[inverse121]

I’ve been lurking here for 6-8 weeks and finally pulled the trigger on a 2016 M235ix. Thanks for the help and knowledge. I am sure to have questions.

I have a handful of vintage motorcycles, some American Muscle, a couple of little British cars. Our daily’s are 2019 Mini Clubman S All4 and 2020 Mini Clubman JCW.

I was looking for a B58 car but a friend pointed out this one. Significant price difference for the N55 car. I’d say this purchase was to satisfy SO’s desire for a “awd, safe, and reliable” convertible, but I don’t need any excuse to buy another car.

Mineral White with Terra interior and brown top. No plans for any cosmetic changes unless I can find a set of 2020+ M240i grilles as I think they would compliment the color scheme nicely.

[NKOTB2015]

Pretty

Put some leather dye on the bolsters, plzzz.

[inverse121]

Thanks looks worse in photo than reality
Is this the right stuff?
https://autoleatherdye.com/products/...-bmw-soft-feel

[NKOTB2015]

Originally Posted by inverse121

Thanks looks worse in photo than reality
Is this the right stuff?
https://autoleatherdye.com/products/...-bmw-soft-feel

There are many brands...I think I paid like $30 for a bottle of mine...but what you posted looks good also. Easy to apply and well worth keeping a bottle as a maintenance item IMO.

BTW, I'm not sure if you rest your arm on the armrest (center console) but if you do, try to cycle the armrest between forward/backward positions from time to time so you're not always resting on the same spot. Probably something that nobody talks about but i'm anal LOL

[msej449]

Here’s a link to a post I did compiling a list of preventive maintenance work for the F22/F23 with the N55 engine.

Preventive Maintenance Schedule

As mentioned, one of the cheapest and easiest bit of preventive maintenance is to replace the coolant overflow pipe (Euro part #17128570061 but may be different in the USA), which is prone to snap at one or the other end. It’s not expensive and very accessible and quite a few owners DIY the swap.

Also note the point that if you’re under BMW Extended Warranty, then you may want to be careful to use OE parts (like a BMW oil filter) if they’re likely to be seen by a BMW mechanic as part of scheduled maintenance by a dealer workshop. Similarly, perhaps refrain from modifying parts that you might later want to replace under warranty e.g. replacing the standard differential oil cap with a magnetic one.

Oh, and if the car didn’t come with it, the BMW Wind Deflector, although pricey, transforms the interior when the top is down, in terms of significantly reducing wind buffet and noise in the cabin. It’s also is a useful cover for anything on the back seat in terms of security, and stops anything loose there from flying out the car.

[inverse121]

Thanks NKOTB2015 I’m not particularly anal, but I’d like to keep it looking nice. If you know the brand of dye you use, please share. It’s unclear to me if there are two versions of Terra. I’ll need to call or email the vendor.

msej449 No warranty. Thanks for your help. I read the maintenance threads before purchasing. Part of my decision to buy this N55 car was the service history including the expensive stuff that was at the bmw dealer at 60k about the time of trade-in. Water pump, thermostat and overflow hose are “new”.

New charge pipe is on the way. I’m concerned mine shows some “wear” at the throttle body connection joint.

Got on it for the first time late yesterday. Sport+ was fun through the twisties. Certainly has more torque than the 2020 Clubman JCW. Can’t say for sure if it is quicker..

[NKOTB2015]

Originally Posted by inverse121

Thanks NKOTB2015 I’m not particularly anal, but I’d like to keep it looking nice. If you know the brand of dye you use, please share. It’s unclear to me if there are two versions of Terra. I’ll need to call or email the vendor.

Here is where I got mine. Color match was perfect. https://www.seatdoctors.com/?gad_sou...hoCopEQAvD_BwE

[inverse121]

Originally Posted by NKOTB2015

Here is where I got mine. Color match was perfect.

Thank you. Just ordered.

[Nickies]

Originally Posted by NKOTB2015

Here is where I got mine. Color match was perfect. https://www.seatdoctors.com/?gad_sou...hoCopEQAvD_BwE

I have Sensatec and I have a very small rub on the outside part of the left bolster because of the seat belt. I will definitely try this product.

[leftoverture]

Congrats on your new car. I have the 228i, but mine is also a 2016, mineral white, with terra interior. Very fun car, we've had it nearly 4 years and it's been problem free. Currently at 81k miles. Hope you have as much fun with yours as we have with ours.

[inverse121]

Thanks leftoverture Do you also have the brown top?

[leftoverture]

Originally Posted by inverse121

Thanks NKOTB2015 I’m not particularly anal, but I’d like to keep it looking nice. If you know the brand of dye you use, please share. It’s unclear to me if there are two versions of Terra. I’ll need to call or email the vendor.

.

I was just looking at dye for mine and you seem to be right. I am seeing both "terra" and "terra brown" on the Leather Repair dye website. On another website it only lists "terra brown".

My vin decoder days "Leather Dakota/terra LCB8". So suddenly picking the right color isn't so clear. Let me know if you find out which is correct, we have the same color.

[John in VA]

Originally Posted by leftoverture

I was just looking at dye for mine and you seem to be right. I am seeing both "terra" and "terra brown" on the Leather Repair dye website. On another website it only lists "terra brown".

My vin decoder days "Leather Dakota/terra LCB8". So suddenly picking the right color isn't so clear. Let me know if you find out which is correct, we have the same color.

