[Pauloxxi]

Originally Posted by snipagang

Taking the grille off was a huge pain and I did not anticipate it to be as difficult as it was. People say it takes 5 minutes to get them off but this was not my experience. Either way I got it done and I am really happy with the matte black grille.

Side note- what do people think of the m stripes on the grille? I was thinking about taking them off because someone told me it was a tasteless mod, but I personally like the way they look. I do not wear them to pretend I have an M car because nobody is being fooled by it (in fact I probably have the furthest thing from an M car that you can get). I just think its a nice heritage to M power and respect for the performance side of BMW. Opinions?

Beautiful car, the white one looks wonderful with black grill.
About the M stripes... do what you like and enjoy. It is you who pay your bills. Good thing you can remove and re-attach that when you feel like.
Unfortunately I didn't find a white F30 when I was buying my car, so I kept black.
Enjoy!

[MSCD]

Originally Posted by thatBimmerBloke

Some nice neighbor you got there I think Volvo owners are often nice, they mostly drive pretty safely.

Absolutely, she's a gem! Nice neighbours I have. The Volvo is nice, just been funny!

[MSCD]

Originally Posted by haagm58

😂

I feel for MSCD , our minivan owns the garage.

Thanks, my wife's 2010 Subaru, and then our Garage Queen E93! Oh well!

[snipagang]

Originally Posted by Pabloxxi

Beautiful car, the white one looks wonderful with black grill.
About the M stripes... do what you like and enjoy. It is you who pay your bills. Good thing you can remove and re-attach that when you feel like.
Unfortunately I didn't find a white F30 when I was buying my car, so I kept black.
Enjoy!

Thanks for the kind words. Im a big fan of the F30 in Black/White/Blue

[Evil_ss]

Installed the red ignition button and gained 10hp!!
https://vm.tiktok.com/EV6DKV/

[haagm58]

Exterior and interior wash and detail...more to come later today.

[haagm58]

Originally Posted by Evil_ss

Installed the red ignition button and gained 10hp!!
https://vm.tiktok.com/EV6DKV/

Fun video! For some reason, your install was more involved than mine. I think I remember prying the button out with a tiny flathead and popping on the new one (and yes, easily +10 HP).

[whatevs]

Originally Posted by snipagang

Taking the grille off was a huge pain and I did not anticipate it to be as difficult as it was. People say it takes 5 minutes to get them off but this was not my experience. Either way I got it done and I am really happy with the matte black grille.

Side note- what do people think of the m stripes on the grille? I was thinking about taking them off because someone told me it was a tasteless mod, but I personally like the way they look. I do not wear them to pretend I have an M car because nobody is being fooled by it (in fact I probably have the furthest thing from an M car that you can get). I just think its a nice heritage to M power and respect for the performance side of BMW. Opinions?

I personally am not a huge fan of the M stripes on the Grille, but hey, if you like it, go for it!! Its your money, your car, and should be the way YOU like it! Love the Matte Black grilles BTW!

[GreyF30]

Originally Posted by snipagang

Taking the grille off was a huge pain and I did not anticipate it to be as difficult as it was. People say it takes 5 minutes to get them off but this was not my experience. Either way I got it done and I am really happy with the matte black grille.

Side note- what do people think of the m stripes on the grille? I was thinking about taking them off because someone told me it was a tasteless mod, but I personally like the way they look. I do not wear them to pretend I have an M car because nobody is being fooled by it (in fact I probably have the furthest thing from an M car that you can get). I just think its a nice heritage to M power and respect for the performance side of BMW. Opinions?

I am personally using the thinner stripes - nice and subtle touch!
I don't like the thick one or the bulky additional plastic attachment.

Sample pic (after first waxing session with Collinite 845) :

[haagm58]

Attempting to remove my airbag (non-M-Sport). I've been watching videos and reading up on this (and wiring paddles) for a couple weeks. For the life of me I cannot get the airbag to release. 30 minutes in...

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by haagm58

Attempting to remove my airbag (non-M-Sport). I've been watching videos and reading up on this (and wiring paddles) for a couple weeks. For the life of me I cannot get the airbag to release. 30 minutes in...

I've done both the M Sport and your non M Sport, and yours is a BITCH.

[haagm58]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

I've done both the M Sport and your non M Sport, and yours is a BITCH.

😂 thanks brother. So far, I agree.

[homeryen88]

Installed Burger Motorsports (BMS) Charge Pipe + Intercooler.

