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01-19-2025, 12:08 PM | #1 |
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Need Advice: Fix It, Sell It, or Save It?
Dear All,
It’s time for me to make some decisions about my 128i, and I could really use some outside perspective. This car has been with me for a long time, and I’m torn between fixing it, selling it, or holding onto it as a future project. Here’s what’s going on: After my car was hit while parked, it started throwing DSC codes. The symptoms are: • On the highway (around 100 km/h), the car feels like it’s pulling its wheels off, and the ABS trifecta pops up. The lights disappear after about 30 seconds but come back three more times before staying on for the rest of the drive. • If I drive the car frequently, it eventually throws a check engine light, but that goes away on the next start. • On days where I start and stop the car multiple times (like five trips), the speedometer sometimes drops to 0. When that happens, the ABS trifecta, airbag light, and check engine light all come on too. Oddly enough, cruise control still works even when the ABS lights are on! I ran a scan, and it points to the right rear sensor. I tried spacing it out with no success. When swapping my summer wheels for winters, I checked the suspension arms for play (side-to-side and up-down) and found nothing. My guess is the reluctor rings on the axles have swollen—seems plausible since the car gets winter-driven. Alignment could also be a factor, but with law school and work, I haven’t had time to dive deeper. Here’s the bigger issue: I’ll be starting a new job in two weeks, and with snow still coming here in Canada, driving without ABS isn’t something I feel comfortable doing. I also wouldn’t want to put others at risk if something went wrong that ABS or traction control could have prevented. So, here’s where I’m stuck: The car needs about $1,800 in bodywork for the rear driver’s quarter panel, plus whatever it takes to fix the DSC/ABS issues. It’s got 340,000+ km on it, so I’m weighing my options: 1. Fix the ABS/DSC issues and start looking for a replacement car. 2. Fix everything and keep driving it. 3. Take it off the road and park it in my mom’s garage until I have my own place to keep it as a fun project car. For context, I don’t have much love for the F-series and would only consider an E92 or another E82 128i (preferably with the M Sport Aero package). This past summer, I was offered $7,000 on trade for an orange 135i convertible. Now, with the current issues, I figure it’s worth maybe $1,500 tops—but honestly, it’s worth way more than that to me personally. What would you do if you were in my shoes? |
01-19-2025, 12:18 PM | #2 |
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ultimately the decision is up to you.
you say the car is worth more than $1500 to you so i think you either need to fix it to sell it or fix it and keep it. i would take it off the road, properly diagnose the mechanical/safety issues, and fix those. worry about cosmetics later. make the call after the car is mechanically sorted. i don't know your finances so i'm not sure if you can just take it to a shop to get it sorted ASAP or have the shop diagnose the issue and you fix DIY or if you need to store it over winter and purchase another car until you have more time to look at it?
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2011 BMW 128i 6MT M Sport - Alpine White on Terracotta w/ Glacier-Silver trim - Koni Yellows w/ H&R Sport Springs, M3 Control Arms, Euro Intake, BMW Performance Exhaust, 3.73 Diff w/ RacingDiffs LSD Conversion, Black Line Taillights, M Performance Grilles, lots-o-maintenance
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nevetstoj261.50 |
01-19-2025, 01:18 PM | #3 |
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Had an accident report and anything gone to insurance when it was hit parked?
Just curious, when my mother in-laws lease was nearing the end her escape was hit pretty good in the parking lot at her work and being parked unoccupied with the coverage that she has deductibles were waved and there was no charge to her in fixing it at lease turn in. If insurance were to total yours with higher extent of damage I was thinking it’d be better than the $1,500 value there. If they wouldn’t total it why wouldn’t they be able to cover it minus any deductible if these issue are related to the accident? |
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nevetstoj261.50 |
01-19-2025, 05:08 PM | #4 | |
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nevetstoj261.50 |
01-19-2025, 06:20 PM | #5 | |
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Was just talking to my brother in law today about how our pricing is way cheaper for better coverage with the same agent even, different cars though as we were comparing why our 2024 bronco is 250/6 months cheaper than his 2017 escape with better coverage than he has thinking the escape is still a higher accident risk vehicle to cause pricing to be that different. It’s a difficult decision to make of time and money invested. For our bronco we traded our 2000 TJ wrangler we had since new. When I was weighing keeping the wrangler even for a winter beater it was going to take 10k to bring it back to where it needed to be. Being we got just over 5k trading it to the dealer (which sold it in a couple weeks listed at 7,500) for the bronco, I regret getting rid of it but wasn’t going to invest any more into it. Suffered from typical Jeep frame and body rot of 24 Michigan winters. Enjoyed it but was time to be done with it. Ultimately think the OPs come to the same conundrum as it sounds. If it’s feasible personally I lean on the side of keeping and having a fun otd car, or secondary car, but for me the 128 is the winter car and the Z4s are the money pit play cars. If a second car is needing to be purchased need to be very honest with yourself if you keep it and juggle a new primary car can you invest time and money into a fun project or is it not something that will be in the cards. It’s what you want vs what you can actually get done. |
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cerealwars285.50 |
01-19-2025, 06:27 PM | #6 |
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First, aside from the issues, nice car! And sorry about the issues.
