New/Old 135i owner - What is the deal these days?

[titium]

Originally Posted by martymil

A lot of customers, you know a lot of advan customers ?

You would be lucky if you knew 5% of old or new advan customers

Very foolish statement and assumption

Not really. You're dilusional if you think advan haven't lost customers.
Few people I've spoken to have been fed up with them and moved on.

The general vibe in the community is that they just aren't as good as they used to be.

Crappy workmanship shitty customer service and overcharging is why I won't be returning back there.

To be fair though they lost me on the tail end of Pete's ownership, so can't really comment on the new ownership.

[martymil]

I did say they didn't loose customers but with every ownership change over
things are going to change, some like it some don't.

For a fact a lot of customers didnt like pete because of the long delays in install times
and a lot of new and old customers have come back/in since the new ownership.

Yes some have left but your going to get that, but not a lot of them as perceived from previous statements.

The problem with the previous statement was that a lot of customers are leaving advan
and thats just not the case, if anything advan is busier than ever with great quality work coming from Cameron and Joe.

Since then things have changed and turn around times are great, with new mechanics
now in the shop things are looking up and I dont have to travel to the arse end of Sydney to get a service.

[Drawn05]

Geez, its good to see that nothing changes on the 1addicts oz forum - still full of pointless arguments.

Anyway, I ordered a Wagner Evo 1 from Schmiedmann along with the Alpine stereo kit. Was surprised that the stereo got delivered yesterday afternoon by some random bloke in a WRX - weird. Intercooler is due by COB tomorrow so looking forward to putting that on.

I've got to say I have been impressed with Schmiedmann. They used to be quite difficult 5-6 years ago compared to ECS Tuning, however the shipping costs of ECS these days are just plain bullshit.

I flashed the MHD stage 1 map and it has been good so far. Not sure if my transmission needs to be serviced as the shifts are quite brutal - I dont remember them being so bad on my previous 135i.

[martymil]

I just cant stand anyone rubbishing a good bussiness either be hills or advan its just not on

Without each other theres no competition, no competition prices creep up slowly

Here is a great guy that just brought a bussiness and is really trying hard to make a go of it and the tools on here want rubbish its name. Give the bloke a chance and you might be surprised

[UR25IO]

Originally Posted by martymil

I just cant stand anyone rubbishing a good bussiness either be hills or advan its just not on

Without each other theres no competition, no competition prices creep up slowly

Here is a great guy that just brought a bussiness and is really trying hard to make a go of it and the tools on here want rubbish its name. Give the bloke a chance and you might be surprised

Seriously Marty i have just lost all respect for you. SO PLEASE GO STUFF YOURSELF.
What dont you get when all ive said was i used Hills now
When did i say DO NOT GO TO ADVAN BECAUSE THEIR OVER PRICE WITH POOR WORKMANSHIP.

[martymil]

I did have a good feed tonight too thanks for telling me to.

Just goes to show the maturity of the crowd on here sometimes.

Originally Posted by UR25IO

Marty seriously have you read my statement - A lot of Advan customers had moved on. (Fullstop) meaning moved on to other workshops and other makes of car brands
Then i stated personally I now go to Hills same with a few others.

There is a difference between a lot and a few

This is going back to the good old days back in 2011-2012.
Im not talking about the new school guys

Originally Posted by UR25IO

Seriously Marty i have just lost all respect for you. SO PLEASE GO STUFF YOURSELF.
What dont you get when all ive said was i used Hills now
When did i say DO NOT GO TO ADVAN BECAUSE THEIR OVER PRICE WITH POOR WORKMANSHIP.

Insinuations are just as bad as statements, you might as well said what you just did in capital letters.

Your maturity level has been shown right here in your last statement.

I never wanted, asked or cared if you respected me, should I run along now and

[T1M]

Originally Posted by xQx

Really good post

Didn't want to re-quote all that but very nicely written opinion on the addition of the LSD. I would like to change the stock M3 diff centre to a clutch type LSD in the near future to regain the predictable nature that I had previously and now sorely miss in this current car.

