Hello from Wisconsin - Newish 128i Owner

Esteban · 05-29-2018, 02:19 PM

Looks good low135!

jcrane82 · 05-29-2018, 03:20 PM

Thanks for the reply low135. I put in a request to return the spoiler to the eBay seller. They also said that they will provide a prepaid return shipping label.

I will either be going with a painted ABS spoiler or the ECS carbon fiber spoiler.

PDXE82 · 05-29-2018, 08:11 PM

My carbon spoiler is also an Ebay special from China. It fit much better than that out of the box though.

jcrane82 · 05-30-2018, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PDXE82

My carbon spoiler is also an Ebay special from China. It fit much better than that out of the box though.

That looks really nice! I must have received a bad part I guess. I don't think I will be chancing eBay again on a spoiler, unless it is a painted ABS part that is mold-able with heat. More than likely will be doing the ECS tuning carbon fiber spoiler.

jcrane82 · 05-30-2018, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PDXE82

My carbon spoiler is also an Ebay special from China. It fit much better than that out of the box though.

Quick question on this......what did you use for assembly? 3M double sided tape, or some form of adhesive?

E91WAG3N · 05-30-2018, 03:28 PM

Good to see you finally picked one up. I didn't have any issues with my rep spoiler either, maybe you got a defective one.

This was the best pic I could find from my archives -

PDXE82 · 05-30-2018, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcrane82

Quick question on this......what did you use for assembly? 3M double sided tape, or some form of adhesive?

Yep, used 3M tape it came with. Can't remember what part number for the 3M but it had the red backing. Seems to be holding very strong.

jcrane82 · 06-22-2018, 09:18 AM

Update on my progress with the 128i....

I ended up returning that carbon fiber spoiler, as something just wasn't right with it. Still haven't ordered a new one yet, and maybe I will end up not adding one. Time will tell.

I did a few things to the 128i though. First thing is that I installed front/rear leather sport seats and sold off my original leatherette seats. So nice being in leather seats again.

Next thing is I installed some Swift Spec R springs that I picked up off this forum. I reused the original M sport dampers, so we will see how long they hold out before I need to replace them. Here are some quick pictures I took this morning:

jcrane82 · 11-19-2018, 09:11 AM

Long overdue update.....

I am still loving the 128i, and I am continuing to modify it to suit my needs/wants. Some recent updates include installing a M-Factory Helical LSD. I also used the ECS tuning bearing/seal kit, which uses tapered roller bearings instead of the OEM angular contact ball bearings. So far the LSD is fantastic. It had very predictable break-away, and I am having a blast right now as the temperatures start dropping as winter is coming.

The next biggest gripe about the 128i I have was the factory halogen headlights. They were terrible, and it felt unsafe driving at night on county roads. So I installed these projector headlights with 55w HID's: VIPMOTOZ HID

Here are some pictures....

Before installation, comparing new projector headlights to OEM halogens:

Lighting comparison between factory halogen and new HID's:

LED halos, and I just installed some headlight washer covers on the 135i bumper to cover the holes:

So far the headlights are great at night. Super bright, and I haven't received any flashes from oncoming cars yet. The bulbs in the kit at 6000K, so they are a little blue for my taste.....so I may replace them with 4000K or 5000K bulbs at some time in the future.

JimVonBaden · 11-19-2018, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcrane82

Long overdue update.....

I am still loving the 128i, and I am continuing to modify it to suit my needs/wants. Some recent updates include installing a M-Factory Helical LSD. I also used the ECS tuning bearing/seal kit, which uses tapered roller bearings instead of the OEM angular contact ball bearings. So far the LSD is fantastic. It had very predictable break-away, and I am having a blast right now as the temperatures start dropping as winter is coming.

The next biggest gripe about the 128i I have was the factory halogen headlights. They were terrible, and it felt unsafe driving at night on county roads. So I installed these projector headlights with 55w HID's: VIPMOTOZ HID

Here are some pictures....

Before installation, comparing new projector headlights to OEM halogens:

Lighting comparison between factory halogen and new HID's:

LED halos, and I just installed some headlight washer covers on the 135i bumper to cover the holes:

So far the headlights are great at night. Super bright, and I haven't received any flashes from oncoming cars yet. The bulbs in the kit at 6000K, so they are a little blue for my taste.....so I may replace them with 4000K or 5000K bulbs at some time in the future.

Those look exactly like mine, but mine are not HIDs. I am going to install LEDs soon.

I also added LED turn signal bulbs.

jcrane82 · 11-19-2018, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimVonBaden

Those look exactly like mine, but mine are not HIDs. I am going to install LEDs soon.

