shadowface

The warning indicator comes on to tell you that you need to fill up. As far as I've checked, letting the level drop very low can only lead to possible faults if you continue to drive without a sufficient supply of fuel. Think of it as a heart: you stop pumping blood with oxygen through it, it will begin to hinder you and in the end fail. That said, I bet your !Removed! that your heart is more resistible to a lack of fuel than your engine :-) PS. In your manual, you should have a note saying that the reserve (<5 litres of fuel) is a precaution measure and shouldn't be used to drive until empty, but only to get you to the next petrol station.

Yeah, it is, although I like reading reviews on websites such as Parkers, or tech data from BMW or AutoTrader. A quick data comparison could save you a lot of headaches! In regards to the engine power, the same goes for diesels: 116d is a 1.6l diesel and 118d, 120d and 123d are all 2.0l diesels. The main difference between the former two and the last one (123d) is that the latter is twin-charged (bi-turbodiesel), so it has the biggest potential when it comes to remapping. Edit: Corrected the facts about differences between 120d and 123d.

Cheshire sounds good, I'm up for it. I'm from Altrincham BTW.

The 116i is a 1.6l petrol engine. In contrast 118i and 120i are both 2.0l, but most probably (I'm not a BMW engineer) with a different ECU mapping installed, which downgrades the engine's overall power (on 118i) in relation to the higher spec unit. The 116i is a different matter, as it comes only in one flavour, depending on the year.

If you are still on a look out for new tyres, the RFT/non-RFT is a personal preference, although BMW advises not to use non-RFT, since the suspension, wheels and puncture sensors where calibrated to run specifically with the RFT tyres. You cannot do any damage, but be aware that without a RFT tyres, once you get a puncture, you might be left stranded on the hard shoulder or worse, unless you get a spare/inflation kit. Modern RFTs can get you home safely even if you're 150 miles away (unless you drive over 50mph with a puncture), and even if you have literally no pressure in the wheel at all. I think the price is worth the convenience. Plus, the RFT drive is much nicer for me, personally.