why
So given there is a page outlining how my 1998 Nissan Skyline R34 GTT project ended up, I figured I should start a page about my 2011 BMW 135i. If there was one thing I regretted about the previous project, it was not keeping an accurate ‘journal’ of events throughout its development, I wish I did so many years from now I can reminisce and marvel at what automotive creativity was possible by 2 enthusiasts over 6 years in some dusty warehouse.
That said, this page aims to outline the entire journey – from the very beginning with lots of text & lovely photos – so if BMW or the 135i is your thing, then check back every now and then!
contents
Please click on the below links to be taken to the relevant section of this page.
- the need for speed
- new job, new car
- research
- test drive & order
- ordering number plates
- patched – 1ADDICTS.com
- 16082011 – more waiting
- WBAUC92040VM07734
- Delivery of WA54BI
- Moonlight Detailing
- Behind the Scenes – Moonlight Detailing
- Kerscher Carbon Fibre Front Splitter
- 18% Suntek Tints by Mike
- (AUD>USD) + Online Shopping = DANGER!
- Carbon Fibre Rear Spoiler and Matte Black Grilles
the need for speed
Late in 2010, I made a decision to move on from the ‘Fast n Furious’ world – to save some money, but also to grow up a bit. I was torn between selling the car to a random (fearing they’d crash it and ruin 6 years of work) and keeping it (continuing to be a money pit, and keeping me on the look out for unwanted attention). In the end, I faced the music and found a compromise, and that was to ‘give’ it to my best mate, mechanic, and co-builder Mitch. It was a smart move as I knew the R34 would be loved, and it’d still be in the family.
Between then and mid-2011, I had been without a car of my own but that didn’t matter because I was too engrossed in work, conjuring up cunning ways to propose to Roxy, and just enjoying life – as I caught the train to work and Roxy had her reliable & economical ‘fun bus’, it didn’t really impact life at all. Sure I missed having a nice, fast car but there were other things keeping my mind off it.
Resistance proved futile though, and by April 2011 I was seriously itching for a new set of wheels – something that’d be an upgrade, but still in the words of James May “make my gentleman’s region fizzle“.
new job, new car
Those who know me will probably have heard about my times at Russell Investments as their Compensation Manager for Asia-Pacific. Great experience, awesome boss & colleagues but that was all it was – personal life went down the drain as the job demanded 24/7 attention. Sometime in April I was headhunted for The GPT Group and hoping for better opportunities, easier hours, and a chance to rebuild my personal life – I accepted to become their new Group Remuneration & Benefits Manager.
I won’t go into detail, but let’s just say my urge to get back behind the wheel of a nice car was made easier by GPT’s offer.
Shopping time…
research
So I had a pretty nice budget to play with, all I had to do was find the right car – something that would prove quite difficult given my extreme shopping ask – “bang for buck top-shelf items“.
The criteria or ‘must-haves’ list was pretty long, but just to name a few:
- new (never owned a brand new car before),
- European (ideally),
- already fast out of the box (less temptation to modify),
- practical,
- economical (this was easy compared to the R34),
- fiancee friendly…
And so the candidates list boiled down to:
- BMW 1 series coupe
- BMW Z4
- VW Golf R
- Mercedes C Class
- Mercedes SLK
- Audi TT
- Audi A4
- Nissan 370z
Getting this list down was pretty easy – the process involving a combination of google searches, review articles/videos, and of course, some more common sense applied against my list of ‘must-haves’.
- BMW Z4
impractical for every day use, not fiancee friendly in terms of her being able to use it for work. - VW Golf R
every man and his dog has one of these in Australia, also very expensive for a hatchback. - Mercedes C Class
lot of money for a not-so-special car, AMG out of reach. - Mercedes SLK
same reasoning as BMW Z4, although it does get love from fiancee in terms of looks. - Audi TT
the one worth getting is a bit out of reach. - Nissan 370z
Japanese, and not a lot of room, but this did come in 2nd place.
So the winner from the short-list was the BMW 1 Series Coupe. Having previously owned and driven many BMWs, I already knew about quality, comfort, and overall bang-for-buck. A quick troll through the interweb quickly confirmed that the 1 series coupe was a great choice, in many instances being rated the #1 car in its category.
Choosing a variant – the original idea was to go mid-range but after reading about the significant hike in performance between those and the 135i, the choice was pretty obvious. Price-wise it was a big jump to go for their top model, but meh – drive first, think later.
test drive & order
Once I committed to looking at the 135i, I needed to book in a test drive so I can see if all the positive reviews were justified. Fortunately, thanks to the power of the internet – this was a breeze and very quickly I received a call from Bart George from North Shore BMW which just so happened to be located 5 minutes walk from my place (how convenient). After a quick introduction, a tour around the showroom, and enough conversation to show that I meant business – I was introduced to a black MY10 135i Convertible.
The first showing and test drive included the normal run down of the features, it’s major selling points and of course a monitored drive around the block. Living in a high-density area with 2 shopping centres, finding road to really test the 135i proved difficult which left me feeling a bit ‘empty’ after this first session. That said, I was still thoroughly impressed at the car in terms of its build quality, interior & exterior features and of course the power!
All the reviews have said that the 135i packs a solid punch and they weren’t wrong at all. The car is extremely responsive, made very driveable through the 7 speed DCT, and has oodles of torque from the word GO! Having come from driving a torque monster, I was very impressed – in fact, my biggest fear was feeling let down at the lack of response, but I found myself grinning every moment of the drive.
At the conclusion of that session, I was left with a brochure, a quote and a phone number. None of this was important of course as I was too busy thinking up ways of convincing the wife-to-be and arranging the next test drive (I did plant the seed with Bart by saying the Mrs would need a drive too).
I was met with 2 surprises over the next week:
- how easy it was to convince the Mrs, and
- Bart had arranged an overnight test drive of a brand new 135i!
Yes, an overnight test drive of a vehicle with 10km on the clock!!! And boy did we test that thing good, only added 150 odd km to it 
Back roads, freeways, steep hills, twisties, speed humps & roundabouts it was all there and through each test it just kept ticking the boxes, both of us were thoroughly impressed. I even took it down to my boy Mitch who is always the final word in my cars, and even he came back with a big thumbs up!
So there it was, I was sold and on the 28th of April, 2011 I signed on the dotted line and began my period of wait – August 31 was the ETA at that time.
ordering number plates
Chose WA54BI or “WASABI” after a pretty fun morning with Roxy brainstorming available options – problem was there wasn’t many options at all that were worth paying for. Suppose it goes well with her plates KAW411 or “KAWAII”.
patched – 1ADDICTS.com
One of the things that I was most happy about when it came to owning a Nissan Skyline was the extensive online community that was attached. Through the internet forum & regular events/meets, I found myself a new bunch of friends with very similar interests.
So naturally I looked for a similar attachment with the 135i – and through that found 1ADDICTS.com
The life cycle of my membership probably won’t be as vibrant as mine with Skylines Australia as my goals for the 135i are nowhere near as radical. Nonetheless, I’m sure I’ll have a lot of fun.
On 13 August 2011, I ordered 2 vinyl stickers from the US in support of the club – will decide where to put them when they arrive (UPDATE REQUIRED).
16082011 – more waiting
Hi Stanley,
I’m sorry I missed you on the phone today, I was calling to update you on your new 135i M Sport, It is now clearing bond in Port Kembla which usually takes about two weeks. I will call you once again when it reaches our dealership.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions. (02) 9406 0888
Regards
Paulette Eid
Pre Delivery Coordinator
Even though common sense was telling me that there was no way I’d get the 135i as soon as it hit the shores of Australia, a little voice inside my head told me to keep optimistic.
I suppose the missed call, and subsequent email from Paulette confirmed it…
And just like that, she left me waiting.
23/08/2011 UPDATE
Good Morning Stan,
Good news your car is due to arrive to our dealership in the next couple of days, which means we can look at early next week delivery. I will call you as soon as it arrives.
WBAUC92040VM07734
23 August 2011 – received my VIN from North Shore BMW today and did a quick search, here are the details:
Key Points
- Manufactured at BMW AG
- Production Date 2011/06
Delivery of WA54BI
After much anticipation, the 135i’s delivery date finally came about and over a 24 hour period the phone calls & emails from the dealer were non-stop (suppose they were keen to get the car out and collect commission). Having missed the original delivery date of 30 August, I settled for the afternoon of the 31st (ironically the exact date they said it would be delivered when I first signed on the dotted line).
The night prior, at about 3am, my sales guy sent me a MMS with a teaser pic – trust me when I say that this photo did what it was supposed to do, and that was to get the anxiety to a boiling point. Nonetheless, it was a very nice gesture and it made the delivery experience all the more special.
I left work early on the Wednesday and followed the normal routine home – walk to Wynyard, jump on train, get off at Chatswood and walk towards Pacific Highway. Only today, my stop would be North Shore BMW instead of home…
I was greeted by several staff upon arrival, all of whom seemed to know me by name (weird) and full of smiles. Shortly after, Bart made his appearance and we proceeded to finish off the paperwork following the pleasantries. Once that was done, we moved over to the main area of the showroom where 2 vehicles were hidden under car covers.
I think one of the many reasons why people speak well of the big brands is their high levels of customer service… the black cover, red velvet cordons, and this plaque – small things that all add to the experience, hard not to give positive feedback.
So there you have it… delivery of my 2011 BMW 135i from North Shore BMW on 31 August 2011 – and just in case you missed it, here are the specs:
- Alpine White
- 7 Speed DCT
- Professional Navigation System
- Coral Red & Black Boston Leather Interior
- Arctic Silver Interior Trim
- Factory Debadge
- WA54BI Number Plates
- Post-Delivery Detail
- Window Tinting
Moonlight Detailing
Pre-delivery, I had been lurking on the 1addicts.com forums and very quickly got introduced to some of the regular members. Alex Chapman was one such individual and he so happened to run a detailing business, Moonlight Detailing. A couple of emails later, and not only had my knowledge of car cleaning increased, I was also booked in for a post-delivery protection detail to get all the gunk from freight off the car.
Alex is one of those guys who really goes out of his way to make his clients feel comfortable with leaving their cars with him; taking the time to explain every last detail about what will be done, and then keeping you updated via SMS as he progresses through the process. I have never received so many updates about what was happening to my car, ever! As a 1series owner himself, Alex understands the level of respect demanded by owners from suppliers doing things to their vehicles – even though I’d never know until after the fact, I was still asked for permission before the car was taken outside for some happy snaps.
Being a drop-off service, I picked the car up in the evening and boy was I impressed with the outcome. It was like taking delivery of the car from BMW all over again. Meticulous with his work, Alex explained all the findings he made during the detail and capped it off with helpful hints until the next session (yes, I will be back for more).
Anyways, enough words – more photos!
To conclude, I would recommend Alex & Moonlight Detailing without reserve to any owner who wants the best for their cars in terms of keeping it in as-new condition!
Click here to have a look at his current website on Facebook.
Behind the Scenes – Moonlight Detailing
Here you’ll find some behind the scenes photos of detail conducted by Moonlight Detailing – shamelessly taken from Alex’s Facebook page, including annotations!
After the first wash, clay and secondary wash, the paintwork was back to bare. Water sheeting off the car perfectly. A great base to start with!
One imperfection from transport/dealer was found in the form of water markings on the bonnet.
Interior before Moonlight Detailing gets to work.
A close up of the trim and footwell on the driver’s side.
Some unidentified markings on the driver’s door handle.
Front left wheel – before shot.
Allowing the wax to haze. This is brand new paintwork so we ensured the whole car had been covered with wax and allowed a lot of time for the wax to properly haze on.
