BMW 1-Series Hatchback (2004 - 2011) 123d M Sport 5d Owner Review
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In their own words
Having owned the car over 1.5 years now ive uprated many parts and the following mods i would recommend to anyone with a 123d:
Pagid discs and Brembo brake pads Bilstein b4s shock absorbers Bmw performance bump stops Eibach lowering springs (make sure to get the car aligned!) Meyle HD control arm kit (includes lower and upper control arms and droplinks, all ball joints and bushes are stronger than standard)
P.s. i cannot recommend autodoc enough for car parts, you will save literally hundreds compared to eurocarparts, the catch is a 2-3 week delivery period but if you can plan ahead youll save some big cash. Bilstein shocks i got for 70 each for fronts yet theyre 130 each on eurocarparts. Front Brembo brake pads set i got for 30 quid and you cant even buy the sh*t brands for that cheap in ecp!
This is my 5th car in 6 years of driving and the one ive kept the longest. I plan on keeping it atleast another year or 2. Car is on 105000 miles and just had new control arms, shocks and springs fitted and its safe to say this car will see another 100000 miles. It drives amazing. Bmw engineering at its finest. 11 year old car with EP3 type r performance yet gets 40+mpg, it upsets a lot of folk on the road!
Remap is on the cards next and itll be going to no one other than ecotune as they have/had a 123d and theyve done extensive testing on the 123d engine. Stage 1 is around 250-260bhp. I might ask to keep the power increase sensible due to the high mileage.
One thing i try to keep an ear out for, especially due to the mileage, is timing chain noises. If youre on the hunt for a 123d you may see scare stories of chain failure on forums, it can be tricky to listen for it as these engines are inherent for sounding like tractors to begin with, but just try and get used to the normal tractor noise and then keep an ear out for unusually loud ticking noises, especially on test drives and you should be fine.
Please note i have driven this car with a lot of "passion" the majority of my time driving it and i cant believe it still drives the way it does, if you have a heavy foot, dont like using the brakes and steer like youre playing gran turismo then this car will handle the abuse all day long. The clutch is from a 330d (which has more hp and torque) so can take plenty of abuse.
How reliable do you find the car?
Car has been very reliable. Being a petrolhead i've changed many parts in my ownership which no doubt added to the reliability. General wear and tear parts brakes discs and pads, all bushes and balljoints, new shock absorbers all round and eibach lowering springs which is my favourite mod so far, barely any compromise to comfort but handling is now 10x times better. My only criticism are the standard m sport springs which seem to snap quite easily (snapped both fronts), hence why i switched to the eibach pro kit as it doesnt lower the car much (only lowers m sport models 10-15mm at front, rear height remains the same) yet the spring is thicker and much stronger (shouldnt snap!) and just the right stiffness for the car.Does the car do everything you expected it to do?
Car is 11 years old now but has parking sensors front and rear, excellent sound system, cruise control, auto headlights, all of which are standard for m sport model. This car is still fit for todays standards...almost (bluetooth was an option which wasnt selected in my car, but aux will do)About their car
- Fuel type Diesel
- When purchased November 2017
- Condition when bought Used
- Current Mileage 105,000 miles
- Average MPG 40 mpg
