Introductions and Questions

[vegamanx]

Hi.

I've also read a lot of posts, but wasn't sure if I should necro some old ones. Plus, I wanted to introduce myself, share what I've been through so far with CarMax for the benefit of other future 1 owners (or just purchasing any car in general), and I couldn't find any posts that deal with some of my car's specific issues.

Been lurking on here for the last 1/2 a year. Thanks for all the valuable info! I now have a 1er with sports seats. The lumbar support is amazing compared to my previous Miata. Now, get ready for some questions further below.

-128i
-2009 (Still says year of the one, as it was manufactured in Nov of '08)
-67k miles, SULEV
-Black Top Convertible
-Silver Exterior
-Black Interior
-Factory iDrive/Nav (wow, went from stone age to 21st century)
-Sports Seats, powered
-M Sports Suspension (would've passed on this because the roads in SF are not smooth)
-Comfort Access
-Added tune2air for bluetooth. Awesome! (Thx for the suggestion on the forum.)

Other details: a few minor scratches, looks like it was in a minor accident (no records popped up about at Carmax/AutoCheck or on Carfax). But I did spot new bumpers on the front and back, no frame damage (had a mechanic check underneath), and no rust! So, it looks like it was a California car all its life. Oddly, the lug nuts were rusty, as were the calipers. Mechanic said that the calipers are fine that way for now. Lug nuts, got Carmax to replace them.

I was actually looking for a 135i, but that's hard to find as it is, with a manual and sports seats. Plus, all the car websites out there list DCT as manual, so the first thing I learned to look for was either the number of pedals the car had in the footwell, or the shift knob. This one popped up on CarMax late on night, so I quickly called them the next day and paid to ship the car up from SoCal (I'm in San Francisco) for $149.

Before that, my DD was an '01 LS Miata MT 6-speed. Got a lot of miles and smiles out of her, but with a growing family and having to duck my head a little to see when the street lights changed (or my hair constantly rubbing the headliner/soft top), it's time to move on. I did look at the 1 series back when I bought the Miata, but it was out of my price range.

As for the 1er, my issues mostly have to do with convertible, which was much easier with the Miata, since it didn't have hydraulics. I don't have the rear window issue like what's discussed here:
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/show...ert+top&page=3, Plus, Carmax took care of the leaky rear window already! $$ saved. (The other issue is the TPM Sensor, which I haven't done too much reading about yet, but seems to be working now, or at least the tire pressure is now correctly inflated to BMW specs.):

1. Hydraulics overheat. More oil? That's my mechanic friend's suggestion. Dunno if Carmax handled it.

2. Some rubbing of the bottom of C pillar cloth on both sides, inside the car. Is this normal? Not this issue: https://www.1addicts.com/forums/show...light=C+pillar

3. Right side of convertible top pops out. (From inside the car, you can see light from outside.) Looks like it wasn't glued well or at all. Left side is A-ok. When the rear flap folds down, also found the rubber seal popped out. I can fold it back in, but there's no adhesive to keep it there. So after about 3-4 folds up and down, the corner pops out again.

4. I bought a new set of BMW rubber mats from eBay, but I was wondering if anyone else had issues with their Coco mats moving up and blocking the clutch from releasing back to engaged position? (The car came with Coco Mats, which match the trim but I'm not feeling it.) This happens every time I drive away from CarMax. Maybe the person who brings it out from storage kicks off when getting out of the car and pushes it forward?

5. How do the headlamp washers work? Mine don't recess into the bumper but stick out and are fixed.

6. A little squeak from the back, maybe around the cat? I'm thinking it's the heat shield and the rattling of my Miata's heat shield was much worse. Anyone know?

7. If your time pressure is low, shouldn't the sensor tell you that the tire pressure is low, not a malfunction w/ the sensor? (No more malfunction warning signal and tires are at listed PSI.)

8. Lastly, where's the temp gauge?! Does the car just shut down if it starts to overheat?

Any advice is welcome. I've got about 3 weeks left of my "30 days to bring back to CarMax to fix" period. I'm dropping the car off again next week, and I'll be out of town for a few days so it works out perfectly.

Much thanks!!!


Pictures here: My phone's photos are too large for the forum. I ordered the photos according to the questions.

[Gangplank]

Welcome to the club! That's a metric shit-ton of info & questions. Lol!! You're welcome on the Tune2Air. Been using them in my BMWs for a few years now.

I don't believe the 128 has a temp gauge. Some have swapped out to the 135 or 1M gauges.

