Danch 35 Report post Posted September 13, 2023 Hi all, Here is my daily that I bought recently. All the horror stories online put me off from owning a beemer initially but I know a guy who would own nothing but a beemer, so I did wonder what the fuss is about. After selling my previous daily, mk5 GTI, I looked for a manual 130i and after weeks of waiting, I picked one up in New Plymouth and drove it back to Auckland. My first impression was that it felt a lot more luxurious than the Golf. The golf was a step up from other Japanese cars I previously owned, but 130i was another step up. Although I'm still getting use to heavy steering and very chunky steering wheel, I'm enjoying its powerful 3L engine which pulls at any rev! Being a 15 year old car, there are some things that need to be looked at, so this post will be my journal of keeping my first beemer on the road. Danny 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Danch 35 Report post Posted September 13, 2023 I didn't find any oil leaks around the cover gasket but underneath the oil cooler and around vanos solenoids looked pretty wet. I got some OEM seals from Clickable Automotive in Australia. I've been wanting to tackle the vanos seals myself but also worried that I may not be able to put it back together! YouTube videos make it look so much easier but it looked like some people struggled to put the solenoids back in with new seals... 🤔 For the oil filter housing and cooler seals, I'll probably take it to a garage. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted September 13, 2023 Nice pickup there Danny. I wouldn't be afraid of the solenoids, I've done 3 x N52's and never had a problem. The filters are a bit more of a challenge but that's only because they're quite hidden and access is somewhat limited. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Danch 35 Report post Posted October 3, 2023 It took me a while to get used to the clutch feel since the biting point felt so high. Then I saw that BMS clutch stop is often regarded as the best $20 ever spent on manual BMWs. The design seemed pretty simple so I decided to make my own. I looked in the footwell and noticed that there is no clutch stop at all. The clutch pedal was just hitting against the carpet behind. I took some measurements of the silver mounting plate, CAD'd up the first prototype with 10mm stop, and 3D printed one(white circle in pic). The difference was more than I anticipated, it just feels much nicer to shift and I don't I have to work as hard since I don't need to literally floor the clutch pedal anymore. Now that the design works, I'll make on out of something more softer. Annnnd yes, I ordered some Msport coloured grill inserts from Temu(NZ Aliexpress) and they fit perfectly I don't know if it's something that's frowned upon but hey, this is my first beemer after all 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted October 3, 2023 All mods, especially aesthetic ones, involve a lot of subjectivity, don't let what others think sway you too far from your preferences. I've added some small details to mine, I'm satisfied that I like them. You have BMWP pedal covers in case you didn't already know; a reasonably common 'upgrade' but an appreciated one nevertheless. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Danch 35 Report post Posted October 3, 2023 7 hours ago, M3AN said: All mods, especially aesthetic ones, involve a lot of subjectivity, don't let what others think sway you too far from your preferences. I've added some small details to mine, I'm satisfied that I like them. You have BMWP pedal covers in case you didn't already know; a reasonably common 'upgrade' but an appreciated one nevertheless. Thanks mate Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