Just prior to taking the wax off the bonnet, you can see the milky white residue of the wax indicating that it has hazed and worked onto the paintwork and is ready for removal.
Bonnet after wash, clay, wash, glaze, seal and wax.
AFTER: Rear left panel reflecting.
AFTER: bonnet.
AFTER: Front quarter shot.
AFTER: Rear shot.
AFTER: Front shot.
AFTER: Side shot showing off the perfectly clean car, wheels and tyres.
AFTER: Chrome trim has been dressed.
AFTER: Interior from driver’s side.
AFTER: Passenger door handle renewed and markings removed.
AFTER: Beautifully moisturised and protected leather.
AFTER: Front left wheel cleaned, protected and tyres cleaned.
Kerscher Carbon Fibre Front Splitter
For a while, I’ve been eyeing off a carbon front splitter from Kerscher in Germany for the 135i… made several enquiries, trying to take advantage of the AUD but just haven’t managed to pull the trigger.
This photo, posted on 1addicts.com by forum member pAuLoZe does NOT make it ANY EASIER!
Full photos of this beautiful car here.
Let the shopping begin
UPDATE – 21/09/2011
Whoops… couldn’t help myself ETA 26/09/11 which is just in time for my birthday this year…
UPDATE – 30/09/2011
Yes, for those in the know… this light-weight piece of carbon fibre (Kerscher CF Front Splitter for 135i) did end up costing more than what I’d sell my first-born for, but it did not diminish my love for the stuff.
The quality is fantastic, and the finish is flawless… whole piece only weighs about .5kg
Stay tuned for fitment photos after Sunday!
UPDATE – 02/10/2011
Popped over to my man Mitch’s place on Sunday morning to get the Carbon Fibre Front Splitter for the 135i installed… a relatively easy process compared to some of the mischief we’ve previously gotten up to with other cars, hardest part was getting behind the front bar with our fat fingers!
Mitch pondering where to start drilling after reviewing the Ger-mish instructions. As with all our previous projects, the work space is nothing more but the ground of his garage.
Drilling into a very expensive piece of CF is always scary – you never know what type of freak accidents can happen. Fortunately, the procedure went very smoothly.
The 1st of 7 holes drilled… the instructions stated that a total of 20 holes would be needed, with the same number possibly being done to the factory front bar. We made the executive decision that this was not necessary, not because we were lazy but because we wanted to preserve the front bar and not drill holes through it.
Holes drilled, under tray bolts loosened / removed, the lip was mock fitted to make sure everything lined up. With things like this, there’s always some trial and error (try fitting a FMIC and you’ll know what I mean).
PS – excuse the dirty car, been raining a lot in Sydney… unlike what the world usually thinks, we are not a dry country.
Everything lining up, we proceeded to lock everything down. A word of advice for those contemplating doing this too – use the Kerscher provided bolts & washers, the OEM items are too short.
And there you have it, 1x Kerscher Front Splitter for the 135i installed. All up it took about 1.5hours with 2 people. I definitely think it’s a 2 man job else you’ll struggle to hold everything in place as you tighten everything up. Also, the rubber front-bar guards need to be trimmed along the inner edge – stops it from pushing the splitter down towards the ground.
UPDATE – 03/10/2011
Car washed, and happy snaps taken of my the new-look front end of my 135i – seriously should have come out from the factory looking like this! Well that’s 1 item off the list done.
Still needs: 1) tints, 2) wheels, low…
18% Suntek Tints by Mike
Summer in Australia over the last couple of years has been a pretty mixed bag when it comes to weather (cue global warming hippy reason here). That said, summer equals sun which equals warm weather – something that doesn’t exactly make for the best driving experience.
I have been meaning to get the tints done on the 135i for a while now, and have largely put it off due to other time commitments (also not know who to take it to). When my man Mitch picked up his new Nissan Cube and told me tints would be first, I knew I had to jump on-board. Best thing, his friend Mike would be hooking us up with top quality materials and service for mates rates!
