Karmatose's 128i Thread

[karmatose]

Putting this here as more of a log of the journey than anything. It's always fun searching a forum to find some info you posted a long time ago that helps you out in the future. This is something I’ve been meaning to do for a while now but better late than never, I guess. So here we go!

The story:

I guess it starts back in 2010 when I bought my project E30.



I put that car together as a track car and was going to the local BMW dealer a lot for parts at that time which meant I saw the E82s on the lot often. I always thought that it'd be neat to have the pair of them as they're really similar in size, etc. That said, at the time there was no way I could make it happen with my current situation so I thought maybe someday and moved on. Around late 2014 or so I was in a position to buy something a bit nicer and had eyes on a really nice 135is but I figured for a daily it was a relatively poor decision and ultimately held out to find a 128i. What I ended up doing was finding a very low mileage and well maintained E90 325i instead (6MT, no iDrive, M-Sport package car in Monaco Blau). It scratched the itch and was a great car for me.



All good things must come to an end though and in late 2020 while the car was parked in my office parking lot a chunk of concrete from a new high-rise that was being built fell on the car and insurance deemed it a total loss. Knowing that the car would probably be written off I got the jump on it and started looking for cars immediately. And I found my 1er. I messaged the guy for details that weekend and he provided the VIN and some pics for me. I mentioned my situation that it could take a week or so for insurance to figure itself out and we left it at that. I figured the car would be sold but when I got my call that the car was to be written off and what my settlement would be I looked at the classifieds and the car was still available! I messaged the seller and set up a time to see what ended up being my future car. We made the deal after just a quick drive around a residential neighborhood. I was sold.

This is my 2009 128i as I bought it:



It’s an M-Sport car and despite having ‘higher mileage’ (which, lets be fair… I’m not afraid of high mileage with the N52) was incredibly well maintained. It was originally purchased by BMW Canada as a ‘corporate car’ and lived in their fleet until 2012 where it was sold a couple of times before it ended up with the fellow I bought it from. The only real knock against it is the terrible tint but I’ve just not got around to fixing that yet. I drove this car for two winters and have at this point decided that I like it too much to keep destroying it with more winters so my goals for this car moving forward is to be my summer time daily driver that is capable of being taken to the track if I feel like it. Basically, what my E30 does but with air conditioning and be much more comfortable. So I’m trying to keep it fairly mild for now but who knows what will happen in the future.

And this is what I’ve done to it to date:

Front Suspension

M3 tension Struts - 31102283575 / 31102283576
M3 Wishbones - 31102283577 / 31102283578
Bilstein B8 struts (E8x/E9x Non-M Fitment) - Bilstein PN: 35-115939 / 35-115946
M3 Headlight Regulating Rod - 37142283867
SiberianBushing Poly Swaybar bushings for stock M-Sport Swaybar - 18-01-1608
Stock M-Sport springs

Rear Suspension

E9x M3 Camber Links - 33322283885 / 33322283885
M3 lower spring pads - 33532283888
Bilstein B8 Shocks (M3 fitment) - 24-143318
HPAutosport Headlight Adjustment Bracket
Revshift E8x/E9x Trailing Arms
M3 Guide Rods - 33322283547 / 33322283548
M3 Wishbones - 33322283545 / 33322283546
Manzo E9x Non-M Adjustable Toe Arms - M2-031
Stock M-Sport springs

Brakes

BMW Performance Sports Brake Retrofit - 34110444772
Centric Caliper Pistons (front) - 146.28004 (28mm) / 146.36022 (36mm) / 146.32010 (32mm)
Hawk HPS 5.0 brake pads - HB603B.616 (135i fitment) / HB621B.638 (E90 fitment)
Generic 135i front rotors / Zimmerman ecoat rear rotors.

Driveline

Revshift OEM+ (Black) E46M3 trans bushings

Engine

Euro 330i Airbox w/ K&N Filter

Cosmetics

BMW Performance Carbon Rear Wing
BMW Performance Carbon Mirror Caps
Style 261 Wheels (Stock 135i wheels)

MISC

Sirius Retrofit
Homelink / Autodim Rearview Mirror Retrofit
ZHP 6-Speed Shift Knob
JF Customs shift boot / E-Brake Boot (///M Stitching)
M3 Steering Wheel
135i Instrument Cluster
Mr.12Volt Bluetooth Box


Future plans

I have some goodies already on hand that I plan to install soon-ish and update this thread as I go. Pretty standard stuff like a 135i front bumper, engine oil cooler, 3-stage intake manifold, 135i exhaust, etc. I do also plan to get some Swift springs sooner than later and install some Dinan camber plates. Also new wheels are in the cards too but that’s a later problem.

[WrathOTM]

Very nice E30 you had, that really sucks with the bad luck though. However, welcome to the club!

