[Kafkaesque328]

Driving to work today, doing about 30 on Los Feliz blvd and the car starts shuttering and I get the dreaded Drivetrain Malfunction drive moderately error, please see your nearest service center etc. Now I have read about this happening to people before and it being nothing. So I pulled over, shut the car off, started it up again, it happens again, I shudder for about 100' and pull over again. Then I pop the hood and remove the JB+ little piggyback tuner, plug the factory MAF sensor connections back in and viola, the problem goes away.

I checked vehicle status and it says 'All Systems OK' and the car now drives beautifully. But, the check engine light remains. So I don't know if this will persist a while and go out on its own or it is just the code needs to be cleared because it is probably logging there was an error even though its now driving fine. Either way the menacing glow of that CEL is annoying and makes you think somethings wrong even if its not.

I have yet to reinstall the JB+, might try today in the parking garage and see if it comes back. So now I don't really know what to do. Bringing the car to the dealer is a giantdrag. Unless your car is literally on a flatbed, it takes like at least a week to get an appointment, prob can't get a loaner, have to have some guy Uber me home, wait on it, its probably nothing, then Uber back, get my car, sit in traffic etc. all that for basically nothing.

SO, has this happened to anyone else with or without a tuner, to where it happened and then went away? Did you have a CEL and can I clear it somewhere without a laptop or one of those code reader/clearing devices? I can get the code read at Autozone for free but not sure they can clear.

Id like to avoid the dealer if at all possible. Again, the car drives great now. If something were actually wrong, it wouldn't.

Thanks!

[flyguy27]

Check engine lights can be anything. Ive had several and the car still drove fine even though there was a problem. For example, my differential pressure sensor short to ground and threw a light but drove perfectly normal. When i was under warranty, id call my SA and he would always ask if its flashing or steady. Flashing means there is a something more severe. I have a code reader now, but prior to that, i would drop by autozone just to see what the code is which is hit or miss since they cant read the specific bmw ones

[Kafkaesque328]

Went to Autozone and read the code yesterday: P007B Charge Air Cooler temp sensor circuit range/Performance Bank 1. So here is the thing, after removing the JB+, it immediately stopped the limp mode and was driving fine. Check engine light went away on its own after an hour or so.

Last night, I put the JB+ back on and viola, same DT malfunction again. Took it off, went back to normal. So here are my 2 theories:

1. the JB+ module has gone 'bad'.

2. JB+ puts extra load on everything and while there are no problems driving in stock mode, it misfires under the extra demand of the JB+, however mild. Maybe the plugs already have to be replaced? This seems odd at 16k miles, even running a tune. Maybe its a coil pack. I did pull up the secret menu in the gauge cluster last night (thanks YouTube) and I didn't see any misfires listed. Who knows.

The simple answer is its the JB+
I suppose there is no recourse if its no longer working, doubt N54 tuning would replace it. Bought it like a year ago, anything could happen to that thing. I am contacting Mike though and seeing if they might be able to look at it if I send it back. Problem is, Burger Tuning wants nothing to do with you if youre in CA, so I dont think I could send it back to them to look at.

So who knows. I made a service appointment for a week from now. See if they can really look at it and see if it needs anything related to the ignition system. Maybe if those things were addressed, the JB+ box would work fine again.

All I can say is I miss the extra power, the stock 328 feels kind of slow and my next car is going to be a used 335 or a 340i.

[flyguy27]

Sounds like you found a potential cause. Im at 72k never tuned. I started stocking up on tools and such in preparation for a lot of diy on this car. I plan on keeping it as long as long as it is reasonable.

[Kafkaesque328]

Originally Posted by flyguy27

Sounds like you found a potential cause. Im at 72k never tuned. I started stocking up on tools and such in preparation for a lot of diy on this car. I plan on keeping it as long as long as it is reasonable.

