Should you buy a USED BMW M135i/M140i? What goes wrong?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 พ.ค. 2024
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Hatchback body, turbo six-cylinder up front, rear-wheel drive. There's nothing quite like the BMW M135iM140i. But should you buy a used one?
What are they like now they're a few years old and have plenty of km on the clock? We do a deep dive to find out what goes wrong and whether you should buy one.
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Video review links:
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Skip ahead:
00:00 - Intro
00:16 - What is it?
04:48 - Exterior issues
06:17 - Interior issues
08:29 - Practicality and features
13:01 - Safety
13:46 - What's it like to drive?
16:34 - What goes wrong?
20:40 - Should you buy it
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Used car buyer's guide here 👉 • ULTIMATE used car buye...
Cheat Sheet here 👉 redriven.com/cheat-sheets/use...
#bmw #bmwm135i #bmw140i #hothatch #german #luxury #bmwreview #review #carreview #caradvice #carexpert #carenthusiast
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That Wes Anderson section was a work of art.
I love the Effort put in consistent video reviews. And The fact that you Review used cars which from different part of the world is easier and better to Buy than new Vehicle which can be expensive to some. You fit the criteria for so many car enthusiasts. Great work! 🇰🇪
Thanks heaps!
So true, the focus on used cars is what makes this my favorite channel
1:1 1:20
2:20 2:42 2:27 2:32
True that! ReDriven reviews are insightful and easy to relate to. They touch all aspects.
Owned an M140 for 3.5 years, 87k.
Great car. Don’t need to flog it to get good performance. Huge amount of torque at low to mid revs. Works better up to 4500 revs. It’s not a real M engine.
Auto is quick and smooth, especially in Sport mode. The car is a bit quick for a manual in my opinion.
Problems? Had to get water pump replaced at 75k due to leaking and still loses a tiny bit of coolant. Don’t know why.
Had some oil use which was topped up. Nothing major.
Trim creaks inside (not screwed together like a Toyota).
Wouldn’t say handling was great, but is ok.
LSD would be a good upgrade.
Overall, had been a fast, entertaining, economic and generally reliable car. Not Japanese reliability, but pretty good for something that isn’t white goods on wheels.
A bit quick for a manual? Please qualify that garbage statement
@@BT_life2Feel free to disagree.
@@BT_life2 I've owned 7 manual performance cars, the M140i is my first automatic car I've ever owned. I get what he means.
Important note for buyers - in July 2013 BMW changed the turbo wastegate from pneumatic to electrical in the m135i. If you’re looking to buy one, make sure production date is at least 07/13. The electrical wastegate turbocharger is more reliable and makes way more top end power. With full bolt ons you can make 20-30kw more on the EWG
Important note for buyers : skip the purchase and just proceed directly to the bankruptcy courts and save yourself the hassle.
I am exactly 12,164 kilometers from Sidney (inNairobi, Kenya) and I love your videos. The tough love from Jim makes me consider going back to horse-drawn carriages.
Just kidding.
Great content.(please also check consistently what sun-glasses the owner uses - so far Ray-Ban is winning.
Looking forward to the next video
i am one of 3 m135i owners in Kenya slightly modded to around 400bhp, coming to 3 years ownership , no issues at all. its a 2015 model year. fun weekend car for sure
I was genuinely surprised at how unrewarding the manual is in this series.
Yep, notchy as. Hated it
It's a 1 series.....
@@JWSoul so you think the top spec 1 series doesn't deserve a better transmission? Delusional
If you xHP the zf8 box, you can get up and especially down shifts faster than a dual-clutch.
Loved the Wes Anderson style. You always find a way to improve your videos.
I got M140i and I love it, I had coolant issues with the pipes and expansion tank, all replaced under motor plan, even rear main seal and diff leaking but I guess it's from the previous owner. Everything fixed. I truly enjoy driving this car, plus the stares you get ❤mine is fitted with the mpe and it's superb.
Hello ReDriven, coming over from the Dudes Channel. John, LOL LOL saw your sit down video and loved the format of having a down to earth conversation/banter. Great work. Love the Lambo e-brake pad. LOL LOL
I've been a long-time follower of the channel, and as an F22 owner, I've been waiting (with a degree of trepidation!) for you to review the M135i/ M140i. Well researched and really informative for someone considering one - nice work! The N55 significantly improved over the N54 unit, and it's great to hear the B58 continues this trend. Many of the weak points with the N55, like oil leaks, water pumps, etc, run across many BMW engines. My 2014 M235i has been nearly faultless for my seven years of ownership. Apart from work to replace a washer fluid pump, it's only been consumables and servicing. The key to many of these 'highly strung' Euro's is to ensure the vehicle has been cared for by the previous owner and don't scrimp on servicing. Every 8k - 10k km, take the vehicle to a reputable European specialist mechanic and, where required, preventative maintenance. Take care of it and it will reward you with accessible fun every day. It's the most enjoyable car I've owned, and I still look back at it as I walk away in a parking lot. If you're ever in Perth and want to do a M235i review, let me know, no frumpy headlights on mine like the M135! 😛
at first i thought you were trolling when you said F22 owner as i thought your talking about the raptor 🤣🤣
Also there is the PNG and EWG N55 engines. Pneumatic vs Electronic wastegate. The EWG gets a 4 inch turbo over the PNG's 3.5 inch. Also you get way more from your mods with the EWG N55.
From June 2013 onward you get the EWG with the N55. So the last of the non LCI update M135i get the better EWG, which holds boost better, and way more mod-able.
Great Review!
Had an LCI M240i manual for 3 years, never had a problem with it, it's been custom dyno tuned to 450HP, bilstein adjustable coilovers and loads of other bits, I love it and couldn't afford to insure an M2 here in the UK
The B58 really is worth the extra money, the cars need an LSD they're likely to kill you in the wet, especially on a stock map where the power delivery is almost like a diesel.
Also I'd recommend better brakes/pads they generally aren't great but thats easy to do, the pre LCI 2 M135i is also nowhere near as good to drive as the M235i, but the LCI 2 fixed that (minus an underbody brace), I genuinely think these cars were made to be modified they're pretty boring out of the box
I was waiting for Redrivien to do a review on a m135i f20, was going to give mine but I knew it'll be done soon. Finally!
Hope it was worth the wait!
Great review!!
I’ve owned both a M135i and a M140i. Both were amazing cars that I loved dearly. I only sold m135i after the serpentine belt let go due to the oil filter housing leaking. The broken belt was sucked into the front main seal and sent belt throughout the engine. I sold it for the m140i soon after. I’ve had s3s, GTIs and Golf Rs and the F20 is still the best car I’ve ever owned and so much more reliable
That serpentine belt really sucked eh?
What would I get instead? E87 130i. They’re just a better driver’s car. Awesome in the manual. NA high revving with a shorter ratio diff. They look better than these too. A lot cheaper as well. E82 125i as well, but they miss out on the extra grunt, better gearing etc. Yes you can tune them, but it’s not the same. Hydraulic steering too. While these might be the last of the the small turbo 6 RWD, the 130i is kind of the only NA option at all. Has that ‘fun all the time’ turned up because you can thrash it more at more legal speeds and really just enjoy the drive. Utterly brilliant (and super underrated).
I have one and I bloody love it, great reliability as well being NA.
Cheaper and more fun? I can believe that. Better looking? Hell nah, it looks like a bee stung it's lips
@@brando79 yeah they’re awesome
I've owned 2 manual E87 130i BMWs and have done over 100,000kms in them in total. I agree with you they definitely have that fun all of the time factor. I have an auto M140i now and the straight line performance is not even close to comparable. Add a stage 1 remap and the M140i is competing with bonafide super cars from a decade ago, and $100k brand new performance cars. Completely different animals despite both having a seemingly similar formula of a 6cyl RWD hatchback.
@@idriveskyline of course they’re faster. But we can’t use that performance most of the time anyway, so I’ll take the fun factor. The 130i was (to me) about bringing that old school BMW out again. Not the HP arms race that the turbos are a part of. It’s like how a Tesla can be as quick as a current supercar, but it’s just not the same. 130i didn’t chase 0-100 times. They weren’t remotely about that. For the same reason that many would take an E30 M3 over the latest and fastest ones. Also, E46s are still beloved for their relative simplicity and supposedly being ‘peak BMW’, but the 130i absolutely decimates them. The poor cousin E82 128i (horrible US spec ones) have gathered a real following for good they are, but they never got the far superior 130i, so we never hear about them in TH-cam land. 195kw high revving I6 in a small, RWD hatchback with lovely manual trans and short gear ratios is just about perfection.
Gonna be honest, I usually skip the safety part of the video, but the Wes Anderson bit was bloody great hahaha.
Haha, glad you liked it
I do miss my M140i she was glorious to drive and was the perfect companion to the Megane RS. 2 black hatches worlds apart but great together... love the Wes Anderson vibe. As always boys, keep this up. You bloody rock!
I bought a finale edition 2019 140 a few months ago, best car I’ve ever owned by a long way. I’ve put close to 8k on it and haven’t needed any repairs or service yet, and I drive it like it should be driven.
If only they were final, in that BMW stopped making cars altogether. Awful poorly built crap.
Had one of these between 2013 - 2018. Was levels above the competitors for driving dynamics and engine refinement. Never gave me even a single issue and sold it on for a nice price too.
This is one of the best channels 🎉
I daily a e87 130i.
Though its obviously down on power, i far preferred the naturally aspirated engine in it to the later turbos in the Fxx cars.
You can use more if the power on the daily, and it revs out more cleanly. makes the daily commute a lot of fun.
100% agree on the dirt of the back... holycrap and yes the led tail light dims on one side :( not sure why.
Because they were built in Kazakhstan for pennies and built to fail. Welcome to the BMW reliability lie.
Great review, guys.
Also, shout out to your robust hairline and luscious locks, A.K.
I've had a 2015 235i (n55) for 40000kms now, no issues.
Miracles do exist then!!
@@Revolutionneeded1 nah like they said in the video, you just service them properly.
One thing I found was that it is sooo much better sticking with the Michelins Cup 2's. I put Bridgestone on it for one round but the side wall was so much sloppier than the Michelin and it did make the driving experience less enjoyable. B58 for the win.
High Pressure Fuel Pump too which often does you in without any telling
do the focus st next please!! lw/lz model
If you xHP the zf8 box, you can get up and especially down shifts faster than a dual-clutch, but as standard it's amazing how fast the changes. The paddles are great.
Rest of the car is cheap, oil leaking crap.
Timing chain on the rear of the engine? It’s at the front for N55?
Had my M140i a bit over a year now & love it. Low (37K) km’s, Alcantara interior, Quaife LSD & BMW inclusive service package out to 2028. And does it go !
I hope you ignore their recommended service intervals
@@laurence2192 it’s my weekend / sunny weather toy & only doing a few thousand km’s each year, so an annual service is more than sufficient.
The key statement here is 'inclusive service package out to 2028'. Nuff said...
@@NotNowCato1254 whatever
Jim is hilarious 😂
I had an early 2012 M135i and the bottom end con rod bearings went at 39k miles (on the way home from buying). I think the car had been used for lots of short journeys by the previous owner - resulted in new block ££. Seems to be more common than it should be. Con rod bearings are cheap - definitely worth adding to your maintenance schedule on the N55.
Disagree with the idea the m135i is flawed. It’s RWD, high power, fantastic modding support, decent on fuel and reliable if maintained well. For under 20 grand. There is no car on the market that comes close. A45s, RS3, Focus RS’s are far more expensive and honestly don’t have anywhere near as much character.
Love my stage 2 2013 M135i 150ks on the clock and stable as.
So what have you replaced? Stock since factory?
The bottom of the seat pulls forward to support under your legs if you want, and the bolsters are electronically adjustable to hug you tighter if you want.
You'll need hugged at the service desk when the part they fitted knowingly fails, needs replaced at huge cost.
Had an 2013 M135i and regret selling it - this video makes me want it back even more =(
11:32 Those cupholder accessories were provided as standard with my car. (A mid-spec but heavily optioned 125i from 2013 which has been faultless and still a joy to drive.) They're useless and have been sitting in a parts tub for the past 11 years lol.
Day 302 of asking for an F22 M240i episode… I guess this is the closest for now! Appreciate the vids - been watching you guys for a long time and enjoy every video
Any chance of a MB CLA 250 sport review????
Re. Engine noise... Do any of the variants of this model, include _piped-in fake noise,_ added to the real sounds from the engine and/or exhaust?
Thank you guys really wanted this one. Actually b58 is 9 years in production already, maybe there is some data on how reliable it is. I know they have a lot of revisions and specs on it too.
It's very reliable, same engine that's in the Supra and it has been thoroughly thrashed on by tuners taking them up to ludicrous power
Great video. When are you doing the F20 smaller engines? [118i]😊
Life is too short, please don't. Terrible cars.
My brother has the M135i.
It’s awesome but this video will advise him of things to watch out for. 👍
🚙 💨 🚓 🌬
How are you not a Top Gear host?
2:35 I was cross shopping these with an SS Commodore. I drive an SS Ute, but if I ever have kids and need four doors, an m140i would be a serious consideration.
Great as always. You may not realise it and may not ever get rewarded for it, but you are doing millions of people a huge service with these videos. You do deserve some result for all this effort. You make the red book look lame - yeah not really that much of a compliment but there ya go.
Thanks so much for the kind words, mate! Really appreciate it
Wes Anderson safety segment 👌
Also, I like Nickelback 😁😬
I've seen you guys do the newer porsche boxster. But what about the boxster 986 (1997-2004) fairly affordable and fun to drive?
Awful cars that cost a fortune to put right.
Honestly I think I’m just going to stick to the swift Sport currently on the drive
Great car, stick with that mate. Revvy, classless and great to drive. Solid choice and easy to fix.
Can you review the Mk3 Focus ST?
Yeah mate. Great engine, car awful and will fall apart. Terrible image too. Summed up there.
Not sure what they're like there but in Britain they have crazy high insurance premiums
I’ll take this review are one for the x1 40i series.
Im gonna assume a lot of this also applies to the m235i and m240i
I had a TDI tuned. It fanged
You read my mind with choosing which cars to review
I am eagerly awaiting a 123d review.
Why on earth? I'll write it now, massive oil leaks, massive expense. That's all BMWs summed up.
Can you do a 435D?
I’ve never understood the hate that the pre facelift F20 gets for its looks, particularly the front end. Most of the time I prefer it to the look of the facelift model that brought the M140. It has a more distinctive, aggressive and chunky presence as supposed to the softer lines of the facelift, where it looks even less distinct and removed from the regular 1 series. And maybe it’s just here in Scotland but they are a lot more rare too so in my mind, they are a more interesting option.
BMWs are all so ugly their mama wants to cry.
These rip and they’re not thaaat bad. Also, the M135i is cheap, at least in NZ.
You wouldn't recommend the manual if only to cut down on maintenance and overhaul costs?
Maintenance on the ZF8HP is really not bad and they're very reliable
Been eyeing these for a while and yes, the depreciation on these is as good as a toyota! Holds their values very well!
Which is amazing, given their frailties
@@NotNowCato1254 Not really. One sold at auction yesterday for 15,250 with 87,000kms. No rego and had some light hail damage though. Pretty much all of them listed of carsales have been there for several months with lots of price updates.
@@wingman548 was is the 135i? i know the 140i with b58s are at least $35k for a decent one
@@samartz Nah, 2013 BMW M135i F20. It was online only, full service history on the iDrive. Was lowered, custom wheels and exhaust. But yeah hail damage + scratches here and there, interior wasn't fantastic either sagging roof liner and cracked dashboard. Needed some work hence ~20k for a perfect condition one makes sense. Of course all the perfect condition M135i's are listed for like 30k by spastic owners
For a couple of ex Londoners not a bad video😊
Also seriously looking forward to regular 1 series f20/lci review! They’re priced very temptingly 👀
Same sort of story, go the B48 ones. Still plenty of fun.