[edwardmagichands]

4. velcro. https://www.ebay.com/bhp/bmw-floor-mat-lock

5. I believe that's what it is. Different style.

6. Squeaky noises. I gave up a long time ago.


8. No temp. at all. No coolant temp, no oil temp. When it gets too hot, it shows *too hot* message. If the condition is still driveable, orange warning icon. if it's not driveable condition, red and reduced power. Do you know if your water pump has been replaced recently? Looks like it's about the time.

[rowsdower]

Originally Posted by vegamanx

Before that, my DD was an '01 LS Miata MT 6-speed.

More info! Everyone talks about LS Miatas but you never see them or run into someone who has owned one. Interested in your review of that vs the 128i. Which engine was it?

I can't answer most questions since they're convertible-related. The ones I could answer, others already have answered. Best of luck and welcome!

[JimVonBaden]

4. Your BMW matts should have come with anchors that screwed into the carpet and had Velcro on top. I didn't initially install mine, but quickly found they are definitely needed.

[JimVonBaden]

The rest:
1. Hydraulics overheat. More oil? That's my mechanic friend's suggestion. Dunno if Carmax handled it. Usually more oil.

2. Some rubbing of the bottom of C pillar cloth on both sides, inside the car. Is this normal? Not this issue: https://www.1addicts.com/forums/show...light=C+pillar
Can't help.

3. Right side of convertible top pops out. (From inside the car, you can see light from outside.) Looks like it wasn't glued well or at all. Left side is A-ok. When the rear flap folds down, also found the rubber seal popped out. I can fold it back in, but there's no adhesive to keep it there. So after about 3-4 folds up and down, the corner pops out again. Got a photo?

4. I bought a new set of BMW rubber mats from eBay, but I was wondering if anyone else had issues with their Coco mats moving up and blocking the clutch from releasing back to engaged position? (The car came with Coco Mats, which match the trim but I'm not feeling it.) This happens every time I drive away from CarMax. Maybe the person who brings it out from storage kicks off when getting out of the car and pushes it forward? Already answered.

5. How do the headlamp washers work? Mine don't recess into the bumper but stick out and are fixed. Every 4th time you squirt the windshield the headlight washers squirt, twice.

6. A little squeak from the back, maybe around the cat? I'm thinking it's the heat shield and the rattling of my Miata's heat shield was much worse. Anyone know? Could be anything. Crawl around under the car and start trying the shake things. Likely the muffler or heat shields.

7. If your time pressure is low, shouldn't the sensor tell you that the tire pressure is low, not a malfunction w/ the sensor? (No more malfunction warning signal and tires are at listed PSI.)If your pressure is low it should tell you, but you have to air up the tires properly, then set the computer to recognize the values.

8. Lastly, where's the temp gauge?! Does the car just shut down if it starts to overheat? The 128i doesn't have one.

Wish I could be more help.

[Matticus91]

Welcome, POST PICTURES. Cheers.

Edit: Blind and too excited, missed your pics link. Car looks great!

[vegamanx]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome and quick info. You guys are quick!

I'll try to post pics that fit the forum's required size restrictions. For now, there's a link at the bottom of my first post with all the pics.

Also, is there any hidden dangers in posting one's car's vin? I don't mind if people want to look it up. Might even be helpful. But, wasn't sure if it is appropriate or might cause me to walk out to a missing car in the morning.

@JimVonBaden:
when the new mats come, I'll make sure to Velcro them on. This car has Coco mats, which upon reviewing their website and seeing Jay Leno's video on their website, still has me saying, PASS.

@edwardmagichands:
is the water pump something I need to do immediately? Or in addition to a tune up? Anything else to look into? I'll check the sticky, but maybe you have some other tips for me to know.

@rowsdower:
Just to let you know, I wasn't even looking for a convertible. It just ended up having a rag-top, and I'm already used to having one. Just leave nothing visible in the car worth stealing, and you likely won't have anyone breaking a window or cutting your top. One of the many joys of living in the SF Bay Area. Especially SF.

The early comparison:
The Miata (1.8L engine) has been great, aside from a few things like a bad O2 sensor that stalled the car on 680 south, near Walnut Creek. I picked up a hard top (and 2x TopLoc so the hard top is harder to steal), bc I thought that'd be easier than installing a roll bar (it is) and I didn't want to get T-boned and then have my car crush me when it flipped over. Thankfully, never happened. Installed Double Hoop Boss Frog roll bars. Took over 8 hours and w/ a friend's help. But it's a lot better looking IMHO than the roll bars that have a horizontal bar and a diagonal or two support bar. Plus, I could more easily put stuff next to the rear window if I kept the soft top up or had the hard top on.
Speaking of hard tops, you can get them stolen if you don't have locks on them. All you need is a coat hanger to unlock the car (older NA and NB models) and then release 4 latches and someone has a new hard top to sell on craigslist for anywhere from $500-$1k. The Toplocs are insurance.

