2013 135is owners discussion and photos thread!

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by infinitekid2002

I'm an OG and still reppin the 135 (though i'll hopefully get an m2 soon). Ordered sight unseen in like October of 2007 and took possession in March 2008.

One of the original 1ADDICTS!

[SLC801]

I'm going to ask an admittedly dumb question that will likely get varied replies, but here goes.

What are general thoughts on "modding" a 135is? I'm starting to do small, reversible cosmetic stuff but I'm now looking into wheels and flash options. My car is CPO another few years so there is that implication but also wondering about thoughts on the perceived value of these cars going forward.

They obviously won't appreciate but wonder if there are thoughts on holding stronger value than most, similar, cars. Also, would most assume resale down the line would be best totally stock?

Would love all thoughts on the topic.

[swagon]

Originally Posted by SLC801

I'm going to ask an admittedly dumb question that will likely get varied replies, but here goes.

What are general thoughts on "modding" a 135is? I'm starting to do small, reversible cosmetic stuff but I'm now looking into wheels and flash options. My car is CPO another few years so there is that implication but also wondering about thoughts on the perceived value of these cars going forward.

They obviously won't appreciate but wonder if there are thoughts on holding stronger value than most, similar, cars. Also, would most assume resale down the line would be best totally stock?

Would love all thoughts on the topic.

1) Non-RFT performance tires
2) Better dampers and springs
3) Blacklines.

Thank me later.

These cars won't appreciate anytime soon. You'll get rid of the car sooner.

[SLC801]

Originally Posted by swagon

1) Non-RFT performance tires
2) Better dampers and springs
3) Blacklines.

Thank me later.

These cars won't appreciate anytime soon. You'll get rid of the car sooner.

Recommended damper/springs? I prefer a moderate at best lowering.

[champignon]

Originally Posted by SLC801

I'm going to ask an admittedly dumb question that will likely get varied replies, but here goes.

What are general thoughts on "modding" a 135is? I'm starting to do small, reversible cosmetic stuff but I'm now looking into wheels and flash options. My car is CPO another few years so there is that implication but also wondering about thoughts on the perceived value of these cars going forward.

They obviously won't appreciate but wonder if there are thoughts on holding stronger value than most, similar, cars. Also, would most assume resale down the line would be best totally stock?

Would love all thoughts on the topic.

I think the 135is will hold its value better than the generic 2013 135i against which it would be compared. This will be especially true of low mileage cars in very good mechanical and cosmetic condition. It is unlikely that the "is" will defy the laws of BMW gravity, however. There weren't very many of the 135is cars made, and most likely a higher percentage of them will be treated as low mileage garage queens than will be true of the garden variety 135i.

Now that very few new cars with manual transmission and hydraulic steering are being produced, there *may* be a retro market that develops for such vehicles, which is impossible to predict at this point. If so, depreciation of good condition examples with those attributes will be slowed on the basis of higher demand for a product type that is no longer being made.

As to mods, virtually anything aftermarket that you do to a car will at best get you nothing and at worst make your vehicle unsaleable. Very nice wheels and great tires may be an exception, but in my view would be the only exception to this rule.

[SLC801]

Originally Posted by champignon

I think the 135is will hold its value better than the generic 2013 135i against which it would be compared. This will be especially true of low mileage cars in very good mechanical and cosmetic condition. It is unlikely that the "is" will defy the laws of BMW gravity, however. There weren't very many of the 135is cars made, and most likely a higher percentage of them will be treated as low mileage garage queens than will be true of the garden variety 135i.

Now that very few new cars with manual transmission and hydraulic steering are being produced, there *may* be a retro market that develops for such vehicles, which is impossible to predict at this point. If so, depreciation of good condition examples with those attributes will be slowed on the basis of higher demand for a product type that is no longer being made.

As to mods, virtually anything aftermarket that you do to a car will at best get you nothing and at worst make your vehicle unsaleable. Very nice wheels and great tires may be an exception, but in my view would be the only exception to this rule.

Very much appreciate the thoughtful and educated response. I agree with all that you said. I recently drove a new M235i and 340i and neither did a thing for me in comparison to my IS. I often rear auto journo's lamenting the raw feel of today's sporty cars.

[gregthegr8]

Originally Posted by SLC801

Recommended damper/springs? I prefer a moderate at best lowering.

