M135i - Attempt Number 2

[David James]

Is it really much of a change from a 335i though. I'd rather your 335 or 335d

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

Is it really much of a change from a 335i though. I'd rather your 335 or 335d

F series instead of E series (makes a f**king huge difference!)

 

[David James]

Really? Whats so different

 

[NorthloopCup]

Really? Whats so different

Build quality and technology. I own an f31 and it’s miles ahead of an e91 in all areas.

 

[MarkCup]

Collection day!

Excited or meh?

 

[Sir_Dave]

Nice. Very very nice. I hope you get along a little better with this one. I think they're a belter of a car!
You're welcome to come try mine with the diff whenever you want. 80s Sunday Breakfast Club at Goodwood?

Im sure ill take you up on that offer @MarkCup !!

Are these a good all rounder then? Seem to be plenty about and reasonable running costs?
Was looking at Octavias and Cupras but the 6 pot noise is worth a look. Just put off by them being quite common, but surely less thief happy than something like an ST?

Yeah, they are decent enough in terms of all round usage, i always thought that a 5dr auto would make a great family car when i had my 3dr manual!
They are common, but thats because of the cheap lease/pcp deals i guess, its often cheaper to get an M135i/M140i than a 2nd hand 120d lol.

Nice car, did you not find that there are plenty of catc/d/s etc about as well as un mapped cars that have been hammered ? what buying tips have you got for us mere mortals lol

Where are you finding these gems from? All the ones I have found are silly money for the spec or are total lease spec povo. £13k for that spec, from what ive been able to find, is amazing value.

Plenty of sheds around!! Buying tips wise, having the money for the new car without needing to sell your old one is how i do it.
Then if something comes up, you just buy it. If you have to sell something else first, trade in or faff about, you'll never get the best deal.
On the flipside, it means i have 3 cars outside currently

Nice purchase Dave!
The JB4 will drop on one of these won't it?

Cheers!
Yes it will, although if i do anything, it would be MHD, ive used the app for data logging on the 335i and its very good!

Unlucky about the Golf R, I had a ‘15 plate with heated leather and pro nav (DSG) you could’ve had for less than £16k...was actually a really nice car! In the clutches of BCA as of this afternoon though...

Dont tell me that now FFS

That, is a mighty list of options!
Electric seats on a 5dr. Lovely!!
Yours has a different iDrive controller than mine did, was it updated halfway through 2013?
This will be the pneumatic wastegate N55?

Yeah, its the PWG version, so will always put out less power than the later EWG cars. Still seems to go rather well though, the audobox is always in the right gear!
Options are great, all the things i wanted last time but couldnt afford! Reversing camera is surprisingly useful in our tight carpark, not tried self parking yet though.

Is it really much of a change from a 335i though. I'd rather your 335 or 335d

First things first, compared to the e90's, the steering is pretty lifeless, it really does detract from the driving experience. The incar media etc is better though, even though i have CIC/Combox, the NBT is just that little bit better imho. Build quality isnt as good however, the sun visors are uber pikey compared to the e90, which are bad compared to the e46 ... quality is decreasing with each new model imho, unless you are 5 series and above it fairly poor i think, but still better materials/feel than a Golf i think.

Realistically though, having the 335i/335d is probably a better overall combination, but for a variety of reasons, one car to do it all is probably more sensible at the moment.

 

[Sir_Dave]

Collection day!
Excited or meh?

I was very excited.
Obligatory fuel & Maccy D's stops ...

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Until yesterday when i gave it a clean
Being that it was chucking it down when i collected it, i had a quick look over it, paid and drove off.
Unfortunately, my specific request for them to PDR the dent on the door appears to have fallen on deaf ears.
Its clearly been sprayed by a blind man with rattle cans out the back of their showroom, then covered in T-Cut and polish to look nice upon collection.


Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

At night

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Whilst there was a few door dents, knocks & scratches all round, it was, at the point i collected it, an honest, 1 owner, full BMW history at the same dealer it was bought at kind of car, unpainted, warts & all. Just how i like them. Now, it'll need another respray ...

F*cking lol at the headlight as well btw. My old one used to do this a bit on occasion, but after talking to Cooper Reading, the previous owner had tried to get this fixed a few times under warranty to no avail - guess i'll be removing it and checking the seals at some point. It seems my time with M135's never goes easily.


Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Ignoring the door debarcle for the moment. Compared to my previous 3dr manual, as a 5dr auto, with adaptive suspension, i feel that the car works better. Its more of a mini 5 series for daily driving and mooching about in, with the ability to go rather quickly when you want it to. As a do it all car, it'll be great. The drive back from Peterborough gave 36mpg cruising at 75-85 (kph of course) and its only £20 a month to tax. When i had the 3dr manual, i was coming out of a Mini GP1 and was still expecting/wanting a hot hatch ... with hindsight, i was always going to be disappointed!!! Now im used to driving around in an e90 for the past couple of years, the transition is much less marked.

 

[Mk1T]

Awesome. I'm seriously considering getting rid of my S2k next summer and getting one of these instead. Would need to be a 135i with a few choice mods though!

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

They do look great in black! Enjoy.

 

[Detail Chris]

@Sir_Dave what would be your recommendation for tuning (stage one levels) for either pwg and ewg m135i’s?

 

[David James]

Why the 135i when you already have a 335i manual?

 

[Ant1]

I like these! Did anyone watch the police chase in one of these the night on channel
5? Tuesday 8pm just gone.

That door though, I know it’s fixable but what the f**k where they doing.

 

[MarkCup]

That door though, I know it’s fixable but what the f**k where they doing.

The absolute bare minimum I think.

 

[Sir_Dave]

@Sir_Dave what would be your recommendation for tuning (stage one levels) for either pwg and ewg m135i’s?

Honestly, havent looked lol.
I tend to make sure cars are running perfectly as standard first though, so a service, replacement of spark plugs/coils etc, then perhaps and intercooler and Stage 1 map with something like MHD. For the moment though, its keeping me entertained as standard, the gearbox just always seems to be in the right gear, like the XHP upgrade on the older 6 speeds i guess, just with lots more shorter ratios to play with. Im especially liking the contrast between normal/sport now that it changes the suspension as well, like the e90 M3/RS3, it gives the car two differing characters which i think is quite cool. In my old M135i, Sport mode just made the steering heavier and the throttle response sharper, so i feel like im getting the "full package" if thats makes sense. Tis annoying that some cars are only any good with the "right" options on them though!!

Why the 135i when you already have a 335i manual?

This may sound daft, but as a seasoned tinkerer, the 335i is quite a dangerous (to the wallet) car to own. You start off with a few OEM retrofits and servicing, then ponder a suspension refresh (i bought Bilstein B12's), Stage 1 map will take you to 375bhp or so, but then you look at downpipes that'll take you to 420bhp, then you need an LSD, but then adding Meth gives some reliability and a bit more power, then you look at a single turbo conversion and before you know it, your sensible family car is runnning 650WHP and is no longer sensible. Plus you've spent 10 grand

The absolute bare minimum I think.

Yup. They offered to come and collect it, redo it and bring it back, but ive asked for a partial refund to cover the door respray instead.
There are a few other odds & sods that ive now noticed that are annoying me, so ill put that together with some extra £££'s and get it done properly.
Or ill just leave it really dirty and spend the £350 on something else entirely

Now i just need to get rid of the 335i and 335d.

 

[David James]

I am very tempted by a 335i lol. All my money is tied up in my 172 cup and m3

 

[Cookson]

What's the 335d going for @Sir_Dave

 

[MarkCup]

Im especially liking the contrast between normal/sport now that it changes the suspension as well...it gives the car two differing characters which i think is quite cool. In my old M135i, Sport mode just made the steering heavier and the throttle response sharper, so i feel like im getting the "full package" if thats makes sense. Tis annoying that some cars are only any good with the "right" options on them though!!

I was having this exact same conversation the other night! I view it as a mode for me, DSC off with firm everything, active sound for extra growls, and a midway throttle, or family mode (comfort or EcoPro or traction off), soft everything and a quiet life.

Sport and Sport+ I have no time for as they make the throttle too sharp IMO.

 

[Oggy997]

I genuinely thought adaptive would be a bit of a gimmick but you really do feel the change when going into the different modes

 

[Short Norman]

I genuinely thought adaptive would be a bit of a gimmick but you really do feel the change when going into the different modes

I was the same as you.