Just make sure the LEDs you install are designed for a projector housing and not a reflector housing. The experts still currently say that xenon (HID) are
generally brighter/better than LEDs. As time/technology goes on, this will eventually not be the case. But right now a HID set is $50-$60, and will plug right in.

JimVonBaden · 11-19-2018, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcrane82

Just make sure the LEDs you install are designed for a projector housing and not a reflector housing. The experts still currently say that xenon (HID) are
generally brighter/better than LEDs. As time/technology goes on, this will eventually not be the case. But right now a HID set is $50-$60, and will plug right in.

Did you install HIDs, or did they come with them?

jcrane82 · 11-19-2018, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimVonBaden

Did you install HIDs, or did they come with them?

Mine came with the HIDs installed, but you can get them without HIDs as well. Check out the amazon link in my original post as it shows three options...halogen, HIDs, or LEDs....all in the same housing.

Wegz · 11-20-2018, 09:28 AM

Hey how's it going man! I'm a Milwaukee local as well(Delafield area).

I just got the M-Factory LSD in my car this year too... odd! It's a pretty rare upgrade as it's rather pricey. I just had snow tires installed and am taking the 1'er through it's first Midwestern winter, should be interesting.

Are you in any local car clubs?

jcrane82 · 11-20-2018, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wegz

Hey how's it going man! I'm a Milwaukee local as well(Delafield area).

I just got the M-Factory LSD in my car this year too... odd! It's a pretty rare upgrade as it's rather pricey. I just had snow tires installed and am taking the 1'er through it's first Midwestern winter, should be interesting.

Are you in any local car clubs?

Not really in any particular car clubs per say, but I know a lot of car enthusiasts in the area and attend the occasional cars & coffee type meetup.

Which M-Factory LSD did you install? Helical or clutch-type? Did you do the install yourself?

Matticus91 · 11-20-2018, 12:25 PM

Welcome! Car is looking great!!

jcrane82 · 11-21-2018, 11:43 AM

Took a sweet pic after work last night...

And man I loves these headlights.

I also forgot to mention another modification I did about two months ago. I upgraded the front brakes to 330mm rotors and the aluminum calipers with carriers from a 2006 330i. Massive improvement in stopping power and a big weight savings over the stock cast steel calipers.

olds350 · 11-21-2018, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcrane82

... I upgraded the front brakes to 330mm rotors and the aluminum calipers with carriers from a 2006 330i. Massive improvement in stopping power and a big weight savings over the stock cast steel calipers.

Does that change up require 18" wheels or will 17" work?

jcrane82 · 11-21-2018, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by olds350

Does that change up require 18" wheels or will 17" work?

I am currently running 17x9 TRM C4 wheels, but it is very tight to the caliper. Only 3mm clearance radially, which is borderline for clearance between moving parts. Other 17's might have more clearance, others might have less.

olds350 · 11-23-2018, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcrane82

I am currently running 17x9 TRM C4 wheels, but it is very tight to the caliper. Only 3mm clearance radially, which is borderline for clearance between moving parts. Other 17's might have more clearance, others might have less.

Wow, that's very tight. If you have the tape weights, then that becomes a potential issue. Looks like 18's would be the better choice to add larger brakes. Good info, now that changes what I will do when it comes to new wheels for the 1er...

________ · 11-23-2018, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by olds350

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcrane82

I am currently running 17x9 TRM C4 wheels, but it is very tight to the caliper. Only 3mm clearance radially, which is borderline for clearance between moving parts. Other 17's might have more clearance, others might have less.

Wow, that's very tight. If you have the tape weights, then that becomes a potential issue. Looks like 18's would be the better choice to add larger brakes. Good info, now that changes what I will do when it comes to new wheels for the 1er...

Like he said, it depends on what wheels you choose. His wheels certainly wouldn't fit the 135i, but some other 17" rims do fit (I run 17" for winter, and one set of wheels I had did not clear).

18" is a safe bet, but if you're choosing smaller brakes like the 330i OP chose to go with, I'm willing to bet all 17" would fit.

jcrane82 · 11-23-2018, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnerDriver

His wheels certainly wouldn't fit the 135i....

These wheels do fit over 135i brakes....

https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=452892

The wheels in the above post are the 17x8.5 TRM C2, but they have the same barrel shape as the TRM C4 wheels that I have.

The 2006 330i brakes are quite large due to the calipers being aluminum compared to the stock 128i calipers which are cast steel.