They're very good cars, had mine for 1.5 year so far and it's been great.
Cmaaannn they’re great. Holy walnut blasting Batman
not really a big issue on n55 and not a problem at all on b58 due to redesigned pcv systems.
What would I buy instead.. Well as far as something similar goes, probably an F30 340i M sport of the same vintage . I don't really like the hatch style AT all , ugly in fact. . The 3 series is a mint shape though. Slightly lower state of tune on the B58 but if you're going to do anything to the engine that's basically irrelevant
And here i am in my sad little 116d xD
Hey but at least its LCI, so its like Breaking Bad, good from start to end.
I'm a big fan of you both, but this is naughty, it really is.
Casually drops disses at Nickleback just days after Kendrick put Drake in a bodybag
Huh
Great video, I bought a 2018 M140i a couple of months ago and I'm really enjoying it. I've owned many performance oriented cars, but this is my first automatic car I've ever owned. The engine and gearbox combo in this car is straight out of the 2019 A90 Supra, so it's an absolute bargain considering they're less than half the price with 3 more seats/doors. Main thing missing is an LSD which is definitely a worthy upgrade.
Some minor feedback - I think you accidentally used a lot of interior shots from the the new FWD based F40 M135i in your video which might be confusing to some viewers.
A stage 1 remap brings it up to around 300rwkw which is crazy in a car that weighs under 1500kg.
Bro can you please do the c43 AMG?
Why, it's utter cak.
Sadly have had quite a number of issues with my M140i, wish I never bought it tbh 😞
Could you get into more detail? Electrical or mechanical? How often did you service it? Any mods?
Yes, please do share with us.
Come on tell please
Could you elaborate?
Would love to know what you had issues with. Please tell
I have lusted for one of these since I sold my F6 and G6E turbo.
Both have rwd, 6 cylinders and are turbo charged.
It's like a baby barra...
Very ugly car.
5:43 - don’t worry Adam, we still enjoy the indicator joke with BMWs. It never gets old.
Always wanted a M135i but after watching this it almost scared the shit out of me 🤣
Don't be, they're quite reliable
Nah man, just watch the BMW marketing material and live the dream (of being abused repeatedly at the service desk for engineered failures.)
I bought a M135i of these at 42k km. In the time that I owned it, besides 2 sets of tires and new rotors and pads, I replaced the fucking rocker covers twice, oil filter housing, charge pipe, radiator, oil leak near the turbo, and then at the end after immaculate maintenance, big end spun and entire engine needed replacement at less than 100km. Loved the car when it worked, but this fucking horror made me buy a Tesla.
“You got little nets to put your fish in”
“Plastic in cooling systems are never good”, huh hum, 20+ year old Volvo P2’s with 400 000kms, that still have their original coolant expansion tank and radiator (which has plastic sides), would like to argue with that statement.
You need to factor inflation into your msrp vs used costs. There's been over 20% inflation since 2018.
OK I always say Lexus, but I would really like a Bristol 403 or 411.
After market things.
I think that this model of the 1 series; the F20 is keeping its value so good because the new 1 series; the F40 is complete trash.
Yep, this. They kind of said that in the video, there’s nothing like these.
That game of thrones reference..
Relatable, but still painful.
Please do an Alfa Romeo gt 3.2. Any owner out there that would like to provide a sample to redriven?
B58 pulls like a freight train and reliability wise Toyota wouldn’t have put it in the Supra if they weren’t confident in it.
For some reason the BMW 1 and M 1 series always reminds me of a shoe when is see them.
While it looks like a good car I think that the competition are probably a safer bet like the Stinger.
The safety features overview reminded me of a pretentious French arthouse film and gave me a good chuckle.
It sounds like give the choice Hullsy would be going the 145 M I over the 135.
