New Owner!!!!!!! ( A few questions...)

[SEgli]

I picked up my Alpine White MT 135i with MSport, Navi, iPod, and BT, this past Friday. Since then I have had transparent paint protection applied to the front end and Llumar ATX Ceramic window tint to all of the windows. So far so good with about 200 miles or so on the car.

My questions:

1) During the tinting process, which came out very nice, the installer said he needed to warm up the interior of the car some and he started the car, turned on the heaterand it idled while he did the glass on the two front doors. Is it bad to let a car that's this new sit and idle for what must have been 20 mins or so? Up until this point I have been driving it per BMW's recommendation with some moderate throttle to 4300 a few times.

2) The car feels a little "floatty" to me. Since TPMS seems useless in getting a tire pressure, what's the pressure recommendation with the stock run flats (go with what the manual says?)? I ask because my 2006 S2K handled much better with the rears a little lower than recommended.

3) This is a really minor question, but the manual indicates you can say the title of a song from your iPod or thumb drive and it will be selected to play. I have yet to get this to work. Is this possible? You are supposed to say something similar to. "Title - (song title).

I have a 12/09 build, here's to no HPFP issues!!!

Thanks,

Stu E.

P.S. It's suprising how many people think this is a brand new model. I love driving something you don't see at every intersection.

[otterdoc]

I've got a 5/09 build.

I keep the tire pressure on the stock runflats at 33 front and 36 rear. I get a little skip over rough road but the car's not too squirrelly.

The voice controls are a PITA for me more than a help. Hardly ever use it. There's a short index of commands at the end of the manual that might help with that question.

No comment on the breakin procedure and idling. What I learned from the forum is that no matter what you do, someone will tell you it's wrong.

Congrats on the new car! I'm with you 100% on having a really rare item.

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by SEgli

I picked up my Alpine White MT 135i with MSport, Navi, iPod, and BT, this past Friday. Since then I have had transparent paint protection applied to the front end and Llumar ATX Ceramic window tint to all of the windows. So far so good with about 200 miles or so on the car.

My questions:

1) During the tinting process, which came out very nice, the installer said he needed to warm up the interior of the car some and he started the car, turned on the heaterand it idled while he did the glass on the two front doors. Is it bad to let a car that's this new sit and idle for what must have been 20 mins or so? Up until this point I have been driving it per BMW's recommendation with some moderate throttle to 4300 a few times.

2) The car feels a little "floatty" to me. Since TPMS seems useless in getting a tire pressure, what's the pressure recommendation with the stock run flats (go with what the manual says?)? I ask because my 2006 S2K handled much better with the rears a little lower than recommended.

3) This is a really minor question, but the manual indicates you can say the title of a song from your iPod or thumb drive and it will be selected to play. I have yet to get this to work. Is this possible? You are supposed to say something similar to. "Title - (song title).

I have a 12/09 build, here's to no HPFP issues!!!

Thanks,

Stu E.

P.S. It's suprising how many people think this is a brand new model. I love driving something you don't see at every intersection.

Congrats and welcome!

No worries on the idle.
Idling for a long time is not a good thing for an engine of any mileage, but 20 minutes is fine. It sounds as if it was necessary any way.
The occasional longish idle is fine. It's a problem with people who do it all the time, like daily, so that they don't have to get into a cold interior.
I know some people who will idle for up to 1/2 hour daily in the winter, because they want to get into a warm car. Yeah, in the long haul they'll need spark plugs sooner than later, a fuel injector service, and other things that we can't see from the outside.

I switched my 135i RFT's to Conti DWS all season non RFT's.
I run 39F 41R, and I ran that on the OEM RFT's too, and the ride would get bouncy and hit harshly on cracked, raised pavement. It was so bad that the rear would literally jump off the road. The pressures I was running were recommended for sustained higher speed driving, so they weren't high.
The non RFT's helped tremendously. My 135i no longer bounces off big hits on the road and the tires stay connected to the road, and the ride is MUCH better. Ditch the RFT's ASAP.
If you are leasing, keep them and put them back on when you return the car. If you are not leasing then sell the RFT's and get a spare kit for longer trips if you feel the need for added security.

