Chadillac2000's 2008 135i Road Warrior Daily Driver Build Thread

suspenceful

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Aug 1, 2017
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Nice update! I was really looking forward to the dyno results, but I guess my anticipation will have to wait.

Love seeing the 1M-style bumper on a car that looks so similar to mine, as I've been debating the "upgrade" forever. I would really like to see it with a splitter...
 

chadillac2000

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Oct 26, 2017
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Nice update! I was really looking forward to the dyno results, but I guess my anticipation will have to wait.

Love seeing the 1M-style bumper on a car that looks so similar to mine, as I've been debating the "upgrade" forever. I would really like to see it with a splitter...

I was too. Had been planning on it for months and was really bummed when the weekend fell apart given the dented bumper and coil debacle. I'm getting antsy about seeing power numbers while the car is running so healthy, so I need to end up just finding an indoor dynometer over the colder months. All the ones in the Asheville area are outdoor and usually non operable during winter.

I was the same way about the bumper -- had been eyeballing the upgrade since I bought the car. Adding a full lip to the M-Sport front bumper had kept me satisfied, but this 1M style looks better in my opinion. I agree though, this would look even better with a nice lip/splitter under the front of it. For my DD, I'm enjoying the added clearance though. We'll see if I end up adding something eventually, but pretty satisfied with the current look; for the time being.
 
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chadillac2000

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Oct 26, 2017
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Lightweight lip! Looks classy and can't break it.

I'm sure one will end up on there to match the side skirt extensions eventually, but I've done zero research into what fits on the 1M style front bumper. It will also be tricky because not all 1M style front bumpers for the non-M cars are the same. and not sure that a flat piece of ABS will work if I went custom.
 

ShocknAwe

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Jan 24, 2018
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Yeah good point. That's the one I have tabled for my front, but no clue if it will fit the replica bumpers. Since it's polymer, it would be theoretically easy enough to drill it out if they were the right length.
 

chadillac2000

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Oct 26, 2017
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My mileage rolled over the 130,000 mark on the way home from work this past Friday, so the 135i was due for another day in the garage come Saturday. I've been using OCIs of 3,000-4,000 miles, and as much as I drive, that comes along often. I should buy stock in Motul. In addition to the routine oil change, I'd also noticed some slight coming from the front wheel bearings when turning. They certainly looked rough, so I figured I'd preventively go ahead and change those out before the problem got any worse.

For a little under $300 from FCPEuro, I was able to get two front hub assemblies, 8 new bolts (these are supposedly non-reusable and the new ones come pre loaded with thread locking compound, and 2 new brake disc set screws.

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As always, grabbed my trusty BMS 17mm wheel socket so I don't scratch up the ARC-8s. I've also been pleasantly surprised at how well my powder coated calipers have held up as the mileage adds up. They still look like the day I received them back from finishing.

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After removing the front wheels, I took the time to get out my tire tread measurement tool to see how the Firestones were holding up. 6/32nds on the fronts, and 5/32nds on the rear. I've put about 25,000 miles on this set, so they're holding up pretty well. It doesn't look like they'll last as long as the Hankook V12 Evo2s I had previously, but the Firestone do grip better in dry/wet, and look better too.

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Prior to starting the wheel bearing DIY, I found this extremely helpful video showing the exact steps. The process to the E82 is just like the E90 and bolt sizes are the same as well.


Removal of the old wheel bearings started with removing the brake caliper, rotor, and then starting the process of removing the 4 bolts on the backside of the hub assembly. It might not be completely necessary, by I removed the wheel speed sensor to gain some more room as well. This was not the easiest area to photograph.

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These bolts are very very hard to remove. They have thread locking material from the factory, and take a lot of effort to remove. There wasn't really enough room to get power tools in there unfortunately, so I just had to use patience and a few different 18mm bolt removal tools. The old ones had seem better days aesthetically, and looked like they need a refreshment.

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The Apex wheel stud kit was also fused with the old hub assemblies, so I switched back to normal wheel bolts. They had tarnished into a rusted look anyways, so I was glad to see them go. It's easier to mount wheels with studs, but the rusty look of the studs wasn't for me.

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This is prior to installing the new hub assembly:

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And afterwards:

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Before starting up the car, I added 7 quarts of Motul.

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I also fastened down the Craftsman socket set I received in the boot. I felt vulnerable traveling with no tools in this car, and received this as a Christmas gift. The well organized plastic case made it a perfect candidate for staying in the car in case of emergencies.

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Now she's ready to return to daily duties!

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In fact, the very next day my wife, Winston, and I set off for a little Sunday drive into the Pisgah National Forest for a long hike, followed by a stop by Sierra Nevada brewery for a few beers, before heading home for the evening. Here’s a few other shots I took, as well as a little montage I made of the day’s activities. I’ve been looking for excuses to use the S&Q function on the Sony A7iii.

Constantly making great memories in the 1er.

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suspenceful

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Aug 1, 2017
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Weird that your APEX studs rusted and fused together like that. Mine haven't done that and I can actually loosen the studs from the hub almost too easily.

Awesome update otherwise!
 

chadillac2000

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Oct 26, 2017
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Weird that your APEX studs rusted and fused together like that. Mine haven't done that and I can actually loosen the studs from the hub almost too easily.

Awesome update otherwise!

I was honestly surprised as well. That happened within a few months of putting them on too. Them being stuck I can understand because I used aggressive Loctite the first time around to ensure they wouldn't back out, but the development of rust was unacceptable.

I still have them in the back, but want to explore the E90 hub route sometime in 2019 to get a little more clearance for some wider rubber. I would almost be content if I could squeeze a 275 width tire back there with a little more concavity on the Apex wheel.
 

suspenceful

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Aug 1, 2017
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I was honestly surprised as well. That happened within a few months of putting them on too. Them being stuck I can understand because I used aggressive Loctite the first time around to ensure they wouldn't back out, but the development of rust was unacceptable.

I still have them in the back, but want to explore the E90 hub route sometime in 2019 to get a little more clearance for some wider rubber. I would almost be content if I could squeeze a 275 width tire back there with a little more concavity on the Apex wheel.

I love that idea. Always wanted to do the conversion, but never needed to. Do it and document it so I can copy some day!
 
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derekgates

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Feb 23, 2018
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These photos are ace, your motivation for maintenance has me embarrassed. Great job. Car is looking *fantastic* and it makes me regret getting a 3 series instead of a light and nimble 1 series.
 

chadillac2000

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Oct 26, 2017
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I love that idea. Always wanted to do the conversion, but never needed to. Do it and document it so I can copy some day!

Jake, that's not how that we do this. You do things, work out the kinks, and then I follow suit.

These photos are ace, your motivation for maintenance has me embarrassed. Great job. Car is looking *fantastic* and it makes me regret getting a 3 series instead of a light and nimble 1 series.

Thanks Derek! My approach to maintenance has worked out nicely so far. It's resulted in a fairly reliable, high horsepower N54 car. Hopefully it will continue to pay off as I continue my surge towards 200,000+ miles on this 1er.
 
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chadillac2000

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Oct 26, 2017
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Even though it's only been 40 days since my last update, this E82 road warrior has racked up nearly 4,500 miles in that time, bringing the odometer up to 133,000 and counting. In North Carolina, that has meant some pretty cold weather recently. That used to mean rough starts on higher concentrations of E85, but after BMS revised their cold start tables on their back end flashes, things are now OEM smooth.


Eventually the 30's gave way to even colder temperatures, and on one particularly frigid morning in the mountains, a single digit cold start was the last bit of energy my battery had left to give. Seeing as how this was still the original, I knew it was only a matter of time before I would have to find a replacement. Daily driving this car plus the intelligent battery sensor really seemed to have stretched the life of the OEM battery which lasted over 10 years.

