NZ_InFerno

Wow nearly a year between updates, this has been my daily driver while the other 130is have not been working. So, most of this year ? Recently had new spark plugs and a coil done on it. Fresh WoF today. Now that my manual one is working again I will be selling it shortly, just waiting on a coolant temp sensor to arrive to be fitted. If anyone's keen on it flick me a pm. Runs mint, looks good with the cut and polish. Been well taken care of all its life in NZ, have a thick book of service history from previous owners and myself.

Got a WoF today, VTNZ with no issues. Did have a note on the sheet to talk to the guy who did it, he said it's a nice car but my right fog light is too high and needs adjusting. Will add that to the list of stuff that will get done in a couple of weeks(exhaust/wheels/brake fluid). Car is still running sweet, will be at cars and coffee in Welly on Sat arvo, so will hopefully see a few people there. Maybe another 130i? I know @IainR and @Driftit are local.

Had some time today, so swapped in the rest of the coils. Seems like it's running a bit smoother, and pulling more through the rev range. Might be placebo effect ? Old coils I tried to date and looks like they were not originals but definitely at least several years old from what I could get from the manufacturers numbers on a couple of them. The rubber boots on the new coils were much softer and flexible so a sign they had been in there a while. I also took the time to clean the engine bay plastics since I'd been in there a few times in the last month or so, hopefully this is the last time for while that I'm in there. I only took a photo of the engine cover which I cleaned first, the back half that's normally covered on it was particularly bad, cleaned up quite nicely.

Cars still running strong. I think this is now the longest period of time it's run with no issues since I bought it. Two Delphi coils came in today, will be going into the car on the weekend along with the others provided by @Jacko. It still has original coils so fresh set will be more peace of mind. Have also been for an alignment, used the sheet in the other 130i thread as a guide so it's slightly pointer than standard. Feels really nice. At the same time did a paint touch up and sand on all wheels. They're looking much better with no visible stone chips now. Average pic below but this wheel had curbing(my fault) and stone chips previous. Will do a further sand and paint in a couple weeks to get them even better now that we know the paint match is good. Plus will hopefully be fitting my supersprint back box on at the same time. Also tested the brake fluid while waiting and found its bad so will change that. Next up is a new wof, hopefully that shouldn't be an issue.

That was the one off Facebook, he put it on trademe after all the comments calling out the front bumper lol

If you're thinking of buying a 130i try driving a manual as well as an auto. Definitely a different experience. Both good though.

Also as someone who's chased a vvt issue, if you've done the vvt motor and reset properly, make sure spark plugs are OK and new coils(decent ones) before doing anything else. Coils seem to have fixed my vvt issue. If you still have issues after pm me as I've changed the electronics module and fuses too for the valvetronic so can give you part numbers and where located etc.

Definitely want delphi coils. Fcpeuro has them. The valvetronic reset is ignition on(not engine on) and leave for 30 secs then turn off for 30 secs. You will hear a slight whirr noise a second or two after ignition on then a click as it finds the end point and then gain as it comes back. It's a pretty quick motion. Don't need to touch accelerator etc while doing it.

Haha, yeah it did. I was parked next to my mates 1 series last night and he commented on the stubby. His has the shorter bmw aerial and this is 1/3rd of that size. Makes the car look a bit sleeker too.

The Turtlewax headlight kit I used across both headlights and the side indicators. Headlights had a lot of scratches and glue residue from removing "eyelashes" pre-lockdown. Side indicators were looking aged and yellowed a bit. Using the Turtle Wax kit was mainly for my own interest as wanted to see how effective it actually was, plus being on clearance for $20 it was good deal. First up I masked everything off to protect the rest of the car. As you can see the cars got some road dirt/dust on it which I'll clean off when I give it a good wash over the weekend. Right indicator at the top isn't too bad, left is more yellowed. You can see some of the glue residue on the top of both headlights from the "eyelashes" that were previously on the car. Right headlight above is also a bit more cloudy than the right one. Both indicators are looking nice and much clearer now. I only used the rubbing compund/polish on them, and not the sandpaper because they came up nicely. Mold(yellowing) around the edge is under the indicator. I know they remove easily, just double sided tape and they slide in and out for removal, but I'm not inclined to remove them. Replacements are pretty cheap so will see how long they last after the treatment. Big result here, I've included the before of the worst headlight for comparison. Followed the steps in the kit which were rubbing compound first, then if not clear 4 different grades of wet sanding(little pads all provided) then rubbing compound again. Headlights definitely needed the sanding stage unlike the indicators. I also did the rubbing compound twice at the end as the first time they were still a little hazy, second time I used a lot of compound and force and they really shined up. Last stage was a wipe down on indicators and headlights then the uv protectant. Whole process only took 40 mins, pretty impressed with it. Later I put the car out on the street in the fading light and the headlights looked even better with sunlight on them. Probably the wet look of the drying UV protectant. Front now looks very different from when I bought it with new plates and surrounds, no eyelashes, clear headlights and front bumper damage tidied up. The clear indicators and headlights also de-aged the car a bit. Makes it look a bit more cared for.

