1 year in an M135i 3.0; Thoughts and Costs
Discussion
Hi all,
I've had my 5 door manual M135i for over a year now and done around 11,000 miles in it so I thought I'd share some of my thoughts and how much it's cost to run over this period.
Why I Bought It:
Ever since they came out in 2012 (I was 19), I really wanted one. A RWD hatchback with a 6cyl engine is a very rare thing and it was probably the last one to be made (M140i included). I tossed up between one of these and a V8 Audi S5. Both around the same power, both around the same size, but the BMW was considerably cheaper to run. 30mpg vs 20mpg and repair costs would be less too. So that was the deciding factor. I bought mine privately in North London from a guy who was clearly an enthusiast and a purest. He hadn't modified the car at all and had kept endless paperwork. The deal was done.
"Why manual?" I hear you ask, "The ZF8 is amazing". It is yeah, but having been a passenger in one, it just felt very clinical and boring. I really enjoy changing gear myself and I wouldn't be without that. I've always thought that the auto IS faster, but the manual FEELS faster.
Driving thoughts:
Handling wise, its pretty good. Its no 'drivers car' for sure, Its basically a 116d M-sport with 320hp and bigger brakes. But it gets down a road very well. Reviews said that it feels a bit wobbly and out of control the more you push, but I haven't found that too much. What I do find is its much better on a rough B - road than my old Fiesta ST. That was just too harsh and made a normal drive cross country very tiresome and uncomfortable.
Engine wise, that's the best bit! The N55 is silky smooth and torquey but holds the power well all the way to 7000. This was supposed to be the main downfall of the later B58. That's a torquier unit but doesn't rev out. The gearing is long, it'll just hit 70 in 2nd and over 100 in 3rd. I like this though, it feels like the tyres can cope with that longer gearing under hard acceleration, instead of constantly spinning up! The noise is excellent, but could be a touch louder if i'm honest. My friends older 130i makes a nicer/louder noise.
Reliability and running costs:
It's been pretty good. MPG has been 31.5mpg overall and it'll do up to 45mpg on a 65mph cruise. That's pretty amazing in my opinion.
Reliability has been good, although I've already replaced a few suspension components and I get the feeling i'll be doing that more soon. The battery performance dropped massively and it was struggling to do simple things, so that was replaced. But that's been it.
Costs so far are as follows:
MOT: £54
Front Suspension bushes: £345
Battery: £140
Rear PS4's: £244
4 Wheel alignment: £67
Full Service: £450
£1300 total
Anyway, overall I love it, so here's some pictures. Thanks for reading.
I've had my 5 door manual M135i for over a year now and done around 11,000 miles in it so I thought I'd share some of my thoughts and how much it's cost to run over this period.
Why I Bought It:
Ever since they came out in 2012 (I was 19), I really wanted one. A RWD hatchback with a 6cyl engine is a very rare thing and it was probably the last one to be made (M140i included). I tossed up between one of these and a V8 Audi S5. Both around the same power, both around the same size, but the BMW was considerably cheaper to run. 30mpg vs 20mpg and repair costs would be less too. So that was the deciding factor. I bought mine privately in North London from a guy who was clearly an enthusiast and a purest. He hadn't modified the car at all and had kept endless paperwork. The deal was done.
"Why manual?" I hear you ask, "The ZF8 is amazing". It is yeah, but having been a passenger in one, it just felt very clinical and boring. I really enjoy changing gear myself and I wouldn't be without that. I've always thought that the auto IS faster, but the manual FEELS faster.
Driving thoughts:
Handling wise, its pretty good. Its no 'drivers car' for sure, Its basically a 116d M-sport with 320hp and bigger brakes. But it gets down a road very well. Reviews said that it feels a bit wobbly and out of control the more you push, but I haven't found that too much. What I do find is its much better on a rough B - road than my old Fiesta ST. That was just too harsh and made a normal drive cross country very tiresome and uncomfortable.
Engine wise, that's the best bit! The N55 is silky smooth and torquey but holds the power well all the way to 7000. This was supposed to be the main downfall of the later B58. That's a torquier unit but doesn't rev out. The gearing is long, it'll just hit 70 in 2nd and over 100 in 3rd. I like this though, it feels like the tyres can cope with that longer gearing under hard acceleration, instead of constantly spinning up! The noise is excellent, but could be a touch louder if i'm honest. My friends older 130i makes a nicer/louder noise.
Reliability and running costs:
It's been pretty good. MPG has been 31.5mpg overall and it'll do up to 45mpg on a 65mph cruise. That's pretty amazing in my opinion.
Reliability has been good, although I've already replaced a few suspension components and I get the feeling i'll be doing that more soon. The battery performance dropped massively and it was struggling to do simple things, so that was replaced. But that's been it.
Costs so far are as follows:
MOT: £54
Front Suspension bushes: £345
Battery: £140
Rear PS4's: £244
4 Wheel alignment: £67
Full Service: £450
£1300 total
Anyway, overall I love it, so here's some pictures. Thanks for reading.
mholt1995 said:
Wahey, well done for getting your own thread started!
Interested to see your bushes needed doing - what mileage was that at and how did you know?
Wonder if, along with brakes, that was another bill that would soon become apparent had I kept it and started piling the miles on
Haha thanks! I did one before but it was rubbish.Interested to see your bushes needed doing - what mileage was that at and how did you know?