After passing 100k on my odometer (currently at 106,000 miles), I finally decided to upgrade the charge pipe and the intercooler (was still stock after all that mileage). It’s a “mod” that pretty much all forum members get behind even though my original charge pipe and intercooler have not failed me yet.

Admittedly though, I am not the driver who tracks the car or has a fetish about its launch control capabilities. Rather, I am the dad with two elementary school-aged kids that prefers driving in Eco Pro mode 95% of the time even though my stock 335i can punch out 300 HP when needed (the other 5% of the time). So, I view this upgrade as more of a “peace-of-mind” mod rather than a performance mod.

Of course, that’s not to say that I won’t redline her once in a while when it’s just me on an open highway…

For the new FMIC and charge pipe, I decided to go with Burger Motorsports:
BMS Replacement Intercooler for F Chassis BMW
https://burgertuning.com/collections/3-series-f30-f31/products/bms-replacement-intercooler-for-f-chassis-bmw

BMS F30 N55 Replacement Aluminum Charge Pipe Upgrade
https://burgertuning.com/products/bms-n55-f30-replacement-aluminum-chargepipe

Why did I choose to go with this retailer?
• Pretty much everyone on this forum has heard of this performance retailer (probably more well-known for their JB+ and JB4 tuning options).
• No need for me to get Mishimoto-level or Evolution Raceworks-level equipment as I don’t drive the car that hard.
• And, among charge pipes and intercoolers sold by “performance retailers” that I had seen while researching options, these require the lowest investment. $200 for the charge pipe, $330 for the intercooler.

BTW, I did send an email to sales@burgertuning.com to ask them what they thought made their products a worthy purchase. I asked because I don’t see their FMIC or charge pipe being mentioned much on the forum. This was there answer to me (I share this merely as an FYI and not as an endorsement):

Our intercoolers and charge pipes are all track proven and used in race cars making well over 700-800 horsepower. There are many N54/N55 racers using our parts. They are solid and we have been in the BMW racing game well over a decade. One big difference is that we don't overcharge for them. Everything we manufacture is thoroughly tested on the roads but most importantly must perform at the track or we will not waste the time to produce it.

We don't offer discount codes as we are a low-price business model. Our prices remain constant year-round so you know you are always assured of getting our best price. Yes, the JB4 is definitely our main product and what we are known for, but our charge pipes and intercoolers are also of high quality. We wouldn't develop low quality bolt-ons and ruin our reputation. We do log IAT's on the intercoolers, and in most cases, we post them on our website.

You’ll notice in the pic below that the new BMS intercooler is significantly larger than the stock one. However, according to my go-to mechanic that installed it, there were no fitment issues.

Anyway, given my driving style, I probably would not need the “best” FMIC / charge pipe anyway and these BMS products should more-than-suit and won’t bust my wallet. I am glad to be finally checking these mods off my list.

And may she (and all your F30s) continue to thrive beyond 200k! Mod On!

[Evil_ss]

Originally Posted by haagm58

Fun video! For some reason, your install was more involved than mine. I think I remember prying the button out with a tiny flathead and popping on the new one (and yes, easily +10 HP).

It was only ten mins, so not to bad. I think other people have pulled the button straight out with some super adhesive compound too.

[edub370]

Installed a VRSF ic. About the simplest install I've done on this car

[helix247]

Changed spark plugs and coils, 2013 328i N20. 97K miles. Watched Kies Motorsports video on youtube as a guide.

[blumagic]

I installed the cover for the wiring that my car didn’t come with

[haagm58]

Painted the engine cover, I think it goes well with the strut bar and v brace. MSCD

Also conditioned the seats.

Last night I wired the FEM for paddles, though I couldn't get the airbag off to complete the job. Will have another go at it soon.

Planning to ceramic coat again tonight.

[MSCD]

Originally Posted by haagm58

Painted the engine cover, I think it goes well with the strut bar and v brace. MSCD

Also conditioned the seats.

Last night I wired the FEM for paddles, though I couldn't get the airbag off to complete the job. Will have another go at it soon.

Planning to ceramic coat again tonight.

Looks good, are you leaving the writing? I'm still thinking about it.....

[haagm58]

Originally Posted by MSCD

Looks good, are you leaving the writing? I'm still thinking about it.....

Thanks. I had a plan to vinyl wrap around the letters and spray them gloss black then remove the vinyl, but I actually like this look.

[Makavelif32]

Washed and took some pics 🤓

[KOWTOWN]

Second coil pack just took a shit on me. I replaced all of them like 20k miles ago with Delphi's and that's now the second pack to fail on me after tuning. Anyone experience anything similar?