I'm sure a few others like CAVU will agree with this since he had them as well, but especially given your desire to keep it pretty stock and with BMW parts, I'd highly recommend getting the BMW Performance suspension shocks and springs. It's a pretty modest lowering of 10mm (0.4 inches), but significantly improved both my ride quality and handling. Goes especially well with the pilot super sports or other good non runflat tire as well to get the full benefits. The really subtle lowering makes it look pretty mean and aggressive, too without really looking like it's lowered. Perhaps I can track down some before/after shots of my car so you can see the difference, as they'll be buried in this thread somewhere from back in the spring/summer of 2014 when I got the performance suspension installed.

[SLC801]

Originally Posted by gregthegr8

I'm sure a few others like CAVU will agree with this since he had them as well, but especially given your desire to keep it pretty stock and with BMW parts, I'd highly recommend getting the BMW Performance suspension shocks and springs. It's a pretty modest lowering of 10mm (0.4 inches), but significantly improved both my ride quality and handling. Goes especially well with the pilot super sports or other good non runflat tire as well to get the full benefits. The really subtle lowering makes it look pretty mean and aggressive, too without really looking like it's lowered. Perhaps I can track down some before/after shots of my car so you can see the difference, as they'll be buried in this thread somewhere from back in the spring/summer of 2014 when I got the performance suspension installed.

I would really appreciate that, thank you. Any recommendations on where to source the parts other than my dealer?

[inevitab1e]

Originally Posted by SLC801

What are general thoughts on "modding" a 135is? I'm starting to do small, reversible cosmetic stuff but I'm now looking into wheels and flash options. My car is CPO another few years .

Add the Dinan S2, should be OK with the CPO/warranty.

[gregthegr8]

Originally Posted by SLC801

I would really appreciate that, thank you. Any recommendations on where to source the parts other than my dealer?

Try a few of the forum vendors as some will have coupon codes (getbmwparts) going on right now I think, ECS will have free shipping, but when I priced them at the time, bmwpartspros was the cheapest for me. You have to e-mail them your VIN # as the particular springs made for your car will be VIN specific supposedly. They made like 6 different performance springs with different part #s. The price for the full set of everything though will run you about $1200 or so. It's great cause it's a full kit with everything you will need, and includes an upgraded front sway bar as well.

Here's what it includes so you can see what it's in it. But you can see that the kit is sold separately from the springs. I can send you more info later though. It's a no brainer upgrade though I don't think anyone will regret. There might be better systems/combos out there and maybe cheaper too, but it's good and it slides right in under your CPO warranty I believe.

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...t/33500444831/

[c1pher]

I am not doing anything crazy to mine either. I got a Dinan S2 tune which doesn't change anything cosmetically. I will get better tires once the OEMs wear out. I have thought about getting the BMW performance suspension and tinting the windows. Beyond that I don't think I'll change anything else.

[a4nut]

I just picked up mine in Chicago yesterday, so I had a solid 5 hours to get acquainted. Tint the windows, yes. BMW performance suspension, probably. A tune of some sort, most likely. I'll have to see how the carbon fiber lip spoiler looks on it in person. Otherwise I plan to drive and enjoy.

[c1pher]

I think going the 225/40-18 tire up front or the 225/255 setup will help handling quite a bit, particularly if you switch to a grippier non run flat.

[Elwood74]

Still have the 135is...for now. It's been my winter beater. The new replacement sits in the garage and looks pretty while it's wet and salty out. The 1er will go on the Auction block this Summer. Still a fantastic little car that I could see myself having forever. That is until the M2 aka the replacement came along.

[woody1385]

Originally Posted by gregthegr8

I'm sure a few others like CAVU will agree with this since he had them as well, but especially given your desire to keep it pretty stock and with BMW parts, I'd highly recommend getting the BMW Performance suspension shocks and springs. It's a pretty modest lowering of 10mm (0.4 inches), but significantly improved both my ride quality and handling. Goes especially well with the pilot super sports or other good non runflat tire as well to get the full benefits. The really subtle lowering makes it look pretty mean and aggressive, too without really looking like it's lowered. Perhaps I can track down some before/after shots of my car so you can see the difference, as they'll be buried in this thread somewhere from back in the spring/summer of 2014 when I got the performance suspension installed.

This "BMW Performance" suspension will lower a 135is that already has the M-Sport suspension?

[gregthegr8]

Originally Posted by woody1385

This "BMW Performance" suspension will lower a 135is that already has the M-Sport suspension?

Here's a nice visual I put together for SLC801 from old pics of my car from various photoshoots. You can see the 10mm lowering over the m-sport suspension is subtle but takes out about half the wheel gap, but doesn't really LOOK lowered and maintains a nice, symmetrical wheel gap.

Stock Suspension:



Performance Suspension:



Here are some more photos from each of those sets if you want to see more sorta before and afters, though that wasn't the point of those photos at the time. But you can at least see how the car sits/looks from various angles with the stock suspension versus performance suspension.

