[LiquidBlue_F30]

Back in February I bought a 2015 320i xDrive CPO. I created his thread to share and document my experiences with this car. It's my daily driver and while I don't intend on tracking it there will be some performance upgrades added along with interior and exterior mods I have planned.

With 49,000 miles on it now maintenance will be due soon such as brakes, tires, serpentine belt and tensioner, and fluid flushes. Here is a list of things I've done to it already.

Mods:

• aFe Pro 5R drop-in replacement air filter
• Mishimoto oil catch can kit

Cosmetics:

• PPF on the hood
• Window tint (40%)

Maintenance

• Liqui Moly Special Tec LL 5W30 oil
• Mann oil filter
• Corteco proTect cabin air filter
• Bosch wiper blades

Accessories:

• Tan leather key fob case

Tools

• CTA oil filter wrench

I love this car. It may only be a base model, but that doesn't make it any less fun to drive. I upgraded from a 2004 330xi with a 6-speed manual transmission. While I enjoy driving manual I don't miss it at all. The 8-speed ZF transmission in the F30 is fast, smooth, and extremely durable. If anyone knows from experience if I can code in Sport Auto Trans to the transmission module using Bimmercode let me know. The only reason I've hesitated buying it is because I'm not entirely sure this feature will be available for this model through their app.

Next post I'll go over my current detailing supply which is growing weekly. And there's an oil sample going to Blackstone shortly.

[wdeerfield]

Great looking car! And i believe bimmercode can. Check out this for supported options: https://bimmercode.app/cars/f30/

Sport Automatic Transmission
Enable/disable the Sport Automatic Transmission.

Values:

Active
Not active
For this option the following control unit has to be available in the car: “Transmission Control Unit” GKEB23

If not, check over in the coding forum to get up to speed on esys. It can be done there as well

[LiquidBlue_F30]

After spending the better half of last night frustrated that there wasn't a decent exhaust option for the 320i that didn't require a new bumper or bumper modification I finally found a kit to piece together from Supersprint. The smaller diameter exhaust found on the 320 makes it difficult to use a kit intended for the 328.

This package will retain the factory downpipe and front pipe while replacing and eliminating the center resonator and upgrading the rear muffler.

Center Resonator Delete: 048013
Rear Muffler: 048004
Exhaust Clamp: 18307560779 (x2)

Both Supersprint parts are special order from Turner Motorsport. I'm going to start by installing the center resonator delete and see what kind of sound that yields and upgrade to the rear muffler afterwards. At the end of the day it should produce a respectable sound that won't involve breaking the bank. All together you're in for under $1,000. It's only a 320 after all.

[muniz_ri]

Originally Posted by LiquidBlue_F30

Back in February I bought a 2015 320i xDrive CPO. I created his thread to share and document my experiences with this car. It's my daily driver and while I don't intend on tracking it there will be some performance upgrades added along with interior and exterior mods I have planned.

With 49,000 miles on it now maintenance will be due soon such as brakes, tires, serpentine belt and tensioner, and fluid flushes. Here is a list of things I've done to it already.

Mods:

• aFe Pro 5R drop-in replacement air filter
• Mishimoto oil catch can kit

Cosmetics:

• PPF on the hood
• Window tint (40%)

Maintenance

• Liqui Moly Special Tec LL 5W30 oil
• Mann oil filter
• Corteco proTect cabin air filter
• Bosch wiper blades

Accessories:

• Tan leather key fob case

Tools

• CTA oil filter wrench

I love this car. It may only be a base model, but that doesn't make it any less fun to drive. I upgraded from a 2004 330xi with a 6-speed manual transmission. While I enjoy driving manual I don't miss it at all. The 8-speed ZF transmission in the F30 is fast, smooth, and extremely durable. If anyone knows from experience if I can code in Sport Auto Trans to the transmission module using Bimmercode let me know. The only reason I've hesitated buying it is because I'm not entirely sure this feature will be available for this model through their app.

Next post I'll go over my current detailing supply which is growing weekly. And there's an oil sample going to Blackstone shortly.