Although my diff won't be behaving exactly like yours does, it's worth noting that I have not experienced understeer in my car. I've not pushed it to the absolute limit of front end mechanical grip but I have been leaning on the door/wheel for support and wishing I had proper buckets and/or a harness but it did not understeer. Hopefully adding more M3 suspension bits will help you.

What tyres are you running?

[xQx]

Originally Posted by T1M

Didn't want to re-quote all that but very nicely written opinion on the addition of the LSD. I would like to change the stock M3 diff centre to a clutch type LSD in the near future to regain the predictable nature that I had previously and now sorely miss in this current car.

Although my diff won't be behaving exactly like yours does, it's worth noting that I have not experienced understeer in my car. I've not pushed it to the absolute limit of front end mechanical grip but I have been leaning on the door/wheel for support and wishing I had proper buckets and/or a harness but it did not understeer. Hopefully adding more M3 suspension bits will help you.

What tyres are you running?

I'm running 225/40r18 Kumho Eccsta le sports all round (squared).
The tires came with the rims and they're much better than the all-seasons that came with the car. As far as traction goes, they let go gradually, which is great for learning how the car handles.
(You'd think this was a given, but the all-seasons that came with the car just used to slide without provocation).

I expect control arms at the front should make a big difference, but I've been driving for a week now and it's a really easy behavior to manage. It's only if you're accelerating into a corner - and either backing off or mashing the throttle will cause the car to tighten up (backing off puts the weight back on the front wheels and stops pushing from the back, mashing the throttle causes the back-end to break loose and rotate the car). That said, I haven't driven on any wet roads yet, there's a chance it'll plough.
(In which case I'm going to start spending money on front-end suspension bits.)

I too didn't find understeer to be a problem before the diff, since I'd trail-break into a corner (promoting oversteer) if I was already going fast; or I'd loose 'one-wheel' traction well before I gained enough speed to unsettle the car sideways if I was powering through a corner.

But it's the biggest change in driving the car on the street, compared to before - when you power through a corner, the steering is much heaver because it's desperately trying to push the front wheels straight again; and the track the car takes through the corner is wider than before.

In some sense the answer is what any HPDE instructor would tell you: if you're on the power before the apex you're driving wrong; and you shouldn't be exploring the limits of your grip on the street.

In practice, I just aim for a slightly tighter curve when I'm powering through a corner so I've given myself enough space to catch the car if it does understeer.

But it's so worth it... You notice the extra traction every time you accelerate.

An e-diff might be better than an open diff, but the difference in traction between the e-diff and a mechanical LSD is like night and day.

[Griffster]

Originally Posted by xQx

So I finally got my diff installed
The good news for me was in my pumpkin size, the Mfactory 10-plate clutch-type diff was the same price as the helical.

I've never had a car with a mechanical diff before, and I gotta say I was a bit nervous spending $3k ($1.5k for the diff, about $400 - $500 for Mike's work & oils etc, about $500 for the diff removal and replacement and about $500 for new PowerFlex diff bushes & Installation)

Great post. I'm kind of shocked though. Mike quoted me $4156 just for the diff. At $3k i'd put one in tomorrow, at $6k i'm really struggling to justify it.

[xQx]

Originally Posted by Griffster

Great post. I'm kind of shocked though. Mike quoted me $4156 just for the diff. At $3k i'd put one in tomorrow, at $6k i'm really struggling to justify it.

Which diff are you looking at?

This is the one I got:
https://www.difflab.com.au/by-produc...ry-1.5Way-2Way

Obviously what you can get depends on your pumpkin size (I don't know the specifics but I know MT and AT are different), but I would've expected a MFactory Helical be $1,500 + build & fitting, or a Mfactory clutch $1500 - $2,000 + build & fitting.