Bloody good work guys keep it up and look forward to Sunday's video as per usual 👍.
Lol the stinger is not competition for this. Also in no way holds resale like the 140i. So what’s a ‘safer bet’ about it?
@@mattdebyl8806 reliability lol
@@TwistedDonners lol yeah, because the sole categorisation for vehicles is the imagined reliability. And of course, Kia / Hyundai are known for their reliability 😂😂😂
@@mattdebyl8806 They are for people that don't know.
ITS HEEEREEEEEEE!!! THANKSS😄
Also... did have a water pump die in the B58.
Just as BMW planned from the outset...awful reliability.
What year is ur car?
2023, not German Leyland
@@hettmannsperger42 late 2017
The B58 was "co-developed" with Toyota for the A90 not a supra supra, Toyota continually sent back reports and requests for BMW to "Improve" things on the engine because it did not meet Toyota reliability standards.
I‘m not sure about this.
B58 was developed already 2013/2014 by BMW and was released in 2015 in e.g. 340i.
Toyota basically just took the existing B58 (TU), Supra was released 2019 so much later than the other BMW car with B58
Toyota made a mistake with this one, why import German cancer?
How can you know if a model have a LSD or not ? 🤔
Take it to the limit around a good corner on Sport + and you will find out?
@ThienTran-vq8kp before buying one it's not the best thing to do 🤣
None of the M135i's and M140i's came from the factory with an LSD - It was never an option even though the video made it sound like it. BMW do sell an "M performance LSD" that is compatible with these cars, and at some dealers you could get it fitted when purchasing the car. Otherwise most people just get an aftermarket LSD like Quaife or Wavetrac fitted, it's a very expensive upgrade.
@wingman548 sad face 😞
When I said lsd in the video I thought it was .. rip me I guess
Thx you anyway 😁
Aston db9! Or 996 911!
AJ - does Jim recommend changing the oil every 5,000km between the 10,000km service windows?
Cheers - love the videos. Up the Knights.
Every 10k km is plenty. Oil change every 3k km is probably overkill.
10k stock, 5k on a modified engine for sure.
Just change the car mate and buy something normal.
Used to own mint condition m140i with quaife lsd fitted (8000km when bought) until last year but no matter how much i alter the setup to make the steering feel better it still felt like a boat and disconnected. Straight line pull was phenomenal after getting a tune with just a downpipe and a fuel pump replaced but it gets boring after a while.
First!...wait..SECOND!
why do these aesthetically in white give me i30 hatchback shopping cart vibe?
😂😂😂
Uhm, because that’s what they are?
NickelBack slander 😔
😂 Leave Nickleback out of this.
Haha no way, filmed where I live
No way! Where abouts?
How could you compare that to a commodore wagon is a joke. 1 series are glorified back seats suitable for a poodle. And bit space to fit a hand bag
Most important question. When did they fix the indicator stalk or do all F20s come with the gawd awful bmw reinvented the wheel indicator stalk that always flips back?
It took me like... 5 min to get used to and honestly it's better than a regular stalk
LCI 2 version from late 2017 got the updated indicator stalk to a more regular one which works like every other brands.
@@kristoffer3000 having to deal with it in the GWM Ora currently. And I can not, nor will I ever get used to that rubbish thing.
@@UserManson But it's so ridiculously simple and easy to use
B- Bust
M- My
W- Wallet
Bavarian Money Waster
@@johndb1224
Bad Motoring Workshop
Or Burst My Wallet 😮
I’ve had a couple, they’ve been surprisingly reliable. After Porsche my fav brand, though some of their newer product seems eco lame.
@@trogdortheburninator8149 It's always people that have never had a BMW that cries that they're unreliable
The answer is NO.
Why not? They're very fast, fun and reliable.
Bang on. Ugly, unreliable and overpriced.
@@Revolutionneeded1 I don't think they're ugly, they're not unreliable at all and pricing changes drastically from country to country, here in Norway they are very overpriced (just like any other interesting car) but in for example the UK they're damn near free.