BMW 1-Series

roadburner · November 2009

I'm not so sure that's the whole story....maybe you're just blessed with superior skills that mere mortals only dream about.

Well, now that you mention it...

bodble2 · November 2009

Yup, you're right. That's why I've concluded that I shouldn't deprive myself of the possiblity of owning a 1-series just because there is no AWD option. Even if I'm too lazy to switch to snows, I can always rent for the 10% of the time when there is snow on the ground, or if I go skiing. And being in the city, it also wouldn't kill me to take transit once in awhile!

billherrmann · March 2010

I had been cautioned a month or so ago about the 'harshness' of run flat tires. The warning came from a NJ doctor. Yet, I see no concern or criticisms on the BMW forums. Your opinion will be appreciated. Bill H

roadburner · March 2010

RFTs bother some people, but in my case it's never been a deal breaker. I'd suggest taking several cars on an extended test drive and see if you find them objectionable. Remember you can always buy a BMW M Mobility kit or similar and switch to conventional tires- which is what I would do when the RFTs wore out.

kyfdx · March 2010

Plenty of discussion about runflats... Just not under the 1-series...

BMW 3-Series Run Flat Tires

2500 messages in that discussion..

billherrmann · April 2010

Is there any hint of what changes we might expect in the 2011?

joannez · April 2010

I tried to get a 2010 128i but none left. I ordered a 2011 and take delivery in June. I'll let you know.

billherrmann · April 2010

Were you able to learn what changes will take place in the 11. How about pricing on the 11. Any info will be appreciated. Bill H.

potemkin · April 2010

The only changes I'm aware of for 2011 are the engine on the 135i (going from a twin-turbo to a single turbo with a little better torque curve) and the 6 speed Steptronic automatic transmission is being replaced by a 7 speed dual clutch thingamabob (I've ordered mine with a 6 speed manual, so this last one is of no interest to me).

The real changes will take place in 2012 with a whole new chassis. And rumor has it that a diesel will make it to the US along with a hardtop convertible, but those are just rumors and thus their veracity is in question.

Also, I think they've dropped one of the exterior paint choices. Again, not a big concern.

tjcigar · November 2010

Do you recommend buying a used or certified 2008/09 1-Series? I see them going for approx. $22k to 29k with 30-50k miles.

crispm · May 2012

When are the 2013 model year BMWs due to arrive in the US?
Specifically, I am interested in the 1-series convertible, if it makes a difference.

Also, are there any significant changes from the 2012 to 2013 1-series models?

Thanks

cdnpinhead · May 2012

Thanks for actually participating in this board. That makes one post in six months -- oh, wait, my post will make 2.

Either the 1 is dead or no one who visits Edmunds cares much about them.

Let's see who joins in with the answer to your question.

Claires · May 2012

Looks like this fall. Here's the IL article:
2013 BMW 135is Priced From $44,145

rabadash · March 2013

I'm entertaining the thought of purchasing a 135i. Would enjoy reading some driving and ownership impressions from both coupe and convertible owners.

qbrozen · March 2013

I'm not sure how much response you'll get here vs a dedicated 1 owners forum.

In any case, I love mine. Bought an '08 about 14 months ago with 42k miles. I'm now at 55k. I autocrossed it once and I've done 4 track days and have my 5th-6th coming up in about a month.

I don't know if you are considering new or used, but on the used side, I have yet to come upon another car that offers comparable performance, comfort, and reliability for comparable money.

Sandman6472 · March 2013

These are really nice vehicles but just wondering if the doors are a bit heavy? Coupes usually have heavier doors so that's why I don't look at them now as I have a bad spine and need light doors. I still like the small BMW's though and would love to own a cpo'd one some day. But isn't the upkeep a bit expensive? And they all use premium right? Bet insurance is higher also. Nice vehicles but pricey all the way around.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

qbrozen · March 2013

the turbo is definitely premium. I'm not sure on the 128i.

The doors are a bit on the heavy side, but my 6-year-old can reach out from his seat and close it, so probably not as bad as you think. They seem to have these detents where you can set the door as you open it. So, when pulling shut, you only need effort to get past the detent and then it just about closes itself.

Upkeep cost is relative, of course. With sportscar brakes and tires, yes, they cost more than those on a less capable car. Oil change? Yeah, as pricey as any BMW when using 7 qts of the required Castrol Syntec.

Sandman6472 · March 2013

It's a nice dream of mine but who knows. the wife just lost a big account so it's great that I've found work until she can replace that large client. She's waiting till after tax season and will take a short break but then, she really needs to get out there and find something else. I didn't count on the middle kid going back to school just when I retired and we are helping her with the excess her loans don't cover and her rent so the wife has to work. She never ever would work full time, a sore subject, but I was required to plus all the overtime I got over the years which I was happy to do but now, she needs to pull half the cart as with my bad spine, not surre how much longer I'm gonna be able to continue. Luckily all is well now but if it goes out on me...we're gonna have a problem!

Right now, the new car has been put on indefinite hold and we'll just fix the a/c once it dies. We talked last night about trying to go to 200k which is very doable I suspect. She doesn't abuse it and I maintain it as best I can so now the plan is to wait till 2015 models come out and then purchase. Plan B has officially been put into place!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

kyfdx · March 2013

The NA engines use premium, as well...

tncvol · July 2013

There was a person using the forum name cdpinhead who was very active on the Lincoln LS forum some years ago. Are you the same person?

cdnpinhead · July 2013

. . .a person using the forum name cdpinhead who was very active on the Lincoln LS forum some years ago. Are you the same person?

Why yes, yes I am.

I finally got around to selling my LS last winter -- drove it over 128K miles, including a trip to Alaska the summer of '07.

Replaced it with an Acura TSX the spring of '08 and am driving it to this day.

tncvol · July 2013

Small world - I enjoyed my LS from 2002 to 2004. It was a great car but so poorly marketed by Lincoln it never realized the success it should have had. I now have a 2011 128 convertible that is a lot of fun. Our other car is a TDI Jetta, and I really like both cars even though they are very different.

cdnpinhead · July 2013

It was a great car but so poorly marketed by Lincoln it never realized the success it should have had.

Well put. There are a number of Ford apologists who will go on at length about why it ended up as it did, but it was a major failure, other than the car itself. I prefer a company that gradually works out the bugs, year after year, until there are none (or nearly none) left.

Therefore, I own a Honda which has given me exactly zero issues in 75K miles, plus which it has a really nice manual transmission which I enjoy. The only problem is that the wrong pair of wheels are being driven.

Which brings me to BMW, which (at least up until now, but not for much longer) always drives the rear wheels. My issue with them has to do with their penchant for electronic crap I don't want, plus run-flat tires and a general attitude that says: "bring it to the dealer for everything." When the battery goes dead (a common occurrence here in the desert), it's necessary to flatbed the car to the dealer for a replacement. Get real. I've replaced most of the batteries that have needed it on a weekend by taking the old one to Auto Zone to have them pronounce it dead, then bringing the replacement back to car. No big deal. Then there's that dipstick thing, which wouldn't have been so bad if the electronic sensor worked, which it didn't at the beginning. BMW has essentially sold out to the masses who want to own the badge and have told the enthusiasts who like to work on their own cars and keep them simple to not let the door hit them on the way out.

Hope you enjoy your car. I am mine.

papini · September 2013

is there a problem to install tires on the rear 255 x 35 x 18" in place of the original 245 x 35 x 18"?
thank you
Franco

Sandman6472 · September 2013

I drove a few X1's this past weekend over from the dealer to the rental company and they were pretty sweet little rides...definitely loved the size as it's not too big nor too small...the perfect size for me! Still don't like the shifters in these BMW's...prefer the old style much better!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

qbrozen · September 2013

Nope. No problem.

tncvol · September 2013

Sorry I cannot help. My 135 is just now approaching the need for tires at 30K. Call Tire Rack. They are very good at telling you what non-standard tires will work.

ivan_99 · September 2013

I'd confirm with the dealer...you wouldn't want to throw off any of the electronic gizmos...ABS, EBD, ESC...etc...

qbrozen · September 2013

it won't. It will actually compensate slightly for the incorrect speedo reading. Not by much, however.

papini · September 2013

thank you all for the info. I just receive an answer from Bridgestone informing that there is no problem and only check specs from the 255 (must be same or higher).

My preocupation was on the performance (traction, gear box, transmition). I think the difference is too small between both, that should not be a problem.

thank you again.
Franco

ivan_99 · September 2013

Now that I think about it you're probably right...the rubber wears down after a while anyway (sooner for some...) so it must be able to handle the small variances.

qbrozen · September 2013

I ran 3 different sizes in my time with my 135. Never an issue (other than having to roll the fenders for the largest, but that's a different problem altogether). I even ran taller tires in the back than the front. As long as both tires on each axle are the same, the sensors don't care. They only look for left and right to be turning at different speeds before things like ABS and TCS will kick in and try to correct.

papini · September 2013

thank you all.
what you mean "the rubber wears down"?

ivan_99 · September 2013

That your tires are getting smaller and smaller as your tread wears down.

