130i, will I be waiting forever?
Discussion
Or buy an LE...
Then realise the odd smell underneath that air freshener, that you've not really been exposed to for 15 years, is indeed the dreaded smokers car.
Haha, I'd kinda twigged once we'd done the deal and I went into his lounge to do the paperwork, and it smelt of smoke.
I've already had a quick valet which has helped, then did a chlorine dioxide jobby and now it smells of chlorine and smoke a bit haha.
Next job is microfilter for cabin, then aircon clean thingy, then a decent DIY clean of everything myself... new floor mats, then another chlorine bomb, then an odour bomb.
I'm surprised people still smoke, especially in their cars.
Then realise the odd smell underneath that air freshener, that you've not really been exposed to for 15 years, is indeed the dreaded smokers car.
Haha, I'd kinda twigged once we'd done the deal and I went into his lounge to do the paperwork, and it smelt of smoke.
I've already had a quick valet which has helped, then did a chlorine dioxide jobby and now it smells of chlorine and smoke a bit haha.
Next job is microfilter for cabin, then aircon clean thingy, then a decent DIY clean of everything myself... new floor mats, then another chlorine bomb, then an odour bomb.
I'm surprised people still smoke, especially in their cars.
I used bowl of vinegar to get rid of the smoke smell before. Works well
https://www.micksgarage.com/blog/how-to-remove-the...
https://www.micksgarage.com/blog/how-to-remove-the...
Put a few hundred ml in there in a bowl.
Let’s see.
Still not driven it. The battery seems to be going a bit low as features are cutting back.
Halo lights not coming on, interior light only staying on a short time even with door open etc.
I’ve a ctek charger coming.
I think I’m gonna get an AGM battery though, rev owner went non AGM as AA fitted one for him last winter.
I think it’s a pants battery that AA fit. Probably last 2 year warranty then they can come fit a new one again haha!
Let’s see.
Still not driven it. The battery seems to be going a bit low as features are cutting back.
Halo lights not coming on, interior light only staying on a short time even with door open etc.
I’ve a ctek charger coming.
I think I’m gonna get an AGM battery though, rev owner went non AGM as AA fitted one for him last winter.
I think it’s a pants battery that AA fit. Probably last 2 year warranty then they can come fit a new one again haha!
Mr Whippy said:
Put a few hundred ml in there in a bowl.
Let’s see.
Still not driven it. The battery seems to be going a bit low as features are cutting back.
Halo lights not coming on, interior light only staying on a short time even with door open etc.
I’ve a ctek charger coming.
I think I’m gonna get an AGM battery though, rev owner went non AGM as AA fitted one for him last winter.
I think it’s a pants battery that AA fit. Probably last 2 year warranty then they can come fit a new one again haha!
Think you need to 'tell' the car it's been fitted with a new battery on these cars. If you don't they are likely to expire pretty quickly. This process / coding is probably more important than AGM as they don't have stop/start or loads of stuff running when parked up. My Z4 came with a AGM battery from BMW, but replaced it with a normal one and haven't seen any downsides as it also doesn't have stop/start as a feature. Let’s see.
Still not driven it. The battery seems to be going a bit low as features are cutting back.
Halo lights not coming on, interior light only staying on a short time even with door open etc.
I’ve a ctek charger coming.
I think I’m gonna get an AGM battery though, rev owner went non AGM as AA fitted one for him last winter.
I think it’s a pants battery that AA fit. Probably last 2 year warranty then they can come fit a new one again haha!
I've had my car a year, and nobody's smoked in it - and yet it still smells a bit of tobacco smoke sometimes. Well, I guess that was why there was that amazingly pungent air freshener in it when I bought it?! - luckily I like amazingly pungent air fresheners, so it was weeks before I removed it, and it took another couple of weeks before the smell of the air freshener went away, and by then the worst of the smoke had presumably dissipated too...
Not at all noticeable over summer, despite the heat - the car smelled of nothing, or perhaps just faintly leathery - but it's been apparent a few times over the last couple of months. The fresh, sunny mornings, perhaps.
It's not super strong, just noticeable. I wonder how long it'll take before it disappears entirely?
Not at all noticeable over summer, despite the heat - the car smelled of nothing, or perhaps just faintly leathery - but it's been apparent a few times over the last couple of months. The fresh, sunny mornings, perhaps.
It's not super strong, just noticeable. I wonder how long it'll take before it disappears entirely?
Well I’ve had chance to do some stuff on my car the last two days.
Airing it, smells of vinegar and smoke now, not chlorine and smoke.
But better overall I think, when the vinegar is removed and disipitates. Deffo gonna keep putting fresh vinegar in, it seems to evaporate and then ‘dry’ and decompose.
But less nasty than chlorine and smoke.
Spent 2hrs ish on each door interior so far, deep clean and feed. Plus getting in to obvious easy spots behind trim and round controls.
The down the gap in window seals, jeez, full of muck, potentially holding nicotine/ash smells.