Wonder if, along with brakes, that was another bill that would soon become apparent had I kept it and started piling the miles on
The 2 bushes were done at around 52k. 1 on each side that control braking forces I believe. My brakes also need doing but going to do it myself for around 300 I believe.
kiethton said:
Good insight - we've had our M135i (2015 LCI) for nearly 5 years now and it sits just over 120k miles, used for daily driving but also a fair amount of hooning. In the 60k we've done in it we've had:
9 new tyres, all either supersports/PS4's - a set generally lasts 25-30k and tend to go together (full tread rears, inside edges front)
One track rod end
Replacement radiator pipe (the small one that runs just inside the bonnet opening)
1 set of disc's and pads (DS2500's)
1 battery at ~110k miles
General servicing when required
Does have a few issues which are common:
Exhaust valve is rattling, I've got a new pin which will be fitted next week (£15)
New front pads (£45 from ECP - pagid's this time)
Weeping oil gasket which causes a drop of oil onto the manifold and a lot of smoke occasionally
Bent/cracked alloys - bloody potholes.... - will get these swapped when absolutely necessary as it'll only happen again
6 different stone chips of various sizes in the windscreen - again, can't be bothered to fix this currently
Generally been a great car and far more reliable than all but an old 1.25 fiesta. Echo the economy points, although due to my wife's urban commute ours is currently doing <180 miles a tank!!! - mileage accretion will start to drop soon though as we've got an X5 on the way which will take the daily driving load, leaving the M135i as our back-up car.
Amazing to hear about your higher mileage one doing so well. Proves that good servicing works9 new tyres, all either supersports/PS4's - a set generally lasts 25-30k and tend to go together (full tread rears, inside edges front)
One track rod end
Replacement radiator pipe (the small one that runs just inside the bonnet opening)
1 set of disc's and pads (DS2500's)
1 battery at ~110k miles
General servicing when required
Does have a few issues which are common:
Exhaust valve is rattling, I've got a new pin which will be fitted next week (£15)
New front pads (£45 from ECP - pagid's this time)
Weeping oil gasket which causes a drop of oil onto the manifold and a lot of smoke occasionally
Bent/cracked alloys - bloody potholes.... - will get these swapped when absolutely necessary as it'll only happen again
6 different stone chips of various sizes in the windscreen - again, can't be bothered to fix this currently
Generally been a great car and far more reliable than all but an old 1.25 fiesta. Echo the economy points, although due to my wife's urban commute ours is currently doing <180 miles a tank!!! - mileage accretion will start to drop soon though as we've got an X5 on the way which will take the daily driving load, leaving the M135i as our back-up car.
Mild-Peril said:
Glad to hear you’re getting on well with the car OP.
I’ve had my M140i for coming up to a year now and every time the itch comes to swap it out, I drive loads of other cars and come back to mine realising how great it is.
I had the M Performance LSD and exhaust fitted to mine by BMW too.
It might sound like internet hyperbole, but the LSD totally transforms the car. It won’t stop the bouncing but the level of grip (and thus confidence) it provides, as well as composure under braking is incredible!
No more squeaky bum moments on WOT wondering what the back end will do!
I have been tempted by this as it is a fan of one tyre fire in the wet!!I’ve had my M140i for coming up to a year now and every time the itch comes to swap it out, I drive loads of other cars and come back to mine realising how great it is.
I had the M Performance LSD and exhaust fitted to mine by BMW too.
It might sound like internet hyperbole, but the LSD totally transforms the car. It won’t stop the bouncing but the level of grip (and thus confidence) it provides, as well as composure under braking is incredible!
No more squeaky bum moments on WOT wondering what the back end will do!
jam_up said:
Strongly considering one of these as they seem to tick every box as a performance daily. If budget allowed I’d go for the B58 M140i so I can add the mppsk at a later date (i’ve read that combo sounds great), but glad the N55 has some advantages of its own - they’re more in my price band!
How is the manual gearbox, say compared to your old Fiesta ST? I’ve read varied reviews which is making me lean towards the ZF8 but that’s maybe because the latter is very good in its own right?
Yeah I was in the same boat. M140i was just a bit too much. And there's really not much between them.How is the manual gearbox, say compared to your old Fiesta ST? I’ve read varied reviews which is making me lean towards the ZF8 but that’s maybe because the latter is very good in its own right?
The gearbox is definitely not as nice as the Fiestas, especially not until warmed up. But I've heard adding a short shifter makes a big difference!
jam_up said:
That sounds promising then, thanks.
A bit annoying that pre-2017 cars are seemingly £100 more expensive to road tax, but i guess that’s kinda insignificant when considering the cost of the car.
Yeah they are more to tax but I found that an M135i was significantly less to insure. More than outweighing the tax difference.A bit annoying that pre-2017 cars are seemingly £100 more expensive to road tax, but i guess that’s kinda insignificant when considering the cost of the car.
Edited by jam_up on Sunday 26th June 20:23
It's actually less to insure than my Fiesta ST!
M.F.D said:
I previously had an M235i and I think being an auto is why I didn't quite gel with it. That and the fact I always wanted the M2.
However, I found this interesting. Predictably the auto is marginally quicker to 60mph, but the 0-100mph times are identical.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1GYuZKaIxc
Interesting! I did my first launch in mine the other day. Was very impressed how it dug in and just went.However, I found this interesting. Predictably the auto is marginally quicker to 60mph, but the 0-100mph times are identical.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1GYuZKaIxc
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