[martymil]

For those prices you can get a low km m3 complete rear end and its way stronger than those from the uk and thats inc install

[Drawn05]

Can anyone link me to a surefire guide (and preferably download) for INPA? I have spent the last week trying to get it working but no luck. It's really starting to shit me.

I got one version working but despite installing in English, all the text is german. Then I couldn't find anything for the e88 (or e82 or 89) or even N54.

I used to have this working well about 5-6 years ago with my old 1ers but I do recall a lot of faffing about to get it to work also.

Help!

[drjekl]

Originally Posted by Drawn05

Can anyone link me to a surefire guide (and preferably download) for INPA? I have spent the last week trying to get it working but no luck. It's really starting to shit me.

I got one version working but despite installing in English, all the text is german. Then I couldn't find anything for the e88 (or e82 or 89) or even N54.

I used to have this working well about 5-6 years ago with my old 1ers but I do recall a lot of faffing about to get it to work also.

Help!

the guys recently released an english version of INPA this week (check for bimmergeeks on FB- oh wait youre not on FB)

[Drawn05]

Originally Posted by drjekl

the guys recently released an english version of INPA this week (check for bimmergeeks on FB- oh wait youre not on FB)

Hi Shane. Yes, we have no Facebook...however I take it these are the said "geeks": https://www.bimmergeeks.net/?

I will try and download and install when I get home. Cheers

[drjekl]

Originally Posted by Drawn05

Hi Shane. Yes, we have no Facebook...however I take it these are the said "geeks": https://www.bimmergeeks.net/?

I will try and download and install when I get home. Cheers

That'd be them

[Griffster]

Originally Posted by martymil

For those prices you can get a low km m3 complete rear end and its way stronger than those from the uk and thats inc install

Where? I've been keeping an eye out and have yet to find one. I see them from time to time but they're invariably the wrong diff for my manual.

[Drawn05]

Originally Posted by drjekl

That'd be them

Out of interest, have you used this version of Inpa Shane? I cant get this version to work either as it says "Could'nt find INPA configuration file c:\ blah blah". Getting fed up with it. I don't have much spare time anymore so it's annoying to lose time for nothing.

Such a painful process to get this up and running as there are so many versions but also far too many methods/tricks to install. There should just a standard install without the 'replace this file' and 'delete that file'.

[Nugget]

Originally Posted by Griffster

Great post. I'm kind of shocked though. Mike quoted me $4156 just for the diff. At $3k i'd put one in tomorrow, at $6k i'm really struggling to justify it.

Was a few years ago but I got a complete diff with a brand new wavetrac centre delivered from the US for ~$3500.
Meant I could just swap them, so when I sold the car I swapped back in the stock diff and sold the LSD for ~$2k.

[T1M]

Originally Posted by xQx

I'm running 225/40r18 Kumho Eccsta le sports all round (squared).
The tires came with the rims and they're much better than the all-seasons that came with the car. As far as traction goes, they let go gradually, which is great for learning how the car handles.
(You'd think this was a given, but the all-seasons that came with the car just used to slide without provocation).

I expect control arms at the front should make a big difference, but I've been driving for a week now and it's a really easy behavior to manage. It's only if you're accelerating into a corner - and either backing off or mashing the throttle will cause the car to tighten up (backing off puts the weight back on the front wheels and stops pushing from the back, mashing the throttle causes the back-end to break loose and rotate the car). That said, I haven't driven on any wet roads yet, there's a chance it'll plough.
(In which case I'm going to start spending money on front-end suspension bits.)

I too didn't find understeer to be a problem before the diff, since I'd trail-break into a corner (promoting oversteer) if I was already going fast; or I'd loose 'one-wheel' traction well before I gained enough speed to unsettle the car sideways if I was powering through a corner.

But it's the biggest change in driving the car on the street, compared to before - when you power through a corner, the steering is much heaver because it's desperately trying to push the front wheels straight again; and the track the car takes through the corner is wider than before.

