The 130i Thread

[Dave_Tee 14]

Anyone know anything about these guys - supposedly in Sydney Aus. Fairly cheap pricing (comparatively) on a Gruppe M intake…

https://www.xposed.com.au/bmw-1-series-e82-e87-e88-130i-3-0.html
 

[Jacko 2158]

NZ New pov pack auto with door damage on faceballs for 4.5k 173,000km

[Driftit 2093]

Anyone have a working CCC screen they no longer want in the lower N.I?

The one in my cheap 130 died.  TBH is was barely alive anyway.  I will eventually replace both cars with an Android/Linux unit but need a solution for next weekend.

[Jacko 2158]

Captions on  

 

[Jacko 2158]

 

[Dave_Tee 14]

So my car has developed the inevitable Valve cover gasket leak on my '09 130i (plastic cover). I am about to embark on repairing. A lot of info out there suggests anything but OEM is a waste of time and secondly that at 175k km's I should be replacing the whole cover. 

Whilst that makes sense to me before I go and blow $1k on a gasket repair (new cover) I am keen to hear of first hand experience with this. 

Also any advice on jobs while I'm in there... Looks like the PCV hose at the back of the block is an obvious one. 

Cheers

[Danch 35]

Hey guys, I'm keen to hear your thoughts on this. I'm starting to wonder if I should keep spending money on my 130i or sell it for something else. Seems like everything that breaks cost so much since I don't have the time & skills to do it myself. My car has done 135k and I've spent close to 5k over the last 12 months. I'm worried that this trend (spending 2-3k annually) may continue on. It could've made sense back when this car was 30-40k car but if I crash my car today, the insurance will quickly write it off and the pay out is going to be far from what I've spent. On the flip side, no other car in the similar price bracket can tick all the boxes like 130i(safety, practically, comfort, manual, fun to drive, etc). I'm sure some of you went through the same dilemma so keen to hear what you did in the end. 

[Edog 10]

My mechanic said there are two types of people that own European cars… 

 

Some continue to throw money at them and some go back to a Japanese after 2 or 3 years. 
 

In saying that I need the infamous sump gasket leak fixed at some point as well as some new front pads and rotors (will take recommendations). Thankfully, that’s all that was found for now and sounds like it’s in good condition otherwise. 
 

I’ve also heard that you need to go genuine if you don’t want to be fixing the same part again. There’s an eccentric shaft sensor that could be done while the head’s apart - apparently a common thing. 

[Vass 854]

1 hour ago, Danch said:

Seems like everything that breaks cost so much since I don't have the time & skills to do it myself.

Old BMW's are a tough proposition unless you're doing all the work yourself. Even a cheap part like an oil pan gasket will cost 10x of the part itself to replace because of the sheer amount of labor involved. Generally, people that have deep enough pockets to pay to have their BMW's worked on move up to newer models anyway, so as the cars age they either end up with enthusiasts or at wreckers.

Honestly, unless you plan on getting on the DIY bandwagon, you're probably best to move it on. Upshot is, the E87 platform belonged to one of the last BMW eras that were generally easy to work on and have heaps of documentation online for any type of job you could ever think to take on, so would be a great platform to start on. But yeah, if you're not that way inclined it's unlikely to make economic sense.

[NZ_InFerno 371]

3 hours ago, Dave_Tee said:

So my car has developed the inevitable Valve cover gasket leak on my '09 130i (plastic cover). I am about to embark on repairing. A lot of info out there suggests anything but OEM is a waste of time and secondly that at 175k km's I should be replacing the whole cover. 

Whilst that makes sense to me before I go and blow $1k on a gasket repair (new cover) I am keen to hear of first hand experience with this. 

Also any advice on jobs while I'm in there... Looks like the PCV hose at the back of the block is an obvious one. 

Cheers

On the lci cars the valve cover comes with the gasket as an oe part, so you'll be replacing the whole lot anyway. The cover also comes with part of pcv system too. 

The pcv hose off the back of the valve cover will likely break when it's removed to take off the valve cover, especially if it's the original hose. Plastic gets brittle over time. So that's always a must do when doing the valve cover. 

The gasket for the valvetronic motor should be done at the same time, motor has to be removed to take off the valve cover. 

Be aware that the vvt motor gasket is different for lci and pre lci, make sure you get the right one. 

Check the cams for wear while you're in there, and the vanos bolts etc 

[Dave_Tee 14]

33 minutes ago, NZ_InFerno said:

On the lci cars the valve cover comes with the gasket as an oe part, so you'll be replacing the whole lot anyway. The cover also comes with part of pcv system too. 

The pcv hose off the back of the valve cover will likely break when it's removed to take off the valve cover, especially if it's the original hose. Plastic gets brittle over time. So that's always a must do when doing the valve cover. 

The gasket for the valvetronic motor should be done at the same time, motor has to be removed to take off the valve cover. 

Be aware that the vvt motor gasket is different for lci and pre lci, make sure you get the right one. 

Check the cams for wear while you're in there, and the vanos bolts etc 

Thanks - good tip. I thought the valvetronic motor gasket came with the rocker cover so will make sure to get one bit of googling also suggets the eccentric shaft sensor seal/gasket too. 