Yeah, its hard to say. I am inclined to throw it back on before my service appointment, which will likely trigger misfires or whatever again, then bring it in, have them replace whatever (which could have happened on a stock car as well), THEN throw the JB+ back on and if it doesn't happen again, I will know it was internal components and not JB+. All I know is I don't want to drop another $200 on another JB+

[Fuller]

Originally Posted by Kafkaesque328

Went to Autozone and read the code yesterday: P007B Charge Air Cooler temp sensor circuit range/Performance Bank 1. So here is the thing, after removing the JB+, it immediately stopped the limp mode and was driving fine. Check engine light went away on its own after an hour or so.

Last night, I put the JB+ back on and viola, same DT malfunction again. Took it off, went back to normal. So here are my 2 theories:

1. the JB+ module has gone 'bad'.

2. JB+ puts extra load on everything and while there are no problems driving in stock mode, it misfires under the extra demand of the JB+, however mild. Maybe the plugs already have to be replaced? This seems odd at 16k miles, even running a tune. Maybe its a coil pack. I did pull up the secret menu in the gauge cluster last night (thanks YouTube) and I didn't see any misfires listed. Who knows.

The simple answer is its the JB+
I suppose there is no recourse if its no longer working, doubt N54 tuning would replace it. Bought it like a year ago, anything could happen to that thing. I am contacting Mike though and seeing if they might be able to look at it if I send it back. Problem is, Burger Tuning wants nothing to do with you if youre in CA, so I dont think I could send it back to them to look at.

So who knows. I made a service appointment for a week from now. See if they can really look at it and see if it needs anything related to the ignition system. Maybe if those things were addressed, the JB+ box would work fine again.

All I can say is I miss the extra power, the stock 328 feels kind of slow and my next car is going to be a used 335 or a 340i.

From jb+ dynos I've seen posted, you've been at close to 335i levels, so you'll probably need the n55/b58 for the power you're used to. Additionally though, with the I6 you also get smoother, more linear power delivery. When I've driven the bmw turbo 4s, I was surprised at the power they made stock, but they feel very punchy at lower revs and feel like they lose steam higher up in the rev range. The 6 cylinders just seem to keep pulling harder until 6000rpm or so. Not that any of it matters in heavy traffic and staying within the confines of the law....

[Kafkaesque328]

Originally Posted by Fuller

From jb+ dynos I've seen posted, you've been at close to 335i levels, so you'll probably need the n55/b58 for the power you're used to. Additionally though, with the I6 you also get smoother, more linear power delivery. When I've driven the bmw turbo 4s, I was surprised at the power they made stock, but they feel very punchy at lower revs and feel like they lose steam higher up in the rev range. The 6 cylinders just seem to keep pulling harder until 6000rpm or so. Not that any of it matters in heavy traffic and staying within the confines of the law....

Yeah, its pretty amazing what that little box can make the 328i put down. Its a substantial difference in feel, especially just with overall torque. Just pulls a lot harder. Not just that, all these tunes improve throttle response so you get less of that initial dead throttle feel in regular comfort 'D'. All for $200 and something that literally took me 10 minutes to install, test and remove in a gas station parking lot last night. But here I am running into problems.. Still, I don't think problems are typical. Its definitely related but I ran stage 1 on my 320 for 3 years and never had an issue.

I mean really I just want to get the JB+ back on there but I have a feeling it is like I said, something ignition related and if I got plugs and coils or whatever swapped out, I could reinstall the JB+ without incident. We'll see. I've got a week longer in the 328 stock.

I think in about 16 months I will be trolling dealer lots all around southern and northern CA for that lonely off lease 335 or 340i that is looking for a home...

Then again, they make a JB+ for the 330i now too, so I could just stick with the 4 bangers forever and just cheat out that dirty horsepower..

[B58]

Upgrade to JB4 i heard the JB+ has issues in general. Just trade in your JB+ and get the JB4 it's carb approved now you can buy it from the website.

