common faults 130i

[GC180]

Howzit guys! I just joined today.

I'm currently looking for a 130i. Need to sell my Astra Coupe Turbo first.

Are there any common issues with these cars? A 2006 model with around 120000 kms?

I have been reading about the noisy lifters which requires the head to be changed as well as the steering wheel lock problem. Seems quite common in the UK and US.

So I still have doubts!

 

[Nick]

Id give my left leg for a auto 130i :fencelook:

Not sure i have not heard any funny stories about those cars.

Welcome and you have come to the rite place for the rite info!

 

[Rommies]

nice choice of bmw man!!

Cannot comment on the "common problems" of the 130i... you should wait for the experts to jump in!

Good luck & welcome! :thumbs:

 

[3V0M-WP]

Welcome to the forum GC.

You have made a good choice, for a 130i.

A friend/member bought a 2006 130i about 2 weeks ago. He's loving it.

I've got my 2nd 130i.
Yes, one of the common problems is the lifters on a cold start. Both my 130's did/do it. It goes away once the engine has reached operating temperatures. I havnt had the steering lock problem.

Dont buy the first 130i that you find. Do some homework and get the right one. Try find one (in your price range) that still has Motorplan so that you can get the problems (if any) fixed up, at Motorplans expense instead of your pocket.
Please do yourself a favor and get the last 8 digits of the VIN number (or the whole number) of the 130i's that you are interested in, and go to a BMW dealership for a printout of that car/s service history etc.

 

[stephen]

^ Definitely get one with a bit of m/plan left.

I own a 2007 130i non sport and have had the clutch, gearbox changed and some other odds and ends (+-R60K worth of m/plan claims).

You definitely cannot go wrong with a clean well looked after 130i! :thumbs:

And try get one that hasnt been modded too...

 

[GC180]

Thanks for the comments guys.
@carbon, my astra has cost me a not so small fortune to maintain. So I'm looking for a sporty car that isn't going to give me too much grief. That's a lot to ask! But I believe that a big NA motor will be a lot more reliable than a modded turbo motor. That's why I chose to look for a 130. It's just steering issue that bugs me. Seems very common.

 

[gavsadler]

Welcome to the forum, I thought I recognised your name, from the Opel forums...

The lifter issue is common, had it on my car as well, and they replaced the lifters at about 90000kms. It's on 105000kms now, and I think I've only heard it a handful of times since then.

Not sure about the steering issue.

I agree with Carbon about shopping around for 130i's. There are plenty "base" models - they basically look like a 120i with the normal bumpers etc.

I reckon M-sport is the way to go. 18in tyres look hot, but they're kak expensive (runflats approx R4-5k each). Fit normal tyres and carry a spare in the boot. It is a huge improvement in ride comfort.

Other than that, they're good cars. Nice and strong - pulls like a train, creamy smooth as well.

Keep us informed on your shopping :thumbs:

 

[GC180]

Yes i've been a permanent troll on the opc club lol.
I'm not going to rush into it. Want to find out all I can about the car. Also going to be tough letting go of the Astra!

 

[3V0M-WP]

I used to be on the opel forum until 2006. Had a Corsa for 8 years, fully kitted out

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

[gavsadler]

Hehe, it seems a 130i is a natural progression from an Opel then :rollsmile:

 

[GC180]

LOL anything will be a natural progression from Opel! The dealers suck big time, they know nothing about the performance Opels. I absolutely love my Coupe, there aren't many cars on the road today that look as good as an Astra Coupe but I can't stand the lack of knowledge from GM. :bangdesk:

 

[Philip Foglar]

The lifter ticking is always a concern, but I still think it is often a cause of frequent short and cold drives rather than just a problem that WILL occur. But then again, anything is possible. My 330i (same N52B30 engine) seems to be lucky from that point of view. But am battling with a pinging problem which still needs to be sorted out - I suspect a sensor is faulty.

As for the steering lock, yes, this is something to keep an eye out for - mine started doing this in early 2011 very intermittently and then in December that year it did it three times in a row when I needed to move the car. The car went in or its last motorplan covered service and asked them to sort this out, apparently there was a fault with the software and after an update it was fine - and has not happened again since then.

Other than that, these are really superb cars!!! :thumbs:

 

[Diablo Jnr]

Had the same problem with the lifters after it went for a service...took it back, they replaced the lifters, still had the ticking noise. Then they stripped the engine, sent the head to the engineers but couldn't find anything wrong, so they replaced the motor

 

[GC180]

so you don't have the issue anymore since the new motor?

 

[Legacy]

Most common faults on these cars (that I have read about) is the steering lock issue and the later models (when BMW efficient dynamics came out) had direct injection and this could lead to a couple of issues with carbon build up (Carbon Doctor on the forum can sort this out though).

 

[Philip Foglar]

Most common faults on these cars (that I have read about) is the steering lock issue and the later models (when BMW efficient dynamics came out) had direct injection and this could lead to a couple of issues with carbon build up (Carbon Doctor on the forum can sort this out though).

As far as I know we never got the N53 engines in SA which is the direct injection nightmare engine! All of the N52 engines are normal port injection and have valvetronic - the N53 is direct injection but does not have valvetronic.

The N54 and N55 engines have both direct injection and valvetronic and therefore suffer from carbon problems.

To verify the engine, get the VIN number and punch it in on RealOem, then click on the engine which should show the engine model used for that specific car. :thumbs:

 

[Diablo Jnr]

so you don't have the issue anymore since the new motor?

Nope, just the glorious sound from the zorst :rollsmile: