My other half’s new daily; E88 BMW 125i cabriolet
Discussion
Having had a very uneventful 18 months with the cheapy 116, with enough nagging I managed to wear my other half down into swapping her car for another one, but this time with a proper engine. Initially I was focussed in a 130i, but there were limited pickings in budget. There was an E81 that had a good spec but needed some love (lacquer peel, bumper scuff and all wheels needed a refurb) but I missed out whilst fanning about. With limited 130’s knocking about, I started to include 125i’s in the search.
A little grey cab popped up and looked clean and got both of our attention. Being so different to her 116i it made it an easier sell (the idea of swapping a hatch for another hatch was a bit lost on her). It was for sale through a small dealer who has picked it up from an elderly neighbour (I thought was salesman flannel, but am not so sure now....). I arranged to see it before New Year’s Eve, but snow out any end to it. It was minus 4 where the car was and still covered in snow so not ideal conditions to check on a cab and make sure the roof is working etc.
Then lockdown 3.0 arrived....joy. After lots of pictures, a video and various conversations a deal was struck and I decided to take a punt and click and collect the car with the proviso of a refund if it was a turd. The MOT history was good and there were no hidden horrors on V Check.
It’s a 2009 125i M Sport in grey, black leather 82k on the clock and some Ok options; cruise, heated seats, folding mirrors, Bluetooth, auto dimming rear view mirror and a few other odds and sods. No xenons though.
We went to collect it last night, from the chaps house with the keys left in a plant pot!
It looked well enough when we arrived.
The drive home was uneventful; it didn’t break down or explode into a ball of flames.
I took it out for a drive this morning and the alignment is out (seller will pay for it) but other than a few rattles and creaks from the roof it seems fine. It’s not fast (a trip to P Toqrue is on the cards) but it sounds lovely, really nice and it’s smooth. I’ve not driven a car with run flats for nearly five years; my god they’re s
t. Awful things.
Took a few pictures whilst out today sorting the tax
Going back to my previous comments about the guy selling the car telling me that it was owner by an old chap as his last hurrah before giving up his license. I didn’t believe him at first, but when I tried to tax the car online it was exempt due to previously being registered someone with a blue badge. And then when I was rummaging around in the boot, I found a pack of tenna for men! So perhaps he was. Tax sorted at the post office.
Got home and made a mental list of stuff to do:
Steal some parts from the 116 (black grilles, red starter button, M Performance gear knob and gaitor).
Then tackle a few jobs;
Remove the old dealer sticker from the rear window
Fiddle with the bonnet bump stops because it was sitting a bit low
Fix the dash trim; the finish / cover has come away from the back piece
Fit the bits from the 116
Clean it; stuff like rage fuel filler was hanging
Debadge
Worn M Sport gear knob
Replaced with the M Performance one
I also swapped over the hand brake handles and gaiters too because I fitted a nice new one to the 116 when we got it.
It needs a proper detail, but it was cold and time wasn’t on my side so. I sprayed it with some fall out remover to remove the worst of the crap.
It was then washed and dried and given a coat of Sonax BSD. Scrubs up pretty well
It’s not perfect, but it’s nearly 12 years old. There are two slight parking dings which I’ll sort and a few scratches most of which will look better if not disappear with a machine polish.
Plans are...
Alignment (hopefully in the next few days)
New tyres when we sell the 116. Run flats are awful. I’m hoping it’ll ride a bit better.
Proper detail when the weather allows; clay, two stage paint correction, wax, proper roof clean and treatment
Wheel refurb (two have slight marks) others just look a bit old
New centre caps
Sort the exhaust trip (they’re minging....I’ll try some metal polish first)
Smooth air box lid to see if it makes a bit more noise
Fit a double din screen at some point for CarPlay (the factory Bluetooth feels, well old. Really old).
Fit the alcantara whee from the 116 (need to buy a new steering wheel trim)
Today didn’t go entirely to plan....I’ve managed to lick the fuel filler flap whilst cleaning it and now I can’t get in. I’m hoping that the little green pull cord will save me.
A little grey cab popped up and looked clean and got both of our attention. Being so different to her 116i it made it an easier sell (the idea of swapping a hatch for another hatch was a bit lost on her). It was for sale through a small dealer who has picked it up from an elderly neighbour (I thought was salesman flannel, but am not so sure now....). I arranged to see it before New Year’s Eve, but snow out any end to it. It was minus 4 where the car was and still covered in snow so not ideal conditions to check on a cab and make sure the roof is working etc.
Then lockdown 3.0 arrived....joy. After lots of pictures, a video and various conversations a deal was struck and I decided to take a punt and click and collect the car with the proviso of a refund if it was a turd. The MOT history was good and there were no hidden horrors on V Check.
It’s a 2009 125i M Sport in grey, black leather 82k on the clock and some Ok options; cruise, heated seats, folding mirrors, Bluetooth, auto dimming rear view mirror and a few other odds and sods. No xenons though.
We went to collect it last night, from the chaps house with the keys left in a plant pot!
It looked well enough when we arrived.
The drive home was uneventful; it didn’t break down or explode into a ball of flames.
I took it out for a drive this morning and the alignment is out (seller will pay for it) but other than a few rattles and creaks from the roof it seems fine. It’s not fast (a trip to P Toqrue is on the cards) but it sounds lovely, really nice and it’s smooth. I’ve not driven a car with run flats for nearly five years; my god they’re s
t. Awful things.Took a few pictures whilst out today sorting the tax
Going back to my previous comments about the guy selling the car telling me that it was owner by an old chap as his last hurrah before giving up his license. I didn’t believe him at first, but when I tried to tax the car online it was exempt due to previously being registered someone with a blue badge. And then when I was rummaging around in the boot, I found a pack of tenna for men! So perhaps he was. Tax sorted at the post office.
Got home and made a mental list of stuff to do:
Steal some parts from the 116 (black grilles, red starter button, M Performance gear knob and gaitor).
Then tackle a few jobs;
Remove the old dealer sticker from the rear window
Fiddle with the bonnet bump stops because it was sitting a bit low
Fix the dash trim; the finish / cover has come away from the back piece
Fit the bits from the 116
Clean it; stuff like rage fuel filler was hanging
Debadge
Worn M Sport gear knob
Replaced with the M Performance one
I also swapped over the hand brake handles and gaiters too because I fitted a nice new one to the 116 when we got it.
It needs a proper detail, but it was cold and time wasn’t on my side so. I sprayed it with some fall out remover to remove the worst of the crap.
It was then washed and dried and given a coat of Sonax BSD. Scrubs up pretty well
It’s not perfect, but it’s nearly 12 years old. There are two slight parking dings which I’ll sort and a few scratches most of which will look better if not disappear with a machine polish.
Plans are...
Alignment (hopefully in the next few days)
New tyres when we sell the 116. Run flats are awful. I’m hoping it’ll ride a bit better.
Proper detail when the weather allows; clay, two stage paint correction, wax, proper roof clean and treatment
Wheel refurb (two have slight marks) others just look a bit old
New centre caps
Sort the exhaust trip (they’re minging....I’ll try some metal polish first)
Smooth air box lid to see if it makes a bit more noise
Fit a double din screen at some point for CarPlay (the factory Bluetooth feels, well old. Really old).
Fit the alcantara whee from the 116 (need to buy a new steering wheel trim)
Today didn’t go entirely to plan....I’ve managed to lick the fuel filler flap whilst cleaning it and now I can’t get in. I’m hoping that the little green pull cord will save me.
Brett748 said:
I had a job as a trade plate drive when I was on furlough and drove a 118i convertible. The engine was crap but it drove absolutely brilliantly, with a six cylinder it must be a great car.
It’ll be nicer to drive when the alignment is down and the run flats are off. It feels like they’re filled with concrete. 
I’ve forgotten how bad they can be on our crappy roads. fastbikes76 said:
Cracking little car that, I’m sure you will be fettling away constantly as if it were yours, something all us blokes seem guilty of ! 
Thanks. It’s a lovely engine the N52 (even in detuned form). I’ve been daft enough to drop the roof a couple of times (tad chilly
). Definitely need to track down a wind deflector. She’s made up with it which is brilliant. Will hopefully buy me a bit of time if anything goes wrong in the short term. Fingers crossed nothing more than me locking the filler flap!
Max M4X WW said:
Really like these, good colour and the correct wheels too.
The black grilles though.. I think they were better suited to the 116i
Ha ha, I know black grilles are not the done thing on PH, but I have a massive hatred of chrome on cars.The black grilles though.. I think they were better suited to the 116i
The wheels are lovely and as a cleaning nerd, they’re brilliant because there’s not much to them. Loads easier to clean than the wheels on my M140i.
