Desertman123's OEM+ College-Spec 128i build thread

[desertman123]

2008 BMW 128i

@Andreys_128i

• Sparkling Graphite Metallic
• Terra (LWB8) leather
• Walnut trim
• Sports package
• 6 speed manual
• N52


Photography:
• Nikon D90
• Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.8










What I've done:


Engine/Drivetrain:
• 3 stage intake manifold
* ○ Bimmerlabs custom tune
* ○ 7500rpm redline
• Euro MAF-delete IAT sensor (p/n 13627547822)
• Active Autowerke headers
• MILVS
• European airbox
• Mitzone aluminum valve cover (to replace plastic)
• Rev Motoring silicon intake
• 3.73 diff
• E46 M3 trans mounts
• BMW Performance short shift lever
• Factory muffler delete + 392 Scatpack Charger "straight-thru" muffler


Suspension/chassis:
• Bilstein B12 Pro kit
• M3 front control arms
• Whiteline RSFB inserts
• Dinan camber plates
• 335i front brakes
• 328i rear calipers (40mm to 42mm piston)
• Techna-Fit stainless brake lines


Wheels/tires:
• BBS RX 282 (BMW Style 197)
• Continental ExtremeContacts
18×8 +34 - 225/40
18×8.5 +37 - 255/35


Exterior:
• Euro Xenon headlights (auto-leveling but non-adaptive)
• Depo amber LED smoked sidemarkers
• Blackline LCI tails
• M-Sport rear bumper
• Mudflaps


Interior:
• Terracotta leather interior retrofit (converted from beige sensatec)
* ○ Front sport seats w/ heating and lumbar support
• Homelink mirror retrofit
• Storage tray retrofit
• ZHP knob
• 135i gauge cluster (8k redline & oil temp gauge)
• Alarm retrofit
• FRM3 retrofit


Coming Soon™:
• Reworked exhaust - currently experimenting with this
• M-Sport front bumper
• M-Sport sideskirts


Resources that saved my life:
• The entire 1Addicts and E90Post DIY Section
• FCP Euro
• RealOEM - part numbers and diagrams
• NewTIS.info - service manuals
• Bentley service manual
• Euro Airbox Buying Guide
• BimmerLabs
• BimmerMILVS
• BimmerGeeks

[desertman123]

Here's where we started:


Warning, back story:

Previously I had been driving my parents' 2003 Lexus ES300. It worked great, it was comfortable, but goodness it was sloppy. I really appreciated having a set of wheels I could use, but being an enthusiast it didn't excite me that much . I had a bunch of money saved up from working, and my parents agreed to sell the Lexus and put it towards a newer car (very thankful for that).

Thought about what I wanted, basically a comfortable RWD manual coupe that isn't difficult as a daily like roadsters are. After scouring cars.com, craigslist, autotrader, etc. for a few weeks I noticed BMWs basically fit all those criteria. Plus they weren't impossible to find in manual, locally. My parents had both owned BMWs back in the day, mainly mom loved her manual E28 528e. So they were comfortable with the brand. I hopped on E90Post and began REALLY researching them. Common issues, maintenance cost, ease of DIYs. I was wanting a 335i but the only ones in my price range were 07-08s and the thought of replacing turbos on my budget was terrifying. My main focus was an E92 328i. Really focused on sport/manuals. Not easy to find.

Found an '06 330i at a dealership in Daytona. Went down and checked it out. Looked great in the pictures and had the 6mt/sport with like 70k mi. Perfect! I got there and the car was honestly a dump. Paint was swirly as hell, headlights fogged, interior had totally peeled apart. The salesman mentioned the sunroof leaked, and lo and behold there was a big puddle in the rear seat floor . Disappointing to say the least.

After that I found a clean 335i with lower miles, if the turbos were replaced I'd seriously consider it. But the dude flaked - said he wanted to meet a week later.

Annoyed, I get back on the usual sites and continue looking. I hadn't checked autotrader in a while, so I gave that a look. There was a 2008 128i in the area, no pictures even posted yet. Ran the VIN and saw it was truly a manual along with the sport package. I honestly barely even knew the 1 series existed. I thought it was a newer series - like 2011+ or something. I check it out and it's basically the E92 328i I was looking for, but in a cozier package. Call up the dealership and ask about the price - they say if we showed up today we could knock a thousand off. So off we went. Honestly I saw the car, looked at how clean it was and knew it was the one. Didn't even know stick that well, but the salesman let me puts around in the parking lot and felt I did well enough to take it on the road. 79k miles - a little higher than I liked but the car was pristine so I really didn't care at that point. So we bought it!!


____________________________

Here's a small section dedicated to my parent's 528i. It's basically fully loaded.

2014 BMW 528i





Options:

• Mineral White Metallic
• Ivory White interior
• Luxury Line
• Comfort Seats (Massaging, AC and heated)
• Nav, reverse cam, parking sensors & cameras everywhere
• Driver's Assistance Packages (Lane deviation warning, blind spot monitoring, HUD, etc.)

Probably more I'm forgetting.

____________________________

Last but not least, a small section on my other money sink!

