupe better is a shooting brake

[tglazed]

No LSD
Mirror sometimes doesn't tilt
Half gray interior (drives me crazy)

[Mach1er]

Originally Posted by BigRussia

Glad to see this thread Ive been meaning to vent lol

- And biggest of all for me: the f'n clutch and shifter! No matter what Ive done it still never feels perfect or even very good to me. Clutch engagement never seems consistent and rarely smooth, and the shifter is clunky as all hell especially going into 2nd. Downshifting from 3rd to 2nd takes me a whole second as I have to overpower the reluctant shifter into it with a noticeable clank.
I've done the BMS CDV, BMS clutch stop (which Ive then modified with more shims and adjustments), ZHP shift knob, and have adjusted my seat positions constantly at least 50 times and still get sloppy shifts and shudders most of the time, and gets even worse with the AC on. Ive driven only manual cars in my life and I've never had these issues with any of my previous 5 MT cars which were all older, cheaper, and less sporty than my 1er.

THIS!

[Booey1979]

Needs biggie fuel tank. i thought I was imagining things chase I drive a lot and always at the gas station very 3 days. But read on here it does have a small tank.

[mtowle182]

Originally Posted by Booey1979

Needs biggie fuel tank. i thought I was imagining things chase I drive a lot and always at the gas station very 3 days. But read on here it does have a small tank.

small car=small fuel tank usually

[IEDEI]

Originally Posted by BigRussia

- And biggest of all for me: the f'n clutch and shifter! No matter what Ive done it still never feels perfect or even very good to me. Clutch engagement never seems consistent and rarely smooth, and the shifter is clunky as all hell especially going into 2nd. Downshifting from 3rd to 2nd takes me a whole second as I have to overpower the reluctant shifter into it with a noticeable clank.
I've done the BMS CDV, BMS clutch stop (which Ive then modified with more shims and adjustments), ZHP shift knob, and have adjusted my seat positions constantly at least 50 times and still get sloppy shifts and shudders most of the time, and gets even worse with the AC on. Ive driven only manual cars in my life and I've never had these issues with any of my previous 5 MT cars which were all older, cheaper, and less sporty than my 1er.

really? wow.....i loved the manual gearbox in the 135is i had and love it even more in the 1M. No issues at all with the clutch or 2nd gear. It's possible you have a worn synchro which is causing that clunking. That's not a cheap repair though....

For me the 1ers have an amazing manual gearbox.....smooth, robust, and involving. Have no complaints at all....i've done no modifications to the clutch or to the pedal. 60k miles on the 1M's original clutch and no issues.

[rrinker]

Exactly. Granted, I've only had my car 3 days now, but the clutch was immediately intuitive, no jerky shifts for me, at least in normal driving. Darn near perfect. And the shift action is great as well, like a toggle switch. I see the p/n for the transmission is different between the 128i and 135i, so maybe the 128's aren't as nice as my 135, but shifter and clutch actions don't aren't even on the radar as far as what there is not to like.

For me, so far, I'm just not sure about this whole no dipstick thing. And I wish the seat settings were retained by the key - maybe this is just a setting I need to program and just haven't figured out yet? I'm rather tall, so to get in and out it's a lot easier for me to slide the seat way back. When I get in, I have to hit the memory button on the seat to put it back to my driving position. On my 05 X3, this was tied to the key - so when I put in the key with my setting and started the car, the seat went back to my preferred setting. Is this possible in the 135? Do I need something BMWhat to program it, if it's possible?

Otherwise, I am absolutely loving this car. The driving dynamics are just superb. BMW sport seats, as always, are awesome and fit any size person, like previous BMWs, I think I could drive continuously cross country if there was some way to refuel while moving. It reminds me a lot of my old E36 328, only faster.

--Randy

[E82.Love]

How everything inside the engine to protect it is plastic.
Clips break easily.
That's about it. Love my little 1.

[Ski Killset]

Originally Posted by bmw1racer

1. Lack of an oil dipstick.
2. So much tech to the point where it's tough to DIY.
3. Lack of a spare.
4. A $600+ car battery.

My battery was $139.

Coded it from my phone for less than $100.

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by Ski Killset

My battery was $139.

Coded it from my phone for less than $100.

Yup.

I really thought the battery was covered by the warranty, but no... An expensive lesson learned.

[iminhell1]

Originally Posted by bmw1racer

1. Lack of an oil dipstick.
2. So much tech to the point where it's tough to DIY.
3. Lack of a spare.
4. A $600+ car battery.

I never would have found that without your post. Thank you.
But I'm unsure if that is for all years?

I'm trying to research the 135 and what years I want to look for. Thus far it would seem 2009 or newer are the least problematic, but this may also be due to usage/miles (water pumps and such).

No oil dipstick?

Originally Posted by 135TX

It's not a 1M :'( , ridiculous offset wheels and front tire size, cattless cold starts sound disgusting, wish I had no sunroof, Armrest and e brake rub on each other, armrest is kinda stupid all in all, lack of lsd (fixable), lack of dipstick ( face palm bmw).

You're not doing well at talking me into buying one.
The tire limitation and LSD I will have to read up on, I always appreciate links ...

Originally Posted by Anorax

I'll go with the PLASTIC NIPPLE on the intake manifold... I'm more angry with myself though for not realizing the chinese finger trap vacuum lines.

Is it a Push-Lock? (if you've worked on big trucks air brakes ...)

I hope it is. I actually prefer them over rubber. I haven't seen as much degradation with Ethanol or Oxidation.