Same here! I protected the interior with CQUARTZ Leather 2.0 but haven't purchased a dye product.

[freakystyly]

I've had some success with dyeing a split arm rest from my old E90. Completely changed it from grey to Terra (the older reddish tint of Terra). I still have it on the shelf in my basement. No one seems to want it since it's a rare color combo in my area. I used a dye from a UK vendor for the color match and a clear leather sealer picked up from a local craft store.

If it's a deep crack in the bolster, a filler can be used. Do a little research and give it a try on an inconspicuous area.

If you aren't comfortable, try looking for an upholstery shop that works on leather.

[leftoverture]

Originally Posted by leftoverture

I was just looking at dye for mine and you seem to be right. I am seeing both "terra" and "terra brown" on the Leather Repair dye website. On another website it only lists "terra brown".

My vin decoder days "Leather Dakota/terra LCB8". So suddenly picking the right color isn't so clear. Let me know if you find out which is correct, we have the same color.

So I talked with Shawn at Leather Repair (autoleatherdye.com) and Shawn confirmed the color for my 2016, see response I received below:

The 2016 228i has the Terra color. That would be our color code BMW99, color name Terra. Very good question though as all 3 colors are different.

[inverse121]

Originally Posted by leftoverture

So I talked with Shawn at Leather Repair (autoleatherdye.com) and Shawn confirmed the color for my 2016, see response I received below:

The 2016 228i has the Terra color. That would be our color code BMW99, color name Terra. Very good question though as all 3 colors are different.

I will let everyone know what the seat doctors color looks like when it arrives. It’s supposed to be for 2016-2017 2 series.

I will try it somewhere inconspicuous first. I probably wouldn’t have bothered if the first post welcoming me here didn’t call it to attention.

[NKOTB2015]

Originally Posted by inverse121

I probably wouldn’t have bothered if the first post welcoming me here didn’t call it to attention.

My bad...like I said, I'm anal

[inverse121]

No worries NKOTB2015 Now that you’ve helped me see it I can’t stop seeing it. Lol.

Turns out the color I ordered from seat doctors may not be the best match. Andy has already sent me a new bottle with a return slip for the original original. Great service! When the new bottle arrives next week I will post results.

Preventative maintenance I replaced original charge pipe with an ARM charge pipe from x-ph.com. Posted about it in another thread in the engine forum. Sucking jet pump pipe broke in my hands quite brittle. I made a field fix with JB weld, ordered a new pipe from FCP-euro and installed it today. If you have the original sucking jet pump pipe you may want to replace it as part of maintenance like the coolant reservoir hose.

Link to sucking jet pump pipe, you may find it cheaper. Shipping was fast.
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...ne-13907604938

The ARM charge pipe I installed is specifically for xdrive cars. I cannot recommend it. The vacuum/boost fitting is not in the stock location putting stress on the sucking jet pump pipe and the MAP sensor fitting was missing thread on one of the bolt holes. I was able to get it installed but I should have gladly have paid $20 more for a charge pipe of better fit/quality.
Here is the link to what I bought. Charge pipe on sale now and even cheaper with code FLASH, but I wouldn’t buy it again. YMMV
https://x-ph.com/arm-motorsports-f3x...arge-pipe-awd/

I had kubax86 code my head unit for full screen apple CarPlay. He has helped me with coding on my Minis and this was just as pleasant. If you use him be sure to use the code for a discount. BIMMER-REMOTE.com - 10% OFF with BIMMERPOST_10

Not the greatest pics attached but something to look at.
1 ARM charge pipe installed
2 field repair of sucking jet pump with jbweld
3 replaced sucking jet pump pipe
4 idrive and CarPlay full screen

[inverse121]

On a whim, I bought a bootmod3 license and am now running stage 1 93 octane as I have access to decent gas. No real reason for doing this other than amusement. I don’t typically get on it hard and I’m not a good enough driver to push the cars limits through the twisty backroads I drive anyway.

I have not done the transmission tune. There seems to be mixed information on whether this actually does anything for an M235i xdrive or not.

Initial impressions are smooth application of power with lots more torque. Acceleration from 50 to way faster than one should be driving on a two lane back road is unexpectedly smooth. I could wind it up better in the curves with a manual but it’s absolutely not needed.

I haven’t done any 0-60 or 1/4 mile pulls with the tune. Prior to the tune I was able to repeatedly pull 0-60 in 4.7 and 13.2 1/4 miles on dry pavement without launch assist or loading the engine with Bridgestone 5001s that probably weren’t hot enough.

Sport and Sport+ were a giggle per mile. Interestingly eco mode became very enjoyable.

Using BimmerLink to monitor boost and other sensors I observed the following
Pretune in sport mode I usually saw max boost around 8psi and once saw 10 psi under heavy load
Post tune in sport mode I usually saw around 17psi and twice saw 19 psi under load

Interesting was eco mode where I saw maybe 2 psi pre tune and was seeing 3-5 psi post tune allowing me to climb hills. If I told you eco mode was fun in the foothills in order to “coast” downhill you might laugh at me but there really is some fun to be had without engine braking.

[inverse121]

Terra is the correct color from seatdoctors.com for the 2016 seats not Terra Brown even if your window sticker says Terra Brown.
Ask the vendor if you aren’t sure
One coat on damaged area shown below
Looks like I need to do the entire seating surface