05-29-2018, 02:19 PM	#23
Esteban Major General 43595 Rep 7,224 Posts Drives: a slow car fast Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: SoCal iTrader: (0)	Looks good low135! __________________
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05-29-2018, 03:20 PM	#24
jcrane82 Trust me....I'm an engineer 111 Rep 164 Posts Drives: F15 X5 35i, lots of bikes Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Elkhorn, WI iTrader: (0)	Thanks for the reply low135. I put in a request to return the spoiler to the eBay seller. They also said that they will provide a prepaid return shipping label. I will either be going with a painted ABS spoiler or the ECS carbon fiber spoiler.
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05-29-2018, 08:11 PM	#25
PDXE82 Private First Class 123 Rep 123 Posts Drives: AW 2013 135i PPK/PE/Dinan S2 Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: Portland OR iTrader: (0)	My carbon spoiler is also an Ebay special from China. It fit much better than that out of the box though.
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05-30-2018, 03:28 PM	#28
E91WAG3N Wagon Addict 1248 Rep 1,217 Posts Drives: E39, E91, E91 Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Las Vegas iTrader: (2)	Good to see you finally picked one up. I didn't have any issues with my rep spoiler either, maybe you got a defective one. This was the best pic I could find from my archives -
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06-22-2018, 09:18 AM	#30
jcrane82 Trust me....I'm an engineer 111 Rep 164 Posts Drives: F15 X5 35i, lots of bikes Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Elkhorn, WI iTrader: (0)	Update on my progress with the 128i.... I ended up returning that carbon fiber spoiler, as something just wasn't right with it. Still haven't ordered a new one yet, and maybe I will end up not adding one. Time will tell. I did a few things to the 128i though. First thing is that I installed front/rear leather sport seats and sold off my original leatherette seats. So nice being in leather seats again. Next thing is I installed some Swift Spec R springs that I picked up off this forum. I reused the original M sport dampers, so we will see how long they hold out before I need to replace them. Here are some quick pictures I took this morning:
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11-19-2018, 09:11 AM	#31
jcrane82 Trust me....I'm an engineer 111 Rep 164 Posts Drives: F15 X5 35i, lots of bikes Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Elkhorn, WI iTrader: (0)	Long overdue update..... I am still loving the 128i, and I am continuing to modify it to suit my needs/wants. Some recent updates include installing a M-Factory Helical LSD. I also used the ECS tuning bearing/seal kit, which uses tapered roller bearings instead of the OEM angular contact ball bearings. So far the LSD is fantastic. It had very predictable break-away, and I am having a blast right now as the temperatures start dropping as winter is coming. The next biggest gripe about the 128i I have was the factory halogen headlights. They were terrible, and it felt unsafe driving at night on county roads. So I installed these projector headlights with 55w HID's: VIPMOTOZ HID Here are some pictures.... Before installation, comparing new projector headlights to OEM halogens: Lighting comparison between factory halogen and new HID's: LED halos, and I just installed some headlight washer covers on the 135i bumper to cover the holes: So far the headlights are great at night. Super bright, and I haven't received any flashes from oncoming cars yet. The bulbs in the kit at 6000K, so they are a little blue for my taste.....so I may replace them with 4000K or 5000K bulbs at some time in the future.
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11-20-2018, 09:28 AM	#36
Wegz Enlisted Member 14 Rep 33 Posts Drives: 2013 135i 6MT Msport Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Milwaukee iTrader: (0)	Hey how's it going man! I'm a Milwaukee local as well(Delafield area). I just got the M-Factory LSD in my car this year too... odd! It's a pretty rare upgrade as it's rather pricey. I just had snow tires installed and am taking the 1'er through it's first Midwestern winter, should be interesting. Are you in any local car clubs?
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11-20-2018, 12:25 PM	#38
Matticus91 Brigadier General 3475 Rep 3,722 Posts Drives: 2013 135i Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Washington DC iTrader: (6)	Welcome! Car is looking great!! __________________ "Tobias" 2013 135i ///M-Sport 6MT • Pure Stage 1 • XDI 35 HPFP • 404whp/440wtq IG: msteelio91
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11-21-2018, 11:43 AM	#39
jcrane82 Trust me....I'm an engineer 111 Rep 164 Posts Drives: F15 X5 35i, lots of bikes Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Elkhorn, WI iTrader: (0)	Took a sweet pic after work last night... And man I loves these headlights. I also forgot to mention another modification I did about two months ago. I upgraded the front brakes to 330mm rotors and the aluminum calipers with carriers from a 2006 330i. Massive improvement in stopping power and a big weight savings over the stock cast steel calipers. Last edited by jcrane82; 11-21-2018 at 11:55 AM..
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