128 rookie looking for recommendations

[Thunderguts]

I've never found the car to be uncomfortable with even the BMWP suspension. The standard sport suspension was very comfortable (without the horrible run-flats).

It just seems like an unnecessary and potentially failure-prone complication.

[gjm120]

Originally Posted by Southlake128i

Does anyone have opinion on these.

https://www.bilstein.com/us/en/produ...75816952754008

It would be nice to have the ability to change from comfort to sport.

I think that kit is 2 to 3 times the cost of a good spring/damper set. And as Thunderguts mentioned, it is complicated with more working parts, more chances for something not to work correctly

My car with BMWP springs and Koni's is a good balance between comfort and handling. The dampers can be adjusted - easily for the front, a PITA for the rear.

Plenty on here have the Bilstein B12 kit and are quite pleased.

Suspension choices are a personal preference, so is this worth the money and complexity to you?

[Southlake128i]

I don't want to spend the money if I don't have to. Just curious. I have been looking at the Bilstein B16.

[asbrr]

As the others above have said, it's so subjective. What I deem as a "decent" ride may not work at all for you, moreover it would depend on the types of roads we generally experience in our drive cycles.

From several opinions/information on threads, and experience with other cars I can say from a "gut feel" perspective the following:

- Ohlins R&T with DFV dampers and the proper spring rates can provide that magic balance between smooth ride and performance, with adjustability in the range. This is what I would do if I had the E82 specific kit available to me 3 years ago when I installed my B12 kit

- Koni based solutions (Koni Yellow, or custom), especially Koni FSD will probably "round off" the edges on bumps (assuming you have the dampers adjusted appropriately) and ride decently well with an appropriate spring

- Bilstein based solutions "feel different" than Konis, in my view they work fantastically well on smooth roads with "dips" vs sharp-edged/broken pavement where they will feel a bit harsher than other performance dampers

The B16 adjustable kit is not that popular due to cost, and I believe it has been around for many years. I would think the new OEM solutions by BMW, Porsche etc do a better job of adjusting between comfort and sport than this kit would - this is strictly based on how long the kit has been around and the assumption that a lot of progress has been made in adjustable ride comfort systems. So in my opinion I wouldn't spend the money here, I'd just go straight for the E82 specific Ohlins R&T kit and call it a day.

[Suhb]

Some things about the B12 kit:

The 1 thing that immediately wowed me was the bad bumps that you knew were gonna hurt that would normally jolt the sport suspension, the b12 just kinda ate 'em. Car is definitely a lot more "on rails" on the highway. Bumpy city roads do feel stiffer, but the car just kind of, again, handles them better. It felt like the stock sport shocks just kinda gave up if it hit two compressions back to back.

My B12 kit champed a lot of hard miles, lots of mountain runs, occasional autocross. They never showed any sign of wear until the end. But when my first shock blew, complete loss of pressure. Happened overnight and only noticed it already into my commute. Never felt the car feel that unstable before. Of course when I replaced it, car drove beautifully again. The other three wore down really fast over a few thousand miles, but eventually they all gave. I think in 80k miles, all 4 were done.

Warranty is doo doo, I wouldn't bother wasting shipping money. But with just how much better they are at everything than the sport suspension, I would still buy them again, but maybe next time go with the b6 and stock springs.

Cars on B12 and dinan plates here and just the BMW PE for exhaust.

[Honda2Bimmer]

Originally Posted by Southlake128i

Howdy,

I recently purchased a 2012 128i with 26K miles from a single owner. Its a auto, but it was good deal on a clean car. I have been enjoying the car and feel it is time to start looking into upgrades. I purchased an extended warranty for the car 3yr/30k, which has turned out to be a good purchase because I have had to replaced some gaskets, motor mounts and alternator. That being said I am going to hold off on engine upgrades from the time being because I could not get a straight forward answer from the warranty company if it would be void if I added a DISA. So I am looking for recommendations for suspension parts (not track/daily driver) and wheel/tire.

I found these on the ECS website, but I just don't know if this is a good deal.

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-assemble...age-2/n52spp2/

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...36116786888kt/

Also this is my first post on any sort of forum so I apologize in advance for bad form. Thanks for the help and Cheers!