XR said:
Court_S said:
I’ve been daft enough to drop the roof a couple of times (tad chilly
). Definitely need to track down a wind deflector. Am I allowed to say I still have a wind deflector in carry case if you are interested?
Can you drop me a line please re the deflector. You’re account doesn’t allow them. Cheers
Cheers for the comments chaps.
It looks like the battery is poorly. The car is a tad slow to start sometimes and I’ve now had the yellow battery light on twice whilst fiddling with it whilst the ignition is on. I accessed the hidden menu to check the voltage and it’s showing 11.8. It forgot the time on Saturday too.
New AGM battery ordered from Tayna which will be here tomorrow. A genuine BMW was £165 delivered from Cotswold, but I’ve bought an Exide one for £98 delivered. I’ll get that fitted tomorrow and registered to the car and will then keep an eye on it. If the slow starting contained I’ll check the engine ground and then failing that it’s a new starter motor. I’m hoping is the battery, it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s died having been sat for a wee while plus the car has done a fair few short trips.
Today, I battled with the bulbs....1985 called and wanted their crappy yellow halogens back. I fitted some Osram Night Breaker laser bulbs to the dipped and main beam and swapped over the side lights too.
Whilst remixing the air box for access, I fitted my Mishimoto intake pipe too.
I’ll pop out in it later today to see if it sounds much different. It want that expensive with an eBay discount code.
Once the battery is sorted (hopefully) I’ll do a bit of coding with Carly. We both miss the digital speedo, so I’ll add that and change the key to eject with a long push of the button etc.
The new steering wheel trim for the wheel from the 116 will be here this week, so I’ll get the alcantara wheel fitted to the 125i over the coming days.
It’s booked in for an alignment on Wednesday. As soon as the updated V5 arrives for the old car having removed her private plate, I’ll get the 116 advertised and as soon as that sells, I’ll get some new tyres for this.
It looks like the battery is poorly. The car is a tad slow to start sometimes and I’ve now had the yellow battery light on twice whilst fiddling with it whilst the ignition is on. I accessed the hidden menu to check the voltage and it’s showing 11.8. It forgot the time on Saturday too.
New AGM battery ordered from Tayna which will be here tomorrow. A genuine BMW was £165 delivered from Cotswold, but I’ve bought an Exide one for £98 delivered. I’ll get that fitted tomorrow and registered to the car and will then keep an eye on it. If the slow starting contained I’ll check the engine ground and then failing that it’s a new starter motor. I’m hoping is the battery, it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s died having been sat for a wee while plus the car has done a fair few short trips.
Today, I battled with the bulbs....1985 called and wanted their crappy yellow halogens back. I fitted some Osram Night Breaker laser bulbs to the dipped and main beam and swapped over the side lights too.
Whilst remixing the air box for access, I fitted my Mishimoto intake pipe too.
I’ll pop out in it later today to see if it sounds much different. It want that expensive with an eBay discount code.
Once the battery is sorted (hopefully) I’ll do a bit of coding with Carly. We both miss the digital speedo, so I’ll add that and change the key to eject with a long push of the button etc.
The new steering wheel trim for the wheel from the 116 will be here this week, so I’ll get the alcantara wheel fitted to the 125i over the coming days.
It’s booked in for an alignment on Wednesday. As soon as the updated V5 arrives for the old car having removed her private plate, I’ll get the 116 advertised and as soon as that sells, I’ll get some new tyres for this.
B'stard Child said:
I fitted one of those on my 125i
There is a very slight but subtle difference inside the car - you get a slight increase in howl/induction sound after 3000 rpm
However Mrs BC's finely tuned ears noticed the difference outside the car when I picked her up from work just after fitting it (There is a nice straight road for the last bit leading to her workplace and I normally buzz it a little - she was waiting outside) She said it sounded different/nice and what had I done to it - I just said resonator delete and that was enough for her not to ask any more after all that means part removed not part replaced
Hopefully we’ll get more of that noise with the roof down! For less than £40, it can’t hurt and didn’t really take me much longer when I was removing the airbox to fit the bulbs.There is a very slight but subtle difference inside the car - you get a slight increase in howl/induction sound after 3000 rpm
However Mrs BC's finely tuned ears noticed the difference outside the car when I picked her up from work just after fitting it
(There is a nice straight road for the last bit leading to her workplace and I normally buzz it a little - she was waiting outside) She said it sounded different/nice and what had I done to it - I just said resonator delete and that was enough for her not to ask any more after all that means part removed not part replaced The battery will be here tomorrow but the car is at the garage tomorrow for the alignment, so I’ll pop it in on Thursday (plus the forecast tomorrow is grim).
Another hiccup today....the bottom of the seat belt was damp this morning (the bit that goes across your lap). Whilst feeling, I noticed the rear passenger mat behind my seat was a bit damp too. First thought was st. The roof is buggered. Cue me flapping about feeling the seals, all parts of the roof. Nothing, bone dry.
Bit of head scratching and sweating. Checked the boot / battery area...all dry. Pulled the base of the rear seats up...dry. Absolutely zero evidence of drips / water staining on any trim.
I then started poking around the external seals and I spotted this...
This seal is damaged, I’m guessing from the previous owner squeezing in and out of the car. Bad news is the seal doesn’t appear to be available on its own but a window from a breaker is peanuts. For now I’m going to try a bit of subtle, black silicone in there to see if that stops the issue. If it does I’ll replace the rear window. I’ll check the drainage channels over the next few days too.
On the good news side, this arrived today
Which means I can fit the alcantara wheel from the 116 (will do it whilst I’m pissing about with the battery).
Another hiccup today....the bottom of the seat belt was damp this morning (the bit that goes across your lap). Whilst feeling, I noticed the rear passenger mat behind my seat was a bit damp too. First thought was s
t. The roof is buggered. Cue me flapping about feeling the seals, all parts of the roof. Nothing, bone dry.Bit of head scratching and sweating. Checked the boot / battery area...all dry. Pulled the base of the rear seats up...dry. Absolutely zero evidence of drips / water staining on any trim.
I then started poking around the external seals and I spotted this...
This seal is damaged, I’m guessing from the previous owner squeezing in and out of the car. Bad news is the seal doesn’t appear to be available on its own but a window from a breaker is peanuts. For now I’m going to try a bit of subtle, black silicone in there to see if that stops the issue. If it does I’ll replace the rear window. I’ll check the drainage channels over the next few days too.
On the good news side, this arrived today
Which means I can fit the alcantara wheel from the 116 (will do it whilst I’m pissing about with the battery).
Levin said:
What do you make of the M Performance knob? I've seriously considered fitting one in my E90 but there's always the question in the back of my head about whether it'll be enough improvement for the outlay. I'd also be inclined to go the whole hog and fit the alcantara gaiters, as I see you've done too.
That's a lovely looking motor you have there. At some point I'm going to have to put a straight six BMW on the drive, just to scratch that particular itch.
I like it more in this car than the other one, but that’s because the gear box in this one is nicer to use in general. I think it’s improved the shift, others prefer the older Clubsport shifter.That's a lovely looking motor you have there. At some point I'm going to have to put a straight six BMW on the drive, just to scratch that particular itch.
They’re not too epithets days (I paid £40 for it). The gaiter is stain available for the E90 (about £30 on eBay from BMW dealers). I had to buy an aftermarket copy because the 1 series gaiter is no longer available.
beambeam1 said:
Court_S said:
I’ve dropped you a PM. Black ones no longer available, but I’ve sent a link to a blue one.
Cheers and thanks for letting me know, landed in my junk folder! Wondering if I'll drop one in my car as well since it's the N52 engine as well.d Child reckons it made a decent difference to his, although it was more external than internal. Mr Tidy said:
Levin said:
At some point I'm going to have to put a straight six BMW on the drive, just to scratch that particular itch.
Just get on and do it - YOLO after all!I had a couple of 4 cylinder turbo-diesel BMWs for nearly 10 years trying to justify that with business use, but then got my first straight 6 petrol in 2014 and I've now got numbers 5 and 6!
The ZHP gear-knob is a massive improvement on what BMW fitted to the E90, E87, E85/6, etc. - shorter and heavier. Getting the Clutch Delay Valve removed improves things significantly, and fresh fluid in the gearbox helps (despite BMW claiming they are sealed for life).
I’m in my fourth now.
Providing this doesn’t turn out to be too much of a dog, I’ll start getting fluids done later in the year. The gearbox feels remarkably good, much nicer than the six speed in her old 116. The CDV will be going in the bin in due course too.
New battery fitted and registered to the car this afternoon (in between the rain). Didn’t bother taking photos because it was drizzling and bloody cold. Car starts loads better and none of the weird error codes that I cleared at the weekend have reappeared (5 days now).