Stock Suspension:
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showp...postcount=1705

Performance Suspension:
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showp...postcount=4571

[gregthegr8]

Also, note that that's on stock size 215/245 PSS in both pics in case you or anyone is wondering or was going to ask. You may also notice that it's also sporting the bmw performance rotors, too in the later pics, which I can give my opinions on separately if anyone is interested.

[SLC801]

Just that subtle wheel gap difference is exactly what I'm looking for. I'll, at worst, be adding the springs.

Thanks again.

[Fade135is]

Originally Posted by gregthegr8

Also, note that that's on stock size 215/245 PSS in both pics in case you or anyone is wondering or was going to ask. You may also notice that it's also sporting the bmw performance rotors, too in the later pics, which I can give my opinions on separately if anyone is interested.

I'm interested Greg, what was the price difference over stock? They look great.

[gregthegr8]

Originally Posted by Fade135is

I'm interested Greg, what was the price difference over stock? They look great.

Not sure what current pricing is, but I think when I looked a few years ago, the performance rotors were only like $75 more or something either per pair or perhaps per full set. I pulled up my old receipt though with part #s, too if you're interested as you can price them out versus the stock OEM rotors.

Front Cross Drilled & Slotted Rotors:
BMW Part #34116786392
Price paid for set - $329.95

Rear Dimpled & Slotted Rotors:
BMW Part #34216795754
Price paid for set - $301.00

So, figure around $700 for a full set of BMW performance rotors. You're not really going to see too much performance benefit I don't think, though they are supposedly designed to dissipate heat and water better. I did it mostly for looks thanks to Owen2001 showing off his full performance set, which included the phoenix yellow painted BMW PERFORMANCE calipers, too. That kit includes everything - calipers, pads, sensors, dust shields, etc. and is around $2k. The calipers are identical though, just pretty, so no performance gains there on a 135 either.

Anyways, the fronts are definitely worth it as they look amazing, especially with the 313s, since they're so open and expose the rotors. The rears...eh, they're just dimpled and slotted, so is a much more subtle look. I think if I were to do it over again I'd either just get the fronts to save money or get the full kit with the calipers because I erred on the side of caution and put new pads on even though I only had about 3k miles at the time. So, for the amount of money I spent to have a dealer do it cost way more than I intended when I bought the rotors, so I might as well have just gotten the whole kit perhaps.

But, if you need new rotors anyways and were going to buy the OEM ones, it's probably worth spending a little extra for the pretty performance ones.

[AGAV13]

Originally Posted by Kouper

Over half a million views on this thread, but it has been dying a slow death!
Time for a 4 year reunion / check-in with some of the very first 135is owners. Tell us:
Do you still have the 135is?
If not, when did you sell it and what are you driving now?
Anything else of interest about the car.

There may not be much interest, but this is at least worth a try.
How about a weigh in from:

mb135is
Pyrat 2
Elwood74
eywflyer
gregthegr8
NavyChop93
AGAV13
Chunner
bp-plickner
owen2001
CAVU
Worra
Bama335
+ anyone else I might have misssed....

Sorry for the late "check-in". I'm still going strong in my 135is and it will be 4 years old on June 8th. I'm currently around 43k miles (daily driver) and I love the car just as much as day one. I have had thoughts about moving into a M2 but it's not the right time for me do so, maybe in a year or two.
I have had zero issues with the car since purchase (other than the two destroyed rims this winter from all the pot holes, etc. up here in the northeast. Damn run flats.) Have only made a few cosmetic "upgrades"; all black grilles, upgraded angel eyes, carbon fiber diffuser, black spoiler, and mud flaps. As for performance upgrades I bit the bullet when Dinan was running their 50% off sale and went with Stage 2. Still haven't had an opportunity to put it to the test but it's nice knowing it's there when I do get that chance. I plan on holding off on other performance upgrades until either a) the car is paid off (sometime this year", or b) I purchase another car which will then become my DD. I would like to eventually do a complete suspension upgrade if I plan on keeping the car for another 4-5 year and not move onto a M2/3.
Would love to do a meetup in the NY/North East area sometime this summer. I have only seen 2 other "is" in the past 4 years. One convertible in VA (owned by by cousins wife's mother) and another white coupe in Stamford CT.

[c1pher]

I called a local tire place about swapping my runflats for PSS and they won't touch my car since they can't guarantee not scratching the wheels in the process of removing the runflats. Where can I go besides the stealership that won't screw up my beautiful 313 wheels?