[DrivenByE30]

A lot of excitment going on around here...

...thankfully everything is fixable...

[ATLBlue]

Thanks guys!
Nobody was hurt -which is what matters the most of course- and it is all metal and plastic that can be rebuilt to new. The engine failure did not happen at high speed and the car did not lock its wheels so it did not create an emergency situation.
My biggest regret is that I lost quite a bit of the confidence in the reliability of BMW's. Still, it makes me think more about moving on to a new M3 which I had deemed unnecessary for street driving, the 335i M sport with a tune and a few tweaks feeling more than adequate for spirited daily driving. Do not look for any rationale there...

[JK1320]

Sorry to hear about the motor. I can only imagine the disappointment. Forgive my potential noob question here, but the custom coding you refer too, is this just modifying settings in the idrive system or is this real custom code writing in the software?

I have seen some 335 displays showing gauges and everything, I dont know enough to know if that factory options in the idrive or some customer loaded code.

Good luck with the motor...

[Moisted]

Your perception is right. Audi has seen the strongest YoY sales increase in the recent past (meaning the average age of an Audi is the lowest) but still sells the least amount of cars. I only have US sales numbers for 2013, but here's what they look like:

Merc' (excl. vans and Smart):
-312,534 cars in total
-88,251 C-classes

BMW (excl Mini):
-309,280 cars in total
-119,521 3/4 series

Audi:
-158,061 cars in total
-55,408 A4/5 series (includes S4 and S5)

Global numbers are different from US. The chart below is from 2013 but didn't change much in 2014. It's been like this for a long time ...

[casualDIYer]

7000 Ferraris a year. Wow

[ATLBlue]

Originally Posted by Moisted

Global numbers are different from US. The chart below is from 2013 but didn't change much in 2014. It's been like this for a long time ...

Sure thing. My response was about North America. Coming from Europe, I am well aware that there are proportionally a lot more Audi's sold over there compared to the US.
What surprised me in the chart is the very low number for Lexus as it seems about a tenth of the volume they actually sell.

[ATLBlue]

Originally Posted by JK1320

Sorry to hear about the motor. I can only imagine the disappointment. Forgive my potential noob question here, but the custom coding you refer too, is this just modifying settings in the idrive system or is this real custom code writing in the software?

I have seen some 335 displays showing gauges and everything, I dont know enough to know if that factory options in the idrive or some customer loaded code.

Good luck with the motor...

The coding is only about enabling functionalities that have not been activated by BMW because of the local market regulations, trim level etc.
A simple example: the ugly amber lights that are mandatory in the US at night but not in Europe: you just need to go into the system and turn the 'software switch' to the 'off' position if you want to make them disappear

[ATLBlue]

Bilstein B8 shocks

Quick pictures -taken two days before my motor passed away- showing the stock rear shocks replaced by Bilstein B8's.





From the short amount of time I have been able to drive the car with the new shocks, the improvement seemed very noticeable with the rear axle being a lot less prone to bounce. I am eager to get my car back ...with a running engine... and determine if I have achieved what I wanted or need to go further (B8 at the front? bigger sway bars?). I definitely want the car to be as planted as possible, but it also has to remain comfortable enough for daily driving.

[JK1320]

Originally Posted by ATLBlue

The coding is only about enabling functionalities that have not been activated by BMW because of the local market regulations, trim level etc.
A simple example: the ugly amber lights that are mandatory in the US at night but not in Europe: you just need to go into the system and turn the 'software switch' to the 'off' position if you want to make them disappear

That's fabulous and exactly what I was hoping you would saw haha

Just taking the time to learn where things are and how to enable/disable. Way easier than trying to write some custom code.

Can you give more detail about what you did with the panic brake light functions or what changes you made?

[ATLBlue]

Originally Posted by JK1320

That's fabulous and exactly what I was hoping you would saw haha

Just taking the time to learn where things are and how to enable/disable. Way easier than trying to write some custom code.

Can you give more detail about what you did with the panic brake light functions or what changes you made?

