Looking for a 135: Advise

[UpNcOmiNg!]

M sport has no effect on the outside, body kit remains the same. Difference is in interior trim, steering wheel, door sills, gear knob on manual. That's about it. Wheels may also vary between the dual 5 spoke 261 to the single 5 spoke.

I do, however, have an M sport steering for the 1 series in perfect condition, still rather matte in texture.

 

[Kerrits]

I think the BMW performance pack II gives you 430NM for manual and 450NM for auto, so if you want to go for more power I would go for the auto.

Also, the ride can be considered harsh depending on your standards.

I would have liked xenons on mine, but I only got the sport pack and sunroof.
The sportpack brings with it auto climate control (not sure if it's standard on the 135i without it)

I'm not big into all the cosmetic stuff, so what I have is good for me, although it's a bit basic compared to what some of the other cars come out with as standard nowdays.

 

[Fat Tom]

look out for HPFP faliure, injector failure oh and the squeeky brakes when they done.

P.S. had all these failures when car was still 100% stock

 

[Acheron]

look out for HPFP faliure, injector failure oh and the squeeky brakes when they done.

P.S. had all these failures when car was still 100% stock

Funnily enough the S3 is prone to all of those as well, especially the squeaky brakes

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I've narrowed my choices down to two quite different scenarios:
1) An N55 with DCT still under maint/service plan, but I'll have to be stealthy with the mods which may make life difficult at service or repair time. This is the more cautious, but complicated approach.
2) A manual N54 out of plan, but as much as R100k less which I'll put straight into mods and maint. A riskier move if something goes wrong badly, but at least I can go balls out on mods.

As for extras on either option I'm aiming for the following:
- Sunroof
- Rear PDC
- Climate control
- Xenons

 

[BrandonF1]

look out for HPFP faliure, injector failure oh and the squeeky brakes when they done.

P.S. had all these failures when car was still 100% stock

Funnily enough the S3 is prone to all of those as well, especially the squeaky brakes

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I've narrowed my choices down to two quite different scenarios:
1) An N55 with DCT still under maint/service plan, but I'll have to be stealthy with the mods which may make life difficult at service or repair time. This is the more cautious, but complicated approach.
2) A manual N54 out of plan, but as much as R100k less which I'll put straight into mods and maint. A riskier move if something goes wrong badly, but at least I can go balls out on mods.

As for extras on either option I'm aiming for the following:
- Sunroof
- Rear PDC
- Climate control
- Xenons

Spot on dude, was exactly my approach!

 

[UpNcOmiNg!]

BOOOM! Done!

 

[Acheron]

Ok, so let's assume I play it safe and go for the N55. Obviously the first thing I'd want to do is get software done.

What are the points I need to know? Which options are tried and tested? Can it be picked up by the dealers easily?(heard a few horror stories of voided plans due to ECU and even keys being read to detect tunes)

The next thing I'd do would be downpipes. I'm a considerably decent DIY'er (well I think so), would the dp's be easy enough to revert back to stock in the comfort of my garage should I need to take the car into the dealer?

 

[Ikes]

Hey budd!

Welcome. Like you I moved from a S3 (modded to stage 2+) to a n55 dct. I don't regret my choice at all. In fact I love my car and happy with the decision to go n55. I've done the jb4 stage 2 and BMS intake and what I love about it is that I am able to remove it in my garage in +- a hour. The beauty is that my car was in at BMW for the pressure regulator and they had no idea that anything was done to the car.

So my advice to you is n55 dct with sunroof, PDC and xenons. My s3 had every extra you can think of ( inc the buckets and nav) and I don't miss much of it and loving the dct over the manual in the s3.

Hope this helps and good luck with hunt.

 

[Acheron]

Hey budd!

Welcome. Like you I moved from a S3 (modded to stage 2+) to a n55 dct. I don't regret my choice at all. In fact I love my car and happy with the decision to go n55. I've done the jb4 stage 2 and BMS intake and what I love about it is that I am able to remove it in my garage in +- a hour. The beauty is that my car was in at BMW for the pressure regulator and they had no idea that anything was done to the car.

So my advice to you is n55 dct with sunroof, PDC and xenons. My s3 had every extra you can think of ( inc the buckets and nav) and I don't miss much of it and loving the dct over the manual in the s3.

