[jgoens]

Originally Posted by chaungo

The question is, how many posts on the forum here state that someone blew up their N55 using JB4/Enzo or any other flash tune for the matter?

We've seen mostly N20/N26 platforms, but I have not seen a single thread stating someone blew up their N55, and if there were one, they were running race gas or meth, or the turbo would probably melt first. But on pump gas, I highly doubt it.



The point is, running tunes on the N55 doesn't change much to reliability as it's a pretty well built engine for tuning. Most people have been running JB4 for no problems for over 3 years and well over 30k miles without issues.

This is true. Since I have been reading this forum as well as Bimmerfest and N54tech I have only seen one instance of a car blowing it's engine which not only had a tune but many many other mods. Before I bought my first JB4 I scoured the internet for 2 weeks and could not find any reports of anyone with only JB4 blowing an engine.

In fact, the other thread of the guy with a blown N20 is the first I have seen with that engine, BUT, he was also tracking. So, to state a tune and everyday driving leads to less reliability is a statement without proven fact. While, common sense might dictate that raising performance will decrease reliability, we don't know where that threshhold is.

[msmiles]

Don't feed the trolls.

Let others take the risks they wish. It's no skin off your back.

[donkey]

Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me
I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed
She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb
In the shape of an "L" on her forehead
Well the years start coming and they don't stop coming
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running
Didn't make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
So much to do, so much to see
So what's wrong with taking the back streets?
You'll never know if you don't go
You'll never shine if you don't glow
Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold
It's a cool place and they say it gets colder
You're bundled up now, wait till you get older
But the meteor men beg to differ
Judging by the hole in the satellite picture
The ice we skate is getting pretty thin
The water's getting warm so you might as well swim
My world's on fire, how about yours?
That's the way I like it and I never get bored
Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid
All that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold
Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show, on get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars
Somebody once asked could I spare some change for gas?
I need to get myself away from this place
I said yep what a concept
I could use a little fuel myself
And we could all use a little change
Well, the years start coming and they don't stop coming
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running
Didn't make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
So much to do, so much to see
So what's wrong with taking the back streets?
You'll never know if you don't go (go!)
You'll never shine if you don't glow
Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold

[jgoens]

Originally Posted by drive335

What garbage. Why place so much importance on your IQ?

I didn't go to college, so I must be as dumb as a rock and making crap money while flipping burgers and living with my parents.

I don't fit anywhere on that chart, I usually use this one:

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by drive335

What garbage. Why place so much importance on your IQ?

I didn't go to college, so I must be as dumb as a rock and making crap money while flipping burgers and living with my parents.

Then I guess you're the outlier - the next Bill Gates.

*technically, he never finished college.

[//M]

Any piggyback is going to have the transmission operating sub optimally. Period. (Autos only not manual)

All ECU's including ours run a load based system. With any piggyback your running stock load. All automatics use a ECU parameter called calculated torque. CalcuIt uses this as it's main parameter to decide how to shift and what kind of pressures to use.

If your automatic, A ECU tune is the only truly correct way to tune your vehicle for maximum sustainability.

But hey people will probably think I don't what what I'm talking about. (Shrug)

[harkes]

Yet another soap...damn good enterteinment! Thanks Polo08816

[ClevelandBeemer]

Originally Posted by drive335

What garbage. Why place so much importance on your IQ?

I didn't go to college, so I must be as dumb as a rock and making crap money while flipping burgers and living with my parents.

[jgoens]

Originally Posted by harkes

Yet another soap...damn good enterteinment! Thanks Polo08816

Ahh, damn..the one about the guy who blew his N20 in general is the same topic and better...should just merge both into one and have the super classic thread.

[stxf30]

Originally Posted by harkes

Very easy to answer. All tuners are willing to accept some loss of reliability over performance. And usually this loss is very small (if you can restrain yourself) because all car manufacturers over engineer their mechanical components so they are 99% sure they will not fail in stock form.

Not so sure about all manufactures...but I see your point. BMW > all others.

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by jgoens

Ahh, damn..the one about the guy who blew his N20 in general is the same topic and better...should just merge both into one and have the super classic thread.