Not really all that much (not like on the Flintstones...), but that's why you rotate your tires to make them wear even (unless you have directional tires).

sunlover · November 2013

I'm interested in the tire size you used, requiring rolled fenders . . . I've done some performance modifications to my 135i E88 and the 245/18's break loose quite readily with DC transmission in "M1"

qbrozen · November 2013

Sorry, I probably should have mentioned that was aftermarket wheels, as well, with more aggressive offsets than factory. With +45 offset, I would have been able to run 255s with rolled fenders and full negative camber. I also ran 235/35 all around on the stock wheels for winters, and 235/50 rears with 225/50 fronts on the aforementioned aftermarket wheels.

The size of the tire is only part of the traction equation, of course. If you are talking about the stock runflats, they would break away easy even if they were 300 wide. haha.

ePaterline · February 2014

After 85K miles my 1 series has started to give me trouble with backfire so I decided it was time to replace the spark plugs and coils. The dealer replaced one coil for $300 and when I started having the problem again, I decided it was time to change them all. OMG! Talk about a car designed to discourage you from working on it! To take the engine cover off there are four bolts, only two are accessible. To get to the back two bolts I had to remove the air filter housing, two attached wiring runs and trays and the main tray that runs across the car near the windshield. Changing the coils and plugs was EASY... but getting access to the area... WOW!

cdnpinhead · February 2014

@ePaterline said:
OMG! Talk about a car designed to discourage you from working on it! Changing the coils and plugs was EASY... but getting access to the area... WOW!

Your car may be a little too old, but the newer BMWs have to be taken to the dealer to have the battery replaced -- something to do with synchronizing the battery with the ECU. This is just the most recent of the 5 or 6 things that make me never want to own a BMW made after about 2005. Where I live batteries fail regularly, and replacing one is a 45-minute exercise involving a trip to the local Auto Zone and a quick R & R of the offending unit.

BMW is most of the way to a hermetically sealed engine compartment that is "not user serviceable."

cdnpinhead · April 2015

Wow -- 14 months since there was a post here.

Either the BMW 1 series has lost all favor. . .or Edmunds forums have.

Hard to choose.

Michaell · April 2015

cdnpinhead said:
Wow -- 14 months since there was a post here.

Either the BMW 1 series has lost all favor. . .or Edmunds forums have.

Hard to choose.

I suspect that when the 1-series was replaced by the 2-series, interest dropped off.

cdnpinhead · April 2015

Good call. I need to add that 2-series board to my bookmarks.

xeye · November 2015

Does anyone still monitor this post? I have a question about a 2011 135i Convertible in Massachusetts. I am about to commit, post-deposit, to a 2011 model with Cold Weather, Premium, Sport & Value packages plus DCT tranny, H/K stereo & M steering wheel. The BIG factor is the ragtop with glass rear window. Does anyone have any experience with a soft top of this vintage in a cold snowy climate? We had ~110" of snow last year with up to 18" on the roof at a time.

This particular vehicle was leased, then bought, by one owner in Orange County, NY, and has 18,000 miles since the in-service date of 04/2011. It is a CPO vehicle from a BMW dealer in Metrowest.

kyfdx · November 2015

Didn't have that car, but we had a 2005 3-series convertible, and the soft-top isn't an issue, with any amount of snow.

roadburner · November 2015

I haven't heard of any problems with respect to the top being unsuited for cold climates, but I have heard of cases where the glass window separates from the top- necessitating a new top(apparently no repairs last for long). Then there is the occasional complaint about electrical issues- but nothing chronic.
I'm looking at a 2012 M Sport Coupe; it would probably be in my driveway tonight if it had a manual instead of the DCT. I'm not sure I can live without a clutch in the long term.

roadburner · December 2015

@xeye : I checked some recent back issues of the British magazine BMW Car and found a couple of E88 Buying Guides. Neither one mentioned any serious issues- they just basically said to make sure the top goes up and down properly- cycle it a few times. One also mentioned that the top mechanism isn't particularly fast to begin with- but to still make sure that it wasn't operating too slow.

Sandman6472 · December 2015

All I know is that I like the 1 Series hard tops and would like to buy one after I tire of my VW Golf in a few years to be honest. Have seen some on the road lately, a white one and a black one, and am in lust right now, total lust! Personally just love the small size of the 1 over most anything else out there and living in South Florida, snow won't be an issue to be honest. Just want the fun size of it! Like I said...I'm in total lust right now!!!

The Sandman

BMW 1-Series

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