My other half’s new daily; E88 BMW 125i cabriolet

[Court_S]

Having some fun and games with the bloody wheel speed sensor...

I ordered a pair of Bosch ones thinking that replacing the pair was a good idea only to be sent a pair of fronts. Tits. GSF happened to have one in stock so I razzed down there and grabbed one just before it closed only to get home and discover another front! Looks to have been put in the wrong box, the box has the right part number but the sensor wire is 30cm too short.
More tits.

I pulled the faulty one out this afternoon to have a look.



I’m hoping the gouge was caused by a stone or similar caught in the reluctor ring rather than a dead or dying reluctor ring. Oddly the lights haven’t been on today.

[mercedeslimos]

If it's anything like the E90 then the reluctor ring gets slightly bugger due to rust on it and the (required for accurate measurement) air gap between the ring and the sensor is too small, throwing the light on. On the last E90, I fitted small washers under the sensor to pull it out slightly and it cured the problem, been fine since.

[Court_S]

mercedeslimos said:

If it's anything like the E90 then the reluctor ring gets slightly bugger due to rust on it and the (required for accurate measurement) air gap between the ring and the sensor is too small, throwing the light on. On the last E90, I fitted small washers under the sensor to pull it out slightly and it cured the problem, been fine since.

Fitted the new sensor yesterday and cleared the codes. They warning lights haven’t cone back on but I’ve not checked the codes again. It looks like this one was replaced once before because the one I took out was branded ATE. I’ll pull the new one out one night this week to check that it hasn’t been scored.

[Court_S]

Bit of a boring update but yesterday I changed faulty wheel speed sensor (rear drivers side) after a bit of faffing getting the correct sensor.

uplifting poems for her





I then cleared the codes with Carly and popped to Sytner to pick up some suspension bolts for the M140i for changing the rear dampers over Easter.

No warning lights came up (although they’d been off for a day or so) and I checked the codes again today and they haven’t come back. I’ll check the sensor tomorrow night to make sure there is no scoring.

Next up, I’ll be popping over to my friend Andy’s house to remove the CDV and fit some E46 M3 gearbox mounts whilst we’re in that area. My dash trim piece should back from RSW this week. I need to send them the binnacle cover at some point too.

Edited by Court_S on Sunday 28th March 18:41

[Court_S]

Small update today; the dash trim arrived for Royal. They’ve trimmed in black alcantara with silver grey stitching in the same style as the 1M.





Having bought some cheap alcantara on eBay I decided it wasn’t worth trying to do it myself considering that RSW wanted £55 do do it.

I’m really happy with it. I’ve bought a binnacle cover which will be sent to RSW to be recovered too at some point.

[cerb4.5lee]

Another great addition for sure.

[Court_S]

cerb4.5lee said:

Another great addition for sure.

Thanks Lee, I really like it. RSW did a cracking job as always.

[shalmaneser]

I do like these cars more and more. Looks super smart.

[Court_S]

Said goodbye to this little sucker yesterday....





Good bye crappy little CDV. I can’t believe how small the hole in the middle is compared to the rest of the hydraulic hose. Whilst we were removing the CDV, I changed the OE gearbox mounts for E46 M3 jobbies, the OE ones were pretty soft and squishy compared to the M3 ones. No pictures unfortunately due to fiddling with my car and my mates 530d at rev same time and my hands being covered in crap.

The gear change / clutch feels so much better. There is more feel for the bite point and the clutch feels lighter....even my other half noticed.

Next up is new 330mm discs up front. Pads, discs and sensor have been ordered and will be here this week. I have the carriers which have been painted so are ready to go.

[B'stard Child]

Court_S said:

Said goodbye to this little sucker yesterday....

Enjoy the improvement - I couldn't believe how much better it was - gone was the inconsistent and constantly changing bite point and the slurry gear changes

[Court_S]

B'stard Child said:

Enjoy the improvement - I couldn't believe how much better it was - gone was the inconsistent and constantly changing bite point and the slurry gear changes

It’s so much better.

I know everyone raves about the difference but I was slightly skeptical....until about 30 seconds of driving.

[cerb4.5lee]

B'stard Child said:

Court_S said:

Said goodbye to this little sucker yesterday....