[demas]

Great story. Looking forward to seeing/hearing more.

On keeping M-Sport springs - was it a choice? Reason I ask is over the years, I've used H&R, Eibach (not E82, but E39) and keep going back to M-Sport springs as they are just perfect for spirited street use, feel great and best drop to not have to worry about curbs and parking stops. Sublime especially paired with Bilsteins.

[karmatose]

So I guess it goes back to my E90. I lowered that car on H&R Sport springs (with the Bilstein B4 OE Sport replacement dampers) after breaking one of the stock M-Sport springs on a pothole. I absolutely loved that setup from a compliant ride but still very sporty standpoint. However, it made the car a way too low for daily duties and I didn't really want to go down that road again with the E82. I thought going to the Bilstein B8's and 18" wheels might stiffen things up to where I'd have the sporty ride I was looking for but still be compliant (bumps, suspension movement for grip, etc).

... But I do think I might go for some Swift springs for that ever so slight drop and progressive spring rate. Also I feel like they might be better matched for the B8's. Not that I dislike the combo I've picked, I think it rides quite nice but I just want a bit more, y'know?

[mkeiser]

Sweet car and a very thought out build... love that e30 of yours as well.

[karmatose]

Originally Posted by mkeiser

Sweet car and a very thought out build... love that e30 of yours as well.

Thanks! I'm going to try and detail it this week and snap a few current photos. Don't really have anything recent after I did the suspension work/brakes/wheels over the last couple of months. The E30 could also use a detail too.

[fotontom]

I work in a company that provides aftermarket parts, installations, complete car builds and auto spa services. Although we cater to JDM's and EV's, there is a hard-core BMW group of a half-dozen of us who continually trade notes. One is doing a well-planned E30 build on a car that resembles your photo. Rest assured I'm saving your parts list in case I change my mind about keeping my 128 M-Sport as sock as possible!

[karmatose]

Originally Posted by fotontom

Rest assured I'm saving your parts list in case I change my mind about keeping my 128 M-Sport as sock as possible!

I'd say what I have done is really an OEM+ kind of deal. It just feels slightly sharper than when I got it. If you wanted to keep a really OEM feeling, do what I did but don't do the toe arms, trans bushings or tension struts in the front. And maybe go with the stock dampers.

[fotontom]

Originally Posted by karmatose

I'd say what I have done is really an OEM+ kind of deal. It just feels slightly sharper than when I got it. If you wanted to keep a really OEM feeling, do what I did but don't do the toe arms, trans bushings or tension struts in the front. And maybe go with the stock dampers.

Thanks for that tip. When it comes to suspension work, I could use all the advice I can get!

[jdt10768]

looks good!
Since I'm a sadist, I want to see a pic of the totalled car after concrete block crushed it!

[apex_prd8r]

Nice modifications list. Not to be too nit-picky, but I think your car is technically a 128i with Sport Package, not an M-Sport as M-sport is defined by black-line window trim in place of the chrome and a 135i style bumper with round foglights. Another sign, not visible from your photo, would be the headliner, which should be black if it is an M-Sport.

[fotontom]

I can see your car does have the M-sport style 207 wheels, which were part of the M-Sport package. Perhaps the Canadian spec was a little different for this package?

[karmatose]

Originally Posted by jdt10768

looks good!
Since I'm a sadist, I want to see a pic of the totalled car after concrete block crushed it!

It's a poor picture but you can sorta see where the c-pillar is bowed in and the parcel shelf is bent downwards.

Originally Posted by fotontom

I can see your car does have the M-sport style 207 wheels, which were part of the M-Sport package. Perhaps the Canadian spec was a little different for this package?

Who knows. If you look at the build sheet it also says my car was automatic so I dunno what to believe. Anyway, it's all moot. The suspension is all changed anyway and I have a complete 715A option package sitting in my garage (of which I will probably only do the front bumper as I prefer the basic bitch side skirts and rear bumper). Either way, I don't really care.

[Papa Popov]

Never heard of the Mr.12Volt Bluetooth Box. You've piqued my interested. What's the verdict on it?

[karmatose]

Originally Posted by Papa Popov

Never heard of the Mr.12Volt Bluetooth Box. You've piqued my interested. What's the verdict on it?

I've had it for ages and I love it. When you install it you do some coding and it emulates a CD Changer. It was in my E90 for years and I put it in my E82 the day I brought the car home. In the E90 I didn't have bluetooth at all so I had it doing voice and streaming audio. It's also capable of doing USB and SDCard for music but I found that pretty messy to use.

In the E82 I do have the factory bluetooth/USB but I augment it with the Mr.12Volt box for A2DP. Just toggle a jumper and it disables the phone side of the box. When I get in the car it connects to the factory bt for calls and carkit for a2dp. Really slick device.

A more detailed writeup of my installaton in the E82 can be found here.