Before swapping out the dead battery, I performed another routine oil change with Motul and a Mann.

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Without too much trouble, I managed to get the old OEM battery out and sat it beside the Interstate replacement to compare. I was relieved to find out they were identical sizes.

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I wasn't interested in coding the battery -- only registering, so I went with something with a similar aH rating and non-AGM. The Interstate Mega-Tron Plus MTP-49/H8-1 is 100aH versus 90aH of the OEM, and packs more cold cranking amps and reserve minutes.

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15 minutes later and I had everything secured, terminals tightened down, and was ready to register the battery -- which was as simple as opening up the MHD app, going to reset adaptations, and registering the battery.

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Before finishing up, I also swapped out the third brake light and added a matte black 135i emblem. This is my 4th brake light, and although the vinyl tint made the third one last longer than the previous two, it still managed to crack on the tops and bottom enough to bother me.

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I ordered this purposely through FCP Euro, so I'll be interested to see if they warranty the part the next time it breaks, which it almost certainly will.

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I have a very busy next month or so, but getting some dyno time will be a priority in March.
 
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chadillac2000

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Oct 26, 2017
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2008 BMW 135i
What camera setup do you use for close up shots?

I switched from a Nikon DSLR to the Sony A7iii about 6 months ago, and paired it with a Sony 55mm F1.8 Sonnar. I've really been enjoying the camera since picking it up. It takes absolutely incredible 4K video as well.
 

chadillac2000

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Oct 26, 2017
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Man, I really need to do this. Which test do you get?

Looks like the standard analysis minus TBN

Yep, just the standard analysis. I don't get them done every oil change now that I have some baseline data, but probably every 3rd or 4th oil change just to keep an eye on things. Also helps me validate special ordering expensive oil for a daily driver--this Motul stuff seems pretty great for this application.
 
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OverkillGarage

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Mar 22, 2019
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You may have touched on this earlier in your post, but how would you compare the spool-up characteristics of your 6062 vs the stock twins at full tilt? I'm considering moving to ST as my wastegates have seen better days but I don't want to go to a massive turbo. I've been eyeing the 5862 and 6062 and seeing as you've been running the larger of the two you might have an opinion worth sharing.
 

chadillac2000

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Oct 26, 2017
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2008 BMW 135i
You may have touched on this earlier in your post, but how would you compare the spool-up characteristics of your 6062 vs the stock twins at full tilt? I'm considering moving to ST as my wastegates have seen better days but I don't want to go to a massive turbo. I've been eyeing the 5862 and 6062 and seeing as you've been running the larger of the two you might have an opinion worth sharing.

I couldn't recommend making the switch enough. I haven't regretted going from twin turbos to single not one time--not even close. I've also put a ton of miles on this setup and it's been very reliable. No smoke to worry about. No rattling internal wastegates. No more dropping the subframe to change out turbos. It's worth it alone for the incredible sounds the single kits make. Costs more upfront, but I plan on keeping this car for a long long time, so it made sense at the time.

I very much prefer the single turbo power band for a daily driver over the stock twin setup. Doesn't get into boost unless you're trying, but is still very responsive when you dip into the throttle. Obviously the top end is a real game changer and where the single setup really shines.

When this car was FBO running E40 fuel on stock turbos, spool was quick as I'm sure you know, but they ran out quickly and definitely couldn't hold 18-20psi until redline (or at least mine couldn't in their late age). Right before I took out my 100,000 mile turbos there were barely able to hit 18psi and it took forever to do so, but still made 400HP/400TQ on the dyno. They were also smoking and rattling like crazy.

On the street this car running the 6062 on E60 fuel, it starts spooling right at 3,000 RPM and hits that same mark 20psi around 3,500RPM. You can see what I'm talking about in the log screenshot below. E85 and a good twin scroll manifold seem to do wonders for spool.

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Hopefully this helps. Do it!