E82 128i: when your projected "track car" turns into your daily

After doing some more research, I'm retracting my previous statement about removing the entire subframe when I install the new oil pan on my own car (to give myself some extra space). There's a very substantial amount of work to be done in order to fully remove the front subframe. 

Yesterday in the junkyard, while the subframe was dropped per se, I could have done more to drop it further without the need for a full removal- namely I could have removed the front sway bar mounts and the front coolant hose that's bolted to it, which, I believed, would have dropped the front portion a good bit lower. It also probably didn't help that someone had removed the transmission mount(s), so the powertrain was hanging very low in the engine bay, giving me less space between the engine and the subframe, while also making me a bit more fearful of disconnecting more things to avoid being crushed by an engine in a junkyard. 

While watching this video, I noticed that he appeared to have quite a bit more room to work with than I did yesterday, leading me to believe I likely won't need to remove the subframe entirely: 
 

After watching all the things on the YouTube, for a RWD car, this video was by far the most detailed, efficient and informative: 

For any AWD guys- woe is you- I've watched the FCP Euro oil pan gasket swap video on an AWD car- good night! The RWD version appears to be a cake walk by comparison. 

On my N54 E90 I did the oil pan gasket replacement twice due to leaks. first time was during Covid where I wasn't driving the car much and had all the time so dropped the subframe and while replacing the gasket again (seriously BMW!) more recently kept the subframe in place, but lowered it to fish the oil pan out. Honestly while dropping the subframe was more work initially, overall frustration level was lower and all the bolts were readily accessible but YMMW. 

One thing I would recommend especially if you're planning to track the car is check your coolant expansion tank. Mine cracked a couple weeks ago and made a big mess, luckily it was after I had parked and shut the engine off so, other than a big mess, no harm was done. FCP has Febi replacements for $70 and it's an easy replacement. While there also replaced the cap with an OEM for peace of mind. This was on a 2009 with 113k miles --  granted with the turbos all the underwood plastics are subjected to more heat cycles. 

In reply to newold_m (Forum Supporter) :

Thanks for the feedback! 

I suppose I'm not attached to either method (fully removing vs just dropping the subframe). I suppose I was just trying not to have to remove the tie rods/control arms/steering rack if I don't have to. If I get in there to start working and the frustration level results in my blood boiling there's a good chance I'll just take the whole thing out. We'll see. I'm in no rush. 

The last time I took a peek at the overflow tank I didn't observe any noticeable wear, but it certainly won't hurt to check again. I might just replace it when it comes time to install the OEM N54 oil cooler sitting in my garage, as I'll be draining the coolant anyway. I haven't really heard of N52 folks having that problem (less heat on that side of the engine bay?), but you never know! 

For the record, the OEM drain plug bolt is M12x1.5: 



^^^That's a Febi replacement from FCP Euro. Also, there was absolutely no need to chase the threads. I just cleaned them with a wire brush and the new bolt/plug screwed right in, smooth as butter. 

I almost forgot I've had an OEM aluminum oil pan sitting in my garage for about a year now. I bought it for dirt cheap before I knew that the manual cars had steel pans. 

I took a few photos of them side by side: 




This is the BIGGEST difference between them- the aluminum pan bolts to the transmission, whereas the steel pan does not: 









While aluminum has a higher thermal conductivity and should in theory remove more heat from the oil, in this particular case, it certainly isn't lighter. I weighed both of them using my cheap bathroom scale: 

Aluminum pan= 10.4 lbs
Steel pan= 8.4 lbs

The steel pan is actually 2 lbs lighter. 

I'm sure the aluminum pan would remove just a bit more heat than the steel pan (who knows to what degree), but I wouldn't exactly say is has any heat removal fins on it (like my S2000 does). 

Interesting facts: according to BMW parts websites, they have the same MSRP prices (although the used aluminum pans are dirt cheap on eBay and there's a boatload of them by comparison). On sites like Rock Auto, the aftermarket aluminum pans are less than half the cost (some as little as a quarter of the cost). Maybe it has to do with production numbers? Or the odd shapes that BMW intentionally dented into the steel pan? 

Either way, just figured I would share my findings. 

Well, I'm once again thinking about selling the 128i. Yeah, I know. 

I am losing motivation to really build it into a track car. I'm just burnt out on constantly building track cars, from both a financial and physical perspective (I've finally healed my back and am back into heavy calisthenics/working out- I would like to keep it that way). I've had some fun tracking cars over the years, but I don't believe I want to travel down the hardcore track car build again. 

