Bimmerfile.com sits down to get somes BMW Performance answers!
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Last week I had the privilege of spending some time with Stephen Zoepf, behind the wheel of a 135i equipped with many of the latest offerings from BMW Performance. Stephen is the Accessory Development Manager – Performance, at BMW of North America. Aside from the wonderful car I was able to experience, Stephen helped shed some light on the BMW Performance program in general.
BF: What makes BMW Performance different from other tuning companies?
SZ: BMW Performance has the advantage of being able to design performance parts at the same time as the standard parts are being designed. Fitment and structure are not compromised because of this. We do not reverse engineer; we engineer from the start. We take the individual car’s options into consideration as well as making sure the reliability is just as good as a standard part.
The Performance Steering Wheel, for example, utilizes the car’s on board control units to provide the necessary information via the car’s “bus”. An aftermarket company could not offer such a part without additional hardware or installation difficulties.
BF: How do the parts affect the car’s warranty or maintenance plan?
SZ: This is another area we differ from other tuners. We offer a factory warranty on all parts for a minimum of 2 years or 24,000 miles. If the part is installed at the dealer it is covered for the remainder of the new vehicle warranty in months/miles or the 2 years/ 24,000.
What many do not realize is that BMW Performance parts also qualify for coverage under the Maintenance Program (condition based service). If you purchase an intake, a brake kit (etc.) for a 128i and your car is due for service, the correct air filter or pads/rotors would be replaced as indicated with no charge. It is treated the same as a standard BMW for 4 years or 50,000 miles.
BF: Many BMW drivers choose to lease their cars for one reason or another; is it possible to lease a BMW and have BMW Performance parts installed?
SZ: We are working with BMW Financial Services to residualize some items. Currently, the aero kit and wheels can be residualized for a portion of the cost. In the future we hope to expand upon this.
BF: What happened to those gorgeous seats our readers were drooling over?
SZ: We would have loved to offer those seats as part of the BMW Performance line to US customers but it was not to be. In order for those seats to be legal for sale in the US, they would have had to pass crash testing (about 8 tests) and the passenger seat would have needed to be redesigned, incorporating a passenger occupancy mat. The testing would have made the cost per seat well above what customers would be willing to pay for such an accessory.
BF: After the Geneva Auto Show we learned that the European market would be receiving an engine kit that would increase the output of the N54 twin turbo motor. When will the US receive this kit?
SZ: We expect to release the same tuning kit in the US market later this year, which will upgrade both the output and cooling capacity of the N54 engine, although the details are still being finalized.
BF: Why only the specific increases in output with the Engine Kit, as many other tuners are offering significantly more performance?
SZ: As I mentioned earlier, BMW Performance takes reliability and longevity into consideration when designing parts. We could have increased the performance more but may have compromised the remainder of the car’s components, especially the drive train. The current transmissions and differentials are designed for a specific output range, going beyond that increases the risk of component failure.
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More info:
http://www.bimmerfile.com/2009/04/03...epf/#more-2640