I’ve noticed rubber door seals against glass are hard and covered in something like dry tar... so they deffo need a clean and feed!
Possibly a big contributor to smell?
Airing it, smells of vinegar and smoke now, not chlorine and smoke.
But better overall I think, when the vinegar is removed and disipitates. Deffo gonna keep putting fresh vinegar in, it seems to evaporate and then ‘dry’ and decompose.
But less nasty than chlorine and smoke.
Spent 2hrs ish on each door interior so far, deep clean and feed. Plus getting in to obvious easy spots behind trim and round controls.
The down the gap in window seals, jeez, full of muck, potentially holding nicotine/ash smells.
I’ve noticed rubber door seals against glass are hard and covered in something like dry tar... so they deffo need a clean and feed!
Possibly a big contributor to smell?
Well one thing led to another.
Full service.
Then some rear brake pipes (undercar to trailing arm sections).
Cam cover replaced.
New bmw battery.
New koni SA dampers and assorted suspension bushings.
New bmw mats.
Some exhaust rubbers.
But apart from this it’s got a solid bill of health, so not bad at 11yrs/102k miles!
Just brakes, tyres, wheels, and maybe the water pump to do in spring time.
Oh and then a bunch of bodywork tarting up for summer... no avoiding aiming for perfection with carbon black
Full service.
Then some rear brake pipes (undercar to trailing arm sections).
Cam cover replaced.
New bmw battery.
New koni SA dampers and assorted suspension bushings.
New bmw mats.
Some exhaust rubbers.
But apart from this it’s got a solid bill of health, so not bad at 11yrs/102k miles!
Just brakes, tyres, wheels, and maybe the water pump to do in spring time.
Oh and then a bunch of bodywork tarting up for summer... no avoiding aiming for perfection with carbon black
Mr Whippy said:
Well one thing led to another.
Full service.
Then some rear brake pipes (undercar to trailing arm sections).
Cam cover replaced.
New bmw battery.
New koni SA dampers and assorted suspension bushings.
New bmw mats.
Some exhaust rubbers.
But apart from this it’s got a solid bill of health, so not bad at 11yrs/102k miles!
Just brakes, tyres, wheels, and maybe the water pump to do in spring time.
Oh and then a bunch of bodywork tarting up for summer... no avoiding aiming for perfection with carbon black
It tends to go like that! Full service.
Then some rear brake pipes (undercar to trailing arm sections).
Cam cover replaced.
New bmw battery.
New koni SA dampers and assorted suspension bushings.
New bmw mats.
Some exhaust rubbers.
But apart from this it’s got a solid bill of health, so not bad at 11yrs/102k miles!
Just brakes, tyres, wheels, and maybe the water pump to do in spring time.
Oh and then a bunch of bodywork tarting up for summer... no avoiding aiming for perfection with carbon black
Were the brake pipes corroded where they come out of the cover under the passenger seat(s)? That's where all the road crud seems to accumulate - and is why I had advisories on my 56 plate Z4 for 2 years running! But not this year as they have been replaced.
And it had a battery about 2 years ago, so it managed 10 years and 80K miles which I thought was pretty good (my 123d with stop/start and AGM coded battery didn't last 5 years or 55k miles, but cost over £250)!
So far as water pumps go my 1st Z4 got to 60K and 10 years, although my E91 325i managed over 130K and 12 years - even if it did die within months of me buying it!
My 130 is still tucked up in the garage. 325d going ok so far, and TBH i'm not sure i'd want to give up DAB/bluetooth/cruise that's missing from the 130. Yes the engine is sublime compared to the 325d, but for a diesel it's actually pretty nice.
Had very little interest at £6k, so may drop it a bit, or do an ebay classified ad
Had very little interest at £6k, so may drop it a bit, or do an ebay classified ad
Yeah the LE is nice as it has BT integration.
Apparently this was rarely optioned. A bit daft BMW still persevere with this software and £5 wire/dongle for £500 extra kinda logic.
No cruise control but will retrofit I think, it’s a nice feature to have in an age of specs motorways etc.
Yep rear brake pipes looking ropey just as they come out from under the car.
My Z4 did the same at ~ 11yrs/100k miles, advisory, and then mot fail.
But with this car being a much lower usage and me not having as much time to tinker as deeply I won’t spot the progression of any issues.
So I’ve just let the garage say what they’re concerned with and let them get on.
I’ll likely start stripping bits back and cleaning/bilt hamber UC’ing areas underneath too once spring arrives.
Apparently this was rarely optioned. A bit daft BMW still persevere with this software and £5 wire/dongle for £500 extra kinda logic.
No cruise control but will retrofit I think, it’s a nice feature to have in an age of specs motorways etc.
Yep rear brake pipes looking ropey just as they come out from under the car.
My Z4 did the same at ~ 11yrs/100k miles, advisory, and then mot fail.
But with this car being a much lower usage and me not having as much time to tinker as deeply I won’t spot the progression of any issues.
