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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      09-13-2019, 06:57 AM   #1
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Got the PPI back on a car I'm interested in. Looking for advice..

First off, thanks in advance to this forum and its bottomless font of knowledge. I've been lurking here for a few months as a recent move out of the city is forcing me to purchase a car. Naturally, I've chosen a 1er as I've been somewhat in love with them since they came out.

I think I found my 128i, 6MT in Space Gray Metallic, sport seats (N51) with just under 82k on the clock. I got the PPI back this morning and everything looks pretty good, but the diagnostic reported a mis-fire code on cyls 4, 5, and 6. The code was cleared three miles later. The dealership who did the PPI drove the car and couldn't replicate the misfire.

They also identified some oil weeping around the transmission input shifter seal and oil filter housing. I'm aware of the work involved to replace the oil filter housing gasket, but how bad is the shifter seal?

Would this be cause for concern? If it's something simple like coils, plugs or wires I can live with it, but if it may be indicative of something larger lurking below I'd like to have the seller address it or just walk altogether.

It's worth noting that I'm in Virginia and the car is in Florida, so it's not easy for me to inspect or drive the car in person before I commit to buying.



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      09-13-2019, 09:06 AM   #2
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I have an 08 128 6MT sp pkg with only about 62K miles. It's always winter stored, hence the low mileage. Just had my 1st "repair', the valve cover gasket just before a day on the track [HPDE].
I highly recommend joining BMWCCA for $48. Then you'll have access to members in 3 clubs in Florida and you likely can find someone who would be more than happy to put eyes on the car. Additionally you'll be able to correspond with Mike Miller [and get an answer within 24 hrs but usually with 3-4 hours) on the transmission seal issue. Best $48 you'll ever spend.
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      09-13-2019, 04:10 PM   #3
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Something seems off about that engine bay to me. It's weird to see the bolts and nuts so corroded at the struts. They are galvanized and I can see bright, bright orange in there (look at that one on the driver's side!!). The oil filter housing also looks really pitted.

Do you know if the car has always been in Florida? I wonder if this one might have some sort of flood damage?
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      09-13-2019, 04:49 PM   #4
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I wouldn't worry about the misfires. It likely needs new plugs and maybe coils, but neither will break the bank. The OFHG is also a cheap and easy repair. Those aren't a concern. Any BMW with that mileage will likely need all of those things changed. As for the shifter seal, who cares? Okay, that may be a bit cavalier, but a weeping shifter seal won't really hurt anything. I doubt you would loose more than a few drops of fluid per year. Yeah, sure, you should replace it, but of all the things that would concern me on a used car, that's right at the bottom.

Do check for hidden rust as someone else mentioned.
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      09-13-2019, 05:51 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dtla1 View Post
Something seems off about that engine bay to me. It's weird to see the bolts and nuts so corroded at the struts. They are galvanized and I can see bright, bright orange in there (look at that one on the driver's side!!). The oil filter housing also looks really pitted.

Do you know if the car has always been in Florida? I wonder if this one might have some sort of flood damage?
Excellent pick up.

There should be no legitimate reason for having heavy rust like that on the sir bolts and the bolt near the oil filter housing, plus those stains on the oil filter housing.

Plus there looks to be an over enthusiastic use of silicone spray to try and dress up the engine bay.

Perhaps it's taken a bath in Salt water then been repaired?
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      09-13-2019, 06:58 PM   #6
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I'm in Minnesota, salt belt, and have 148,000 on my car. Bolts look new still.


I'm going with this being a flood car.
Pass.


Just hold out for something more local. It's worth the wait.
I held out for about a year before I found the car I wanted, local. Zero regrets about doing so.
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      09-14-2019, 07:47 AM   #7
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Looks like engine bay is covered in salt? Look at the air filter housing on the right, all that white residue? Same for the cabin filter cover, the cover over the brake master, the PS resevoir etc etc.
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      09-14-2019, 11:15 AM   #8
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While “flood car” might be a bit extreme, I’m willing to bet this was a coastal Florida car that was not garaged. The salt in the air alone can cause excessive corrosion.

Personally, I’d keep looking.

Out of curiosity because I just spent months looking also, how much are they asking for it?
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      09-15-2019, 08:38 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NorthernDancer View Post
I have an 08 128 6MT sp pkg with only about 62K miles. It's always winter stored, hence the low mileage. Just had my 1st "repair', the valve cover gasket just before a day on the track [HPDE].
I highly recommend joining BMWCCA for $48. Then you'll have access to members in 3 clubs in Florida and you likely can find someone who would be more than happy to put eyes on the car. Additionally you'll be able to correspond with Mike Miller [and get an answer within 24 hrs but usually with 3-4 hours) on the transmission seal issue. Best $48 you'll ever spend.
This is really good advice.
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      09-16-2019, 07:21 AM   #10
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I agree on the comment about the coils causing the mis-fire. When I picked up my '13 128 last year, it only had 36k miles on it and had a random mis-fire. Having dealt with this on a previous 128, bought the car and replaced the coils with Dephi's and dumped the bosch. 10k later, no mis-fires...
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      09-16-2019, 07:26 AM   #11
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I agree with the possibility of it being a coastal car that has seen a lot of salt spray. Flood is possible, too. How long has the car been listed? That might indicate whether it is a recent victim of Dorian. Flood is a deal-breaker. Salt spray, not so much. It would be no worse than a salt belt car. It looks like the power steering reservoir leaks, too. Is the windshield all scratched up? That's a pet peeve of mine.
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      09-16-2019, 07:54 AM   #12
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Really wish I'd checked this thread before putting a deposit down and booking a flight and an autotrain ticket back to VA for Saturday.