That thread is truly epic because:

N20 + tune + tracking ==> catastrophic engine failure.

Sure, the N55 may be a better platform for tuning. It may be a "stronger"engine, but given enough time the following WILL happen:

N55 + tune + tracking ==> catastrophic engine failure

And if you're not covered under warranty, it's at worst a $15xxx bill for a replacement N55 long block parts.

... see, time is on my side. All I have to do is wait long enough for the above to be true.

[donkey]

Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me
I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed
She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb
In the shape of an "L" on her forehead
Well the years start coming and they don't stop coming
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running
Didn't make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
So much to do, so much to see
So what's wrong with taking the back streets?
You'll never know if you don't go
You'll never shine if you don't glow
Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold
It's a cool place and they say it gets colder
You're bundled up now, wait till you get older
But the meteor men beg to differ
Judging by the hole in the satellite picture
The ice we skate is getting pretty thin
The water's getting warm so you might as well swim
My world's on fire, how about yours?
That's the way I like it and I never get bored
Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid
All that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold
Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show, on get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars
Somebody once asked could I spare some change for gas?
I need to get myself away from this place
I said yep what a concept
I could use a little fuel myself
And we could all use a little change
Well, the years start coming and they don't stop coming
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running
Didn't make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
So much to do, so much to see
So what's wrong with taking the back streets?
You'll never know if you don't go (go!)
You'll never shine if you don't glow
Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold

[erko1905]

Originally Posted by Polo08816

If the risk of a failure is so low, then offering a warranty should be of insignificant or negligible cost.

Either you're blindly cheerleading a purchase (tune) that you have already made/committed to or your critical thinking abilities need some serious work.

Familiarize yourself with this: http://www.bachelor-of-education.org/college-major-iq/

I've never met a smart person who likes to talk about how smart he/she is.

[jgoens]

Originally Posted by jgoens

I don't fit anywhere on that chart, I usually use this one:

Attachment 1413483

Originally Posted by erko1905

I've never met a smart person who likes to talk about how smart he/she is.

What about people who refer to this chart?

[flipporabasta]

Originally Posted by EvenKeel

.......why didn't BMW just throw a tune on it and drop it into the m2?.....Why the need to scavenge parts from the s55 bin?

Same with the s55 -- if it's so tunable and reliable as the aftermarket preaches, why the need for water injection with the m3 GTS? I mean why not just upp the boost and call it a day?

Finally, what about the guy with the N20 who was hot lapping his car and saw his engine grenade? What should he do?

How do people strap on a $500 piggyback to a $50K+ car and sleep well? Are the engineers at BMW just thick??

you're probably not ment to drive a bimmer, less tune one at all

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by drive335

Was it the tune or tracking that caused those catastrophic failures in the N20?

Does it really matter? If you show up at a dealership with a catastrophic engine failure that will require a replacement long block, they're going to be looking for signs/evidence of unauthorized powertrain modifications. All they have to do is state that the aftermarket tune was a contributing factor towards the failure and you're footing the bill.

My guess would be a combination. I mean that isn't a minor failure that can be fixed relatively easily like a charge pipe busting.

That was a catastrophic engine failure that costs $$$ to fix.

BMW has plenty of N20 samples that they track themselves at testing facilities to include the BMW Performance Center in Spartansburg, SC. I've seen them when I went with my gf to take delivery of her factory ordered '16 X3 35i. Those vehicles are being used day in and day out for track duty, and I'd venture to guess very few of them are seeing the types of failure that you would see on an N20 + aftermarket tune + IC + DP + CP. That configuration is probably at the edge of the design envelope.

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by erko1905

I've never met a smart person who likes to talk about how smart he/she is.

Most people don't think they're smart. They're just amazed by how others are intellectually challenged.