Cheers

[Driftit 2093]

4 hours ago, Dave_Tee said:

So my car has developed the inevitable Valve cover gasket leak on my '09 130i (plastic cover). I am about to embark on repairing. A lot of info out there suggests anything but OEM is a waste of time and secondly that at 175k km's I should be replacing the whole cover. 

Whilst that makes sense to me before I go and blow $1k on a gasket repair (new cover) I am keen to hear of first hand experience with this. 

Also any advice on jobs while I'm in there... Looks like the PCV hose at the back of the block is an obvious one. 

Cheers

Unless your PCV is shagged you can get away with replacing the valve cover gasket only on the LCI.  I did this at around 100,000kms.  It lasted 70,000kms without leaking.  I then had to replace the PCV valve which is built into the cover.  There are also options for this too.

The PCV valve is a common reason why oil is being pushed past your gasket though.  If it fails it will generally try to force oil out from everywhere.  Especially the Valvetronic motor area.

You can remove the cover, dremel the old valve off and replace the valve.  I have a guide for this somewhere.  And both a spare cover and new valve if you wanted to purchase.

If just doing the gasket.

Valve Cover Gasket
Valvetronic motor gasket
This seal thing (goes where the plug is on top at the front) - BMW # 11 12 7 528 242

But you get all that with this kit.
https://spareto.com/products/febi-bilstein-cylinder-head-cover/103099

Job takes a few hours.
Remove the cowling and aircon intake
Unbolt the strut brace on the drivers side
Unplug and move the loom out of the way
Remove the coils and valvetronic motor
Unbolt the cover

You just need some good TORX sockets.  Including bigger sized ones for the strut brace.

You will also need to reset the valvetronic limitations.  This can only be done via software.  Some cheap BMW scanners can do this.  Otherwise borrow a Bimmergeeks or Carly or similar.

Edited November 4 by Driftit

[mmario 52]

Never been happy with the way this car shifted gears but after perservering with different gearbox oils and knobs I am pleased to say I am now happy.

Turns out the final piece to the puzzle was a gen ZHP weighted knob, I am sure I probably have worn bushings in there but it's much much better.

Would not have thought a knob would make such a difference.

Also if anyone is considering Wipertech blades I can report I am happy with mine.

[Brianr70 83]

Q- what would the ride be like with these low profile tyres? 🙃

[Jacko 2158]

Its fine, I ran 19s with 235/35s for years. Got sick of bending rims on pot holes though. 

[HELLBM 1559]

Spot the difference.

[Edog 10]

$1k for the sump gasket but there’s a leak elsewhere on the back of the engine - possibly rear main seal so gearbox out etc… 

even though it feels fine I may as well do the clutch while it’s open. 

Might have to learn to do things myself soon, I see what you guys mean… 😂

[kxxx3407 0]

On 12/7/2022 at 8:18 PM, Jacko said:

RHD version???

Hi Jacko,

Did you ever test fit your RHD N52 headers from HZ Racing?

Seeing as you're performance oriented, have you ever looked into the "Dinan-style ram air" intake that's popular with E90s as well?

Thanks

[Jacko 2158]

Nah it still sitting on the engine stand, work and life keeps getting in the way of working on the 130  

[Jacko 2158]

Saw a nice blue E87 badged "M140i" with 135i brakes on SH1 at Newmarket this arvo... Didnt have the quad exhausts but think it was HellBMs S65 monster? 

[JiB 2]

Anyone want a manual 130i?

I bought Jamez's on behalf of a friend who wanted something interesting for his NZ holiday...72 hours after I picked it up, my mate broke his clutch foot 🤦. So it has sat in my garage on a battery tender since September. 

I figure I should attempt to sell it before buying it myself and turning it into another project I don't need 😬

[Danch 35]

31 minutes ago, JiB said:

Anyone want a manual 130i?

I bought Jamez's on behalf of a friend who wanted something interesting for his NZ holiday...72 hours after I picked it up, my mate broke his clutch foot 🤦. So it has sat in my garage on a battery tender since September. 

I figure I should attempt to sell it before buying it myself and turning it into another project I don't need 😬

Any details? Just curious 🤣

[topnotchrally 112]

1 hour ago, JiB said:

Anyone want a manual 130i?

I bought Jamez's on behalf of a friend who wanted something interesting for his NZ holiday...72 hours after I picked it up, my mate broke his clutch foot 🤦. So it has sat in my garage on a battery tender since September. 

I figure I should attempt to sell it before buying it myself and turning it into another project I don't need 😬

I am. DM sent

[exextatic 131]

3 hours ago, Jacko said:

Saw a nice blue E87 badged "M140i" with 135i brakes on SH1 at Newmarket this arvo... Didnt have the quad exhausts but think it was HellBMs S65 monster? 

The HellBM 140i S65 is in a E82 1M replica currently, so the one you saw won't be the HellBM one.

[Jacko 2158]

53 minutes ago, exextatic said:

The HellBM 140i S65 is in a E82 1M replica currently, so the one you saw won't be the HellBM one.

Curious, wonder what it is then... N55? Or maybe a 54 with +5