[jptaylorsg]

Good morning, all!

I have an F30 328i with the N20 PP, 104,000 miles, and I'm looking to put a light tune - BM3 Stage 1 - on it to wring a bit more HP out of it.

This is my plan:
BM3 Stage 1
Injen intake (for just a little of interesting engine sound mostly - the OEM engine note is pretty embarrassing).
FTP Charge Pipe

1. For the Stage 1, is that sufficient upgrading?
2. Does anyone in a similar engine/mileage sitch have experience going to Stage 2, and how stable was it? I want to keep my car a few more years, so I don't want to overtune it and shred the engine.

But if I did go to Stage 2, what more would I need beside a downpipe?

Thanks in advance. I know all the answers are out there, but I'm just looking for quick validation or correction based on my specific situation.

[j.f.leonard]

Firstly, for stage 2 you will need a FMIC and downpipes for sure. Anyway, I have a stage 1 tune on my n20 and the difference is quite noticeable so I do recommend it. I use the stock charge pipe with an Injen intake and muffler delete. As long as your car is well maintained and has the timing chain taken care of if its a pre-2015 n20 it should be fine.

[jptaylorsg]

Thanks!

[jptaylorsg]

Originally Posted by j.f.leonard

As long as your car is well maintained and has the timing chain taken care of if its a pre-2015 n20 it should be fine.

Thanks for the reply. Not sure about the timing chain. The car is well maintained, and it has been dealer-serviced for its whole life. Nothing has been said or recommended regarding the timing chain.
Do I need to proactively replace the timing chain? I know they can be a source of problems in the N20, of course.

[RMachuca3d]

To be on the safe side, i run the ACN 91 map which is more like stage 0.8 .

[j.f.leonard]

Originally Posted by jptaylorsg

Thanks for the reply. Not sure about the timing chain. The car is well maintained, and it has been dealer-serviced for its whole life. Nothing has been said or recommended regarding the timing chain.
Do I need to proactively replace the timing chain? I know they can be a source of problems in the N20, of course.

I took my 2012 n20 to the shop and had them replace the timing chain preemptively. When i went to pick it up they said the timing chain guide had already broken and it was a matter of time until it clogged my oil pump and starved my motor of oil. Quite an expensive fix, but its good to go ahead and do it for piece of mind, especially if you plan on driving it hard and doing performance mods. That way, you shouldnt run into even more expensive problems. I think there may be a class action lawsuit against BMW right now in regard to the timing chain issue, so I'd call your local BMW dealership and ask about it. I heard through the grapevine that BMW will replace it for free now.

[gpdriver17]

How bad is it to change the DP on these cars? I'd consider doing stage 2, but I really don't want to deal with the DP. It was ~$2,500 last time I did that on a car.

[sspade]

Originally Posted by gpdriver17

How bad is it to change the DP on these cars? I'd consider doing stage 2, but I really don't want to deal with the DP. It was ~$2,500 last time I did that on a car.

Simple if you can safely get the car off the ground and have all the tools organized before hand. Ive done it twice personally (one N20, one N26) and its not bad at all.

The hardest part for me (both times) was the fucking o2 sensor electrical connections on the backside of motor. Embarrassing. They aren't that hard to access but for some reason Ive had a hard time getting them uncoupled.

[Clefmonster]

Originally Posted by j.f.leonard

I took my 2012 n20 to the shop and had them replace the timing chain preemptively. When i went to pick it up they said the timing chain guide had already broken and it was a matter of time until it clogged my oil pump and starved my motor of oil. Quite an expensive fix, but its good to go ahead and do it for piece of mind, especially if you plan on driving it hard and doing performance mods. That way, you shouldnt run into even more expensive problems. I think there may be a class action lawsuit against BMW right now in regard to the timing chain issue, so I'd call your local BMW dealership and ask about it. I heard through the grapevine that BMW will replace it for free now.

There's a plethora of threads on this. And as of today, bmw still does NOT replace it for free past warranty. Any rumors of an actual recall likely comes from the same unverified source (but the rumor continues to be propogated). N26 owners may have additional luck with SULEV warranty. N20 owners are boned

[mike@x-ph.com]

Tune + charge pipe is all you need for a stage 1
The intake is a nice addition for sound and minor HP increase

You need an intercooler and downpipe for stage 2 maps

[jptaylorsg]

Thanks for all of the help.

At 104000 miles, I don't think there's any way BMW is fixing the timing chain for me, no matter the result of the class-action. But if that changes, I wouldn't turn it down. l do love this car.
I'll probably just go Stage 1 and enjoy it until the high-pitched whine appears (if it does) and then decide whether to fix it or move onto another car.

[sspade]

Originally Posted by jptaylorsg

Thanks for all of the help.

At 104000 miles, I don't think there's any way BMW is fixing the timing chain for me, no matter the result of the class-action. But if that changes, I wouldn't turn it down. l do love this car.
I'll probably just go Stage 1 and enjoy it until the high-pitched whine appears (if it does) and then decide whether to fix it or move onto another car.

This is the best choice IMHO. Treat the car well (dont beat on when cold and change oil often) and you will most likely be fine.

Im on my second boomod3 stage 1 tuned N20 and have had no issues at all.

[Clefmonster]

Originally Posted by jptaylorsg

Thanks for all of the help.

At 104000 miles, I don't think there's any way BMW is fixing the timing chain for me, no matter the result of the class-action. But if that changes, I wouldn't turn it down. l do love this car.
I'll probably just go Stage 1 and enjoy it until the high-pitched whine appears (if it does) and then decide whether to fix it or move onto another car.

Originally Posted by jptaylorsg

Thanks for all of the help.

At 104000 miles, I don't think there's any way BMW is fixing the timing chain for me, no matter the result of the class-action. But if that changes, I wouldn't turn it down. l do love this car.
I'll probably just go Stage 1 and enjoy it until the high-pitched whine appears (if it does) and then decide whether to fix it or move onto another car.

I'm currently living life on the edge like you. Just also realize that thing can grenade your engine with or without the whine, with no warning. Good luck!

[jptaylorsg]

^ No doubt true. Obviously, any engine can fail at any time with or without warning, so we're all really just taking chances - and trying to be as smart as possible.
Enjoy life on the edge.
:-)