So I’ve just let the garage say what they’re concerned with and let them get on.
I’ll likely start stripping bits back and cleaning/bilt hamber UC’ing areas underneath too once spring arrives.
Only one of those options my 125i came with was Bluetooth Call Handling, DAB and Cruise are nowhere to be seen. DAB is fairly meh for me as I use Spotify/Google Play on my phone (with Google Assistant handling new track/play list actions), but Cruise is a weird one.
I had it on my old 330d and thought I would miss it, but in 4 and a half years I've barely noticed it's gone. For Specs I just use the TomTom Speed Cameras app, which works out your average as you are going through. This also has the benefit of letting you know when you can go a bit faster
In fact the only thing pushing me to get something newer is the onboard tech, but most of it works on my phone anyway so don't think I'm missing too much. As long as The Beast stays reliable, I see no rush to change it.
I had it on my old 330d and thought I would miss it, but in 4 and a half years I've barely noticed it's gone. For Specs I just use the TomTom Speed Cameras app, which works out your average as you are going through. This also has the benefit of letting you know when you can go a bit faster
In fact the only thing pushing me to get something newer is the onboard tech, but most of it works on my phone anyway so don't think I'm missing too much. As long as The Beast stays reliable, I see no rush to change it.
If my old iDrive did DAB I’d be fine with it.
I’ve seen some people add the later iDrive which is also an option.
But really as long as I can take a call easily, or make one fairly easily, I’m happy.
So I’m glad my car has BT.
Sat nav and all that stuff is really just toys I don’t need.
I usually don’t really need it as sign posts still work wonders, and on our newer car the RTTI is useless.
Apple CarPlay using Apple Maps was a load better.
I think a decent ‘smart device’ interface is a more sensible option for car makers these days.
All that said I still like the nav on my 130i.
No frills.
Just a shame no way to get quality traffic info in there.
I’ve seen some people add the later iDrive which is also an option.
But really as long as I can take a call easily, or make one fairly easily, I’m happy.
So I’m glad my car has BT.
Sat nav and all that stuff is really just toys I don’t need.
I usually don’t really need it as sign posts still work wonders, and on our newer car the RTTI is useless.
Apple CarPlay using Apple Maps was a load better.
I think a decent ‘smart device’ interface is a more sensible option for car makers these days.
All that said I still like the nav on my 130i.
No frills.
Just a shame no way to get quality traffic info in there.
Just read through this this as I’ve always had a soft spot for the 130.
Here’s a screenshot from the advert on the one I bought back in December 2013
Paid around 7.5k for it back then, it would def be worth more money now if I had kept it, was a pretty good spec and low mileage, think it was on around 40k when I got it, I had to get something more economical, so part ex’d It in for a Audi A4 2.0tdi, think I got around 5.5k for it, that was around a year later.
Wasn’t very reliable though, few things went wrong, can’t remember everything but I’m sure the inside of the boot got soaking wet and ruined the ecu? Or something, all the electrics were playing up, parking sensors stoped working and so did the keyless entry, always fancied another but that one put me off, even though I probably just bought a lemon.
Would of been free motoring if I had kept it until now though as it was mint.
Here’s a screenshot from the advert on the one I bought back in December 2013
Paid around 7.5k for it back then, it would def be worth more money now if I had kept it, was a pretty good spec and low mileage, think it was on around 40k when I got it, I had to get something more economical, so part ex’d It in for a Audi A4 2.0tdi, think I got around 5.5k for it, that was around a year later.
Wasn’t very reliable though, few things went wrong, can’t remember everything but I’m sure the inside of the boot got soaking wet and ruined the ecu? Or something, all the electrics were playing up, parking sensors stoped working and so did the keyless entry, always fancied another but that one put me off, even though I probably just bought a lemon.
Would of been free motoring if I had kept it until now though as it was mint.
Mr Whippy said:
It’s n52n.
It seems like a good engine.
Just a shame the two common faults by ~ 100k/10yrs are water pump and cam cover.
£1,000 then all good haha!
All those mpg savings and environmental benefits just went up in smoke vs M54
The N52 is a great engine - my M54 E46 325ti needed the inevitable cooling system overhaul just after 80K miles following the inevitable banana radiator issue, which wasn't much cheaper than a water pump on an N52 - and I'd much rather have an N52! It revs so much more freely. It seems like a good engine.
Just a shame the two common faults by ~ 100k/10yrs are water pump and cam cover.
£1,000 then all good haha!
All those mpg savings and environmental benefits just went up in smoke vs M54
My current E91 325i needed a water pump this year at 135K miles - but then I changed a mechanical water pump on a Capri before it got to 40K miles, so is 135K really an early failure?
And who cares about the environmental claptrap on here anyway - M54 2.5 is 192 bhp, N52 2.5 is 218 bhp. M54 3 litre is 231 bhp, but N52 is 265 bhp - it's a small price to pay!
They are all in the same band for RFL anyway!
Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff