The 130i Thread

[M3AN 4198]

BNIB/NLA BMW Performance Spoiler + Maxton Design Spoiler Cap for sale (tomorrow)...

 

 

[Brianr70 96]

On 7/29/2025 at 4:05 PM, Driftit said:

Likely.  Is your 07 an LCI?
The PCV is built into the cam cover.  One of the dumbest decisions BMW has ever made on an engine IMO.
When the PCV fails or begins to fail it can pressurize the crankcase and you will start to smell oil.  Leave it long enough and you will start getting leaks.

Are you sure you don't have a small leak that is dripping a small amount onto your exhaust?

Thanks, production date was 5th March 2007 so guess it is LCI, is replacing the PCV value a major job? 

[Jacko 2398]

3 minutes ago, Brianr70 said:

Thanks, production date was 5th March 2007 so guess it is LCI, is replacing the PCV value a major job? 

You can replace the whole rocker cover, or there are chinese aftermarket replacements for the diaphragm and housing for cheap (amazon/aliexpress etc), which are a bit hacky to do but do work. You could do it in situ but it would likely not be too fun, need to break the original diaphragm housing off using chisels etc. 

[Driftit 2249]

I have an old oem cover and a new diaphragm I could sell you. There is a guide on how to cut the old one free and install the new one. It's not a major. Jackos picture shows everything that needs doing. 

[Brianr70 96]

On 8/5/2025 at 11:18 AM, Driftit said:

I have an old oem cover and a new diaphragm I could sell you. There is a guide on how to cut the old one free and install the new one. It's not a major. Jackos picture shows everything that needs doing. 

Thanks How much are you asking for the parts? 

[Driftit 2249]

Are you going to do the valve cover gaskets too?
You can do the PCV in place.  Fiddley but possible.

Otherwise if you would prefer to have another cover to do the mod then install I would recommend doing the valve cover gasket, valvetronic motor gasket and the cam position sensor gasket.  All inexpensive via spareto.com or similar.

I have my old cover here (I replaced the whole thing) and a new PCV you can have for $100.  I was going to do the fix and sell it.  But never got around to it.

I purchased one of these.
https://spareto.com/products/febi-bilstein-cylinder-head-cover/103099

But I also see they have an aluminum version now.

https://spareto.com/products/febi-bilstein-cylinder-head-cover/194977

 

Vid of the replacement.

 

[topnotchrally 177]

This is nice. Is this and other "BMW Special Part"? 😀

[Jacko 2398]

15 minutes ago, topnotchrally said:

This is nice. Is this and other "BMW Special Part"? 😀

I think my silver 130 has been to the same garage, if it cant be fixed with a cable tie, it isnt worth fixing. 

[Mark D 6]

Hi - new to this forum, looking at buying a 2006 130i M Sport and AA pre purchase inspection threw up a few things....  I have found some answers already, but looking for advice!

Report mentions floor panels are wet and there is water in the boot - the owner suggested floor mats had been shampooed and replaced before they had fully dried, but I am not sure about the boot - is water ingress common?

The rest of the comments of concern are in the pics, and also oil light is on (it wasn't when we test drove at the weekend), so looking to understand whether these are genuine concerns, normal or roughly how much to investigate or fix.

Saw some comments on Bilstein shocks and prices didn't look too bad.

Rego is NRL 989 if anybody knows the car.  It's a little bit scruffy, but I guess that's to be expected of a near 20 year old car.

Intended use is fun daily commuter so we are looking for something reliable that isn't going to cost the earth to maintain - obviously it's all relative with Euro cars.

Would appreciate a steer if there are any good known cars for sale on Trademe or FB at the moment.

Thanks for any thoughts!

 

 

 

 

[Jacko 2398]

27 minutes ago, Mark D said:

Hi - new to this forum, looking at buying a 2006 130i M Sport and AA pre purchase inspection threw up a few things....  I have found some answers already, but looking for advice!

 

Seen this on facebook, looks OK, price is fairly high though, maybe depends on how well its maintained. K's are fairly irrelevant with them if looked after. 

The wet around the transmission will be the sump gasket, they all do it. Parts are cheap (couple of hundred max) but to do it requires dropping the subframe which is pretty labour intensive (6-8 hours in a shop would be standard charge, its DIYable if handy with a spanner though). Subframe out is also a great time to replace the engine mounts, which will be shagged if they are still factory ones, as well the waterpump and thermostat. (Doing this at the moment in the projects thread on the Silver Lemon, did my nice 130 few years ago as well)

The rocker cover gasket is also going, which again they all do, parts again are pretty cheap (couple of hundred again) and it'll take the average home gamer a few hours..

Neither leak look particularly bad yet though, but they will escalate quick.

Oil light - Which one? The oil capacity on these is electronic, so if its low the light will be on (scale on it only covers 1 liter though, half way means add 500ml) ... or it could be oil pressure... which is very bad and best bet is to walk away! 

Leaking tail light gaskets is common, which fills the corners of the boot up, if you lift the floor in boot up there will be pools in the corners behind the lights. It normally causes chaos with the parking distance controller which sits in the RH side, but that car doesnt have it. Fixing is normally just a clean and tighten of the bolts (few pages back in this thread covers it)

I dont recall the car being a bimmersport members, but who knows. I would suggest getting someone who knows BMW / N52s to have a look, they are great cars and can be really reliable but they definitely have their quirks! 

Edited August 7 by Jacko

[Mark D 6]

Awesome, thanks for the response, I did see the bit about the tail light gaskets which would explain that.  Presumably this is the oil level light? 

[Jacko 2398]

1 minute ago, Mark D said:

Awesome, thanks for the response, I did see the bit about the tail light gaskets which would explain that.  Presumably this is the oil level light? 

Yeah thats capacity, whole thing takes 6.5 liters, so its maybe a couple of hundred mls down.. nothing to worry about (they arent hugely accurate anyway and will vary every time started)

Thats the options on it - https://www.mdecoder.com/decode/wbauf92040ps90457 - Pretty generic Japanese market 130, xenons and heated seats with black boston interior etc, not that that is a bad thing. Its PreLCI, which is really neither here nor there either, silver top engine with magnesium valve cover and lower rent interior (biggest difference is the door cards, LCIs are a nicer place to sit because of it). Pre LCI rocker covers can corrode badly (look around the coil packs), LCI rocker covers (plastic) crack  

[M3AN 4198]

Just want to endorse @Jacko's comments so you know it's not just the view of an individual.

Edit: oh, it's on Faceplant? So not a dealer? Some of the info below will be irrelevant then. Never, ever pay over the odds for a private sale, ever. You're practically screwed if something goes wrong.

Yes, that's the oil level light, the oil pressure light is far more dramatic. Ask the dealer to do an oil and filter change as part of the deal? They may just top the oil up though, I'd want to see a fresh filter with my own eyes. Having said that, not a major as long as the light's not there if you buy it.

That rear shock will need replacing at the next WoF, that one won't pass, and you really need to do an entire axle at a time. Perhaps ask for a fresh 12 month WoF as a condition of sale, that will mean it's a dealer problem - although I suspect if you immediately failed a WoF after purchase, that could be on dealer but it would be a hassle, best try and get it sorted during purchase negotiations.

Oil leaks and water ingress as per Chris' post above, but don't take their word on the shampooed mats, I bet that's BS, water can and does get into these cabins from blocked gutters and torn/worn door seals. Hard to suggest what to do here... remove the mats (or put them up on the seats) and leave the car out in the rain on the dealer's yard and check it the next morning (first thing)... very hard to arrange. A car wash probably won't be enough water over a long enough period to manifest. Probably not deal-breaker though, can be sorted.

How much are they asking? Can't (read: won't) do FB myself.

 

Edited August 7 by M3AN

[Mark D 6]

Thanks M3AN - $8k conditional on outcome of pre purchase inspection.  Seller seems keen to negotiate - however there is a white one on FB for $7k which looks like a forum car but not a preferred colour.

Oh - I have zero mechanical skills whatsoever, so I wouldn't be touching it myself.  It would end in disaster with the car broken and in bits, and probably the house too.

Edited August 7 by Mark D

[Jacko 2398]

For those who dont have the stomach for facebook

Id be talking him down, not because its not worth 8-9k (you will struggle to find a more fun/capable car for 8k than a 130) but because the market is stupidly flat at the moment, NZ has the cheapest 130s in the world. The real selling point for that one is the ZF gearbox and nice tyres! and it looks fairly unmolested, otherwise its pretty "common" for an uncommon car. 130s with the same issues, just in worse states of disrepair, can be had for sub 5k pretty easily and sometimes solid cars are around the same price point! 

If you are paying a workshop to fix the issues above, the bill will be in the many thousands unfortunately. They are honestly pretty cheap to maintain for the most part if you are clever with parts sourcing and either find a local independent BMW specialist who is happy if you supply parts, or learn to swing a spanner, if not things can get a bit silly. I got a full set of B4 bilsteins for $650 couple of weeks ago for instance, sourcing locally would probably pay that per shock. 

That one does have "low" km, but honestly the engines and car itself last forever,  IF they are looked after and all the stuff bolted to them is replaced when it wears out... they turn to crap when that doesnt happen. Plenty of N52s are still going strong with 300,000+km on the clock. 

The plus side is they really cant depreciate any further! 

[Danch 59]

If you have zero mechanical skills, factor in spending 3-4k on maintenance and repairs within the first few years of ownership. It can be less, but oh it can be more too. 

Edited August 7 by Danch

[M3AN 4198]

2 hours ago, Mark D said:

Thanks M3AN - $8k conditional on outcome of pre purchase inspection.  Seller seems keen to negotiate - however there is a white one on FB for $7k which looks like a forum car but not a preferred colour.

Oh - I have zero mechanical skills whatsoever, so I wouldn't be touching it myself.  It would end in disaster with the car broken and in bits, and probably the house too.

I don't think it's worth 7 to be honest. Wheels and tyres might be mint, but how much is all that worth to you? I agree with above, leaks and bits will be a few k$, might be able to defer some to next WoF. Engine and trans sumps can just drip forever really, depending on your tolerance levels.

Now, keep in mind, it took me months, and 7 or more cars, to find mine because I was particular about the little things like seeping sump gaskets. That was particularly anal - in the end, almost all of the 130's I inspected (from underneath, on jack stands), were leaking to some degree. You need to be pragmatic here with BMW's if you ever want to own one.

If you quite like it, and it's not actually leaking inside the cabin, offer $6.2, I think that's good market value for a pre-LCI auto if it's in good condition inside and out. Then put 2k aside for maintenance, years of trouble free after that I'm sure. Edit: tbh, this will not get everything fixed, it's probably a minimum, but that might still be enough for a few years.

Edit: this is NOT an endorsement of this particular vehicle, I've never seen it and know nothing about it, other than what has already been posted in this thread.

Edited August 7 by M3AN

[Jacko 2398]

Anyone seen a titan silver msport front bar lying around wreckers etc? Im 100% convinced I can save the lemons one (its been yanked backwards on a kerb and torn/bent)

[Brianr70 96]

On 8/6/2025 at 3:59 PM, Driftit said:

Are you going to do the valve cover gaskets too?
You can do the PCV in place.  Fiddley but possible.

Otherwise if you would prefer to have another cover to do the mod then install I would recommend doing the valve cover gasket, valvetronic motor gasket and the cam position sensor gasket.  All inexpensive via spareto.com or similar.

I have my old cover here (I replaced the whole thing) and a new PCV you can have for $100.  I was going to do the fix and sell it.  But never got around to it.

I purchased one of these.
https://spareto.com/products/febi-bilstein-cylinder-head-cover/103099

But I also see they have an aluminum version now.

https://spareto.com/products/febi-bilstein-cylinder-head-cover/194977

 

Vid of the replacement.

 

Upon further investigation it appears fuming thing only appears on cold start and goes away engine is up to temperature??? Also seems to come from drivers side of engine??

[Driftit 2249]

Before you start the car next check if the exhaust manifold is clean of oil that may have dripped onto it whilst sitting.

[M3AN 4198]

GONE to @Danch pending collection.

Free to good home if you can pick up in Epsom, postage costs if you want it sent... not sure it justifies a thread in the For Sale section here but if so a mod can instruct me accordingly.

Replace the (surely useless) phone cradle tray in the armrest with this open style one for practicality. I think it's all in order, the clips are all fine, but if it doesn't work for you all I can (and will) offer is sympathy. Old one clips out, this one clips in. I'll even include a custom fit anti-slip, anti-rattle mat for you.

Not unique to the 130i of course, fit's any e-series with the same armrest.

<pics removed to save everyone some bandwidth but same shiz here>

 

 

Edited August 11 by M3AN

[Danch 59]

9 minutes ago, M3AN said:

Free to good home if you can pick up in Epsom, postage costs if you want it sent... not sure it justifies a thread in the For Sale section here but if so a mod can instruct me accordingly.

Replace the (surely useless) phone cradle tray in the armrest with this open style one for practicality. I think it's all in order, the clips are all fine, but if it doesn't work for you all I can (and will) offer is sympathy. Old one clips out, this one clips in. I'll even include a custom fit anti-slip, anti-rattle mat for you.

Not unique to the 130i of course, fit's any e-series with the same armrest.

 

 

I'll take it

[M3AN 4198]

5 minutes ago, Danch said:

I'll take it

Done.

[Brianr70 96]

On 8/9/2025 at 2:08 PM, Driftit said:

Before you start the car next check if the exhaust manifold is clean of oil that may have dripped onto it whilst sitting.

Had a look but hard to see the exhaust manifold under all the plumbing ? [to the uneducated ]

[TPO130i 14]

Or have someone start the car while you're looking under the bonnet for any smoke while it warms up.