Enjoy the improvement - I couldn't believe how much better it was - gone was the inconsistent and constantly changing bite point and the slurry gear changes

Great stuff.

I often think back to my Z4M and I really wished that I'd done this on that as well.

It is brilliant to hear that it makes so much of a positive difference.

[B'stard Child]

Court_S said:

B'stard Child said:

Enjoy the improvement - I couldn't believe how much better it was - gone was the inconsistent and constantly changing bite point and the slurry gear changes

It’s so much better.

I know everyone raves about the difference but I was slightly skeptical....until about 30 seconds of driving.

To be honest so was I

Then I did the CDV delete and the car stopped fighting me on gear changes

Even Mrs BC said you've got used to the car now as I can't feel the changes anymore and it sounds smooth now

[Court_S]

B'stard Child said:

To be honest so was I

Then I did the CDV delete and the car stopped fighting me on gear changes

Even Mrs BC said you've got used to the car now as I can't feel the changes anymore and it sounds smooth now

I was surprised to get positive feedback from the boss. Usually these sort of things go unnoticed.

[pmorg4]

Court_S said:

Good bye crappy little CDV. I can’t believe how small the hole in the middle is compared to the rest of the hydraulic hose. Whilst we were removing the CDV, I changed the OE gearbox mounts for E46 M3 jobbies, the OE ones were pretty soft and squishy compared to the M3 ones. No pictures unfortunately due to fiddling with my car and my mates 530d at rev same time and my hands being covered in crap.

The gear change / clutch feels so much better. There is more feel for the bite point and the clutch feels lighter....even my other half noticed.

I need to do this on my E91. The gear change is horrid, so either it's the CDV or the oil is well past its best. I've removed the CDV on every BMW I've owned going back to an E31 840Ci and E36 328i and on every model it's been a 5-minute job (once the car is in the air) and had a transformative effect. I really don't understand why they fit these, maybe to push people towards spending the extra for an automatic by making the manual gearbox awful?

All the previous CDVs I've removed have been metal, which are simply unscrewed. It looks like the design has changed to plastic - is it still quick and easy to remove?

[Court_S]

pmorg4 said:

All the previous CDVs I've removed have been metal, which are simply unscrewed. It looks like the design has changed to plastic - is it still quick and easy to remove?

It’s really easy. It’s held in by a small metal wire clip at each end. Loosen / pull them back and the hoses pop off. Scariest bit is when fluid starts pissing out. It seems like loads but it’s naff all.

[chriscoates]

I did the CDV delete on my 130i about six weeks ago - three years into ownership

Can't believe I didn't do it sooner. It's going in the next few weeks as well so the new owner will enjoy it more than me

Nice to see you're starting to put your own stamp on the car now

[IAche]

It's bugger all fluid but it's all over my drive now. Gonna have to use some of that industrial strength degreaser!


I'm still shocked at how much difference it made to my 125i I too was sceptical but it changed a ropey shift into something that is a joy to use.

[Court_S]

chriscoates said:

I did the CDV delete on my 130i about six weeks ago - three years into ownership

Can't believe I didn't do it sooner. It's going in the next few weeks as well so the new owner will enjoy it more than me

Nice to see you're starting to put your own stamp on the car now

It’s the first time I’ve ever done it on any of my manual BMW or MINI’s. God knows why I didn’t do it before.

What are you replacing the 130 with?

IAche said:

It's bugger all fluid but it's all over my drive now. Gonna have to use some of that industrial strength degreaser!

I'm still shocked at how much difference it made to my 125i I too was sceptical but it changed a ropey shift into something that is a joy to use.

That’s the least of your worries after all of that crap that was washed out of your engine on the drive!

[pmorg4]

Court_S said:

It’s really easy. It’s held in by a small metal wire clip at each end. Loosen / pull them back and the hoses pop off. Scariest bit is when fluid starts pissing out. It seems like loads but it’s naff all.

Great thanks. I'll get that done next time I have the car up in the air. I'll probably change the gearbox oil while I'm there for good measure, although previous experience of changing the oil on BMW manual gearboxes is that it makes little, if any, noticeable impact.