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Basically it gets to a point where it’s bad enough to require swap out with either a manual box or OEM German auto transmission. Have had two jerkco automatic e36s and both had issues , one at 80,000 (318i )and one at 120,000 (328i) The first one had a rebuild ($3k 20 years back ) and problem came back at 110k , second one made it to beyond 240,000 km with slight 1-2 jerk and gentle acceleration used most f it’s life. Best option for these transmissions is a 40 tonne catiplier bulldozer or a molten furnace.

After lurking in the shadows for the last two years and checking daily to see if my favorite build threads had any updates I thought id give this a go myself! Now before I start rambling I would like to acknowledge the public hatred towards compact's, Yes they are hideous and this one is defiantly not the coolest one In NZ but its my ugly duckling and it has provided me with connections to the most amazing people in this community and wealth's of knowledge that can not learnt from YouTube..... So we begin How It Began: While Making a quick trip to Weitz industries to grab a few bits for my 130 I noticed a small little compact sitting in the corner waiting to be harvested before turning into a coke can, At the time gas prices were at an all time High and the thought of a small economical German Rear wheel drive sounded like the perfect solution! Despite being warned by Nick that the condition was unknown and it was sold strictly as a parts car I already had my heart set on It and turned a blind eye to all the negatives while convincing my partner with the positives! While not entirely convinced she said yes and I was able to drive it home😀 After making a quick stop at the gas station I drove the short 4km home loving every second of it, Despite owning multiple Bmw's and having the 130i as a daily driver I couldn't help but notice how nimble and zippy it was! For a car that was sold as a entry level 90's Bmw the quality and handling already outdid much more expensive Toyota hatchbacks 10 years Newer! Unfortunately that's pretty much the last time I got to enjoy the Efficient 1.8L. While I was to busy admiring the absolute bargain I had scored the car was pouring white smoke the entire way home, after a quick investigation it was obvious that the 257,000km M44 blew its head gasket while I was gutted this finally gave me the opportunity to do what I had been scheming since I saw the car.. A 328ti

nope rear hubs - 33326792553 - its the only bush that isnt replaced by the PU kits youve listed, it also seems to be the first one to sh*t itself https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=UF92-EUR-11-2005-E87-BMW-130i&diagId=33_1230

Yup, but Id grab some stock spherical bushings (they arent covered by the PU kit) for the rear hubs as well. HellBM has the tools I used to do it.

Pretty sure the loom is completely different on the ZF and why no one swaps them in.

Sold sorry, my bad forgot to update the post

Some more photos of the car as it sits now, very happy with the exterior except for maybe a front lip or different front bumper in the future... on to the interior next.

Been a while since i updated I got 20,000 out of the rear PS4S but interestingly look like i will only get 25,000 out of the fronts. Oil changes annually which is about 7000km, changed trans fluid, gasket filter and one time use aluminium bolts again as the change procedure only removes half the fluid. Car still running flawlessly but will look to change out all pulleys and belts shortly and the injectors after that. I have some new control arms to fit so when the front tires hit 3mm soon ill swap them out and get an alignment and new tires. 8AB53DA3-EE6A-4BC4-B1BD-739FAB9737CB.webp

Update - After i was unable to get the car running right it sat for a year while i got busy with other projects, however its back on the "to do" list and ive replaced a couple of coils and cleaned the MAF which made a difference, ECU still throwing MAF errors and there's a slight stumble so have ordered a new MAF. Also have an error that looks related to back pressure at the o2 sensor, the car still has the original mid section with the cats and at 300km theres a good chance they are clogged, so have a new Super sprint midsection to install. The Vano's is a bag of marbles as well, so Ive slowly been collecting parts for a full vanos rebuild and will kick that off shortly.

Hi people. I've bought a 130i to use for Targa Tour with my son and also track day duties. I'll be selling the 85 AW11 racecar I have had for the past 22 years as I think I've done my dash with club type racing. There's a couple of things to sort on the car, so there'll be a few questions asked and WTB's put in!! Cheers Simon

One of the sexiest OEM wheels imo, I love mine

Today: As of today the cars not far from completion, just awaiting a wheel alignment and then will be getting ready for cert! Hopefully I can answer questions for anyone wanting to do this swap or at least bring some reading to kill some time! Please let me know If I've done my thread correctly as Im normally only a reader and have tried my best to make this one as readable as all of yours! A huge thank you to everyone in the community, While there is so much more to this story with so many great people involved that If I had to type it we would all be here for weeks! Cheers Guys!