[Kafkaesque328]

Originally Posted by ericbilt

Upgrade to JB4 i heard the JB+ has issues in general. Just trade in your JB+ and get the JB4 it's carb approved now you can buy it from the website.

Yeah except the thing I like about JB+ is that it is so easy to install and remove and is so discreet. Jb4 is a bunch of wires everywhere. Seems more involved. Its more extensive than stage 1 right? Stage 1 was involved enough that I just left it on the car, wasn't worth removing and reinstalling. I did that once for service and then just left it on. Just seems like if you were having issues like JB+ is giving me, misfires or something and you brought it in for service with JB4 on, they would make you eat the cost vs. doing it under warranty. That level of power on the 328 would be nice though, for sure.

[TXDaddy]

I liked the pull of the jb+ on highway, but it seemed to be a bit asynchronous to what the car was trying to do at lower speeds. Found myself modulating the throttle a lot more as it overshot so to speak or hesitated; didnt seem smooth unless I was all out gunning it. After I returned it, I missed it though - go figure.

[Sam!]

Same thing a couple months back, but I'm in a JB1. Unplugged battery and uninstall, everything's fine.

I just reinstalled in a couple days ago so we'll see how it goes.

[Kafkaesque328]

Brought car in for service yesterday. On the way in, just to double check since it had been a while, I installed JB+. Up to this point, there was no CEL and car was running fine. Instantly went into limp mode and got the drivetrain malfunction. I honestly think something shit out with the box. Ofcourse there is no way to know because if you are in CA, burger tuning doesn't want to talk to you anymore, because their stuff is for 'racing applications only' haha, and not CARB legal. Nevermind that burger tuning is in Simi Valley.

So in the past I guess I could have sent the box to them to look at. I'm reaching out to Mike at N54tuning to see but so far, nothing.

So we will see what they do to my car, if anything. They put me in a 330i loaner. It is a 2018 jet black base 330i with 17" wheels. Nice to see the 2018's come with a few more standard features like LED headlights and 3/4's of the premium package, minus the sunroof but they upped the price, so its all the same. God, cars with no sunroof feel really poverty spec to me. Anyway, its nice to see BMW sort of got their act together with base 'luxury' cars having LED headlights, good seats (sport standard now), paddle shifters etc. The basic poor man's iDrive has extended contents now as well like sport display digital HP/TQ guages and things and the car also has a backup camera standard. Only option is parking assist.

There are 2 things I really like about this car. (1) they actually tuned the exhaust a little and it sounds like something, not Prius quite like the n20 cars. Its not the fake engine noise, with the window down, there is actually a little exhaust note and burp. Not bad. They also made the twin exhaust tips wider diameter in the 330, and they are black tips. (2) the ride is comfortable on standard suspension and 17" tires. Granted, its not as much a 'performance' ride as the M SPort suspension I currently have but it is more plush for sure. Floats more but still a decent ride, fairly tight. Theyve done a nice job with the suspension change in the LCI vs. the older F30's.

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Contact BMS. Had a JB4 fail & they replaced it as a comp. Though BMS now was CARB compliant.

[Kafkaesque328]

Emailed Burger tuning. Once they get wind I am in CA though, they will probably not help. I just want to know if the tuner is bunk, or what. I guess the way I will know for sure is if I get the car back and they did X, Y and Z and I plug in the tuner and get the same error, then its obviously the tuner. So weird because stage 1 gave me no issues for 3 years on my last car.

[Kafkaesque328]

Got the car back yesterday. NO misfires or anything like that. It was related to the original code - Connection at the charge air/temp sensor found 'poor connection and corrosion, replace and advise blah blah'. Shortly after getting the car, I threw JB+ on and instant DT malfunction error. So its gotta be the box. Talking with Mike @ N54 and someone at BMS right now to see about sending the tuner to get checked out. So for now and the near future, rolling stock 328i.