If you store it: * Does your mom care? Would she be fine with that, or annoyed? Especially if it took you a year, two years, or even longer to have a place that you can work on it? * Can you store it in good condition without mice getting to it and such? * Is her place somewhat nearby, such that you can occasionally drive it, or work on it, if time allows (i.e. week long breaks from school). If all that works out and you really do love the car, it may be worth storing it for now. If you change your mind later, you'll be where you are now with the same decisions, so no big loss really - not like the car will be worth much less. Of course you'll need different transportation, and whatever you get for the interim... will it cost just as much as fixing this car? |
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nevetstoj261.50 cerealwars285.50 |
01-19-2025, 07:38 PM | #7 | |
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For example, my premium recently dropped from $175 a month to $150. If I report an incident that’s deemed at-fault or partially at-fault, my rates would increase. I contacted another insurance company to compare rates, and they mentioned that if a claim is on record, my renewal rate could jump to over $200 a month, even with my driving profile. |
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Piper1640.50 |
01-19-2025, 07:50 PM | #8 | |
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As for a replacement, I’ve thought about looking at the E92s. However, after driving my friend’s E92, I’ve realized they’re just not the same dynamically. On paper, they might seem similar, but in practice, they feel more numb. The 1er just feels tighter and more engaging—if that makes sense. I know myself, and I’d probably end up getting another 1er. The question is whether it’s wiser to buy another one with an unknown history or to keep the one I have and fix its issues. At least with mine, I know everything has been done right—warming it up properly, regular oil changes, brakes, and other maintenance, for example. My thing is bodywork is expensive, I prefer mechanical issues. It when the two meet that I start the ruminations and contemplating. |
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tracer bullet4172.50 |
01-20-2025, 09:40 AM | #11 |
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01-20-2025, 01:07 PM | #12 |
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Really tough decision. I love these cars as much as you, but high mileage + automatic...it's hard to justify going too far at this point.
If you can afford this: - Can you locate a replacement, lower-mileage 128i as your new, reliable daily driver? - Swap over anything worth keeping or in better condition from your current car. Keep things like winter wheels. - Sell current car for parts or part out yourself (if you have the room to store it).
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nevetstoj261.50 |
01-21-2025, 10:40 AM | #13 |
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Lots of good advice here.
Seems like you're attached to the 1-series chassis, and you're struggling to make a move. The good news is, you're not pressed to. I'd hang onto it for now. Keep an eye out for a deal that's too good to pass up. Whether that means searching for a replacement E82, searching out a good body guy, sorting out your electrical gremlins, or looking into a new car altogether. Something will give eventually, and you'll know which direction to go. Your car, in the shape that it's in, seems like a great project car candidate. Ultimately if not for you, maybe for someone else. You've got one of my favorite cars on this site, hope to see it back up and running some time. Last edited by cerealwars; 01-21-2025 at 12:15 PM.. |
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nevetstoj261.50 |
01-22-2025, 10:40 AM | #14 | |
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It’s tough when everything seems to hit at once, and you’re left wondering what’s going on. |
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01-22-2025, 11:04 AM | #15 | |
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This car represents so much more to me than just being a mode of transportation. It’s tied to my journey, my upbringing, and a sense of accomplishment. Growing up, it was just me and my mom. She raised me on her own and worked tirelessly to put me through school. Money was tight, so getting a car like this wasn’t even on the horizon for most of my life. My first car was a fern green metallic E46, and honestly, it was a total piece of crap. My mom thought I was crazy for being so excited about it, but I didn’t care—it was mine. It represented the first step toward something I had dreamed about for years. I saved and worked hard to buy that car, and even though it wasn’t much, it fueled my obsession with BMWs. When I finally upgraded to this car, it felt like a massive leap forward. It wasn’t just another beater—it was something I could be proud of. I’ll never forget the day I brought it home, freshly detailed. My mom came outside to see it, and for years she had heard me ramble about how BMWs were “drivers’ cars” and better than everything else. She always humored me but didn’t really get it. That day, though, I could tell it clicked for her. This wasn’t just another car—it was something I had earned. It was a physical manifestation of years of work, dreams, and sacrifices. That’s why it’s so hard to see the car in its current state. I could tell my mother was almost disappointed for the car being hit. It’s not just about the misfires or the bodywork—it feels like I’ve let down the version of me who poured so much into making this happen. This car wasn’t just transportation; it was proof that the things I obsessed over didn’t have to stay behind a screen. It was something real, something I had achieved, and I’ll always hold onto what it meant to me. |
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tracer bullet4172.50 |
01-22-2025, 12:25 PM | #16 |
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I'm in Ottawa too, have had my 128 for 14 years now, never winter driven. I'd suggest getting an estimate to fix the mechanics from at least 2 BMW indy garages here-the body work can wait. Young Street Garage [never used them but still can recommend them], Autovation in Stittsville [used them 4-5 times even tho very far away for me], Randy in Perth, Kerry in Buckingham [used both-recommend both]. I've used Duss Bros for 20 years now but suspect owner will be retiring soon.
I have to think the mechanics could be $5000 especially if there is something wrong with the auto trans. but get that estimate. |
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nevetstoj261.50 |
01-22-2025, 01:16 PM | #18 |
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Fix the issues now.
Take care of the bodywork in the spring. Having no car payment is worth the repair bill! Then in the spring reconsider situation after it is all fixed to see if you still want to sell for another car or not. Don’t rush to sell and get into something that can be more of a headache.
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