Both CarFax and BMW service history came back clean. I had an independent BMW dealer do the PPI and the service manager assured me he'd have no problem buying this car. The PPI makes no mention of rust or corrosion, and now I'm starting to question its thoroughness. I don't think I'd have noticed the strut tower rust from the photos no matter how many times I looked. You all have great eyes.

I'd be the 3rd owner. First was in upstate New York from new to ~50k. It then moved to North Carolina. I'm not sure how it wound up in Florida. It's been listed for about twenty days. The agreed upon price is just under $10k.

My folks live in Tampa so I'm going to ask my dad to go take a look. We're both pilots so we're not strangers to looking for signs of corrosion. Worst case scenario, I'll lose out on my $1,000 deposit.

Thanks again to all who took the time to reply. The last car I bought was a new VW GTI in 2000. I sold it when I moved to DC in 2008. This is all new to me.
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      09-16-2019, 08:59 AM   #13
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Worst case on coils is Valve cover gasket has leaked oil into plug wells and is causing issues.

Probably just plugs and/ or coil packs to solve that though.

Easy fix.


The strut bolts are weird though....


I waited 17 months to find mine.....
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      09-16-2019, 09:41 AM   #14
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My valve cover gasket [VCG] was "weeping" a bit on right side of engine. Garage doing my HPDE inspection said it needed replacement. I was surprised at this costly outcome so I removed the engine cover [not difficult but go slowly so no fragile plastic clips are broken]. Sure enough, some oil had pooled up in 2½ recesses in the head. Garage was right [they know BMWs very well] and the work was done at a very reasonable cost [discount for BMW Club membership]. I have never yet had any mis fires. A "pro" on here recommended |I leave the engine cover off which I have done.
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      09-16-2019, 02:01 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robblr View Post
...

I'd be the 3rd owner. First was in upstate New York from new to ~50k. It then moved to North Carolina. I'm not sure how it wound up in Florida. It's been listed for about twenty days. The agreed upon price is just under $10k.

...
That is why there is some surface rust on the nut. The car has serious rust protection from the factory. I wouldn't be too worried. You probably wont find much more car for less than 10k.
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      09-16-2019, 02:37 PM   #16
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Upstate NY explains everything seen. Looks like a normal year round driven car from around here.
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      09-30-2019, 10:47 AM   #17
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Quick update for anyone interested in this story..

tl;dr: bought a 1er sight unseen, no regrets.

Well, I purchased the car. I could have waited longer for *the right 1er* but this had heated manual sports seats, 6-MT and under a million miles on the clock. I needed a car so I took a chance and I'm glad I did.

I flew down to Tampa on Saturday, picked the car up, and drove to the Amtrak Auto Train station north of Orlando, so I had about 115 miles to get to know the car. No issues that I could see/hear/feel right off the bat. I ran to near redline in all six gears and nothing lit up on the dash. Cool.

When I arrived in Lorton, VA yesterday morning, I took the twisty roads all the way back to my house in the country. I couldn't stop smiling. I always wanted a 1er, and now I'm starting to understand the cult-like following for the E82.

Popped the hood when I got home. yes, there is some light surface rust on the shock tower bolts, and some oxidation on some aluminum parts. It looks worse in the photo I posted at the top of this thread, to be honest. I'm not too concerned. Nothing about the car says 'flood damage' to me, and everything works as it should.

Current plan is to change fluids and get to know the car through fall/winter. I couldn't help myself this morning and ordered a ZHP shift knob and WeatherTech mats (car didn't come with floor mats). Once spring comes, I'll likely do some KW coilvers and wheels. It's my daily-driver, so I'm not going to touch the engine unless I find a unicorn performance exhaust. That engine note on startup and first few hundred RPM is dreamy.
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      09-30-2019, 11:31 AM   #18
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I'm not going to touch the engine unless I find a unicorn performance exhaust. That engine note on startup and first few hundred RPM is dreamy.
You likely won't find a 128 PE, so get the 135 PE instead. It's only slightly more difficult to install than the 128 PE and you can still buy them.
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      10-01-2019, 02:42 AM   #19
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You likely won't find a 128 PE, so get the 135 PE instead. It's only slightly more difficult to install than the 128 PE and you can still buy them.
All BMW Performance parts are going/have gone NLA.


Congrats and welcome!! The ZHP knob is a great touch. Check out the CDV delete as well
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      10-01-2019, 09:50 AM   #20
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You likely won't find a 128 PE, so get the 135 PE instead. It's only slightly more difficult to install than the 128 PE and you can still buy them.
There's one on the auction site right now for $499 with a dented tip. Does that seem like a fair price? I'm aware of what's involved in cutting and fitting it to the 128i..
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      10-01-2019, 01:03 PM   #21
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There's one on the auction site right now for $499 with a dented tip. Does that seem like a fair price? I'm aware of what's involved in cutting and fitting it to the 128i..
Sounds like a decent price, weren't they like $700 new?
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      10-01-2019, 05:20 PM   #22
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There's one on the auction site right now for $499 with a dented tip. Does that seem like a fair price? I'm aware of what's involved in cutting and fitting it to the 128i..
The price is less of an issue than never being able to find another one again. Can't be too much of a haggler with these NLA parts. Probably have a few 128i owners on this board searching for that $499 one right now lol.
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