Even in my wifes evoque you can tell the difference in the ride/handling between normal and dynamic mode.

 

[rich_h]

Looks good for the money Dave.

I've just sold my GP2 and looking for a replacement. Only real options are M140/M135 or Golf R...

 

[Matt Cup]

What’s the cost difference between adaptive and non-adaptive suspension when they need to be replaced? Also is it just the damper or do they use special springs too?

 

[Rojer]

What’s the cost difference between adaptive and non-adaptive suspension when they need to be replaced? Also is it just the damper or do they use special springs too?

Using @Sir_Dave car as reference. On Euro's there is a £500 difference per shock....

 

[davo172]

What’s the cost difference between adaptive and non-adaptive suspension when they need to be replaced? Also is it just the damper or do they use special springs too?

Not much price difference on a golf r

 

[Sir_Dave]

I genuinely thought adaptive would be a bit of a gimmick but you really do feel the change when going into the different modes

Yeah i first had it on my e90 M3, the difference was noticeable, then again on the RS3 (although that was just hard, or rattly & hard lol) and the PASM on the Boxster was amazing. The M135i deffo needs adaptive though i think, unless you replace the passive dampers with Bilsteins, they are really quite poor imho.

What’s the cost difference between adaptive and non-adaptive suspension when they need to be replaced? Also is it just the damper or do they use special springs too?

I imagine the spring rates are different, id just replace with Eibach if they snapped though, so OEM pricing isnt that important.
Using RealOEM and Rybrook the dampers are circa:

Front Damper
Passive: https://www.online-parts.co.uk/bmw-spare-parts/31316880944_Spring-Strut-Front.html
Adaptive (sided): https://www.online-parts.co.uk/bmw-spare-parts/37116797899_Left-Front-Spring-Strut.html

Rear Damper
Passive: https://www.online-parts.co.uk/bmw-spare-parts/33526873729_Shock-Absorber-Rear.html
Adaptive: https://www.online-parts.co.uk/bmw-spare-parts/37126857963_Shock-Absorber-Rear.html

 

[david hodson]

You could also upgrade to a bilstein B6 damptronic damper, which work with adaptive suspension

 

[jenic]

I'm surprised you're back in one! I bought mine a few months ago and read a lot of your posts at the time.

Looks a good spec, except the 5 door 😋 I also made sure I got the spec I wanted and lucked out on a 1 owner one being sold privately just down the road from me. Even though it's not something I wanted initially I think the adaptive suspension is a must have option, really increases the comfort level day to day!

I also went e91 -> f21, and while the interior material quality is slightly worse it's a massive step up feature wise I find. In fact I really like the car in every way apart from the steering, but it seems steering with good feedback on modern non-sports cars is a thing of the past

 

[MarkCup]

I've never understood the criticism for the steering myself.

Having said that, the last time I had proper feel was in my hydraulic 172 Cup and it's been 8 years since I drove that.

Since then, apart from my 200, it's been Fiesta ST and Focus RS. Neither of which had bad steering but they were electric.

I can't say I've ever felt disconnected from it on track, I guess I'm just tuned in to zero feel now!

 

[Sir_Dave]

I also went e91 -> f21, and while the interior material quality is slightly worse it's a massive step up feature wise I find. In fact I really like the car in every way apart from the steering, but it seems steering with good feedback on modern non-sports cars is a thing of the past

I've never understood the criticism for the steering myself.

If you'd driven an e9* before the M140i like i suggested, you'd realise how sh1t it is lol. I've got both at the moment and the e90's is just soooooo much better.

@jenic i know exactly what you mean about the interior, it is worse quality imho (& the e90 was worst than the e46), its things like the sunvisors, my goodness they are pikey materials on the F20 😂 Mind you, compared to the Golf R's i looked at, the M135i still feels far nicer overall. Not sure what that says about the VW

So then, being that i bought this car not to modify it. I havent done very well. On the flipside, the M135i doesnt come with an oil temp gauge, so its umm, maintenance? Ebay+10% coupons are always my nemesis ... and ive always wanted an Awron gauge ... will look something like this when fitted:

 

[welshname]

I like that. Nicer than the P3 gauges for VAG but the only down side is it takes the entire vent.