In some sense the answer is what any HPDE instructor would tell you: if you're on the power before the apex you're driving wrong; and you shouldn't be exploring the limits of your grip on the street.

In practice, I just aim for a slightly tighter curve when I'm powering through a corner so I've given myself enough space to catch the car if it does understeer.

But it's so worth it... You notice the extra traction every time you accelerate.

An e-diff might be better than an open diff, but the difference in traction between the e-diff and a mechanical LSD is like night and day.

Have you coded out the brake assist ie e-diff since adding the LSD?

Originally Posted by martymil

For those prices you can get a low km m3 complete rear end and its way stronger than those from the uk and thats inc install

The M3 diff is not a real clutch type LSD. It's a viscous centre that only via wheelspeed difference locks up and actuates clutches. This unlocks itself as wheelspeeds synchronise and then relocks again if they differ as a slide is held. This creates unpredictable behaviour, and a true clutch type LSD is far superior.

[martymil]

The problem with the 135 diff its a pile of shit

It has so many weak links your wasting your time upgrading if your
going to race

The pinion gear shaft is weak and breaks, the pinion gear bearing fails as
its a design flaw in the diff

The half shaft are weak and break.

Has limited gear ratios and the list goes on

The 1m/m3 diff is basically unbreakable as many races have found out.

You have an abundance of ratios to choose from

You can install any diff centre from an abundance of manufactures

It has super strong axels yet to be broken.

The diff is far superior and yet to be broken even at the drag strip on full slicks

The drive shaft to diff coupling is superior as the 135 ones fail easily and
is a common problem.

It has passive cooling unlike 135i

The whole cradle can be had for £1000 plus shipping from UK and that and
that comes with m3 arms, m3 bushes.

What a saving over these silly 135 diff upgrades, now if you want to upgrade
the m diff since you don't like it the plethora of upgrades is available to you

But for 99% of drivers this is the best way to upgrade the 135/335 diff and
get the traction they are lacking.

[T1M]

Originally Posted by martymil

The problem with the 135 diff its a pile of shit

It has so many weak links your wasting your time upgrading if your
going to race

The pinion gear shaft is weak and breaks, the pinion gear bearing fails as
its a design flaw in the diff

The half shaft are weak and break.

Has limited gear ratios and the list goes on

The 1m/m3 diff is basically unbreakable as many races have found out.

You have an abundance of ratios to choose from

You can install any diff centre from an abundance of manufactures

It has super strong axels yet to be broken.

The diff is far superior and yet to be broken even at the drag strip on full slicks

The drive shaft to diff coupling is superior as the 135 ones fail easily and
is a common problem.

It has passive cooling unlike 135i

The whole cradle can be had for £1000 plus shipping from UK and that and
that comes with m3 arms, m3 bushes.

What a saving over these silly 135 diff upgrades, now if you want to upgrade
the m diff since you don't like it the plethora of upgrades is available to you

But for 99% of drivers this is the best way to upgrade the 135/335 diff and
get the traction they are lacking.

All good points, if you want the best solution. Not all may need that though, stock turbo/mild upgrade cars for example.

A used M3 diff with the centre swapped for a proper clutch LSD would be excellent but there's custom prop shaft work to be done, I don't recall the rest of the details of the drive shafts etc (vtl has M3 diff converted his 135 and detailed the process) but the added cost may be prohibitive for many.

[martymil]

Everything fits, the only mod is the prop shaft that can be done by any reputable shop for under 500 dollars

We have one on the Single turbo car getting built now.

But yes I would say more like 50%, as most want to race and tend to give the car a hard time.

If for street use only or mild track yes more than ample but when you count up all the mods you need to do and most will,
the m3 diff works out cheaper

Price up control arms, sub frame bushes, swaybar and shocks or coilovers as the old ones wont fit when you change the control arms.

Close to 2k + shocks + lsd = min 5k

1m/m3 diff 2500 landed + shaft mod 500 + coil overs = well under 5k and it includes a nicely finned diff cover for extra cooling.