I have a 2016 320I, also CPO, and you can definitely code SAT with Bimmercode. However it will turn your car into a bucking bronco at low speed due to the extremely aggressive downshifts.

[LiquidBlue_F30]

Originally Posted by muniz_ri

I have a 2016 320I, also CPO, and you can definitely code SAT with Bimmercode. However it will turn your car into a bucking bronco at low speed due to the extremely aggressive downshifts.

LOL good to know. I probably wouldn't keep it coded full time. Most of my driving is commuting back and forth to work, 75 miles one way.

[muniz_ri]

Originally Posted by LiquidBlue_F30

LOL good to know. I probably wouldn't keep it coded full time. Most of my driving is commuting back and forth to work, 75 miles one way.

My setup, at least while under warranty, is BMS Stage 1 with Sport+ coded and I drive with the shifter to the left exclusively. Very responsive and fun to drive for a 320I.

[LiquidBlue_F30]

Performed a full detail today. It's not often I go more than a week without cleaning my car in some capacity, but sometimes life gets in the way. Spent half an afternoon going through the wheels, body, and interior. I will usually split it up every week so I'm not committing so much time at once to it.

Anyways here is my arsenal of tools and chemicals today. Not shown are the various microfiber towels since I couldn't display them without risking getting them dirty.

My Adam's collection will be growing substantially this week. After trying a few other brands they have the best quality for consumer grade products.

[dís_f30]

Adams and Chemical Guys are the best products I've come across, especially for metallic colors.

[floridaorange]

Nice! I dig the color.

[LiquidBlue_F30]

It's been a while since I've posted. Lots of updates.

What was perfect paint when I purchased the car didn't last long. Last summer and fall the car was peppered with rock chips from highway paving. I had the entire front end and doors repainted. Then had the hood, bumper, fenders, mirrors, and headlights wrapped in 3M Pro Series PPF. That was then coated in Gtechniq Crystal Serum Ultra. And I installed BMW gloss black M Performance grilles.

The oil filter housing gasket began leaking at about 50,000 miles and I had that repaired under the CPO warranty.

My tires only lasted a year, but that was driving about 29,000 miles with no tire rotations. I knew better. I bought the same Continental Pro Contact run flats. I like these tires a lot of daily driving and they're a beast in the snow. With my long commute it didn't make sense to risk not buying run flats and having no spare.

The rear brakes also wore out at about 60,000 miles and I replaced them with Pagid pads and Zimmermann rotors.

Next up is a brake fluid flush, coolant flush, and transmission service.

[LiquidBlue_F30]

I've been neglecting this thread lately and want to change that around. There's so many threads about mods, increasing HP, tunes, intakes, and everything in between. I want to make this different and show how you can have a tasteful, clean, OEM+ daily driver that is both reliable and fun to drive.

I haven't done much to the car this year. I have been keeping up with maintenance such as oil changes, brake flush, filters, tires, and brakes. The few mods I added came from IND. Those were the painted key hole cover, painted front reflectors, and painted start/stop button. Both the key hole cover and reflectors really cleaned up the exterior a lot and made the car flow better front to back with no distractions. By far the best upgrades I've done.

I haven't quite decided if I'll be doing anything else to the car. I may add the FTP charge pipes and CSF radiator for added reliability and MAYBE an AWE exhaust for fun because why not.

After careful research and for better or worse I've decided to keep the ECU stock. I know that's a contentious topic since that's where the power gains are made, but for a car that I plan on keeping for a while and will be my primary vehicle I don't want the headache of possible issues that could come up either now or in the future.

That's all I got for now. I do have a fall mountain cruise coming up that I'll be making a separate thread about which I'm looking forward to.

[sspade]

This is great. Ive owned two N20 powered F30 and treat them about identical as you. I truly enjoy the base model on this chassis and it definitely has some great tuning potential.

Aside from the rare occurrence of timing chain failure on early models, the N20 is proven to be pretty darn reliable when properly maintained.

You may find some interest at the link below since you seem to be interested in increasing performance.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2443...651/?ref=share