1 series E88 questions

Disco Boy · 24 Dec 2011 at 16:37

Hello all. Being as there's a wealth of BMW knowledge out there, I thought that I might seek some of it purely for my curiosity if I may.

So here are my questions, all pertaining to the 1 series convertible(&coupe):

Are cars only equipped with idrive if they have navigation?

Do cars only have projector headlamps if they have xenons (i.e. are projector lenses a tell-tale of xenons)

What's the story with the petrol engines?
I see that there is no 130i available in these body styles, so what are the *25 and *28 engines like? In BMWs of old (E46 I am thinking here) it was said that the *25 offered performance close to the *20 and economy close to the *30 and so wasn't worth having. How do the 120i 125i and 128i compare now?

When is the new 1 series convertible/coupe due?

[TW]Fox · 24 Dec 2011 at 16:40

Yes, only cars with navigation have iDrive.

Only cars with Xenon headlights have Projectors.

There is no 128i - this is a North American market car only.

There are two 6 cylinder 1 Cabriolet/Coupe available - the 125i and the 135i. Sadly the 125i retains the older N52 engine not the newer N53 engine so whilst it isn't as unreliable as the N53 engined 3 and 5 Series, neither is it anything like as economical. Infact it's barely any more economical than the 135i. The 120i is a 4 cylinder engine.

The 135i, then, is obviously the best choice but make sure you have the BMW warranty. It's absolutely essential.

I don't imagine we'll see a new 1 Coupe or Cab for some time. It's a very recent model - introduced some 3 years after the 1 Hatch and has only recently been facelifted. I would suggest we have 2 years until it is replaced. This means if you are buying new you must be aware you are buying old tech.

Disco Boy · 24 Dec 2011 at 16:47

Thank you Fox, exactly what I was looking for.

So you suggest basically that it's a choice between the 120i and the 135i because there is no up-to-date NA 6cyl model?

I'm not looking to buy any time soon (if at all), but I do like these so it's something I'm curious to know about for the future.

mjt · 26 Dec 2011 at 10:03

It's either 125i or 135i if you want an E88 with a proper engine

Disco Boy · 29 Dec 2011 at 23:34

[TW]Fox;20872058 said:
Sadly the 125i retains the older N52 engine not the newer N53 engine so whilst it isn't as unreliable as the N53 engined 3 and 5 Series, neither is it anything like as economical

How does the N43 engine compare in reliability to the N52 and N53? I take it that it's the same generation as the N53 and thus has similar reliability (or lack thereof)?

Also, how do VED bands work? I know with the 3 series post 2008 (or something) cars come into a different band, how does it work with the 1 series?

How does the bluetooth work? I got a bit confused by the website, you have to connect your phone up with a specific dock in the armrest and not just wirelessly?

Also, how do the 118 and 120 compare in terms of the fuel economy one can expect?

[TW]Fox · 29 Dec 2011 at 23:54

The N43 has some reliability issues, there is a thread covering it stickied at e90post.com.

Bluetooth doesn't require the adaptor but you do get charging etc if you use it.

4 pots are bad. Get a proper engine if you Want a BMW

Disco Boy · 30 Dec 2011 at 00:21

The thing is that the 125 strikes me as a bad buy because it offers poor fuel economy compared to the others. And the 135 will be prohibitively expensive to insure (I assume) and possibly buy, and well as the FI thing and associated bills when it breaks.

mjt · 30 Dec 2011 at 00:41

Run some insurance quotes and have a look. If you've got a warranty then it doesn't matter if it blows up (apart from the the hassle).

Tute · 30 Dec 2011 at 00:59

Disco Boy said:
and well as the FI thing and associated bills when it breaks.

This is why the warranty Fox suggested is essential. These new BMW engines are complex, and will rape the average wallet when something goes wrong.

If you have the BMW warranty you just sling it at the dealer and tell them to call you when it's fixed. Far easier.

[TW]Fox · 30 Dec 2011 at 10:39

Disco Boy said:
The thing is that the 125 strikes me as a bad buy because it offers poor fuel economy compared to the others. And the 135 will be prohibitively expensive to insure (I assume) and possibly buy, and well as the FI thing and associated bills when it breaks.

That's only valid compared directly with the 135i, in isolation its a great engine, quick, economical and miles better than the 4 pot.

You would want a warranty for any of them anyway.

And surely by the time you are spending 15k or more on a car insurance is not an issue. Worrying about insurance is for 17 year olds.

Disco Boy · 30 Dec 2011 at 12:15

[TW]Fox;20909088 said:
That's only valid compared directly with the 135i, in isolation its a great engine, quick, economical and miles better than the 4 pot.

You would want a warranty for any of them anyway.

And surely by the time you are spending 15k or more on a car insurance is not an issue. Worrying about insurance is for 17 year olds.

True. But I just don't feel that I need a forced induction 3 litre engine... A 2 litre with 170bhp is already a massive step up from a 3cyl with 55 bhp...

So the m sport comes with sports suspension. Do the se es and sport all come with the same (presumably softer) setup?

What's the deal with the warranties? The website is playing up for me at the moment so I can't get a pretend quote, but there are three types I see. I take it that comprehensive is the one to go for? Do you happen to have a table of the costs? I take it that it costs more for the 6cyls and more for turbo cars? Is 60k the mileage at which they become extortionate? Is there an age cutoff?

The plan would be to keep this car for quite a while, which is why I am more drawn to something which is more inherently reliable than something that will cost a lot to keep on the road in a few years when the warranty isn't available and everything starts to break (obviously any old prestige car will have high costs, but there's no point in doubling the cost for the sake of an extra few horsepower when I already have plenty.)

[TW]Fox · 30 Dec 2011 at 12:24

All 1 Series bar the 1M have the same cost. Comprehensive is the only one worth bothering with.

There is no age limit, we now have a 2002 BMW 530i in the household with BMW warranty for example.

It does jump in price after 60k.

The 2 litre isn't any more reliable than the 125 so really the only increased costs are fuel.

SS-89 · 30 Dec 2011 at 13:45

Warranty is an absolute must. These engines are known to throw up expensive bills. On a side note I just rang my local dealer to see if my car was subject to the injector recall on 335i's. It was and it hasn't been done :eek:

. Suffice to say I've booked it in for next week.

[TW]Fox · 30 Dec 2011 at 14:09

They only issued that recall in about August.

SS-89 · 30 Dec 2011 at 14:33

[TW]Fox;20910648 said:
They only issued that recall in about August.

Ah that would explain why it wasn't picked up when it was last serviced by BMW in June. Recall service is completely f.o.c right?

[TW]Fox · 30 Dec 2011 at 15:00

Yeh, they call it a quality enhancement rather than a recall as its not really a recall.