Few things I notice getting back into my car:
1. the N20 328 vs. the Bwhatever engine in the 330 is faster. This was documented in Car and Driver I believe but anyway, it is. And the gearing or something with the 8AT and the N20 is smoother and tighter than the 330. The 330 seems to be tuned even more for fuel economy and you get a serious dead lag at throttle tip in with the 330. Overall the 328 stock for stock feels more powerful and quicker.

2. Suspension. Its a really hard call whether or not I would want to trade the comfort of the stock suspension for the M sport. M sport is just so much more connected and far less movement. Its glued, in comparison. Like going over dips in the road at high speed vs. the 330, the 330 has a lot of vertical motion while the m sport suspension feels more unshakable. More stable at speed for sure. Trade off is comfort though. I took the 330 on some really bad strips of road that I encounter daily and just plowed over them. Stock suspension with those 17" balloon all seasons and you feel nothing.

End of the day, I could be fine with a pretty base 330i as a daily driver with just a few more options than this car had. Its a good car and I really like that they brought in a legit exhaust note. Once you get out of that initial turbo lag dead zone in 1st and 2nd gear and it really starts to pull in 3rd gear, the 330 flies.

[jmg]

Originally Posted by Kafkaesque328

Few things I notice getting back into my car:
1. the N20 328 vs. the Bwhatever engine in the 330 is faster. This was documented in Car and Driver I believe but anyway, it is. And the gearing or something with the 8AT and the N20 is smoother and tighter than the 330. The 330 seems to be tuned even more for fuel economy and you get a serious dead lag at throttle tip in with the 330. Overall the 328 stock for stock feels more powerful and quicker.

Ohh.. interesting. I thought it was my nostalgia goggles with my old 328i, but after recently driving a 330i loaner, I felt I remembered my 328i feeling more fun to drive, peppier and faster. Interesting how different the cars feel.

[Kafkaesque328]

Originally Posted by jmg

Ohh.. interesting. I thought it was my nostalgia goggles with my old 328i, but after recently driving a 330i loaner, I felt I remembered my 328i feeling more fun to drive, peppier and faster. Interesting how different the cars feel.

Nah, You're not imagining it. I spent a month in a 430i loaner as well, same engine and the engine/trans combo isn't as seamless or punchy as the n20/28i combo. The 8 speed auto and n20 4 banger is really a pretty fantastic powertrain. Again, you can just tell the 330i transmission programming and drive modes, especially comfort mode, are programmed for better fuel economy.

Don't get me wrong, I like the 330i and I would be fine with that car though. They make a JB+ piggyback tuner for that engine now too so you can bet that'd be the first thing I bought for that thing. Then I'd cross my fingers it wouldn't break, or whatever the hell is going on with this thing.

Back in the 328i once again though, makes me reluctant to get a 330 or whatever the new gen of 3 series will be, which will probably have the same engine as the current 330. Makes me inclined to just stick with this one. Aside from the 330 having a better exhaust note, overall, I think the 328 is a better car. Hard also to compare the loaner I had with the base steering wheel, no options and stock suspension on big all season tires and dorky rims vs. my current car

[jmg]

Originally Posted by Kafkaesque328

Nah, You're not imagining it. I spent a month in a 430i loaner as well, same engine and the engine/trans combo isn't as seamless or punchy as the n20/28i combo. The 8 speed auto and n20 4 banger is really a pretty fantastic powertrain. Again, you can just tell the 330i transmission programming and drive modes, especially comfort mode, are programmed for better fuel economy.

Don't get me wrong, I like the 330i and I would be fine with that car though. They make a JB+ piggyback tuner for that engine now too so you can bet that'd be the first thing I bought for that thing. Then I'd cross my fingers it wouldn't break, or whatever the hell is going on with this thing.

