BMW 1 Series Coupe Forum / 1 Series Convertible Forum (1M / tii / 135i / 128i / Coupe / Cabrio / Hatchback) (BMW E82 E88 128i 130i 135i)
 





 

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      04-27-2016, 10:56 AM   #45
Scooby2
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I bought an Alpine White 6mt 2008 n54 just over 2 years ago with 95k on the dials with no mods but had near full service History.
Within 24hrs the water pump went on it. This was a massive blow to my confidence in moving from the jdm world. Subarus tho in my case.
The dealer I bought it from replaced it under warranty along with the oil filter gasket. Also persuaded them to replace the car battery and stereo display. I think he felt bad so worked in my favor.
Since then I have had no other major breakdowns other than limp mode due to a faulty o2 sensor. $160 part DIY.
I have also done the usual maintenance work and typical mods. Walnut blast, New plugs, oil catch can, catless dps, muffler delete, dual cones and flashed with stage 1 mhd tune.
20k in and other than regular oil changes and services it has been great.
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      04-28-2016, 01:26 AM   #46
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Mines a 2010 MY09 N54, bought at 42,000km and now sitting at 70,000km

So far...
- Misfire: changed plugs (standard maintenance)
- Misfire: changed coils (standard maintenance)
- carbon clean (standard maintenance)
- 29E0 fuel mixture code: changed to index 12 injectors (FML moment)
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      06-03-2016, 02:06 PM   #47
elburbs
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Quote:
Originally Posted by T1M View Post
Depends on how it's been maintained. I had an Evo 8 as well (EvocentriK on EvoOz) and consolidated from that plus a daily to just my 1M now. It's got 45K on it as has been rock solid so far. I am stock hardware but tuned on 18psi with no injector or coil issues to date (making 266kw/559nm).

I changed my gearbox and rear diff oil at 30,000km and do the engine oil every 10,000km. I plan to do the waterpump proactively at 60,000 kms.

Nothing out of the ordinary reliability wise on these cars, just stay on top of the little things and it should be fine. If my turbo wastegates start to go I'll throw a set of hybrids on and retune! HPFP has been fine, but mines a 2012 I think they may have been on a more reliable revision by then. If you can stretch the budget a 1M has all the suspension and diff upgraded to M3 spec and the Hnggg widebody, or even the E90/E92 M3's are mid 70's now if you are scared off the N54.
Cheers for all the replies guys, appreciate it. I've snooping around the forums and fb groups for a while now. I'd love a 1M Tim, but I dont have that kind of money to spare haha!

I have been taking my time as I hadn't need for a car until recently so I am checking a few 135i's out this weekend, hopefully I can find good clean example. Another thing that concerns me is the large number of 135 owners saying they have only owned their cars for less than a year!? what gives.
but anyway, should have one soon and will post when it does!
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      06-03-2016, 05:56 PM   #48
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Don't be put off cars that have been owned for less than a year. As long as there's a genuine reason for sale and they've maintained it proactively in that period (eg new tyres, oil changes, air filters, brakes etc) then you know it's been treated well. Obviously doesn't apply to all cases, but it works for me.

cp9a>e82.
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      06-05-2016, 06:42 AM   #49
elburbs
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Hi all,

So I checked out two 135i's today. both were 09' same colour same specs sunroof etc.. one ended up being really nice and seemed to be in great condition. I am now in the process to neg price, and also try and find a good mechanic to do a prepurchase inspection at. anyone have any recommendations? I have a mechanic i know and another a friend recommended so im just looking for any other suggestions.
I looked up the car via vicroads, says some basic info but doesnt tell me too much, is the carfacts or any other checks worth it?

Also, a question for 2009+ and 1M owners.. does the picture below bug you? I find it odd the sat nav seems like its still tilted to the left (like the car is meant to be left hand drive but when they switched the wheel over they didnt change it).. when i saw the ones today i noticed it, small nit-picky but im not sure entirely if it bugs me yet or not lol!

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      06-05-2016, 05:32 PM   #50
vtl
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The screen is straight and not angled towards the left, might just seem like that because of the lines of the dash.

As for prepurchase inspection, its preferable take it to a BMW specialist that has seen a lot of these cars but not essential. Ultimately there's not many hidden surprises with these cars, so a general mechanic could evaluate the condition of the car pretty easily, especially if its up on a hoist with the front undertray off.

I personally didn't take to get it checked as I was pretty confident of the condition of the car after I checked it over and test drove it.

Big things I'd check during the test drive:
Suspension clunks
Clutch slipping (go wot at 2000rpm in 4th to test)
Wastegate rattle
Accident damage (look at engine bay chassis legs and boot floor)
Paint scratches and dents
Tyres and brakes (wear items but they're expensive so its worth considering when going for a price)
Check engine light when going WOT to redline
Oil leaks (wont pass roadworthy so the owner will probably fix that anyway)

Most of the stuff that goes wrong with these cars aren't deal breakers. Just annoying things like oil leaks, perished vacuum lines, worn plugs and coilpacks.
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      06-13-2016, 07:47 AM   #51
elburbs
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So I am close to purchasing a 09' 135i, just trying to neg a price and find a suitable time for an inspection once the price is set.

I stumbled across another 135i though, 11' I take as n55. i need to go see it, but just wanted to know.. is there really a tuning difference between the n54 vs the n55 ?? I only plan to probably go as far as fmic,downpipes and mhd tune or the likes, no meth or e85.es mhd support n55s too? or is there any flash available. obviously i would prefer a newer car if/or the price fits as well but just want to know if theres much difference compared 54/55.

all else remains same. 6sp manual etc.. im not really sure what else is different between these cars besides the motor and if there is anything else i should consider as I have up until now only been looking at 08s/09s as they were the only ones in my price range.

Thanks in advance
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      06-13-2016, 09:49 AM   #52
T1M
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It's a can of worms, but as I see it, the N55 is slightly newer, on paper it has some advantages. Single turbo = less heat and less to go wrong, they don't suffer from wastegate rattle, but they also don't make as much power as the N54 when in stock form or when tuned. There are less mods and tuning options at the minute for N55 as well. The N54 has a lot of parts available, but the tuning and BMW tuning in general is in its infancy - many other manufacturers have far more advanced stock ECU tuning happening, BMW now is where many were at in about 2001.

Cliff notes, N55 is newer and may be more reliable, N54 is tested and has better support, may be less reliable but that said the things that 'break' are generally simple and easily addressed.
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      06-13-2016, 11:47 PM   #53
vtl
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elburbs View Post
So I am close to purchasing a 09' 135i, just trying to neg a price and find a suitable time for an inspection once the price is set.

I stumbled across another 135i though, 11' I take as n55. i need to go see it, but just wanted to know.. is there really a tuning difference between the n54 vs the n55 ?? I only plan to probably go as far as fmic,downpipes and mhd tune or the likes, no meth or e85.es mhd support n55s too? or is there any flash available. obviously i would prefer a newer car if/or the price fits as well but just want to know if theres much difference compared 54/55.

all else remains same. 6sp manual etc.. im not really sure what else is different between these cars besides the motor and if there is anything else i should consider as I have up until now only been looking at 08s/09s as they were the only ones in my price range.

Thanks in advance
I'd go N54 if you plan on tuning it, N55 only if you wanted to leave it stock. N54 needs a lot of preventative maintenance but most of it isn't too expensive. Wastegate rattle and injectors would be the most expensive to replace but 135i wastegate rattle is pretty uncommon and would should up on a test drive anyway.

The tuning options for the n54 is much much better, flash tuning especially. More people with N54s as well so you can pick up real bargains on aftermarket parts on the forums.
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