Part of the "floaty" feeling that some describe is partly due to the tires, the road surface you drive on, and the poorly calibrated OEM suspension.
The suspension is a bit softly sprung, so it's the classic under-sprung and over-damped suspension. Still, with the non RFT's I think my 135i rides and handles quite well.

[SEgli]

I agree with your comment on the run flats. I plan to remove them when it's time for new tires, since I purchased this car.

One more question, for you experts. I accidentally reset the Oil Service when resetting the odometer after filling up (my Hondas required a "press and hold" routine to reset). Is this going to cause me issues with my first prescribed oil service? I plan to have it changed at ~1200 and then again around 7500 or so. The service indicator now says 15000 or 12/30/2011.

What an idiot I am!

SEgli

[stevenc]

SEgli, you will get a free oil change from BMW at 1 year no matter what the mileage computer says, so hopefully you wont hit 15,000 before the 1 year mark is up.

Just start doing the oil changes your self with the oil change kits sold by Tischer BMW and United BMW and then alter the free one from BMW with the one you do your self.

By the way, if you find a friend with a BT scanner, they can change the oil service interval to any number, basically undoing your reset.

[SEgli]

Thanks for the info. I agree I used to love doing my own oil changes for many years, but I sort of got out of it over time. With this car, I think I will do the changes between the 15K dealer changes.

I guess I need to invest in a set of Rhino Ramps. In a nutshell, is there a lot of aero shield material to remove underneath or did I read that there's a "trap door" to the drain plug?

It's my understanding, that the filter element is not a problem to change (read: not messy).

Thanks again for all of the useful information.

SEgli

[titancrusher1]

Where is Tischer's Oil Change kit? I was hoping to change the oil on my car this weekend. Also, how much oil does it take to refill the engine? I know off topic!

[Xyloft]

lower pressure in the s2k? that's odd, most of the AutoX'ers I know increase presure a few lbs. although most of the drag racers i know decrease pressure a few lbs. i guess it depends on what type of traction you want to gain.

[bluejaypanther]

Originally Posted by SEgli

Thanks for the info. I agree I used to love doing my own oil changes for many years, but I sort of got out of it over time. With this car, I think I will do the changes between the 15K dealer changes.

I guess I need to invest in a set of Rhino Ramps. In a nutshell, is there a lot of aero shield material to remove underneath or did I read that there's a "trap door" to the drain plug?

It's my understanding, that the filter element is not a problem to change (read: not messy).

Thanks again for all of the useful information.

SEgli

There's a trap door

@ titancrusher1: The engine takes 7 quarts castrol synthetic

[JimD]

7 quarts is the stated capacity but I recommend checking after you add 6 before you add the seventh. Mine was full and has remained so after the one oil change I've done so far. The kits come with 7 but having a spare quart is not a bad thing. This might have been because the car was tilted up in the front (rather than level).

The oil filter is very simple to get to, it is right on top of the engine. It is a paper filter cartridge inside a plastic and metal housing. You open it by unscrewing the plastic top. You can do it with big vise grips or a filter wrench that is kind of like big vise grips with a microfiber or something to protect the housing but a better idea is a cap wrench from Bavarian Motor Works. You can get them from Tischer or United but they cost about twice as much. The filter package also includes a new drain plug gasket.

The drain plug is easily accessable without taking the bottom tray off the engine. You just turn a portion of the trap door and it lifts out of the way. I jack it up but you could use ramps. If you jack, you need to use the plastic lift pockets or the center lifting point. I made little pieces of 3/4 baltic birch plywood (i.e. good plywood) to go into the lifting pockets. Others have used pieces of steel tubing and you can buy a nice aluminium piece.

My 128i is one of the easiest cars to change oil on that I have done in my 35+ years of doing this. It takes less time than taking it somewhere.

Jim