Hello! I purchased a 2013 135is Convertible (Silver with Coral Red interior) from CarMax in late February and thought I’d share my thoughts so far. The car had 21K miles and was pretty much fully loaded. The previous owner took great care of the car because it was in immaculate condition.
Overall, this car is a blast to drive. I drove an F30 320i before and the difference between the two is night and day. Oddly enough, the 320i feels lighter than the 135, however the 135 feels more planted and is much quicker (for obvious reasons). The exhaust note is absolutely wonderful!
It’s music to my ears and sounds even better with the top down.
I really disliked the halogen DRL rings so I went ahead and had them swapped this week with LED lights that I purchased from BimmerEyes. I highly recommend BimmerEyes. The LED lights are very bright and look awesome. They are not as bright as an OEM solution (see 320 vs 135 comparison photo) but I don’t think there is anything out there that matches the OEM look. Ross was great to deal with, quick to respond to my emails, and provided some great DIY information/guides. Before and after pictures are below.
I did have an issue with the convertible top but CarMax took the car to a BMW dealer and had the issue fixed free of charge (to me). I’m hoping to not have any mechanical issues with this car but I did purchase a 60 month MaxCare warranty for peace of mind. Other than that, there was an annoying rattle that kept peering its head when driving over rough patches of road. The rattle emanated from the front right corner (maybe A pillar?). After applying Gummi Pfledge to all the seals around the car, the rattle went away so I’m hoping that was the issue.
Enough talking now…hope you enjoy the pictures below. Glad to join the E82/E88 family!