Let's see, starting w/ the '01s, the engines also run on 91 octane. So filling up the BMW didn't feel any different at the pump, other than losing a few mpgs. But boy, this 1er can drink gas like it's free. And it's not cheap here. Oh well, I knew it when I bought it.

The Miata's a good car bc you learn to be a very defensive driver, as you always have to be imagining what other people are seeing (or aren't). Stay out of blind spots, pass them quickly, or at least have your nose sticking out past their car... It's peppy and light. And the smaller engine w/ lighter flywheel allows me to not have to blip the throttle as much when I move from stand still. I've stalled the 1 so many times... But I'm getting better. Plus, the 1 is larger and thus, more visible to other drivers.

What I slightly miss is the mechanical feel. The clutch feels "real" in the Miata. As does the stick. The clutch and stick on the BMW just feels, disengaged. I feel like I'm stepping on a plastic toy clutch and something magical happens. The stick doesn't feel connected to the engine bc I don't feel any vibrations coming from the engine through the stick like I do the Miata.

That said, the Miata's grunt is like the pitch of a boy band, while the 1 sounds and feels like one of the 3 tenors. And, when I start the engine in the garage, I feel like I have to quickly get out, bc the 1's exhaust reverb is so loud it echos throughout the entire garage.

w.r.t. POWER, even w/ just the 128i engine, the feeling is that when I'm in 1-3 gear and I want to reach a certain speed, I will get there quickly if I put my foot down. What I don't miss in the Miata is the wait, even when I floor it.

Do I miss the LSD? Not yet. In the Miata, I only went to Thunderhill once. Sadly, it was a wet day and I did spin out once. Other than that, it was still fun.

I like the tech, from mpgs to in-dash nav and even the hard drive to copy cds. I currently have a scangauge attached to the steering column of the Miata, hooked up to the OBD2 port. Although, the scangauge allowed me to select the values I wanted to see, like the air temp going into the intake.

I will say, if anyone picks up a Miata, make sure to have ABS if you're in the Bay Area and going on a BAMD (Bay Area Miata Drivers) drive. These guys (and the lead driver is a woman w/ an aftermarket turbo in her Miata) like to drive their cars. They got tired of the Miata groups that just show up, oggle their cars (not that much to oggle, even after you've mod it) and then eat. The lead driver will gently but firmly remind other drivers to pull to the side for faster cars (Miatas) and we just keep driving on our merry way. (We usually give the car that pulled over a quick wave or hang-loose.) Oh yes, ABS. One driver went into the trees when the road crested, came down, and made a turn. The rest of us (Group A) got to the final destination (a restaurant) and wondered what happened to group B. He was ok. But his car was 20-30 feet down the embankment.

My Miata (aka. NB for '99-05) also has a transponder in the key, so no one can steal it unless they tow it. Older NAs ('89-98) may or may not have ABS as an option and often get stolen bc they don't have a transponder in the key. I would guess the BMW can't be stolen and driven away w/o the key, too?

Visibility isn't as good in the E88. The 1's sideview mirrors are smaller than the Miatas, and the rear window looks to be the same size, but I'm further away from both C pillars and the top is larger, so there's more to check when doing a head-check when changing lanes. And reversing into spots is harder, but my 1 came w/ PDC, so that's helpful. Also, the mirror dips down in reverse, which helps to curb the curb-rash.

The 1 is HEAVY. Coming out of a right turn pretty quickly onto the Great Highway today, I did feel the shocks compress to what I felt was their limit on the left side. I'll have to try a few more hard turns (where it's safe) to see if I was just imagining things.

Lastly, I don't fit in the tight spots in SF as well anymore (not that I've had much opportunity to yet) compared to the Miata. That's one of the reasons I aimed for the Miata in the first place, and now the 1. Now, I'm about the same length as a Corolla, but a whole lot more satisfying to drive.

Parking tip: a Miata is 4 1/4 sidewalk squares in length. The 1 is 4 3/4 sidewalk squares. That 1/2 a square can mean minutes in driving around and looking for parking. And with the 1, I'm definitely not going to try to squeeze into a spot just to get bumper rash.

[rowsdower]

Thanks for that detailed reply. I had a '91 5-speed and agree with your point about it being more mechanical and connected than the 1er, especially the shifter. Overall, the 1er is more practical and comfortable, and the Miata is more engaging/fun to drive. I do miss my Miata.



