New person here.

[DBFIU]

Hi everyone,

I just joined the forum after lurking for the past two weeks. A lot of normal people seem to exist here which is good.

I don't own a BMW yet, right now I own two cars. A 2008 honda civic SI coupe and a 1991 ford mustang 5.0 that i built and race, it is fast.

I would like to make the right choices when buying this car, it is expensive.

I really like the 135i a lot, this engine in a small package is what i want.

I have a couple questions:

1. Do they sell those 'nose guards', i do a lot of highway driving and rocks and sh1t always seem to chip the paint off my cars front bumpers.

2. I want to trade in my honda civic SI for a 135i. The situation is really how bad I want the 135 because I am going to loose money if i do this, but i dont care. How many of you out there traded in less expensive cars for the 135? and what are you monthly car payments?

3. I am looking for a used 135 with miles, because 2008 is almost over and there are probably some sitting on the lot (i dont know?) does anyone know of any 135s out there that need to be sold?
Oh I forgot to mention I live in south florida.

4. Whats the deal with this cars top end? Every dyno graph i see has torque falling flat on its face at 6k, those little turbos are getting all choked up at top end. Is it me, or does this car seem like just a stump puller?

Thanks,




- Dan

[Oregon]

Hi Dan,

Welcome to 1ADDICTS. You'll meet a bunch of fine folks around here, no screwballs inside, well, maybe a few screwballs, and you screwballs know who you are.:wink::biggrin:

Answers to most of your questions can be found via the : function at the top of the page though the membership will chime in as they are a most helpful lot. As to query #4, quote a trusted bromide, like a freakin' freight train.:eyebulge:

[lambammm]

Originally Posted by DBFIU

Hi everyone,

I just joined the forum after lurking for the past two weeks. A lot of normal people seem to exist here which is good.

I don't own a BMW yet, right now I own two cars. A 2008 honda civic SI coupe and a 1991 ford mustang 5.0 that i built and race, it is fast.

I would like to make the right choices when buying this car, it is expensive.

I really like the 135i a lot, this engine in a small package is what i want.

I have a couple questions:

1. Do they sell those 'nose guards', i do a lot of highway driving and rocks and sh1t always seem to chip the paint off my cars front bumpers.

2. I want to trade in my honda civic SI for a 135i. The situation is really how bad I want the 135 because I am going to loose money if i do this, but i dont care. How many of you out there traded in less expensive cars for the 135? and what are you monthly car payments?

3. I am looking for a used 135 with miles, because 2008 is almost over and there are probably some sitting on the lot (i dont know?) does anyone know of any 135s out there that need to be sold?
Oh I forgot to mention I live in south florida.

4. Whats the deal with this cars top end? Every dyno graph i see has torque falling flat on its face at 6k, those little turbos are getting all choked up at top end. Is it me, or does this car seem like just a stump puller?

Thanks,




- Dan

1. yes, popular choice is clear bra.
2. varies
3. be careful of used turbo cars. someone getting rid of a 135i this soon is either having problems with it or can't afford it. make sure you go for the latter.
4. dynos aren't lying, but there's PLENTY of zip for me.

[EspressoBoy]

Originally Posted by Surname

Hi Dan,

Welcome to 1ADDICTS. You'll meet a bunch of fine folks around here, no screwballs inside, well, maybe a few screwballs, and you screwballs know who you are.:wink::biggrin:

Answers to most of your questions can be found via the : function at the top of the page though the membership will chime in as they are a most helpful lot. As to query #4, quote a trusted bromide, like a freakin' freight train.:eyebulge:

We do?

.... On the clearbra stuff.... Here I go again... BTW, this is therapy for me... Hopefully helping others helps me deal with my addiction to this car...

DBFIU / Dan,

First welcome to the site! And your fist post!