Originally Posted by inFamousKicks

1. Looks a little awkward from some angles. You really learn to love it tho.

2. The lack of tire you can fit in the fenders. Offsets are really the biggest downfall of this car imo.

4. How I can't really use then cupholders cause it either doesn't fit under the armrest or is in the way of the shift knob.

I'm sure I'm missing some minuscule things, but other than that, I love everything about, even a year later. It's super capable and a blast to drive

Does the front push through corners or is this simply a fitment (looks) issue?

I plan to track the car for fun but I don't want to find out later that it's peg leg is understeer.
I'm coming from the FWD world and I have a good LSD. I oversteer and it's very odd to say. I'm hoping for handling (after doing work) above where I sit now.

Originally Posted by bokyo1987

1. Should've had an LSD from the factory.

2. Bigger fuel tank, especially for those running e85 mixes.

3. Tablet-sized radio interface. Kinda wish I had iDrive now...

I'm hoping you've on booze.
What kind of mileage/range are you averaging?
And what are you paying per gallon in your area? (I paid $1.55 the other day)




Thanks all.

[lowbudgethero]

you can fit 245-255 tires with near stock ride height fairly easily, that's negated my woes for understeer, a lot of people find a extra set of rear wheels and add spacers (myself included).

LSD is a must, so are more responsive shocks if not springs or full coilovers

M suspension bits are nice to have

CDV is very annoying and so is the high take up, once i got rid of it and had a 550i/335is clutch installed it's the best clutch I've ever felt with a clutch stop. It might have been due to the previous owner abusing the car though.

My radio loses pixels after sitting in the sun in summer.

DIY isn't that bad for the basic stuff, but everything else....

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by iminhell1

No oil dipstick?

No oil dipstick... And it's not car model years, but engines (N51/N52/N54/N55), maybe all BMW engines...

[iminhell1]

Originally Posted by bmw1racer

No oil dipstick... And it's not car model years, but engines (N51/N52/N54/N55), maybe all BMW engines...

So it relies on what?
Oil Level Sensor and ?

How do you know the sensor is accurate?
I mean you can drain and measure, but that kinda defeats any purpose. Right.

Maybe my American is showing but I find not having a dipstick a serious safety risk. Every engine burns some oil, and that amount can change based on brand preference. Or what if the VC leaks, I can see about a quart fitting in the plug wells and who knows how much elsewhere.

[Suprgnat]

Originally Posted by iminhell1

So it relies on what?
Oil Level Sensor and ?

How do you know the sensor is accurate?
I mean you can drain and measure, but that kinda defeats any purpose. Right.

Maybe my American is showing but I find not having a dipstick a serious safety risk. Every engine burns some oil, and that amount can change based on brand preference. Or what if the VC leaks, I can see about a quart fitting in the plug wells and who knows how much elsewhere.

How do you know if anything in your highly computerized car is accurate? I grew up with point-type distributors so I knew exactly what my timing was and selected jets for my carburetor based on spark plug color.

I was initially put off by the lack of a dipstick, but the technology is sound and I find that I check my oil level far more often than I normally would. (Hell, while driving most of the time)

From "The New Generation 6-cylinder N52" PDF:

"Function of the Oil Condition Sensor
The sensor consists of two cylindrical capacitors arranged one above the other. The oil condition is determined by the lower, smaller capacitor (6). Two metal tubes (2+3), arranged one in the other, serve as the capacitor electrodes. The dielectric is the engine oil (4) between the electrodes. The electrical property of the engine oil changes as the wear or ageing increases and the fuel additives break down. The capacitance of the capacitor (oil condition sensor) changes in line with the change in the electrical material properties of the engine oil (dielectric). This means that this capacitance value is processed in the evaluation electronics (7) integrated in the sensor to form a digital signal. The digital sensor signal is transferred to the DME as an indication of the status of the engine oil. This actual value is used in the DME to calculate the next oil change service due. The engine oil level is determined in the upper part of the sensor (5). This part of the sensor is located at the same level as the oil in the oil pan. As the oil level drops (dielectric), the capacitance of the capacitor changes accordingly. The electronic circuitry in the sensor processes this capacitance value to form a digital signal and transfers the signal to the DME. A platinum temperature sensor (9) is installed at the base of the oil condition sensor for the purpose of measuring the engine oil temperature. The engine oil level, engine oil temperature and engine oil condition are registered continuously as long as voltage is applied at terminal 15. The oil condition sensor is powered via terminal 87."

[lowbudgethero]

My problem with it, is that it's an electronic sensor and the system probably costs $$$ amount and the sensor could fail due to heat and vibration eventually, but a dipstick is cheap as hell and will never break.

I have the same issue with an electric water pump, they epoxy seal the electronic bits so that when they fail I have to replace the entire thing. The small amount of efficiency gained isn't worth the risk of being suddenly stranded, the $500 dollar pump, and the PITA labor it's going to take for me to replace it.

At least on the older bmws when the pumps failed they weren't that expensive and you typically had some warning of a failing bearing.

[Ski Killset]

Originally Posted by lowbudgethero

My problem with it, is that it's an electronic sensor and the system probably costs $$$ amount and the sensor could fail due to heat and vibration eventually, but a dipstick is cheap as hell and will never break.

I have the same issue with an electric water pump, they epoxy seal the electronic bits so that when they fail I have to replace the entire thing. The small amount of efficiency gained isn't worth the risk of being suddenly stranded, the $500 dollar pump, and the PITA labor it's going to take for me to replace it.

At least on the older bmws when the pumps failed they weren't that expensive and you typically had some warning of a failing bearing.

Plus when the sensor starts to fail you just get erratic readings and it throws a silent code. Mine is failing, and no dipstick costs $166