Hope this helps and good luck with hunt.

Cheers for the confidence in the change of cars. Last thing I want to do is regret moving later

Is the JB4 a software flash you can turn off (e.g. like Revo's S3 software) or a piggback chip of some sort you can physically remove?

 

[David1]

The JB4 is a piggyback that you can physically remove. Speak to Twinz or revo from rennzport, very helpful guys

 

[BrandonF1]

Hey budd!

Welcome. Like you I moved from a S3 (modded to stage 2+) to a n55 dct. I don't regret my choice at all. In fact I love my car and happy with the decision to go n55. I've done the jb4 stage 2 and BMS intake and what I love about it is that I am able to remove it in my garage in +- a hour. The beauty is that my car was in at BMW for the pressure regulator and they had no idea that anything was done to the car.

So my advice to you is n55 dct with sunroof, PDC and xenons. My s3 had every extra you can think of ( inc the buckets and nav) and I don't miss much of it and loving the dct over the manual in the s3.

Hope this helps and good luck with hunt.

Cheers for the confidence in the change of cars. Last thing I want to do is regret moving later

Is the JB4 a software flash you can turn off (e.g. like Revo's S3 software) or a piggback chip of some sort you can physically remove?

[video=youtube]

 

[Andz]

Howzit guy

my car may be for sale soon in you interested...

Shot

Andz

 

[Ma$e]

Hello & welcome. The Msport pack is the suspension, twin spoke rims, M multi function steering, Leather gear knob with M insignia & side step sill with M insignia. The 135i coupe or cabrio comes with the sport suspension any way & the rest are for asthetics. Mine has the M steering & shift lever so you cant tell the difference & the body kit is identical so not much in it. I have an Afe twin intake, project shift charge pipe with Hks dump valve & Xcede software running 280+kw @ the wheels & even higher with octane booster. I would suggest taking a 135i for a long test drive before you decide. Hope the info helps :thumbs:

 

[UpNcOmiNg!]

The suspension is the same on the 135i no matter what, unless it has the optional performance springs, then it's slightly lower otherwise it's all identical

 

[Acheron]

Wow that JB4 looks like an amazing bit of kit. Anyone aware if the gains achieved by it compare to tried and tested ECU flash. Don't want to start a tuner war, just want to make sure I get the best bang for buck

@Andz: Thanks, PM me details when you're ready to sell.

On the suspension subject, if I go the out of plan route the car will have a set of BC Racing coilovers installed. Extremely impressed with them considering the price.

 

[Sleeper135i]

I Have an N54 and an N55 to play with. both manual.
The N54 is still much quicker. SW and meth will pull a N55 with sw & meth and Downpipes.

Downpipes are much easier to install on the N55 than the N54.

I installed the N55 pipes in my garage on a friday evening. easy to go back to stock for a service.
N54 is a nightmare, need a lift and a lot of time.

You have the right idea with options, M sport is a must in my opinion just for the black interior/roof lining.

As for auto's/DCT. They are faster than the manuals but they are my fun cars and I appreciate the car more with a proper gearbox and clutch.
DCT over the steptronic if you have to have a robot change your gears for you.

 

[BrandonF1]

Wow that JB4 looks like an amazing bit of kit. Anyone aware if the gains achieved by it compare to tried and tested ECU flash. Don't want to start a tuner war, just want to make sure I get the best bang for buck

@Andz: Thanks, PM me details when you're ready to sell.

On the suspension subject, if I go the out of plan route the car will have a set of BC Racing coilovers installed. Extremely impressed with them considering the price.

The Jb4 is more generic setup compared to a custom software you can get from a tuner, you are more likely to see better gains from a custom map, but the jb4 has maps for various set ups, do some research and see which suits you best. A mate of mine went from 194wkw to 235wkw on JB4 map 1 so it really does work well.

 

[Acheron]

Are there any common warning signs of impending failures of parts that are prone to failure in either the N54 or N55 engine? I know the HPFP was mentioned earlier, but are there any other big ones and what should I look out for when choosing a pre-owned 135i?

 

[Acheron]

What do you think guys: http://www.gumtree.co.za/cp-cars-in...-nav-bmw-performance-steering-wheel-463341971

Loving how highly spec'ed it is, but does it seem a wee bit overpriced to you?