And as far as a fun street car goes, well, I made that a much tougher proposition by purchasing my F87 M2 not too long ago: 




^^^On its own, the 128i is a great street car. I found myself taking it frequently in my previous lineup of cars, as it certainly felt more streetable than my previous S2000, while still being a fun machine. Now? Well, the problem is, the M2 is good. Really, really good- at pretty much everything. On the street, for just about anything I want to go and do, I've found myself leaving the 128i parked and just grabbing the keys to the M2 (sans snow driving). It feels similar to the 128i, excepted upgraded in pretty much any way you can think of. The 128i has a bit better steering feel, but otherwise, the M2 is better in every way- FAR more power (especially at our elevation), better suspension, better diff (you can feel it), better shifter, better brakes, quieter, just as easy to drive, far higher fun factor, etc. 

For a daily, I technically have a work car. For a semi-daily, or more relaxing car to drive, the Mazda 3 Turbo is a nicer, newer, more relaxing place to be. For a fun/spirited drive, no question, the M2 is hands down more fun. 

Which has led me to the conclusion: if I'm not going to track the 128i, I should really sell it. I hate that I've put so much time, money and effort into it, only to sell it, but I would hate even more to just leave it parked and collecting dust while I'm paying insurance on it. It should probably go to someone that will use it more than I will. 

In reply to roninsoldier83 :

My wife is going to kill me if I show her this car again. Save a life and keep it LOL. 

I get it though. M2 seems like the next step from the 128i. Just like the 128i would be a step up from my car. berkeley. 

In reply to EchoTreeSix :

LOL, sorry brother. I just posted it for sale locally. I don't have much faith that it'll sell anytime soon- it's a RWD coupe in Colorado and we just got over a massive 3 day snowstorm lol. There's a good chance it'll be around until at least the spring time/tax season. 

Problem is that the 2-series is essentially just a newer 1-series. The M2 and 128i have nearly identical usability, seats, seating positions, etc., so neither of them is more likely to be driven more often based on usability, but the M2 is actually a substantially nicer, quieter car to drive (minus the sweet exhaust sounds!), and when it comes to fun, it's not even close. The 128i is really good, but I think the F87 M2 is likely the most fun BMW M-car I've ever driven. 

If I had a larger garage, I might consider keeping it, but as of now, I only have 3 garage spots, which are taken up by the M2, the wife's Challenger Scat Pack and my Mazda 3 Turbo. I could park the Mazda 3 Turbo outside, but it doesn't make any sense- the Mazda is much newer, far lower mileage, worth roughly ~2.5 times more money, still has a warranty, etc. If I had a larger garage, I would park the 128i inside and simply cancel the insurance on it while it's not in use... but sitting outside, I'm paying full coverage on it while it sits in the elements. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to keep paying for insurance, registration and maintenance on a car that's just sitting outside, not being driven. 

I think it is the right call, hopefully the 128i goes to someone that appreciates the time and energy you put into it and can really enjoy it.

If/When you get the track itch (you know, when the snow is gone in the spring!) the M2 will handle that with ease as it sits without a bunch of time and energy to get it "track ready"

Good luck with the sale!

In reply to adam525i :

My thoughts exactly. The M2 has a dual oil pump system (pretty much eliminates oil starvation with any tires you can think of), an overbuilt cooling system (both oil and water/coolant), an outstanding rear diff and giant OEM brakes- it's essentially track ready out of the box. I don't want to build a hardcore track car anymore (if I did, I would keep the 128i), but for the occasional fun open lapping or autoX event here or there, the M2 is already built for it. I don't anticipate getting back onto a track anytime soon, but if I changed my mind, the M2 is a good place to start, as it seemingly requires next to nothing- maybe just pads (maybe?) and fluid? 
 

And now starts the process of dealing with the long string of questions from tire kickers... my brain hurts already lol. 

I'm hitting the pause button on selling the 128i (again).