I also pissed around and did a bit of coding to the car. Just need to do the folding mirrors on locking / unlocking the car.
Alignment didn’t go to plan yesterday due do the track rod ends being seized. I’ll get it booked in (one quote made me nearly fall off my chair given that an entire track rod isn’t all that expensive). Hopefully the other garage will be a bit more wallet friendly.
The v5 for the 116 has been updated with the private plate removed, so I’ll get that up for sale this weekend. As soon as that’s sold, I’ll get a set of none run flats ordered. Hopefully with an alignment and some better tyres it’ll ride better. A mate has offered me his old B4 rear dampers which are only a few months old (he’s upgrading to B8’s) so I’ll pop those on when available.
I also pissed around and did a bit of coding to the car. Just need to do the folding mirrors on locking / unlocking the car.
Alignment didn’t go to plan yesterday due do the track rod ends being seized. I’ll get it booked in (one quote made me nearly fall off my chair given that an entire track rod isn’t all that expensive). Hopefully the other garage will be a bit more wallet friendly.
The v5 for the 116 has been updated with the private plate removed, so I’ll get that up for sale this weekend. As soon as that’s sold, I’ll get a set of none run flats ordered. Hopefully with an alignment and some better tyres it’ll ride better. A mate has offered me his old B4 rear dampers which are only a few months old (he’s upgrading to B8’s) so I’ll pop those on when available.
Popped out in the car last night and checked the tyre pressures, one of the rears was super low. Drives a bit better now but I still want to set fire to the run flats! :lol: I was really pissed off when the car was a tad slow to start again but I realised that since fitting the battery I’d mucked around doing some coding and not really run it. When I got to the garage to check the pressures etc, it started a million times better. Phew.
I fitted the alcantara wheel from the other car today (I’m a dab hand with with these now). Looks great and feels nicer than the shiny old M Sport wheel with it’s worn trim.
It was pretty manky behind the wheel with lots of fluff and pet hair. Nice.
I fitted the alcantara wheel from the other car today (I’m a dab hand with with these now). Looks great and feels nicer than the shiny old M Sport wheel with it’s worn trim.
It was pretty manky behind the wheel with lots of fluff and pet hair. Nice.
B'stard Child said:
Court_S said:
Popped out in the car last night and checked the tyre pressures, one of the rears was super low. Drives a bit better now but I still want to set fire to the run flats! :lol:
I hated the Run Craps - best thing I did was ditch them - Obviously I'm going to die in another ditch because I didn't fit MPS to the car (according to a well know 1 series forum) but I'm happy with my rainsports Court_S said:
I was really pissed off when the car was a tad slow to start again but I realised that since fitting the battery I’d mucked around doing some coding and not really run it. When I got to the garage to check the pressures etc, it started a million times better. Phew.
I got my mate Will to code out the "have to press the clutch before the engine starter button will work" Need to do a tweak to that coding cos you have to press and hold till it startsCourt_S said:
I fitted the alcantara wheel from the other car today (I’m a dab hand with with these now). Looks great and feels nicer than the shiny old M Sport wheel with it’s worn trim.
That looks lovely it would be manky in 20 mins if fitted to my car but looks very nice indeedCourt_S said:
It was pretty manky behind the wheel with lots of fluff and pet hair. Nice.
God knows what horrors I’ll find when I really clean the car and remove the seats.
cerb4.5lee said:
Very nice and I'm really pleased for you both. 
I love how you make your cars your own.
You will love driving that roof down when the weather picks up for sure.
Enjoy it.
Cheers Lee.I love how you make your cars your own.
You will love driving that roof down when the weather picks up for sure.
Enjoy it.
I’ve already enjoyed a bit of roof down driving....it was just sodding cold!
It’s booked in for new tyres tomorrow, replacement track rods next Tuesday and an alignment. Hoping it’ll be hunky dory after that.
I’ll replace the dampers and springs later in the year.
Managed to pick up a genuine BMW wind deflector for £40 this week, much lore palatable than the small fortune they sell for on eBay.
New exhaust tips arrived from BMW today and I’m waiting on some LED interior bulbs and a black diffuser because the stock grey looks balls against grey paint, like it’s had some bad paint previously.
The handbrake handle and gaiter are going to be sent to Royal to be recovered in alcantara with grey stitching to match the steering wheel / gear knob.
Other jobs...
Metal pedal covers
Wheel refurb
Double din screen
Dampers and springs
And the mother of all cleans (when the weather improves).
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