F20 116i /118i / 120i reliability

[sobanoodle 45]

Potentially booking at buying a 2013+ N13 powered F20. Has anyone had any decent experience with them? Or knows a fair bit about them from a workshop point of view?

Reliability, known issues? Things to check?

Not a huge fan of the headlights on those but an M-pack front end looks ok-ish 

Looking for a run-around within 15-20k budget so other suggestions are welcome. Would love a little diesel but those are just unicorns... 

 

Cheers

[qube 3570]

Great car,

Ive owned one before a 2012 and currently have a 2013 edition 30.

let me know if you have any specific questions.

 

[sobanoodle 45]

1 hour ago, qube said:

Great car,

Ive owned one before a 2012 and currently have a 2013 edition 30.

let me know if you have any specific questions.

 

Cheers Q, suspected you'd chime in. Have you seen any good examples listed for sale recently?

[qube 3570]

been away on holiday just got back so havent been looking.

I think the pricing varies a lot on these. you can get a basic one for 10k or even less but it can sometimes go upto 20k which is stupid imo.

These cars are good if you get it around the middle price range which is how much our ed30 nz new 42km 1 owner example cost.

msport and kms determine the price significantly but more importantly look for a well optioned one. things like big screen, big info screen on cluster, keyless entry/comfort access, electric seats etc are all optional and will vary from car to car.

reliability wise, air intake pipe (rubber) will crack open eventually, waterpump thermostat, otherwise pretty solid. oil changes important, if you plan to tune then you will need an oil cooler at least as the engine oil does get hot. very reliable and good on fuel, ours currently shows 7.5L/100km mixed driving. could be better.

quick and nimble, zf8 is awesome, only bad side is car feels a bit "light" especially with electronic steering but this could also be a positive thing. its an easy car to drive.

post up any examples you find on tm and happy to give me 2c. msport definitely looks best but if you end up paying too much for it, why not just pay a bit more for a f30 320i/328i or a f20 125i or even M135i? haha

[sobanoodle 45]

Yes as I'm learning now pricing is all over the place...

Ideally I'd want a big screen, rear view camera and comfort access. Estoril blau would've been cool too. I'm probably dreaming 😂

NZ new ones I've seen so far are not that great specs wise - small screens, no 6WA etc.

 

[balancerider 758]

The pre-LCI NZ new m-sport 116i are probably the sweet spot for spec - most had 6WA / Xenons / F+R PDC though no big screen nav if you think that matters. Edition 30 as @qube says are nice too. Be aware that most JPN market cars didn’t have cruise as standard. Engine seems sound but some had issues with timing chain and turbo heat shield rattle. 

[sobanoodle 45]

Cruise control can be easily/cheaply retrofitted and coded, not overly concerned about that. 

[qube 3570]

here are my picks from a quick look

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/116i/listing/2777404590

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/116i/listing/2883400881

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/116i/listing/2912727932

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/116i/listing/2904520516

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/116i/listing/2921503133

 

I wouldnt discount a sport (not m sport) model if its well spec'd and priced around 12k, otherwise try to keep under 15k for an msport one imo.

anything more than 15-16k it better be exactly what you want.

 

[balancerider 758]

The downside of the sport is that ghastly red trim accent on the japanese ones...

[sobanoodle 45]

39 minutes ago, qube said:

here are my picks from a quick look

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/116i/listing/2777404590

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/116i/listing/2883400881

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/116i/listing/2912727932

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/116i/listing/2904520516

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/116i/listing/2921503133

 

I wouldnt discount a sport (not m sport) model if its well spec'd and priced around 12k, otherwise try to keep under 15k for an msport one imo.

anything more than 15-16k it better be exactly what you want.

 

I might be on the right track - had four out of five sitting in my watchlist. The blue one looks appealing and well looked after in NZ. Higher mileage though.. Planning to have a look at it when the owners are back in Auckland. 

[qube 3570]

also check that the front headlights are sealed properly and not leaking water (condensation)

[balancerider 758]

17 minutes ago, sobanoodle said:

I might be on the right track - had four out of five sitting in my watchlist. The blue one looks appealing and well looked after in NZ. Higher mileage though.. Planning to have a look at it when the owners are back in Auckland.