Most of the changes I made are listed in a previous post: http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...8&postcount=39

I bought my ENET cable (Ethernet to OBD) on Amazon and Shawn has been a great resource to get help about the software (Just PM him). There is a long coding thread here where you can 'find' him : http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...96777&page=357

I am attaching the coding guide I have used so far.
I have not done anything about the panic brake light coding or using taillights as DRLs, but I'll take a closer look at it when I get my car back.

[JK1320]

Thanks for the info. I will read through those.

I will be interested in putting LED's in the tail lights so I can integrate a flasher module. I have seen in a few places some issues with using LED's, but it sounds like it is just getting the right coding in there for them.

[f30luxline]

Has your motor been replaced? I've been absent for a couple weeks.

[ATLBlue]

Originally Posted by f30luxline

Has your motor been replaced? I've been absent for a couple weeks.

Thanks for enquiring. It will be a month tomorrow since my engine broke down and I still do not have my car back. It took 3(!!!) weeks for the parts to get there and the car has now been on the lift for 4 days. Last night it showed a 'powertrain failure' in the shop after the motor swap. The tech was planning on replacing the high pressure fuel pump

Needless to say that I blew up a gasket at the dealership last night
The lead time for the motor and parts is unacceptable and not having the swap completed after 4 days shows that the shop has not worked diligently enough. Huge disappointment so far and I'll be seeking compensation from both BMW NA and the dealership.

[phattbam]

It was nice seeing you on here... I guess we'll have to follow you on the F80 forums soon.

[wahoo]

Originally Posted by ATLBlue

Thanks for enquiring. It will be a month tomorrow since my engine broke down and I still do not have my car back. It took 3(!!!) weeks for the parts to get there and the car has now been on the lift for 4 days. Last night it showed a 'powertrain failure' in the shop after the motor swap. The tech was planning on replacing the high pressure fuel pump

Needless to say that I blew up a gasket at the dealership last night
The lead time for the motor and parts is unacceptable and not having the swap completed after 4 days shows that the shop has not worked diligently enough. Huge disappointment so far and I'll be seeking compensation from both BMW NA and the dealership.

What dealership is this? I want to make sure I don't patronize them. Roswell?

[ATLBlue]

Originally Posted by wahoo

What dealership is this? I want to make sure I don't patronize them. Roswell?

Yes it is.

[ATLBlue]

Originally Posted by phattbam

It was nice seeing you on here... I guess we'll have to follow you on the F80 forums soon.

LOL. BMW will not go as far as replacing the F30 by an F80 though

If I went into an F80 price range, I would give up the backseats and get a Cayman S or CPO'd 911.

[phattbam]

Originally Posted by ATLBlue

LOL. BMW will not go as far as replacing the F30 by an F80 though

If I went into an F80 price range, I would give up the backseats and get a Cayman S or CPO'd 911.

good luck. looking forward to the results of the repairs.

[ATLBlue]

Latest information I got about the broken motor is that it was a fuel 'hydrolock' of cylinder 6 related to a failure of the High pressure fuel pump and fuel sensor.
A new pump should be there tomorrow...

To be continued.

[tboooe]

I have been following this thread with great interest and sympathy for you ATLBlue

Whats the estimated time when you will get your car back now? I sure hope they try to take care of you in some way. I know they dont owe you anything but a nice gesture of goodwill would show they appreciate your patience and you as a customer.

[ATLBlue]

Originally Posted by tboooe

I have been following this thread with great interest and sympathy for you ATLBlue

Whats the estimated time when you will get your car back now? I sure hope they try to take care of you in some way. I know they dont owe you anything but a nice gesture of goodwill would show they appreciate your patience and you as a customer.

Thanks. Right now we would be looking at Wednesday at the earliest or a month and 3 days since the car broke down.
It is true that they do not owe me anything more from a legal standpoint, but they would definitely lose me as a customer in the future and have someone unhappy about the marque and the dealership sharing his opinion and experience with others...

[phattbam]

I hope they at least put you in a comparable loaner vehicle while yours is in the shop.