BMW 135i coupe a good idea ?

Sam said:
EDIT - Does the 335i have uprated brakes (ie 4 pots) from standard ?
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No, and it was my main criticism of the 335i that I had for a while. For normal driving the brakes were ample, and you'd never pick up a problem in a test drive, but for example after 3-4 runs on nants sarahs, brake fade was certainly kicking in. Perhaps better pads would make this appreciably better, but ideally with how I know you like to drive I'd factor some 4 pots in at some point too :)
 
How does the behaviour of the new 35i (single turbo) engine compare with the older 35i (twin turbo) engine?
 
rG-tom said:
No, and it was my main criticism of the 335i that I had for a while. For normal driving the brakes were ample, and you'd never pick up a problem in a test drive, but for example after 3-4 runs on nants sarahs, brake fade was certainly kicking in. Perhaps better pads would make this appreciably better, but ideally with how I know you like to drive I'd factor some 4 pots in at some point too :)
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Hmmm are you sure because im sure in every advert of the 335i 1coupe i see it has uprated brakes ... perhaps they are standard on the 1 series coupe only ?
 
Sam said:
Hmmm are you sure because im sure in every advert of the 335i 1coupe i see it has uprated brakes ... perhaps they are standard on the 1 series coupe only ?
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I think you are confusing him, there is no such thing as a 335i 1 Coupe. There is a 335i Coupe and a 135i Coupe.

The 135i Coupe actually has 6 pot front brakes as standard - for some reason the brakes on the 135i are actually better than those on the 335i.
 
[TW]Fox;18777781 said:
Dont really understand why there is such a difference between UK and US. US cars are covered against HPFP failure for 10 years! UK cars no cover unless you have warranty.
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I'd say a couple of the key reasons are that, firstly, US consumers are militant and secondly, import manufacturers cannot afford to have major reliability issues compared to the domestics. Domestic US cars, while generally not pushing the boundaries of anything, are pretty reliable and cheapish to fix when they do go wrong. The idea that an arguable design flaw is a cost for the consumer to bear just doesn't fly with the Americans. Plus, there's lemon-law style regulations.

EDIT: Perfect example: http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/26/abc-news-airs-big-expose-on-bmw-n54-engine-problems-lawsuits-w/. Major news network runs a story on BMW fuel pump failures. Can you ever imagine the BBC or ITV or whoever reporting that here? Public lawsuits against your company for a design flaw does tend to encourage a recall!
 
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I think it's a cultural thing. UK attitude is to stamp your foot in the dealership and then not bother going any further. A US way to go abouHPFP failure, is to find every other owner you can who has, collectively write to every news agency/consumer watchdog you can, imply 'safety' issues of any nature possible (perhaps even invent some scary stories about power loss and a big truck with your kids in the car etc.) and then press ahead legally.

Americans have a great sense of individual empowerment that I love. They sometimes come across as arrogant because of it, but it's more about fairness.
 
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[TW]Fox;18779121 said:
You suprise me.
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Surprise:p

[TW]Fox;18779121 said:
Yea, just think how boring a small 1 Series with 300bhp would be. He might as well just get a 118d, right?
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who cares if its got 300bhp, it'll still be refined to its eye balls. Maybe sam is looking for a more refined car as he's getting older?:p it won't be anywhere near as exciting (or reliable?) as his Impreza.
 
Tim said:
who cares if its got 300bhp, it'll still be refined to its eye balls.
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It's a 1 Series.

Perhaps, depending on his driving style, he may find it more 'exciting' than his 'grip grip grip' 4wd Impreza?

Similar if not better performance, less grip and proper wheel drive doesn't generally lead to a more dull drive than a 4wd car?

What did you find dull about the 1 Series you drove?

OH WAIT

If the 135i was 'refined to its eyeballs' it would be on my shortlist, one of the main reasons it isn't is because I don't like its level of refinement and thus the 335i suits me better.
 
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Begbie said:
300bhp and rear wheel drive?

Though it may not be as much fun as the others. You forget a Clio Trophy IIRC.
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I didn't forget, I thought he had a cup, my mistake.

ScoobyDoo69 said:
A 135i will actually have more power than his old Impreza had. Doesn't stop his secret cravings for another one though, does it Sam :p
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Theres more to it than power though. Look at his list of previous cars, 3 or 4 of them are known "drivers" cars, involving and 'fun'. I don't know (hence my question earlier on re: boredom) if a 135i fits into this category.

I guess it depends on what sam is expecting.
 
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DAIR said:
How does the behaviour of the new 35i (single turbo) engine compare with the older 35i (twin turbo) engine?
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Easiest answer to that question is to look at what engine they put in the 1M, it's not the new twinscroll single turbo one....

My '08 135i (TT) was pretty good fun. It felt a little wallowy at times, suspension needed some beefing up but the brakes were staggeringly good and the engine's fantastic.

My only issue with the 135i was that it felt a little slow at the higher end of the rev range, something a remap cures quite nicely.

Interesting car Sam, I think you'll find it quite enjoyable. I didn't have any HPFP failures on mine but then I only had it for 3k miles before I bought the M3.
 
[TW]Fox;18780087 said:
I will add that to my list of reasons why I dislike the UK.
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At least you can get a warranty in the UK.
Over here in transpires that you can't extend the BMW warranty unless youd oo it when you buy it new!

Premium Selection come with 2 normally, but we found a dealer offering 4 until next week, hence getting this GT instead of waiting for months to find the perfect F10 535i..
 
'Premium Selection', love the name. Do they still come with the collection of swirlmarks, scrapes and marks that the AUC's over here have? :p
 
[TW]Fox;18783895 said:
'Premium Selection', love the name. Do they still come with the collection of swirlmarks, scrapes and marks that the AUC's over here have? :p
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The F10 535i we saw most definitely did.
But this is a company car direct from BMW HQ, and the paintwork is immaculate.

I hope they don't **** it up before we pick it up though :(

FYI, Premium Selection is <5 years old / < 90,000 miles
Everything else is just second hand, and comes with a 1 year warranty. (Although not always BMW. Mine has a 3rd party warranty due to its age)
 
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I test drove a BMW AUC car the other day and the windscreen had a massive 6 inch crack on it. The sales women had no idea till I pointed it out.....
 
Peerzy said:
I test drove a BMW AUC car the other day and the windscreen had a massive 6 inch crack on it. The sales women had no idea till I pointed it out.....
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It's left me quite dissapointed really - I drove several cars and none of them were in the condition I'd want except one which was passable though quite stonechipped, but overpriced.
 
[TW]Fox;18784258 said:
It's left me quite dissapointed really - I drove several cars and none of them were in the condition I'd want except one which was passable though quite stonechipped, but overpriced.
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Ditto, both cars I drove were not in what I would describe a 'good' condition, only average.

Sadly I wasn't impressed with the actual cars either so I'm a bit confused as to what I want next now, having already assumed I would like them.
 
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