That Estoril blue one looks the best of those ones IMO. 10-15k km difference in mileage probably not too important...

Edited January 5, 2021 by balancerider

[qube 3570]

yep, mileage not too important imo. the previous one I had bought at 100ks and sold at around 125ks only thing we changed was the intake pipe and servicing. 

ran like a dream, it was a sport model with widescreen, comfort access, big dash display etc. 

blue one easily the best presented out of the lot and well priced. looks well maintained too. 

[sobanoodle 45]

52 minutes ago, qube said:

also check that the front headlights are sealed properly and not leaking water (condensation)

Like this one https://www.trademe.co.nz/2854372382 

 

[balancerider 758]

I wouldn't touch any cars from that outfit with a 400ft bargepole @sobanoodle 

[sobanoodle 45]

Yep heard a few things about them.

Has anyone heard anything good/bad about Enterprise Motor Group? That's where the blue one came from.

[Gaz 1061]

With the 4 cylinders f20s just need to watch the cooling system otherwise solid machines 

[M3AN 4016]

57 minutes ago, Gaz said:

With the BMW's just need to watch the cooling system otherwise solid machines 

FTFY.

 

[sobanoodle 45]

Had a look at the blue one today.

What a noisy engine N13 is. I reckon my diesel is less noisy Vibrates a fair bit too but from what I've read this is normal for this engine? That's only with the bonnet open, cannot really hear much from the inside.

 

Overall I'm rather impressed with F20 1 series - lots of room, quality materials and still feels modern with the big screen etc. Looks sharp in estoril blau with M-pack. Certainly enough room for a couple of car seats at the back and a pram in the boot. 

Pros: a fair bit of service history, tidy exterior/interior, big screen, reversing camera.

Cons:

- Brakes are due soon, pads+rotors;

- Steering wheel has sun damage or whatever else it is and will need to be replaced as it is pretty bad.

- Radio/nav hasn't been converted to Oceania.

Out of all the steering wheel is probably the most annoying bit as it's right in your eyes. Does anyone know what other series they're cross-compartible with? 

Decisions, decisions... I reckon if not the steering wheel it'd be sitting in our driveway by now... Bloody eyesore

 

 

[M3AN 4016]

Looks to be this steering wheel: https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/partxref?q=32307845877

You should be able to find one, sans airbag and slipring (reuse your existing ones), for pretty cheap if you can find somebody with a wreck of one of the models listed in the link above. I wouldn't pay more than $150 for a mint one from a wreck.

The question is, if it's the right car for you, how long can you tolerate the existing wheel before a replacement pops up? 🤔

 

[Sammo 2544]

@sobanoodle a few hours and a custom leather cover will have that wheel looking better than new.

Or get a wrecked one like Dave suggests - preferably one of the updated ones.

[sobanoodle 45]

2 minutes ago, M3AN said:

Looks to be this steering wheel: https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/partxref?q=32307845877

You should be able to find one, sans airbag and slipring (reuse your existing ones), for pretty cheap if you can find somebody with a wreck of one of the models listed in the link above. I wouldn't pay more than $150 for a mint one from a wreck.

The question is, if it's the right car for you, how long can you tolerate the existing wheel before a replacement pops up? 🤔

 

Cheers I'm doing a bit of a research too as we speak. Looks like there's there is some flexibility unlike with 5er/6er steering wheels. Some list F15 as also compatible.

 

Thing is the car is for the wife and she doesn't really know what she's getting, her first one (she kept postponing getting her license, then one kid, then another... Now she's ready). Gotta be reasonably perfect. 

 

$150 would be sweet as, a lot wreckers are rather greedy though.. 

[sobanoodle 45]

Just now, Sammo said:

@sobanoodle a few hours and a custom leather cover will have that wheel looking better than new.

Or get a wrecked one like Dave suggests - preferably one of the updated ones.

Have seen a few LCI ones with popped airbags. Won't be a cheap exercise sourcing a new one.

 

Ironically I have a mint F06  M sport steering wheel sitting in a box but it won't fit 😕

[sobanoodle 45]

I'm thinking of a black leather dye as a temporarily solution.

[Gaz 1061]

@BM WORLD prob has a wheel