Back in the 328i once again though, makes me reluctant to get a 330 or whatever the new gen of 3 series will be, which will probably have the same engine as the current 330. Makes me inclined to just stick with this one. Aside from the 330 having a better exhaust note, overall, I think the 328 is a better car. Hard also to compare the loaner I had with the base steering wheel, no options and stock suspension on big all season tires and dorky rims vs. my current car

That reassuring because I always praised the 328i as a great all around car. I had the sport suspension but not the M Sport package, and I found it to be a complete pleasure to own. Three great years in that car. It was very surprising to find myself underwhelmed in the 330i. Not that it was a bad car, but I had such good memories of the 328i that I was expecting an improvement.

[Kafkaesque328]

Yes, few days back in my 328 with m sport package and it pretty much blows away my loaner. Again, the loaner has a softer ride but its not like the M sport is brutal or anything. I feel like the car I am in now is basically a keeper. Its a shame that if I go to buy it, it will be virtually impossible to find a dealer who will sell it to me for a fair price. I plan on trying but that after-lease buy your car back thing can be tricky.

Good news: Found my originally receipt for JB+ and Burger Tuning has agreed to take a look at my JB+ so I'm mailing it to them tomorrow. I am hoping the tuner is bad and I can get a replacement and be back to rolling with near stock 335i power in my 328 vs. them saying there is nothing wrong with it, because then its just an unsolved mystery

[Kafkaesque328]

Update: I sent my JB+ back to burger (even though I bought it from a 3rd party vendor originally) and for the cost of shipping and handling, they are sending me a brand new one! When I asked if the tuner was 'bad', they told me it makes more sense just to send a new one. So I guess we'll see when I throw it on in the next few days. If I do and get the DT Malfunction error again, stranger things are afoot but I am hoping it was just something with my original JB+ and that the new one will work like a charm and bring me back that push-back-in-your seat punch I am currently missing.

Great business practice on the part of Burger, bravo. I buy a jB+ from another vendor almost 2 years ago and they are sending me a new one? I didn't ask for a new one, didn't ask for a refund, nothing. Only ask that they check it out and let me know if something went wrong with the box and they offered the new one. Excellent company!

[Romeo190]

Originally Posted by Kafkaesque328

Went to Autozone and read the code yesterday: P007B Charge Air Cooler temp sensor circuit range/Performance Bank 1. So here is the thing, after removing the JB+, it immediately stopped the limp mode and was driving fine. Check engine light went away on its own after an hour or so.

Last night, I put the JB+ back on and viola, same DT malfunction again. Took it off, went back to normal. So here are my 2 theories:

1. the JB+ module has gone 'bad'.

2. JB+ puts extra load on everything and while there are no problems driving in stock mode, it misfires under the extra demand of the JB+, however mild. Maybe the plugs already have to be replaced? This seems odd at 16k miles, even running a tune. Maybe its a coil pack. I did pull up the secret menu in the gauge cluster last night (thanks YouTube) and I didn't see any misfires listed. Who knows.

The simple answer is its the JB+
I suppose there is no recourse if its no longer working, doubt N54 tuning would replace it. Bought it like a year ago, anything could happen to that thing. I am contacting Mike though and seeing if they might be able to look at it if I send it back. Problem is, Burger Tuning wants nothing to do with you if youre in CA, so I dont think I could send it back to them to look at.

So who knows. I made a service appointment for a week from now. See if they can really look at it and see if it needs anything related to the ignition system. Maybe if those things were addressed, the JB+ box would work fine again.

All I can say is I miss the extra power, the stock 328 feels kind of slow and my next car is going to be a used 335 or a 340i.

It's probably that ur jb4 went bad or got water damage or something along the lines I had the same issues reached out to the guys at BMS and they were able to help me out ....I bought a water case protection box they sell and they swapt out the jb4 for me ....guys had great customer service.

[Kafkaesque328]

Originally Posted by Romeo190

It's probably that ur jb4 went bad or got water damage or something along the lines I had the same issues reached out to the guys at BMS and they were able to help me out ....I bought a water case protection box they sell and they swapt out the jb4 for me ....guys had great customer service.

Hoping so and hoping to plug it in and be back in business again. They sell a water case? I should look into that