I owned 3 cars all at one time before the 1! I only have the 1 now.
Only one of them was traded in. The other two I sold privately. Trade in is the lazy way to go but for some like myself it was the best way. For me, driving in with the trade in and picking up the 1 was the way to go. Good reasons to trade in are Convenience, tax return, and not knowing the next owner. And if you are smart, you will even trade-in at what the car is worth, or even make a few bucks... Few do that.

I did not think how my dealership handles after market stuff (or lack of).... i.e. 3M Stoneguard clear-bra, and tint.

The tint I got was in my opinion perfect. Whoever did my tint I wish I could shake their hand, and say, “Job well done!”

The 3M Stoneguard was the opposite. I would like to bring them to Trump for his famous 2 words....
I went to the promotion for the 1 after I owned the car for a few months and had the chance to meet up with some real enthusiasts, who had owned BMW's for generations... And one guy was a magazine writer.

He showed me his clear-bra and mine was a joke compared to his...

This stuff is plastic stuck to your car, but they make it sound like it is superman's costume and will protect your car from driving through the sun.

So understanding who makes it, and how well it will stand up is important, but it is after all just a sheet of plastic. In my opinion how they apply it is key.

1. Go to a place and talk to them, check the place out. Look at other cars, and ask to see one being done.
   
   
2. See if they go around the almost all the edges. The guy who showed me his, they went around almost all the edges like on the hood and even the tips. It is much harder to do it that way. Mine was ½ done that way. Even the BMW logo on mine is crooked. When I pointed out some of this to the only contact I had for this at the Dealership, he said, “You got a good job!” LOL I know differently now. All this looks perfect (even the flaws) when it's done, but once the dirt gets around those edges it starts to be noticed. On mine I can see edges either not completely filled or it lifted a bit, now dirt accumulates there. I think they bank on the fact that it will be hit with a million rocks and will be in such bad shape 6 months later that they can blame it on that. In my case I think I only have 1 hit. I am sure this summer it will take a pounding though.
   
   
3. Make sure you get a written guarantee. My dealership not only didn't give me one, but I have no idea if it is truly 3M. I also found out there are different qualities. Again I have no idea. This dealership likes to "say" not put things in writing. LOL
   
   
4. There is a big problem with the driver’s side mirror getting covered. When they use 2 pieces, a small gap like 1mm is left and causes a wind tunnel and you get a whistle at 60+mph/120kmh. I have not bothered with mine because I use it to remind myself to slow down. I also use the alarm set at 140 km/h to slow down. Here in Ontario Canada they take your car away if caught going over 50 km/h over the limit. I have not had a speeding ticket for over 15 years and I hope to keep it that way. Ooops so get them to guarantee they will cover the mirror and it won't whistle. Drive it before they put the cover on and prove to them it's the cover not the car. Oh a few also get it on the passenger but the majority it's only the driver’s side. I don't know why and frankly it is a small thing. I could have had them take 1 strip of the plastic off to solve it, but then 1/2 the back of the mirror would be exposed. Some have claimed here that they have a 1 piece and it covers the whole back, I have yet to get a true picture to show it.
   
   
5. I highly suggest not getting it done at the dealership unless they allow you to talk to the installer, and get their business card. And the dealership is the guarantee not the installer. And also the service department looks after the warranty issues, not some finance manager like in my case. He obviously does not have time for me and has told me so. It has really put a negative spin on the dealership as a whole. My CA knows about it, yet no manager from higher up has bothered or cared. This is my own issue but by what I read I am not alone here. The old story they are nice be4 the sale, and after you are on your own. I have to give Toyota credit here, 2 dealerships service were very nice to me and for 12 years I was very happy. I wish I could say the same for my current dealership. It's kind of ironic, as "transparency" is their real problem in just about every way... they like to nickel and dime you... LOL

I am sure I could write another 5 pages... Anyway hopefully this gives you an idea. The biggest problem with clear-bra is 6 months after... Does it still look good? Was it worth the 1k? I suggest you look around. The problem is those old leatherette black bra's were terrible. This has it's own issues. Mine still looks ok but this summer I plan to go back and have them fix or replace it. I assume they will but time will tell. I so wish I had gone to a place where they only did clear-bra. My logic was to pick up the car all done! I think I should have waited another 2-3 days and drove it over and waited the extra time. I didn't because of the hassle and also some people actually got stone chips driving the car home!Good luck on your clear-bra! LOL Even though it’s based on science (the coating) it’s a real art to put it on. You can search on youtube.com and see it done. This is why it is so important to make sure the person who installs has been doing it full time for years, and you can see his work, and they guarantee it.

EspressoBoy

PS
I have never liked a car like this 1. It is an amazing machine and like every1 else here I am anal and treat it like a baby. I think what I like most is the drive. Second is the look. It is subtle. I think only those that know BMW understands its true appeal. I really feel for those who got a bad 1. Very few do not like the car, and actually only those who had problems as far as I know, decided to sell it... Oh and those who had to sell due to finances. I really do not know anyone who doesn’t like it. Well I think there was one person here, but let’s just pretend they don’t exist...lol

[Tweeked SRT4]

Welcome to the site.:headbang:

[ulrichd]

Dan,
Take a look at the cars for sale forum on this board. There are several used, lightly optioned 135 available around $35K.

[adc]

With this engine, an epic upper rev range is only $500 away - piggybacks like the JB3 are almost scary. Scary good, that is. :smile:

[DBFIU]

Thanks for the replies. I just searched for the clearbra stuff, neat setup but so expensive!! Do they sell something more 'mickey mouse' for the drive to and from work? Like a vinyl bra? Dont shoot me for suggesting this!


adc, I saw dyno graphs after JB3 upgrades, cars making 400+ rwhp. But the trend will not change, just shift vertically upward.

http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2275

I'm not trying to be a nay sayer, I just want to learn about this engine.

At 6k the torque of this car drops below 350 and at redline it is at 275. The gradual decrease in torque is what jumps out at me, a car should build torque almost continuously and then drastically drop off at redline. In essence, you would rev the motor to that point and shift. With a gradual decrease in torque like that, you would feel the car 'running out of steam' up top. See what I mean?

Here's another one

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=165877

This one didnt even make power to redline (7k right?).

I have a lot of respect for this engine, the torque and power is amazing but the top end can be improved with greater flow. I am assuming these 'low inertia' turbochargers are slightly undersized to allow for great low end and driveability. The top end suffers, a chip cannot change the geometry of the turbocharger, it will just shift the graphs vertically.

Thanks for the insight!!

[adc]

Originally Posted by DBFIU

adc, I saw dyno graphs after JB3 upgrades, cars making 400+ rwhp. But the trend will not change, just shift vertically upward. (...) This one didnt even make power to redline (7k right?).

I guess if you are looking for dyno graphs that start with the words "another dissappointing JB3 dyno" or "the dyno operator was a little confused because of the auto tranny", then you shouldn't be surprised at the numbers.

All that matters is how much PSI can you safely run on the small OEM turbos close to redline. As long as you don't step out of the turbo's efficiency zone (or safety zone) it will still make power.

Contrary to the 2 samples you found, my informal butt-dyno told me the car was still accelerating very very hard around 6500 RPM. You are correct, since the torque curve is definitely dropping to some extent I don't think it makes much sense revving past that, but all I can say is that due to the relatively long gearing, running from 4000 RPM tp 6500 RPM in a JB3 car is absolutely positively exhilarating. And should you happen to glance at the speedo as this experience repeats itself through the gears, it becomes silly.


Trust the science, by all means - but don't discount the test drive. :smile: Not sure what the Procede return policy is, but JB3 has a 14 days money-back guarantee - get it, try it out, and in the extremeley unlikely chance that it doesn't blow your mind off - send it back.


(Not sure, perhaps running 93 octane helped?)

[crzy4135i]

The dyno sheets are misleading. The car is small and the torque hits so low you really won't worry about running it to 7k rpms very often on the street. I guess you need to drive one to get a feel for the low end torque band. It's very fun.