New MPG and Personalized License Plates

Earlier this month we took a road trip to the Bay Area. By the time we returned, our MPG improved from 22.4 to 24.5. So far, I was able to maintain 24.0 MPG on my daily commute to and from work.



I also received my new license plates. The car came with one plate so in case I ever got pulled over for not having a front license plate, I decided to get new plate altogether.

MPG and New Purchases

A few weeks ago, I drove to Beverly Hills to attend a focus group for work. Since I got this car, I haven't been able to hit the proposed MPG 25/hwy. So far the closest I've gotten was 22.4 combined. We plan to take a road trip to Vegas in a few weeks so maybe I'll get a little closer with more driving distance.

During my LA trip, I had a navigation fail. This car didn't come with a nav system as I never really liked BMW's iDrive. I figured I'll use my iPhone for navigation since I haven't had any trouble with it. What I failed to overcome when I got into Beverly Hills, specifically on Beverly Drive, was dropped cell signals. I had full bars but Google Maps totally died on me. Damn AT&T. Luckily I sort of knew what direction I had to go toward but I had no idea where the focus group facility was. I ended up parking in a residential area and rebooting my phone. When my phone recovered cell signal, I was a few blocks away from where I needed to be.

When I got home, I told Hubs I needed to install a nav system in the car. To reduce costs, we're removing the nav system from the M3 and reinstalling it in my car since it's already hooked up to my SiriusXM radio subscription.

JVC KW-NT1 Navigation Receiver

I had to buy the following items to retrofit the nav system into my car.

Metra Axxess BMRC-01 BMW/Mini Cooper 2011 ACC Wire with Chime Speaker - Price: $99.00

Antenna Adapter - Price: $4.95

Metra 95-9306B 08-10 BMW without Nav Dash Kit - Price: $27.26

DIY: How to install E82 LCI LED Tail Lights

This weekend Hubs installed the OEM E82 LCI LED tail lights. These tail lights were introduced with the 2011 BMW 1-series.

For comparison, OEM LCI LED on top, stock tail lights on the bottom. 

LCI LED Tail Lights installation on BMW E82 135i:

Installation time: 15 minutes

1. Remove the truck liner panel. 

2. Use a trim removal tool to remove the panel fasteners.

3. Remove the fasteners from the rear truck trim. This is optional for those who don't want to crease the paneling.

4. Carefully loosen the gasket.

5. Bend the truck liner to reveal the back of the tail light.

6. Remove the tail light bolts with a 8mm socket.

7. Remove the light connectors.

8. Remove the stock tail light. 

9. Replace the stock tail light with the LED tail lights and replace the gasket.

10. Screw back the bolts with a 8mm socket.

 11. Fasten the light connectors.

12. Pull back the truck liner panel and reattach the panel fasteners.

 

LCI LED Tail Lights vs. Stock Tail Lights

Before

After

Here's what the lights looks like at night:

Pre-order CA Legacy Plates

As of January 1, 2013, the California Legacy Licence Plate Program went into effect. California residents can apply to the DMW for one of three vintage plates from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. More information about the program can be found on the DMV website.

I definitely like the vintage black plate with yellow lettering. As soon as I receive my personalized license plates, I will probably apply for the vintage ones. Unfortunately, there is a minimum 7,500 threshold before each plate goes into production. This threshold needs to be met by January 1, 2015 or the plates will not be produced.

I always considered the BMW 1 series a successor to the BMW 2002 Turbo due to its mod appeal and race car history. I think the legacy plates on my E82 would give the modern car a vintage feel.

I hope the plates go into production soon. Pre-order the plates here.

Additional details: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/legacyplates/faqs.htm

Füllgewicht

   

The LCI LED tail lights arrived. I was surprised it came in a big box. Once I saw the word Füllgewicht, I knew it was for my car. More installs later this week.

Füllgewicht = net weight

Personalized License Plate

When I bought my car, I didn't bother checking if it had two license plates. I knew the registration was valid until February 2013.

In case I ever got pulled over by the cops, I figured I should have two license plates for the front and rear. Rather than ordering a duplicate plate, I decided to order personalized plates. It didn't take long to come up with what my plate number should be. I need to make sure the car lives up to its name (I didn't use my surname btw).

I hope the plates come in before my registration expires. It's already been three weeks and it's supposed to arrive within 8-12 weeks.

DIY: How to install Angel Eyes and Side Marker Lights

This afternoon Hubs (aka MarcGuyver) installed the LED Angel Eyes lights (headline bulbs) and Smoke White LED bar side marker lights. These lights are simple to installed yourself and it only took less than 30 minutes of time.

Angel Eyes installation on BMW E82 135i:

1. Open the hood and locate the headlight housing cover at the back of the headlight.

 2. Pull down the clip holding the housing and slightly remove the cover. Keep the bottom of the cover in place so that it can be easily put back.

3. Pull out the bulb from the housing. 

4. Replace the stock light bulb with the Angel Eyes light bulb. As you can see, there is a major difference in the size and design of the bulbs. 

5. Before putting the bulb back into the housing, turn on the headlights to ensure the connection works. Next, close the housing and pull the clip up to secure the cover in place.

 Before

 After

Here's a side by side comparison. Angel Eyes on the left and stock light bulbs on the right. Angel Eyes lights provide a super bright LED white light compared to the stock lights which look orange.

Smoke White LED Bar Side Markers installation on BMW E82 135i:

1. Remove the side market light by sliding the light toward the front of the car and lifting the back part of the light.

2. Remove the stock side market light from its housing by lifting up on the lock with a screwdriver and twisting the light free.

3. Remove the stock bulb.

4. Attach the new LED connector to the light connector Then plug the light connector into the housing. Turn on the hazard lights to ensure the connection works. Next, put the light back in place by pushing the light toward the front of the car and allow the back of the light to clip in.

 Before

 After

 It was hard to photograph the side markers so I took video instead.

Products:

BMW 10w Cree-IC Angel Eyes E82 LED Marker Light - Price: $56.95

BMW 135i Smoke White LED Light Bar Side Marker Lights - Price: $38.95