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

I agree with Mark tbh. It's not oozing with feel but you can place it where you want and the car does what it's told. In the scheme of things it's a small sacrifice for everything else the car does well.

 

[Sir_Dave]

I like that. Nicer than the P3 gauges for VAG but the only down side is it takes the entire vent.

Yeah, i thought about one of those as well, but this ended up being £235 delivered, so quite a bit cheaper than a P3.
Is annoying losing the vent though as thats where i normally put my phone for Waze!!

Have now driven the car a little bit more, seems i have the rattle steering rack that 99% of other M135is have
More info here: https://babybmw.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=110735 - Initially BMW fired the parts cannon and fitted new racks, now its a case of tightening a bolt up and/or fitting a repair kit (part no: 32106891974), something along these lines will sort it apparently: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-Stee...4-X1-3-5-Grease-and-Thrust-Piece/274053097234

In addition, whilst the adaptive is FAR better than the passive setup, i do think that a set of Eibach Pro's would finish it off nicely, they are only £125 of German ebay, so thats certainly a future plan. I had also forgotten how poor the cold/damp weather traction is in the 1er, yes, it is probably the MPSS tyres, but my 335i is far far better at putting its (higher) power down on Hankooks!! In other news, i really need to advertise that properly, the more it sits there next to the M135i, the less i want to get rid of it!

Took a photo of the 1er with its bigger/older brother (as a size comparison) before i sold it ...

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

And finally, some utter c0ckwomble has driven into it out on the street. Havent even had it a month yet FFS.

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

 

[Cookson]

Dickless b******s. Probably one of those "but that's what bumpers are designed for" c***s

 

[welshname]

Nice.

Phone holder wise I'm shocked you're not using a brodit proclip. the none charging versions aren't all that expensive. But the hardwired ones can be. bonus is you can always rip it out when you change car and then deal just buy the different clip section.

Also if you have your phone plugged into your car for stuff you can buy one of the holders that has a holder for a charger cable so you can use your own. Can run it nice and tidy then

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

MPSS are frightful in the wet.

 

[Ant1]

MPSS are frightful in the wet.

I use them all year around on the M5 and they are a cracking tyre in damp conditions.

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

I use them all year around on the M5 and they are a cracking tyre in damp conditions.

Either you drive like you're on your test or you've not tried a decent tyre from the last 10 years. They're awful. Lack feedback and have no grip to boot. Pilot sport 4 is such a better road tyre, and Cup 2s are much better man tyres. Although they're even worse in the wet. Better feel and much better in the dry mind you.

 

[KitsonRis]

My MPSS on my M140i did some good off roading the other week when I got lost. Flooded roads covered in leaves and mud. Proper country lanes with grass running down the middle. Only when I got to a bit there it said "Horse drawn carriages only" I admitted defeat and turned back. Serves me right for forgetting the short cut and following sat nav, I should have just gone the way I knew. But I have never rated the sat nav in it though - is there a difference between the pro nav and the normal? I have pro nav but if there is a difference then the normal one must be crap!

I will admit I have not pushed the car enough to see how good the tyres are. It got a bit twitchy once coming off a damp roundabout with very little throttle, but that was it really.

That vent gauge looks proper smart...must.not.order.one.for.mine.

 

[Ant1]

Either you drive like you're on your test or you've not tried a decent tyre from the last 10 years. They're awful. Lack feedback and have no grip to boot. Pilot sport 4 is such a better road tyre, and Cup 2s are much better man tyres. Although they're even worse in the wet. Better feel and much better in the dry mind you.

Pull the other one lad, they work well for me as the side walls are stiff, much stiffer than the PS4S tbf. Lots of progression when on the limit wet and dry.

Cups 2s are in a different league but not suited for a 2 ton estate.

Edited to add, fyi the PS4 was not a replacement for the MPSS, it was the less focused of the two, if you wanted a more focused tyre you would stick with the MPSS. However the PS4 is available in smaller sizes which in my case, works out well for the M3 running 17” alloys.

 

[-Jamie-]

PS4S was the actual replacement


I never rated PSS that wl on the Megane tbf, super soft sidewalls made them feel gash, regardless how much grip they had the feel was terrible

 

[_Tom]

MPSS are B rated for wet use. Great tyres though.