Mitch’s new Nissan Cube being prepped for its tints…
18% tint films were from SunTek (made in USA)
So handy having a mate with access to warehouse space. It’s where the R34 was built, and probably where all my future cars will be built.
Mike gave us a crash-course on how tints were applied on cars, a very informative walk-through and definitely resulted in us both learning something new.
Mike mentioned he typically does about 6 cars a day, so to say he works quickly is an understatement!
Almost done, fronts to go…
A quick wash and dry, and we’re done! Very happy with the results, tints have changed the look of the car completely and more importantly reduced the ambient temperature inside drastically. I’m also quite happy about the fact that despite going darker than the ‘legal’ tint, there are no issues with visibility from the inside out (day or night).
Will take some proper photos at a later stage, realise the above don’t really do the finished product any justice. I’ll close off by saying I’m extremely satisfied, and would recommend Mike to anyone looking for a great tinting service/product without being taken to town.
For more details, or to book Mike in for a job please visit http://www.drshocks.com.au/solartinting.html
(AUD>USD) + Online Shopping = DANGER!
With the AUD once at near-record highs again (above rate as at 29 October 2011), it’s very hard not to indulge in some online shopping to take advantage the situation.
The irony is that speaking to some of my American friends the other day, they still think their economy is doing just fine… God bless America~
More details to follow, but here’s a little preview.
31/10/2011 EDIT:
I blame the US Dollar being so low, and all nice BMW parts being from the USA!
Carbon Fibre Rear Spoiler and Matte Black Grilles
A couple of bits arrived in the mail this week, namely the carbon fibre rear spoiler and the matte black front grilles – all thanks to the strength of the AUD against the USD.
As with all other parts added to my cars, they were scheduled for installation at Mitch’s place on the weekend (yesterday). But first, some pre-modification photos, been a little while since I’ve posted any photos of the car.
Installation of the grilles was about a 10 minute job, simple snap-off and snap-on affair. As a reminder, the stock OEM items carry chrome edges (photos above), a look that I’m not particularly fond of at all. The matte black version, while having less of a ‘visual effect’ gives the front-end a much meaner look not to mention significantly adding to my black & white Stormtrooper theme.
The installation of the rear spoiler was a bit more involved, requiring the use of fishing wire, rags, cleaning agents, and of course industrial strength double-sided tape. Being the noobs (or anally-retentive perfectionists) that we are, we repeated the process twice as we weren’t 100% happy with the initial placement of the spoiler. In the end, it’s worth it and I’m very, very happy with the outcomes – the rear wing, dramatically changes the look of the rear-end while keeping things looking very subtle and well-packaged.
Next up… 135i receives black ears!
13 November 2011 EDIT
The edges on the spoiler began to raise today, evidence of the double-sided tape not being thick enough at the extremities of the item, the effect heightened because the degree of bowing was not 100% matching the curve of the boot-lid.
To fix this, the first point of call was to do some surgery on the left and right corners, getting rid of the old double-sided tape and inserting some new bits, double the width. This worked well and now the corners are rock-solid. What I was left with though was 1.0-1.5mm gaps between the spoiler and the boot-lid so I brainstormed some ways to fill them.
I didn’t want to resort to permanent items like Sikaflex or any other type of adhesive-based agent so I turned to the world of modelling and picked up some modelling clay ($1.48 from my local arts and craft store). The stuff is oil-based (meaning water proof) and moulds to any shape you want very easily. It doesn’t set hard or stick permanently to the surface so is easily removed when I want it to be.
So I hit the edges with generous amounts of the stuff, applying it with this tool Because it doesn’t set, I could take my sweet ass time and really get the gaps filled properly.
Once I was happy with the amount of filling done, I used the tool to scrape off the bulk excess and then a cloth to smooth it all out so it looks the same as items bonded from factory. Personally I think it looks very neat and for $2, a very worthwhile way to perfecting the look of the CF rear spoiler.
The car looks great!
If you don’t mind me asking, how much did moonlight detailing charge you for the job?
I’ll send you an email with the price
Looks like a nice new project mate!