Wait....so you're saying that with a practically new 128i (26K miles) shortly there after it required gaskets, motor mounts, and an alternator replacement??

That honestly scares me as I'm considering purchasing a 128i soon with a lot more that 26K miles on it...

[BMWCCA1]

Originally Posted by Honda2Bimmer

Wait....so you're saying that with a practically new 128i (26K miles) shortly there after it required gaskets, motor mounts, and an alternator replacement??

That honestly scares me as I'm considering purchasing a 128i soon with a lot more that 26K miles on it...

I bought my wife's 128i over a year ago when it had 90k on it. Since then I've replaced one (xenon) headlight bulb, the CHMSL (3rd brake light) and recharged the A/C without finding a leak. It's due for rear tires before winter. But that's it.

Don't let everything you hear keep you from enjoying a BMW.

[td9323]

B12 on mine. Replaced all the misc. bushings, bearings, etc. at the same time. It all came from ECS. Also Dinan camber plates and rear subframe bushings. I love it. I have a 60 mile a day commute, thats all I use it for but it's comfortable.

[Bobs_Blue_E82]

Originally Posted by Honda2Bimmer

Wait....so you're saying that with a practically new 128i (26K miles) shortly there after it required gaskets, motor mounts, and an alternator replacement??

That honestly scares me as I'm considering purchasing a 128i soon with a lot more that 26K miles on it...

Well it's low mileage, but it is an 8 year old car. My co-worker is setting on the side of the road waiting for a tow truk this morning in her 2019 mini van with 7k miles.

[carscatscoffee15]

Originally Posted by Bobs_Blue_E82

Well it's low mileage, but it is an 8 year old car. My co-worker is setting on the side of the road waiting for a tow truk this morning in her 2019 mini van with 7k miles.

yep it's called preventative maintenance

[MTLVince]

Follwing that tread as well, since I have a new to me 128i to upgrade

[nmit]

Do you do these yourself or take it to a mechanic?

Originally Posted by wayman519

Your mileage is low so there should not be much to do. My used bmw stuff to do is:

Fluids - every drop replace!
Brakes - inspect/replace
Suspension - inspect/replace
PCV - inspect/replace
New spark plugs
New ignition coils
New vanos solenoids
New MAF

I buy my cars with at least 100,000km on the clock. This way major components have been put to the test. So the list above reflects that. I say just do all the fluids at at your mileage. The above list gets any bmw driving like the day it left the factory.

[Almuliman]

Originally Posted by nmit

Do you do these yourself or take it to a mechanic?

128i that I bought a few weeks ago with 73K miles and some records, so I'm doing preventative maintenance. I plan to do all fluids (not brake fluid, done recently), rear brake pads (front pads and all rotors are good), plugs (done), coils at 100K, and solenoids and MAF when necessary.

The only things I would be hesitant about are the suspension and PCV, but that's just personal based on my experience and comfort level. I like doing things myself and have some mechanical aptitude, but there are things that I don't want to screw up or that are just too cumbersome to deal with.

Plugs (and coils when that day comes) were super easy. A bit fiddly to get the cowl and engine cover off, but only because I hadn't done it before and am still learning the car as a whole.

[wayman519]

Originally Posted by Almuliman

128i that I bought a few weeks ago with 73K miles and some records, so I'm doing preventative maintenance. I plan to do all fluids (not brake fluid, done recently), rear brake pads (front pads and all rotors are good), plugs (done), coils at 100K, and solenoids and MAF when necessary.

The only things I would be hesitant about are the suspension and PCV, but that's just personal based on my experience and comfort level. I like doing things myself and have some mechanical aptitude, but there are things that I don't want to screw up or that are just too cumbersome to deal with.

Plugs (and coils when that day comes) were super easy. A bit fiddly to get the cowl and engine cover off, but only because I hadn't done it before and am still learning the car as a whole.

At about 100,000miles or 160,000km the vanos solenoids may be worn out to the point were it still functions but the response and power of your engine has been reduced considerably - depending on oil change interval and oil quality. Coils and spark plugs have a similar effect. They last for a very long time but at this mileage the are also worn out where they effect performance. These wont cause damage so you can replace when they fail. But they can leave you stranded.