[donkey]

Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me
I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed
She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb
In the shape of an "L" on her forehead
Well the years start coming and they don't stop coming
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running
Didn't make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
So much to do, so much to see
So what's wrong with taking the back streets?
You'll never know if you don't go
You'll never shine if you don't glow
Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold
It's a cool place and they say it gets colder
You're bundled up now, wait till you get older
But the meteor men beg to differ
Judging by the hole in the satellite picture
The ice we skate is getting pretty thin
The water's getting warm so you might as well swim
My world's on fire, how about yours?
That's the way I like it and I never get bored
Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid
All that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold
Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show, on get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars
Somebody once asked could I spare some change for gas?
I need to get myself away from this place
I said yep what a concept
I could use a little fuel myself
And we could all use a little change
Well, the years start coming and they don't stop coming
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running
Didn't make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
So much to do, so much to see
So what's wrong with taking the back streets?
You'll never know if you don't go (go!)
You'll never shine if you don't glow
Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold

[ClevelandBeemer]

Originally Posted by jgoens

What about people who refer to this chart?

The Chive is listed as one of the references so clearly this chart is 100% accurate.

[ClevelandBeemer]

Originally Posted by drive335

Yes. The actual cause of the engine failures is absolutely relevant.



Like in the thread I posted where the guy with the blown N55 got it replaced under warranty after BMW found the tune wasn't the cause of the failure?

Yes, if you blow your engine because of a tune, you likely won't get warrantied. That's why it's important to know the cause of the failure. It seems BMW just might be aware of this as well. If your dealership is lying or not looking into the cause of the issue because they're trying to scam you for more money, that's a different issue entirely.



You guess? Oh good. Finally some hard evidence

Even here on the forums, there's been seemingly less than a dozen reported cases of blown N20 engines. But it's one of the most popular BMW engines on the road today. We're just seeing the highest concentrations because people come to the internet to research and bitch, not start threads about how their car is running fine and exactly the same as the previous day.

Anyway, this thread is about the N55. The N55 is tunable- plenty of people have tuned it. It's as simple as that.

+1

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by drive335

Yes. The actual cause of the engine failures is absolutely relevant.

Like in the thread I posted where the guy with the blown N55 got it replaced under warranty after BMW found the tune wasn't the cause of the failure?

Yes, if you blow your engine because of a tune, you likely won't get warrantied. That's why it's important to know the cause of the failure. It seems BMW just might be aware of this as well. If your dealership is lying or not looking into the cause of the issue because they're trying to scam you for more money, that's a different issue entirely.

Anyway, this thread is about the N55. The N55 is tunable- plenty of people have tuned it. It's as simple as that.

Just be truthful in your answer to this question: Can you afford a replacement N55 long block out of pocket?

The bottom line is if you decide to get an unauthorized tune and you happen to have a catastrophic engine failure where that tune could reasonably be a contributing factor, you are rolling the dice on whether it's going to be covered under warranty.

You may be not get as lucky as that guy. Perhaps his dealer was willing to go to bat for him because he's a repeat customer and brings in a pretty decent book of business. Heck, I've factory ordered a 335i in 2014 and a X3 35i in 2016, have a pretty good working relationship with my dealer, and I wouldn't chance it!

I always chuckle when someone gives the poorly researched opinion: "But the dealer has to prove it! Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act says they do!" In practice, if they deny it, it's on you to prove they are wrong.

[donkey]

Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me
I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed
She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb
In the shape of an "L" on her forehead
Well the years start coming and they don't stop coming
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running
Didn't make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
So much to do, so much to see
So what's wrong with taking the back streets?
You'll never know if you don't go
You'll never shine if you don't glow
Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold
It's a cool place and they say it gets colder
You're bundled up now, wait till you get older
But the meteor men beg to differ
Judging by the hole in the satellite picture
The ice we skate is getting pretty thin
The water's getting warm so you might as well swim
My world's on fire, how about yours?
That's the way I like it and I never get bored
Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid
All that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold
Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show, on get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars
Somebody once asked could I spare some change for gas?
I need to get myself away from this place
I said yep what a concept
I could use a little fuel myself
And we could all use a little change
Well, the years start coming and they don't stop coming
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running
Didn't make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
So much to do, so much to see
So what's wrong with taking the back streets?
You'll never know if you don't go (go!)
You'll never shine if you don't glow
Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold