Engine/ECU mods and warranty: what's safe?

[SizerM4]

I'm spending £75,000 on my M4, with a further £8,000 on M Performance parts and looking to spend around another £15,000 on modifications. When so much money is being spent right at the beginning, the last thing I want to be doing is spending more on repairing it myself because the warranty is voided.

With so many M3/M4 owners out there and the fact most are probably still in their warranty period, what problems or lack of problems have owners had with there stock cars, modified cars, dealers, warranty, etc?

And, with so many different options as well for exhausts, downpipes, ECU remaps/piggybacks, charge pipes, etc., there must be a perfect or safe combination to get the desired results we're all after without having in the back of our minds, "What if something goes wrong?".

We all know the risks of what we do and are prepared to take them when doing what we do but I feel this is the right question to ask. The M3/M4's are more than just a car to most of us and the last thing we all want to do is end up resenting and regretting our purchases. I hope you all understand the purpose of this post and we help the many owners or future owners make up their minds a little easier before coming unstuck.

[silver_mcoupe]

For mods and warranty compliance in the US - we have Dinan.

In the UK you have access to others such as Hartge, Alpina etc - not sure how they interact with your BMW UK warranty...

[Arcades]

When it comes to safest Exhaust? Akrapovic.

Everything is personal preference.

[Gibson6594]

If warranty is such a big concern, why not just take that extra cash and buy a faster car?

[SizerM4]

Originally Posted by Gibson6594

If warranty is such a big concern, why not just take that extra cash and buy a faster car?

2 reasons
I personally aren't so worried about the warranty, it's a question that has been thrown at me and I answer it with "it's the risk you take" but I feel my original post is a valid point for many other members and owners.
Also if I wanted a faster car, I would buy the GTR or the M6 but the M4 was much more fun to drive and more practical than the GTR and personally I don't like the M6 but the M4 I absolutely love.
Hope that answers your question

[jstnstr]

Originally Posted by SizerM4

2 reasons
I personally aren't so worried about the warranty, it's a question that has been thrown at me and I answer it with "it's the risk you take" but I feel my original post is a valid point for many other members and owners.
Also if I wanted a faster car, I would buy the GTR or the M6 but the M4 was much more fun to drive and more practical than the GTR and personally I don't like the M6 but the M4 I absolutely love.
Hope that answers your question

I think that like everything else in life, nothing is without risk. The more simple and OEM you keep it the lower the risk for sure. I try not to do anything irreversible.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by SizerM4

I hope you all understand the purpose of this post and we help the many owners or future owners make up there mind a little easier before coming unstuck.

If you can afford to self insure, then there is nothing to worry about. If warranty worries overwhelm your enjoyment of the car, then don't mod it at all.

Each person's risk tolerance is different. Have as much fun in life as you can afford and tolerate, without freaking out too much!

a

[MRV99]

So what you are asking is can I modify my car, break it or have issues (maybe due to the mods) and still make sure that I don't have to pay for it.

I can only assume that you know what modifications which could void your warranty. Exhaust no, computer mods which "MAY" cause a failure then yes. You have to look at your own personal risk tolerance and understand you may be stuck with a bill if things go wrong

[SizerM4]

Firstly I'm not looking to modding my M4, treat it like shit and expect everyone to just fix it at my will. I'm not 18 and getting Daddy to buy it for me, this car is bought with 16 years of hard work and sacrifice and finally getting the opportunity to live out a dream.

I don't plan on racing it, putting methanol or race fuel in it. It's purely being used for my own enjoyment maybe at the end of the day or at the weekend.

Just because I can afford to mod and pay for the consequences, doesn't mean I'm going into it blind or stupidly. The purpose of this thread was for people to say where they had certain mods and never had a problem or they bought a certain mod and caused nothing but trouble and ended up costing them a fortune. Not everyone is in the same boat as me but if you work hard to achieve your chance of getting and modding a car like this, you also don't want to just waste your money on a mod that causes problems

With so many options out there, it is easy to get mislead with the figures or facts

[Kankles]

Warranty concerns are one reason I haven't done a piggyback or flash tune. The other is the fact that the stock power is plenty to still put a smile on my face after a year of ownership. I've run JB4 on a previous car with no issues at all but I just don't feel the need yet. Trying to keep my mods to tasteful aesthetics and an exhaust (no DPs).

[thebatman]

Any forced induction car is very susceptible to tuning.
There hasn't been any reported case of any failures yet on basic bolt ons and an ECU tune. This car can certainly handle a lot more than the factory advertised setting. It is over engineered to ensure it doesn't fail or break down with just a minor boost increase. Remember that the S55 engine in the F80/82 M3/4 was based on the N54 and N55 engine of the 335i, and that engine can handle a hell of a lot more. The 335i N54 engine was a test mule for BMW to get into the era of forced induction (as they knew the world of car manufacturing was gonna change due to increased oil prices, stricter emissions standards and higher levy government tax on engine size displacement). They worked out all the weak components of the engine, all the failures that it suffered from owners around the world during the 8 years that it was released before they made the S55, and they made it better, stronger and a lot more robust. Things like HPFP, solenoid, leaking vacuum lines, cracked charge pipe and engine cooling efficiency were rectified in the S55. They made the Pistons stronger, bigger turbos to handle more boost, better injectors and the use of an air to water intercooler mounted on top instead of a front mount intercooler for much better engine cooling (also used in Porsche turbo cars).
They made the DCT transmission better than the previous to ensure there was no slippage with faster shifts.
I highly believe that the S55 is one hell of a masterpiece and will go down very well with high end tuners over time. It could be regarded as the modern day straight Six turbo reborn of the mighty Japanese 2jz supra and RB26 of the skyline Gtr, and we all know how legendary those cars and its engine were even after 20years.

I think you should enjoy your F8x as I'm pretty sure this will be the last of its kind made before the introduction of the next Generation G series M 3/4 ///M cars being Hybrid.

[SizerM4]

Originally Posted by thebatman

Any forced induction car is very susceptible to tuning.
There hasn't been any reported case of any failures yet on basic bolt ons and an ECU tune. This car can certainly handle a lot more than the factory advertised setting. It is over engineered to ensure it doesn't fail or break down with just a minor boost increase. Remember that the S55 engine in the F80/82 M3/4 was based on the N54 and N55 engine of the 335i, and that engine can handle a hell of a lot more. The 335i N54 engine was a test mule for BMW to get into the era of forced induction (as they knew the world of car manufacturing was gonna change due to increased oil prices, stricter emissions standards and higher levy government tax on engine size displacement). They worked out all the weak components of the engine, all the failures that it suffered from owners around the world during the 8 years that it was released before they made the S55, and they made it better, stronger and a lot more robust. Things like HPFP, solenoid, leaking vacuum lines, cracked charge pipe and engine cooling efficiency were rectified in the S55. They made the Pistons stronger, bigger turbos to handle more boost, better injectors and the use of an air to water intercooler mounted on top instead of a front mount intercooler for much better engine cooling (also used in Porsche turbo cars).
They made the DCT transmission better than the previous to ensure there was no slippage with faster shifts.
I highly believe that the S55 is one hell of a masterpiece and will go down very well with high end tuners over time. It could be regarded as the modern day straight Six turbo reborn of the mighty Japanese 2jz supra and RB26 of the skyline Gtr, and we all know how legendary those cars and its engine were even after 20years.

I think you should enjoy your F8x as I'm pretty sure this will be the last of its kind made before the introduction of the next Generation G series M 3/4 ///M cars being Hybrid.

Now this is the sort of reply I was hoping for. So much information in their and it helps everyone understand the limitations off what can be upgraded.
Thank you very much bud

[BoxKing]

Firstly... you created a thread that has been covered say 10000000 times over, so you opened the door to get slammed from the bat when the "SEARCH TOOL" should have been used, or just by browsing the first few topics listed in any sticky. As far as mods, I havent seen many negative posts on here, which goes to show the quality of products produced for the F8x. Many of the issues I've read about start from the owners either doing poor installs or choosing unqualified installers - then they point the finger at the direct manufacture. Thankfully if you do have an issues with mods, you wont be the first, and there are thousands of ppl here to help, or fixes already listed.

IMHO, don't go spending all your Bee's N Honey on all these parts right away. Here is a good choice... screw all the above and make sure you get a really good Full Front PPF - these usually have a 5-10 year warranty. What the hell would you be buying for all that loot in M Performance parts; CRAY CRAY?!

[The Choosey begger]

Originally Posted by thebatman

Any forced induction car is very susceptible to tuning.
There hasn't been any reported case of any failures yet on basic bolt ons and an ECU tune. This car can certainly handle a lot more than the factory advertised setting. It is over engineered to ensure it doesn't fail or break down with just a minor boost increase. Remember that the S55 engine in the F80/82 M3/4 was based on the N54 and N55 engine of the 335i, and that engine can handle a hell of a lot more. The 335i N54 engine was a test mule for BMW to get into the era of forced induction (as they knew the world of car manufacturing was gonna change due to increased oil prices, stricter emissions standards and higher levy government tax on engine size displacement). They worked out all the weak components of the engine, all the failures that it suffered from owners around the world during the 8 years that it was released before they made the S55, and they made it better, stronger and a lot more robust. Things like HPFP, solenoid, leaking vacuum lines, cracked charge pipe and engine cooling efficiency were rectified in the S55. They made the Pistons stronger, bigger turbos to handle more boost, better injectors and the use of an air to water intercooler mounted on top instead of a front mount intercooler for much better engine cooling (also used in Porsche turbo cars).
They made the DCT transmission better than the previous to ensure there was no slippage with faster shifts.
I highly believe that the S55 is one hell of a masterpiece and will go down very well with high end tuners over time. It could be regarded as the modern day straight Six turbo reborn of the mighty Japanese 2jz supra and RB26 of the skyline Gtr, and we all know how legendary those cars and its engine were even after 20years.

I think you should enjoy your F8x as I'm pretty sure this will be the last of its kind made before the introduction of the next Generation G series M 3/4 ///M cars being Hybrid.

http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1170866

[thebatman]

Originally Posted by anglo

http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1170866

That's due to idiot drivers over revving it during hard down shifting. Can happen in any car. If you go from 5th to 2nd with 8000rpm, your just playing with fire.

The OP was talking about basic tuning, and whether the M3/4 can handle it.
Max stock boost on the car is around 18psi. With an ECU tune, it only pushes an extra 4psi to 22psi which the stock turbos can handle easily. This will see the car go from 317kw to 375 - 400 kw.

[trey100]

So is the above true - no known reported failures caused by JB Stage 1/2?