Looking to purchase a 135i

[Slow1]

Hello everyone, i'm looking to purchase a 135i this upcoming year. I'm a newbie with BMW's so please bare with me.

In terms of the yearly production of the 135i, i'm looking mostly at the reliability of the car.

I'm looking to build a really nice drive-able street car. Suspension/Cosmetic/ and more power, also maintaining reliability(suggestions on reliable power gains, i.e. how much internals and auto/manual tranny can handle).

As far as power goes, i'd like best bang for the buck upgrades.(recommendations on this from least to greatest in $$$).

So, i've done some research, and the reliability of the 135i is scaring me off.
Can anyone here point me to a clear direction on how reliable, and long lasting this car really is?
And if any of these issues can be covered through warranty(if i buy new) without me spending any $$$$?

Keep negative comments to yourself, just seeking some advice and some oompf. Thank you

[ken1137]

What is scaring you off regarding the liability ? HPFP, turbos, wastegates ?

[Grayson]

Reliability of the 135i is great, all the parts that are of concern have been recalled and will be fixed by any BMW dealer under warranty.

[KingOfJericho]

Anything that happens within the warranty period is free... Completely free. BMW is actually one of the most mod-friendly manufacturers out there. They've never batted a lash at my exhaust or suspension mods where other companies would tell you to go screw.

[WhiteTgr135i]

I disagree, i took my 135i to a couple dealers here in SoCal just to get a little intake clip back on my stock box, and 3/3 dealers i took it oo, they all said something about the "aftermarket aFe drop-in filter" i had on the car and would not install the clip back in unless i installed the OEM filter back on. Then again, it all depends on the dealership / location.

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

BMW is actually one of the most mod-friendly manufacturers out there. They've never batted a lash at my exhaust or suspension mods where other companies would tell you to go screw.

[KingOfJericho]

You have to use some common sense when dealing with dealership service. If you have an issue with your intake and have an aftermarket filter, you should pop your stock filter back on for the dealer, this way you can just play stupid when they ask if you messed with it.

[WhiteTgr135i]

Well, it was a tiny little clip, i didn't think they would have an issue just to put it on. One dealership i took it too (not going to point out any names), they told me the clip was bent, and i needed to get another one, boy were they wrong . But all in all, i did put my stock filter back in, and played dumb.

[Slow1]

Originally Posted by ken1137

What is scaring you off regarding the liability ? HPFP, turbos, wastegates ?

Exactly that, and is there any more?

How long can this car actually last until it starts breaking down due to major maintenance?

[cwg]

Get a new 135i with a waranty - if you need to mod it go with the performane product line from BMW suspension/exhaust and power kit. keep your warranty in tact and have a very nice daily driver with pleanty of power that handles great

[135Pats]

Originally Posted by Slow1

Exactly that, and is there any more?

How long can this car actually last until it starts breaking down due to major maintenance?

HPFPs have been a fairly common issue, and there have been huge variations in longevity of the pump, everything from 2,000 miles to 50,000 miles. Luckily the part is under warranty for a decade, and it can be fixed quite quickly by the dealership. This car (at least for me) has been quite odd in a few ways, but an absolute joy to drive. The core components of the engine/trans/drivetrain are pretty solid, it's the peripheral stuff that tends to have issues. If you are willing to put up with some annoying and occasionally expensive issues, the car will reward you every time you get behind the wheel. And for the money, JB4 is probably the quickest way to add that "oomph", though once you do that other things will start to enter your mind (fmic, exhaust+DPs, coils, strut bars, the list goes on and on).

Edit:

For relative context, my car (08) has 31,000 miles, and has had the 3rd break light replaced at 18k along with a hpfp at 24k, and a convertible top adjustment at 20k. It was all free under cpo, and outside of that, there have been no mechanical issues. It's not a civic, but it's not as bad as some make it out to be.

[ken1137]

Originally Posted by Slow1

Exactly that, and is there any more?

How long can this car actually last until it starts breaking down due to major maintenance?

All the above are covered under warranty with extensions for the HPFP and wastegates. In addition, there have only been a couple of members with the N55's that have experienced problems with their HPFP. As with all autos life expectancy will vary...my '08 has 42K mi and it is still running great, but some have had issues. GL with your decision.

[Slow1]

Will BMW repair any of these known issues out of warranty due to it being a recall?

Can the transmission and internals handle 300whp? Auto and manual?

[KingOfJericho]

You're asking if the car can handle the power it comes with from the factory? That's a big 'yes'. There are cars on here with over 400hp with no issues.

[ejm3]

I've owned mostly Japanese brands throughout my car-buying life because I value reliability.

I really wanted the 135 but was afraid of reliability issues. So I spent some time on this site reading through the posts and eventually was convinced that the HPFP issues have been resolved or at least covered by warranty for 100k miles.

If you buy new they cover everything for the first 4 years 50k miles so there's little risk there.

After 4 years I have some decisions to make: Do I keep the car and buy the extended warranty, buy the maintenance plan or both. Or do I roll the dice and pray. Or do I just get rid of it and start over. Not sure yet (my car is only 3 months old right now) and a lot will depend upon what I see relative to reliability over the next 4 years as well as my personal situation and feelings at that point.

How long are you planning on keeping the car? If its 4 years or less just buy new and no worries.

[alvitdk]

I know I wil get flamed for it, but the main reason for me in getting the 128i instead of the 135i was the fear of unreliability. Now that might not be such a big issue as it was mentioned all of it is covered under warranty, I just did not want to end up with being in the shop constantly, even for no charge.

Don't get me wrong, if you are set on a 135 and think the 128 is not powerful enough, go with it and don't compromise, you might regret it later.

For myself, I think I made the right decision and had not trouble whatsoever with the NA 128i. Plenty of power and very reliable so far.

Cheers

[foghat]

I've only had my 08 135i for a couple of months, but now issues yet. Previous owner did not have any issues either. As I understand it the latest version of the hpfp is pretty solid; there have not been many issues with those ones.

[Grayson]

Originally Posted by Slow1

Will BMW repair any of these known issues out of warranty due to it being a recall?

Can the transmission and internals handle 300whp? Auto and manual?

Yes, that's what a recall means. And the car comes with this much power from the factory...

[Slow1]

Originally Posted by Grayson

Yes, that's what a recall means. And the car comes with this much power from the factory...

From what I remember i thought it was 300 bhp, and 300ish lbs of torque.

Thanks for all the info guys, may look into a 128 full loaded, still will do some research.

And I'll be keping this car for 4 years +