What did you do to/for your 1er today?

[chris_flies]

Originally Posted by Gangplank

What's with the -40 degrees?!

And the SES light...

SES light because the engine isn't on...

-40 because the ambient temp sensor is broken. It does produce an SES light when the engine is running.

[Rmtt]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

Would love more info on how you're doing this. Looking at doing Sportster CS seats with their heating elements next year and would love BMW Performance stitching or something similar rather than brand names. I detest brand labels on my car.

+1....I could see doing this with my sport seats!

[GO444]

Wish everyone a Happy Holiday Season and a good start in 2020!

[Just Apex It]

Participated in the DreamCars4Kids Toys for Tots Rally over the weekend and we had about a thousand presents donated going to kids to make their Christmas that much better! About 3 hours and ~150 miles of some great backroads in central Florida with some amazing cars!

[tjswarbrick]

Originally Posted by Just Apex It

Participated in the DreamCars4Kids Toys for Tots Rally over the weekend and we had about a thousand presents donated going to kids to make their Christmas that much better! About 3 hours and ~150 miles of some great backroads in central Florida with some amazing cars!

Looks awesome!

[bmw1racer]

Got two new tires from TireRack for the rear.

[6ixSpd]

Got sick of my hands being covered in salt and dirt and washed the filth off. She's looking clean for the first time in over a month...

[bobowar135]

Originally Posted by Just Apex It

Participated in the DreamCars4Kids Toys for Tots Rally over the weekend and we had about a thousand presents donated going to kids to make their Christmas that much better! About 3 hours and ~150 miles of some great backroads in central Florida with some amazing cars!

That's a pretty sweet line-up, gathered together for a great cause.

[chadillac2000]

The 1er got a present for Xmas -- a set of brand new Berk midpipes. For the past 100,000 miles I’ve been running a hacked up N54 midpipe with Vibrant 1790 resonators installed in place of the secondary cats and it’s been great, but I’ve always eyeballed this purpose-built two-piece midpipe setup from Berk for some time now. Build quality looks top notch and came with new hardware and gaskets. It should sound great in between the ACF 3” downpipe and the MadDad Whisper. Should be installing these sometime in January.

[b1aze]

Installed a 135i BMWPerformance axleback and ordered a set of Enkei NT03RR in 17” proper fitment. Hoping the rears are a nice concave! Gonna be a bit of a wait from the motherland though!

[Thunderguts]

Ugh! I'm so tired that I can barely move!

Friday night I replaced my rear shocks and springs. That wasn't bad at all and it made me a little overly optimistic for the fronts. Saturday I spent most of the day replacing the shock and strut on the passenger side. Sunday was spent on the driver's side.

Here's the breakdown

1) Replaced all four springs with M Performance T1 springs
2) Replaced all four shocks with M Performance shocks. (I'm not sure if Sachs makes the M Performance shocks or not. I couldn't find any identifying marks.)
3) Replaced front sway bar with M Performance sway bar. (Oddly I think it's the same diameter as the stock bar, but it has different bends in it. Unfortunately I didn't photograph them side by side.)
4) Replaced tension struts with TRW M3 tension struts.
5) Replaced control arms with TRW M3 control arms. (I actually installed a new stock control arm on the passenger side at first before deciding to go with the M3 arms so I had to backtrack.)

There wasn't anything particularly difficult, just time consuming. I treated myself to a new cordless impact driver thinking it would be so much easier, but I wasn't able to use it that often. It did loosen all of the bolts, but it was almost useless for tightening them. I think the hardest part was reassembling the front struts and trying to line up the spring perches. The trickiest part was torquing down the arms on the knuckle because it turns when you try to torque them. I elevated the knuckle to ride height with some wood and a jack, but it was going to pop off if I kept turning it. I finally recruited my wife to hold the steering wheel steady as I torqued them down.

First impression: holy hell I need an alignment! Second impression: I think I'm going to love the M Performance suspension. I still want a comfortable daily, but one with better handling. The M Performance springs are stiffer, but probably on par with what comes in M cars and perfectly acceptable on a daily. I didn't want anything like the Tein coilovers I had in my last car. The M3 tension struts definitely add some vibration, but I think I will grow to like it as it keeps my in touch with what's going on in with the wheels. After the alignment, I'll have some better impressions.

The best news of all is that I spotted a small oil leak from the oil pan gasket so everything will need to be redone. It's a very minor leak and I'll probably do it this summer, or more likely pay someone to do it.

I was so damn tired that I didn't bother with any pictures other than this one from Friday night.

[BMWWorld]

Washed it & it only lasted about 1 hour

[desertman123]

Got a brand new large DISA valve for Christmas! No longer dealing with the questionable eBay rebuilt ones, and my throttle is so much smoother

[monstruo]

4F85 fault code. Trans couldn't up shift or down. Had to switch on/off in order to drive back. Took mechatronic unit off and inspected the seals. All is good. Decided to send my trans for an overhaul (torque converter, clutch, valves, solenoid, seals replacement).

Hope it'll be all well once it's back.


And.. cylinder 5 misfired when engine is cold. Not exactly sure what's going on as my plugs, coils (1 step colder), injectors are less than 4000km + walnut blasted as well.

Just gonna observe first. Any ideas where I should start looking?

[chris_flies]

Started tearing into the car.

What am I doing? Quite a few things...
-OE 135i Oil Cooler
-BMW Performance Aero front bumper with brake ducts
-New fender liners with provisions for brake and oil cooler ducts
-Replacing water pump and thermostat

Pictures are new bumper and old bumper. It's nice to have shiny paint.

[Gweeper64]

Originally Posted by Ric in RVA

Love to see a pic of the car with the steelies on it. Where did you get? part number? Thinking serious rally/snow tire...

I have black steelies that I got with the car from the previous owner. I need to get some of those center caps!

[TboneS54]

Put a clutch stop in! I've done it in my E36 and E46, a must as far as I'm concerned. Now I gotta pop the reducer (CDV) out when I put the E46 tranny bushings in and fluid flush. Still need a better shift knob too, I really don't like the stock silver knob compared to other BMW knobs.

[chris_flies]

Originally Posted by TboneS54

Put a clutch stop in! I've done it in my E36 and E46, a must as far as I'm concerned. Now I gotta pop the reducer (CDV) out when I put the E46 tranny bushings in and fluid flush. Still need a better shift knob too, I really don't like the stock silver knob compared to other BMW knobs.

I love my Condor Speed Shop shift knob!

Anyways, oil cooler is in and while I wait for more parts I took to cleaning my car's very dirty and very neglected underside. Simple Green and elbow grease are a magic combination!

[BMWWorld]

Took the 128i to the shop & had them installed the stock exhaust.

Luckily here in Puerto Rico we're allowed to have both the regular plates & the European style plates.

[chris_flies]

Woo-hoo! Bumper is on, and it's ready to drive.

If only the battery weren't totally dead...

[Captain Blood]

Rear brake pads replaced

[$iriu$black]

Originally Posted by chris_flies

Woo-hoo! Bumper is on, and it's ready to drive.

If only the battery weren't totally dead...

Looking good mate! When you are done, do a write up for the 136i oil cooler retrofit, looking to get this done when you are!