1992 Honda Beat

@honda.bito





• Japanese domestic market import, right hand drive
• 656 cc, 3cyl, individual throttle bodies, 9000 RPM redline
• 63 HP, 44 lb*f
• 5 spd manual
• Mid engine
• RWD
• "Kei" car (Japanese city car)
• Festival Red (R80)
• Factory standard zebra interior

So far been a huge project. I bought it from a private auction in Japan, had my friend ship it over and have been working on it since. The rockers were like 50% rusted out, so I've gotten pretty decent at welding and fabricating. Auction said it was running and driving, it wasn't. Motor had a bent rod. So I bought a used motor stateside (there's a decent sized US community for these) and have been feeding my engine builder parts and money to rebuild it. Lastly, I'm having another shop rebuild the transmission as well just to be safe. I don't want to get it all "resto'd" and find out I'm grinding gears away. While they're in there, it's a popular mod to use the Honda Acty minitruck transmission 4th and 5th gears to get taller ratios. The Beat is geared pretty short (city driving) and so to get the RPMs lower on US roads it'll be a nice mod to have.

[nacaruh]

Congrats on the 1er, and welcome! Seems like you got most of the PM out of the way. I would also check your maintenance history to see:

- Waterpump/thermostat: Those are notorious for failing. If you don't see any, I would highly recommend switching that out first.
- Coolant hoses
- Valve cover gasket
- Oil filter housing gasket

If not, then I would highly recommend you getting these done. The gaskets can wait until you spot a leak, but it's known to fail once you're up in the mileage.

[desertman123]

Originally Posted by lecaf

Congrats on the 1er, and welcome! Seems like you got most of the PM out of the way. I would also check your maintenance history to see:

- Waterpump/thermostat: Those are notorious for failing. If you don't see any, I would highly recommend switching that out first.
- Coolant hoses
- Valve cover gasket
- Oil filter housing gasket

If not, then I would highly recommend you getting these done. The gaskets can wait until you spot a leak, but it's known to fail once you're up in the mileage.

Already did VCG and OFHG, that's where the coolant pic and cracked cover pics are from.

But the cooling system is another story. I'm hoping by the non-OEM coolant I found is a sign it's already been dealt with. I really want to address that, but a new cooling system along with a new battery (mine's original from 2008!) is pretty steep on a college kid's budget. I can do it! But I'll hold off as long as I can.

[desertman123]

Got the alignment pin out. Extra tiny bit of camber up front! Why not! It's free after all. Don't worry, I got that chunk out - just didn't bother with it from taking the picture.




I also have the Whiteline rear subframe bushing inserts. I know people like/recommend total bushing replacement, but on a 128i that might never even see an autoX, I didn't feel it necessary. Plus it's Florida - flat and straight. I'll save my money for the 3 stage intake.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Thank you for sharing

[Taskmaster]

Car-Part.com for the 3 stage manifold (You can get complete units for $200) BPC for the tune.

[desertman123]

Originally Posted by TheAxiom

Car-Part.com for the 3 stage manifold (You can get complete units for $200) BPC for the tune.

Car-part is definitely planned. Seen them go as low as $150 over in Tampa. And how does the BPC tune compare to AA?

[Taskmaster]

Originally Posted by desertman123

Car-part is definitely planned. Seen them go as low as $150 over in Tampa. And how does the BPC tune compare to AA?

Better in every way - there will be a test soon to show everyone.

[desertman123]

Small photoshoot with some friends!

[desertman123]

Update!! Oil analysis came in - my engine is healthy!!

[desertman123]

Found a friend!!

I can't lie, I've walked towards this car a few times thinking it was my own.

[Taskmaster]

Originally Posted by desertman123

Found a friend!!

I can't lie, I've walked towards this car a few times thinking it was my own.

They do seems kinda similar.

[chadillac2000]

This reminds me that I also need to change my MT and differential fluids here shortly, probably with my next oil change. Might send mine off to Blackstone -- after reading your analysis, I'm curious.

[desertman123]

Originally Posted by TheAxiom

They do seems kinda similar.

Head on, not a whole lot, but when I'm coming towards it at an angle in a sea of cars it's not always 100% apparent.

Originally Posted by chadillac2000

This reminds me that I also need to change my MT and differential fluids here shortly, probably with my next oil change. Might send mine off to Blackstone -- after reading your analysis, I'm curious.

Would recommend! If you can, MTL feels great in the trans. When I first drove the car after swapping fluids it kinda felt smoother, like less rolling resistance. Which makes sense, but I don't know if that was in my head. The shifter on the other hand was immediately obvious.

[VMRWheels]

Great start! Happy Modding!

[desertman123]

Disaster struck! Sorta. I was cleaning my wheels when I noticed my subframe bushing insert broke!




More info here: http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1328481

[Taskmaster]

Originally Posted by desertman123

Disaster struck! Sorta. I was cleaning my wheels when I noticed my subframe bushing insert broke!




More info here: http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1328481

You should come to the drag strip Thursday, get a good g
Baseline for the car

[desertman123]

Well I finally got around to fixing this!





http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...php?p=20994425

[desertman123]

Installed the short throw shifter (this isn't it, just me taking out the old one). What a difference! Increased effort for sure, but the shift is short as can be. Definitely an excuse to get the ZHP knob

[Taskmaster]

We're watching. Waiting.

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by TheAxiom

We're watching. Waiting.

Quietly....



Jk it's coming along great man that exhaust really worked out well too