[KiwiRD]

Hey all,

I've got around 95K miles on my N54 right now, and I'm still debating whether to flash it with MHD stage 1 93 (I know I know). The more cautious side of me says "leave it alone", as it's running perfectly right now and I don't really want any major repair bills, but I'm also curious about the extra power and know what the potential is. The engine runs well - when warm there is not a hint of lifter tick, it had new turbos at 60K, and a new waterpump at 85K. I've also done the belt, tensioner and every pulley. Plugs were also done around 10K ago. There are no leaks at present either and I always run it on 93. I guess the most important thing is it doesn't use any oil - at least not according to the e-dipstick. Between oil changes it never moves from the max reading on the guage. So by all accounts it should be fine but...here are my questions:

What mileage did you tune at, and, when you did tune did your engine then begin to show signs of stress (other than coils)? Did it start to use oil? Was there anything that started to make you think you shouldn't have tuned?

[atinybug]

JB4 map 1 at about 75k miles, at 92k now, no problems.

[justpete]

Active Autowerke tune at 20K, now over 45K with no issues.

[thkfast]

COBB AP V3 at 50,000 miles. Required a walnut blast, new injectors and plugs.
I blew the stock charge pipe apart at the throttle body and replaced it with an aluminum
aftermarket charge pipe and BOV. While I had the stock air cleaner off,
I decided to throw on BMW dual cone air cleaners - easier than reinstalling the
stock air cleaner.

You just have to realize that the increased performance comes with a price -
accelerated wear and stress on parts.

[Game]

JB4 at about 90k, now at 100. Had walnut blast done prior to install.

Biggest issue was the internal DME failure. Which seems to me a somewhat common issue with the 07). Thankfully the fix isn't expensive.

Agreed with the poster above, if you add boost, I would first get a charge pipe. My stock CP help up fine in map 1, however others have not been as lucky.

[JasW]

MHD Flasher at 19K. I had a 2008 335i with 95K miles, oddly enough, but I sold it in April. It needed a walnut blast, which I see isn't mentioned by the OP. I'd get that done first, although it appears to be the only thing you'd need to do at this point.

[Underground6t9]

75k cobb ap v2, stage 2 FBO. im at 100k I had a valve cover leak may be due to high output of boost. No leaks after that, runs strong.

[fazman]

Originally Posted by KiwiRD

Hey all,

I've got around 95K miles on my N54 right now, and I'm still debating whether to flash it with MHD stage 1 93 (I know I know). The more cautious side of me says "leave it alone", as it's running perfectly right now and I don't really want any major repair bills, but I'm also curious about the extra power and know what the potential is. The engine runs well - when warm there is not a hint of lifter tick, it had new turbos at 60K, and a new waterpump at 85K. I've also done the belt, tensioner and every pulley. Plugs were also done around 10K ago. There are no leaks at present either and I always run it on 93. I guess the most important thing is it doesn't use any oil - at least not according to the e-dipstick. Between oil changes it never moves from the max reading on the guage. So by all accounts it should be fine but...here are my questions:

What mileage did you tune at, and, when you did tune did your engine then begin to show signs of stress (other than coils)? Did it start to use oil? Was there anything that started to make you think you shouldn't have tuned?

Just get a JB4 and set it to Map 5, enjoy driving and not having to worry about the tune.

[kctim]

Only one (the OP) who mentioned turbo replacement so far. That's good. The last time I went to one of these threads, ~50% of the people seemed to have replaced their turbos before 100k. I'm sure many of those were due to wastegate rattle but certainly not all.

OP, you just got fresh turbos and that's the only $$$ item you should be concerned about. You're up to date on your maintenance, go have fun!

[KiwiRD]

Thanks all for your comments. I think the walnut blast and CP will be first on the list and then I should be good to go with the tune.

[accel]

Just want to throw it in... My car broke pretty badly and unexpectedly after warranty. BMW covered most (but not all) of the cost at goodwill. But if you have tuned your car, I guess there wil be much less chance of any goodwil. So, there's something to think about even after warranty.

[KiwiRD]

Originally Posted by accel

Just want to throw it in... My car broke pretty badly and unexpectedly after warranty. BMW covered most (but not all) of the cost at goodwill. But if you have tuned your car, I guess there wil be much less chance of any goodwil. So, there's something to think about even after warranty.

I think I'd be pushing any chance of goodwill whether tuned or standard to be honest. I've only ever had one repair done at a BMW dealer here in NZ, so I don't have a relationship with them as such. It sounds like there's a bit more chance of them helping out in US. I actually bought the car in the UK before moving back to NZ. When in the UK, the car was an "Approved Used Car" - your equivalent of CPO - but when I checked with BMW NZ they said that warranty wasn't transferable internationally which sucked.

[Nitrousbird]

I'd have to look at my spreadsheet, but JB4 on Map 5 at around 109k with a backend flash I did a couple thousand later. I had the tune on it just a couple weeks after purchase. I wouldn't have bought this car if I had to be stuck at near stock power levels...stock is lacking a bit.