Did a few minor cosmetic things to the car today, squeaky hinge and door handles all round with a bit of WD40. Front door card was also slightly loose, so popped it back on properly. I also gave it a vacuum inside and cleaned the headlights. Then went after them with a turtle wax kit that included sanding and hand polish. They came out well, much clearer. $20 and time well spent. Took a few photos of various custom/changed parts on the car since the sun was out, also one of the stubby aerial I fitted earlier in the week for @Olaf. Alcantara(might be faux-cantara) mirror cover, this mirror is also tinted and panoramic. Its a bit larger than usual but I actually like the wide view you get from it. Rear wiper delete Pretty sure these are stock sills but since I was taking a photo leaning on them I'll include them What I believe are BMWP pedal covers, well used ones too. ///M Car mats as well, drivers side is quite worn, gave it a good clean when I bought the car and it deteriorated a bit.

Just had a quick look at the 130is on trademe, last time I looked was pre-Rona and I'd say the average price on a good one has gone up in the last few months which is surprising. Obviously the good deals get snapped up quickly but prices seem higher atm.

Thanks for the link! My gear knob is stock but a bit worn, same as the boot. I want to replace them both when I do the bushing on the gearshift, which I've had sitting here for months lmao. The alcantara looks good.

Looks like an ebay special for the badge/grill. I'd be happy if they were worth 15k with wheels on them

Had a surprise package arrive, featuring a super short aerial I ordered a while back. Fitted it up and looks much better than the stock aerial I'd recently acquired. I'd gotten used to the no aerial look, so having the massive stock one was suddenly not desirable lol. 3rd aerial I've fitted and finally something that looks good and works! Car is still running ?

Another satisfied 130i owner! Where'd you get the gear knob/boot from?

Are they BMWP covers? Mines got those, interesting...

This is nice but not 15k nice https://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=2684416819&tm=email&et=45&mt=F909EDC8-3C14-49CC-9D87-FCE0B397F44E

Been driving it and it hasn't broken yet. Got 2 more coils on the way and a big smile on my face.

After a 30 min drive/taking it through the rev range ? Swapped a coil in from @Jacko, misfire code gone and doesn't sound like there's a lumpy cam inside anymore.Will be replacing the rest of the coils, ordering two more shortly. Car will get driven a fair bit now to see whether the vvt code comes back. I've looked at the live readouts for vvt/camshaft /eccentric shaft values while revving the engine and they all look good as far as I'm aware in regards to angles, voltage and temps. Valvetronic motor also clicks and sets itself now when you power on the car, which it wasn't doing before being replaced. So miiiight be ok in that department.

Right, that's good to know. Wasn't sure if it was the plug or the notch but turns out it was neither lol.

Will pm you shortly, pics below

Swapped coils around on the car today and misfire moved, so a bad coil. Checked codes with carly multiple times and didn't get a valvetronic code, just the misfire. Admittedly I didn't get the chance to rev it past 4k, it threw a check engine light and misfire code immediately once I'd driven down the street. Thinking about getting all 6 coils, rather than the one. And if it's still broken then there'll be a cheap 130i up for sale shortly.

Demontweeks are extremely slow and useless in responding, from my one and only order with them midway through last year. Took a month to even ship two Bilstein shocks, which were in stock at the time. Had zero response to my communications to them either asking about the order. Finally got an automated email it had shipped and turned up two weeks later. 6 weeks total, for something in stock. Pretty poor. They have pretty cheap prices, but if I was ordering again I'd go elsewhere and pay a little more.

Nothing so far, haven't had the chance to swap the coils around to see what the misfire code is about and if I can fix it. Need a fine day for it. I'm kinda hoping the misfire made it throw that code but I haven't had that luck with this car. Been thinking about just selling it as is.