When I read "LS Miata" I thought you mean LS swap! My bad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p-EvqjI1c0

[edwardmagichands]

RE: water pump,

If you hear excessive/continuous loud fan noise, it's a typical symptom of bad water pump.
My N55 showed this and replaced water pump before it went out. Mechanic was able to check and confirm that the water pump was in bad condition.
My N54 however didn't show this symptom - maybe exhaust noise was too loud even though it was oem - and I had to tow.

[vegamanx]

Originally Posted by rowsdower

When I read "LS Miata" I thought you mean LS swap! My bad.

No worries. I was tempted at one point to do it. But I don't want to mess up the balance of the car or deal w/ unforeseen potential issues w/ a DD.

[vegamanx]

*UPDATE*

Just picked up the car today and drove it home. Rinsed it off (SF fog drops a ton of dirt on our cars) and installed new floor mats.

As I was pulling the car into the garage the notification "Right Brake Lamp Malfunction!" popped up.

Doing a quick search I find: https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=586995 and it sounds like a grounding issue.

Anyone else experience this? I DON'T want to have to go back to Carmax again, even if they'll foot the bill. BTW, all the repairs came out to $2,425 and some change. I still have 10 more days (of the 30 day warranty) to bring the car back if anything else goes wrong. I picked up the car 8/13 and it's 9/20... which means I've only had the car 19 days.

[JimVonBaden]

No photos?

[VF08822]

Originally Posted by vegamanx

*UPDATE*

Just picked up the car today and drove it home. Rinsed it off (SF fog drops a ton of dirt on our cars) and installed new floor mats.

As I was pulling the car into the garage the notification "Right Brake Lamp Malfunction!" popped up.

Doing a quick search I find: https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=586995 and it sounds like a grounding issue.

Anyone else experience this? I DON'T want to have to go back to Carmax again, even if they'll foot the bill. BTW, all the repairs came out to $2,425 and some change. I still have 10 more days (of the 30 day warranty) to bring the car back if anything else goes wrong. I picked up the car 8/13 and it's 9/20... which means I've only had the car 19 days.

Welcome! I'm a fellow owner of a Carmax 128i, although mine is an automatic E82. I had a brake light malfunction warning once after the car had been out in the rain overnight, but by the time I got out to look at the bulb the notification disappeared. It may have something to do with moisture getting inside of the taillight assembly. Is the notification still showing up?

Also, do you know if Carmax has been doing the repairs in-house or sourcing it out to a BMW dealer? If they've been done by Carmax, I'd recommend taking it back to them and asking if they'll send it to BMW for this issue. I know that's an option on the Maxcare warranty, so the same thing should apply to the 30-day warranty.

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by vegamanx

*UPDATE*

Just picked up the car today and drove it home. Rinsed it off (SF fog drops a ton of dirt on our cars) and installed new floor mats.

As I was pulling the car into the garage the notification "Right Brake Lamp Malfunction!" popped up.

Doing a quick search I find: https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=586995 and it sounds like a grounding issue.

Anyone else experience this? I DON'T want to have to go back to Carmax again, even if they'll foot the bill. BTW, all the repairs came out to $2,425 and some change. I still have 10 more days (of the 30 day warranty) to bring the car back if anything else goes wrong. I picked up the car 8/13 and it's 9/20... which means I've only had the car 19 days.

Take a look at the connections, just remove the panel that covers the light in the trunk and see if everything is plugged in. There's one up in the corner away from the center of the car that can come loose and cause this error.

[vegamanx]

Thx for the info. Will check the connections. It is intermittent. Seen it 3 times, and it only shows up when starting the car.

Photos: will soon. (There's some in the link in the first post.) The sky was overcast, so lighting wasn't good. Plus, the soft top was nasty, even after a quick rinse the pollen bunched up so will need to wash her well and then take some pics.

Some of the work they took to BMW: the tpms, and soft top mechanism. Gluing the part of the soft top that was coming undone at the corner near the rear window, they did in house. Sadly, they still didn't glue down the seal next to the passenger seat. I did it bc it isn't worth going over to Carmax again for that...

[vegamanx]

Sorry for being silent for so long. But to share, everything is good now. It was just the tail light bulb that went out.

Soft top, I went directly to the repair shop to show him the issue w/ the vert and it is all good now.

Nothing to complain about now regarding the car. I just wish SF had less nails on the road. At least I know the run-flats work!

Actually, I must say I'm impressed! I almost locked my keys in the car after a hike, bc I didn't want to have my keys in my pocket so I threw them in my backpack. I tossed the backpack in the trunk and shut it. Then I remembered where my keys were, but before I could problem solve how to open the car the trunk popped open and I grabbed the keys out of the bag. Whew!