The Interior And Rare Bits: When I first got this car the interior wasn't awful but it wasn't to far from it! I started with the usual deep clean and wet Vac, This bought it up and came to show that just because something is High kms means everything has to be worn! My first Item I tackled was the seats, While I really wanted M rain seats these are often ruined and sold in a heartbeat. Since all of my seats but my driver's were in fairly good condition I decided to stick with the style I had and refurbish them! A full interior from another Ti was purchased however the drivers seat was also worn. I was able to swap the bases over from the passenger seat to the drivers side making one good condition seat from the two! While I played with Idea of using a e46 M sport wheel, Getting the airbag and horn to work was to much of a mission so the standard Evo wheel was returned. A custom M3 cluster was made using the 6 Cylinder cluster and not only looks the part but has a functioning MPG gauge, Cool for a compact! I am very big on my music, I'm not an audiophile but I do like having decent sounds. everything single speaker in the car was replaced with some JVC 4.5" purchased from Supercheap Auto, including the rears with custom 3d printed brackets! While these were good they did lack the lows, A sub and alpine amp were installed and dialed in to ever so slightly pick up the lows the speakers lacked (I did the whole big bass thing through high school so grateful its not coming back in this car) As I started to like the early Bmw styling I wanted everything to be factory, The car still retains its factory head unit and Cd stacker which will soon also have Aux capability! Every single globe in the car was replaced and returned to its original working order (I say this like it was easy, Hundreds and dollars and hours of time went into building and finding discontinued globes) A factory leather Arm rest was installed and a good condition parcel tray and OEM First aid box was found! Oem Bonnet Light Probably the coolest part that's yet to be installed as I'm still awaiting for the wiring loom from Germany is my factory OBC unit that will replace the clock. The will show a very basic run down of Consumption, Outdoor temp and range! I believe relatively rare and super cool! A very rare M spoiler was also acquired and installed making the rather ugly behind kind of less ugly? Exhaust: I wont get into to much deal as this was just a nightmare, Factory 318ti exhaust up to the Cat, Cat has been replaced with a resonator and 323i downpipes were used. I really do not want to relive this nightmare (Try transport an exhaust in a Toyota corolla)

The Drivetrain: Now I know many of you will be reading this rather confused, The title says 323Ti project but I'm talking about a 328Ti. I was lucky enough that the person who grabbed my old M44 had a few engine laying around, A deal was made was for a b28 however life happened and it turned out the engine was a 2.5. Despite being given the option to grab a refund or let him pull the b28 out of his own vehicle for me (If your reading this your are an absolute legend!) I decided to go with one of these b25's. Initially there was no real reason, Maybe I'm just impatient or maybe the b25 was priced incredibly well however after collecting the engine and opening it up I was incredibly glad I choose this path! The engine was immaculate and quite possibly the best condition I've ever seen! Since I had the engine out it was the perfect opportunity to do some preventive work. The water pump and thermostat housing were both switched for aluminum units, The Sump, Valve cover gasket and oil filter housing gaskets were changed along side of all the intake gaskets and lines. the throttle body warmer was blocked with a customer Part thanks to a fellow member, All Belts and pulleys were replaced as well as the usual plugs, filters and oil. A g220 was selected for the transmission as mated up to the M52 along with a new Single Mass fly Wheel and clutch From NZAD (Good time to replace your rear main!) And to top everything off the shifter was rebuilt. As mentioned before I wasn't certain what to do with the diff as the Ti shares the same style as an e30 and z3 making decent ratios hard to find and when you do they are Very well priced! I was lucky enough to score a diff from a factory manual 318ti and while this isn't perfect it is good enough for what I need! Obviously all fluids were flushed and changed

Awesome! This is what Bimmersport is all about, Bimmer people helping other Bimmer people.

A big thank you to @Cement for sorting the exhaust leak for me today and taking me for a quick blat in the mighty (edition 1 of 1?) VQ37 E46 💪🏽 One less thing on the to-do list!

Yeah Id imagine so, good brakes for sure! CSL wheels are beautiful, used to have a set on my car, albeit reps as I wanted 18s, now running apex wheels for greater brake clearance. Beautiful car you have by the way!

Day 4. Bush is a four letter word. So many bushes, takes ages, way worse than subframe bushes. The trailing arm ones in the hub are a bastard, for some reason the ali external clamshell is really soft (brake heat?) And likes to swag its ass all over the place. Peening it all back in and swearing solves it. All the bushes done though. Its downhill from here. Time for a beer.