Hey y'all long time lurker and first time poster. Earlier this month I was able to pick up a F32 in the exact spec that I wanted. Coming from a 2009 328i xdrive it has been a treat. (I still love the e92)
It's a 2015 435i with just over 64k miles, m sport including breaks, technology, heads up display, and premium package. It was a little higher millage then I wanted but had all the options I cared about, and looked clean with a solid carfax history report. After over a year of looking I pulled the trigger and traded in the e92.
The previous owner had done some work to the car before it was sold. It had an aftermarket air intake and when the put the OEM one back on they didn't have the right screws. Thankfully the janky Philips heads are holding and aren't causing any issues. They also broke the clip holding the vacuum line going into the intake. All this means is I have an actual reason to upgrade the air intake.
They also put on a metal charge pipe. It looks like an ebay special but if anyone can help me identify it'd be appreciated.
First thing I had to take care of (after pre-purchase inspection/oil change) was getting my bike rack back on so I could start hitting the trails again this summer. Refinished the Thule end caps with a black epoxy spray paint. They were sun bleached and the glass fiber reinforcement was starting to show. The silver runners are wrapped in 3m's 2080 carbon fiber wrap. It's holding up so far to the Charlotte weather and has survived a trip to Charleston. We'll see how the heat hits it in a few months.
Hard to see in this picture but the white on black blends in pretty well and doesn't stand as tall as the OEM BMW roof rack.
Had to throw the M4 style spoiler and black chrome 435i badge on it. I'm not a fan of chrome in general
The spoiler will also be the only M4 style mod I'll do. I'm not trying to up-badge
although I wish I had a M4. The exhaust tips will be changed out in time. I'm still trying to decide on what exhaust to go with. Currently leaning towards the M Performance one since I daily this and don't need it too loud, but that's pricy. Hopefully I can find a used one on ebay or in a pull-a-part that isn't damaged.
The tensioner pulley was starting to make the chirping noise and had a wobble to it so I replaced that as well. This was way easier than I thought it'd be. It was harder tracking down a T60 bit after the one I ordered on amazon was lost in the mail. Ended up going to 3 auto parts stores and decided to just get a kit that has all the weird sizes I'll need in the future. The faces the reps made when I asked if they carried a T60 was worth it
Had to get rid of the orange reflectors. These are the "smoked" reflectors you can grab on ebay for like $20 the fitment is better than I thought they'd be. I might switch to the paint matched ones later. Depends on how these look with a front lip once I get one.
The project from this past weekend and last until my bank account recovers
6.5" VRSF stepped intercooler. They're on sale and with the Carolina summers coming up I figured more bigger more better. I also picked up the FTP Boost Pipe because I'd be in there anyway, and I like the idea of all metal from turbo to throttle body.
Stock:
The difference. This doesn't do it justice. The weight of the VRSF intercooler compared to the stock one is laughable.
I had to put in and take the intercooler out twice. The first time I had the silicone coupler on the turbo side of the boost pipe and couldn't get it to move down over the silver metal half. The second time I put the coupler on the intercooler and with the silicone tube and slid that onto the black side of the boost pipe. Other than that the only hard part about this was getting that dreaded black clip off the stock boost pipe.
Once the boost pipe side was seated the charge pipe wouldn't want to move the 5mm to clip in the part in red. I ended up needing to undo the C clip at the top and do some persuasion, but it finally clicked in. All in all this took about 4 hours, but I was taking my time. This is easily doable if you have the basic tools and mechanical knowhow.
After:
Other then a few coding options I've done that's how the car sits today. The next mod will be a downpipe then tune. I'm still torn on MHD or BM3. I wish there was a way to view the BM3 tunes that are available without purchasing it, or you can and I'm just dumb
Currently the VRSF high flow cat is in the lead. I'm not out racing so the added power of a catless downpipe doesn't out weigh the smell or emissions and there are enough straight piped Hondas and 350z's around where I live to where that loud of an exhaust gets old. The M Performance exhaust with a high flow cat should be a pretty good match up for a stock+2 like sound that's aggressive enough but can still have a pretty chill cruise on Sunday morning. It's just the BMW tax that comes with it
My only complaint is how numb the steering is in comfort mode, but sport mode is good enough
I miss the hydraulic steering in the e92, but absolutely love this car. It was worth waiting over a year for the right one to pop up.