Over the past year (maybe longer), I've been a bit lost. I got into racing cars (autoX and time trials) years ago, which brought out my innate competitive streak. I lost sight of why I went down that path in the first place and somewhere along the way, it stopped being fun. I even made threads about giving it up altogether: 

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/do-any-of-you-ever-think-about-giving-up-this-hobby/258924/page1/


In recent years this hobby has brought me far more pain than it has pleasure. For all of my inherent overthinking, I've struggled to articulate what I've been looking for. For the first time in a while, I started journaling today. I almost forgot how helpful it is to write out my thoughts and feelings. It helps me to sort them out and forces me to dig a bit deeper. The following is my entry for today that I figured I would share in this thread, to help explain all the things, probably not to anyone reading, but more to myself. Read at your own risk: 


 

Today I am at another crossroads with this car addiction of mine. I do not want to obsess with building, buying or selling cars, 24/7. I do not want to be constantly in debt buying the latest XYZ car parts just to be competitive in some league. I do not want to spend all of my time in the garage, hurting my back and destroying my healthy workout and spontaneous date night habits. I’ve always been the type of person to hear about something interesting, no matter how random, and head in that immediate direction with a smile on my face. The idea of a strict competition schedule also doesn’t seem terribly appealing at this point in my life- getting up at 5am on my days off, driving halfway across the state, walking an autoX course for an hour, trying to eek every last ounce of performance out to try and stay competitive, stressing over not being able to make an event due to my other more important priorities- my family, my profession and just living my life in general.

However, that doesn’t take away from a passion of mine. A passion for driving. A love for vehicles. I just don’t want the constant car-building, or car buying/selling obsession anymore. I don’t want to spend all of my time, money and effort on them, just to keep selling them, buying new ones and starting all over again. I no longer enjoy the cycle. 

I’ve given some thought about what else I would like to do. Competitive racing might not be in the cards right now, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have a hobby. A passion I chase that helps make life worth living. I’ve talked it over with my poor wife and the small group of people I call friends, pondering what else I would like to do with the excess mental energy that builds up on a regular basis? Then it hit me: not only do I have a passion for driving, I have a passion for writing. I am my mother’s son. That woman was a beautifully creative writer, journaling all of her adventures, thoughts and memories for years, eventually forming them into a book. For all who have read through my long-winded, get-to-the-point word-salads and car reviews, well, I blame her.

With these things in mind, a plan is slowly forming. A plan that involves keeping my lowly BMW 128i.

I think I’m going to start a blog. Maybe travel to different tracks around the country. Learn to take photos, journal my experiences. There are so many tracks I’ve thought about driving on, from the time I first played the original Gran Turismo games as a kid. Why not make a point to start visiting these places? But not in a strict competition with an uncompromising schedule. Turn them into vacations. See the countryside. Stay in random hotels, drive all the tracks I’ve seen on a screen but never experienced in real life and in the evenings experience everything the local areas to these tracks has to offer. Take as many photos and make as many memories as possible, and when I’m good and worn out, sit down behind a keyboard.

Now that I’m thinking about it, a plan is starting to formulate:

1. Start my own blog/website. I honestly don’t care about clicks or views. I just like to experience life and write about what I’ve seen, even if no one actually reads it.

2. No need to make the 128i super competitive. No need for all the power, or the stiffest suspension, or the widest tires. No need for anything that would ruin it as a street car. Just the necessities to keep it alive and running under stress (the baffled oil pan and oil cooler in my garage are probably a good idea). Honestly, with all the prep I've done over the past 1.5 years, the car doesn't need much else. 

3. Start planning the journey. Where I/we want to go. What we’ll do when we get there. Schedule some time off (I think I currently have around ~700 hours of time off collectively at work- I really need to start burning more of it!), grab the keys and make memories. I’ve run entirely too many laps at Laguna Seca in video games to have never seen it in real life… and I’m sure there are plenty of sights to see and new foods to try when we get there!

4. Maybe occasionally sign up for a performance driving school- I’ll admit, I’ve enjoyed every driving school I’ve ever been to and always like getting better, even if there’s no trophy at the end of the season!

5. Every once and a while, do something to the car. Maybe once a year, have a mild project to make it just that much more fun, without getting out of hand or ruining it for cross-country duty. 

6. Learn to take more photos. Maybe actually put some time into learning how to take photos that don’t look like complete garbage.

7. At the end of every adventure, write it down. Capture the memories.


I'd like to say that I’ve been looking for a purpose for this stupid BMW, but I don’t think that’s accurate. I think it’s more accurate to say that I’ve been looking for a purpose. After months of contemplation, I think I might have found what I was looking for. 



When I come up with a catchy name and actually start the site, I'll be sure to share with my fellow GRM'ers that might be interested in following along.