new to 135, what to look for?

[1speedbike]

Hey Giancarlo, I'll try to answer some of your questions

Originally Posted by Giancarlo

Hi,

I should get my lemans blue with oyster interior 135 m sport DCT (M package, not M car).

Oyster interior is very nice. I think it's about the same as the old "lemon" interior used to be. In the beginning, people were worried that the light colored leather would not resist the effects of aging, but from what I see, the lighter interior (including my own coral red) are holding up amazingly. And le mans blue is a classic color. Great choice! if I didn't get my black/red combination, I probably would have gone blue. And M-Sport package is a MUST on these cars. The seat upgrade by itself is worth it. The regular seats have no support for the sides of your body, so when you turn you slide everywhere. The sport seats are much better, and the M-sport package have plenty of other upgrades as well.

What are things I should look for? what hidden menu's does the iDrive have?

In terms of hidden menus.. look at Dackel's awesome post here: http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=441064

Other than that.. I don't think there's anything really "hidden" in the car.

Does it have launch control? how do you do it?

DCT has launch control. However, I don't have a DCT car so I can't comment on how to use it. From what I gather, it's relatively simple though.

What to look out for? is it safe to chip? What company is best or safest?

I assume "what to look out for" is referring to warranty problems. The high pressure fuel pump (HPFP) is a common problem. However, BMW has extended the warranty on it to 10 years / 100,000 miles, and with the latest software update and replacement pump with replacement fuel injectors, the problem has not come back for many people. It looks like it's mostly fixed.. Other than that there are minor recalls. One for the seat belt tensioner. One for the tail lights. However, considering your car is new, it should have the "upgraded" / replaced parts already on it. Don't think there's anything else significant.

Most people will say it's safe to chip. There have been 3-series drivers who have been driving with engines pushing 16+ PSI (stock is about 8 PSI) for years and almost 100,000 miles with no problems. However, there have also been owners who have had their turbos melt with AND WITHOUT a tune. Generally, though, tuning these cars is safe because all of the tuners out there will put safety systems into their tunes. I don't know how the VW tuners work, but I imagine that they aren't quite as careful. The general rule is that stock is about 8 PSI. You should be able to get up to about 12-13 PSI without upgrading anything else. 15 PSI should be achievable with catless downpipes to let the turbos breathe better. 16-18+ PSI should only really be done with a methanol injection system to REALLY cool the turbos and reduce their workload.

However, with OR without a tune, you should watch for carbon build-up in the engine. Since it is turbocharged AND direct-injected, you have oil/carbon spraying EVERYWHERE. An oil catch can (OCC), preferably from Horsepower Freaks, is suggested. So is cleaning out your system with seafoam every once in a while, and I personally recommend doing a thorough cleaning of the intake manifold and the valves when you reach 50-60 thousand miles. I'm almost at this mark, and I'm scared of what I'll find in there! However, since you're coming from Audis, the turbo Audis have the WORST carbon problems I have heard of. I have heard terrible things of engines at under 50,000 miles requiring to be torn down and cleaned to run right. These cars DEFINITELY won't require that, but for optimum performance you might want to get the gunk out.

No company is "better" than any other. Many companies actually have very different goals. Here is a thread which discusses a bunch of the different tuning options for the N55 engine (I'm assuming you're getting a new car, which would have the N55 engine):

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=494316

Thanks and have a good one!!!

Giancarlo

Originally Posted by Giancarlo

What are the general opinions on safe tuners? I have seen the burger piggy back and ESS. But I have no idea what is safer.

Who to avoid in tuning, and who can be trusted?

Really, everyone listed in the link above can be trusted. This isn't a bunch of idiots making your car boost to 20 PSI without thinking of the consequences. The lower the boost, the safer. However, if you follow the guidelines above (no downpipes, keep it 12 PSI and under. no meth, keep it 15-16 PSI and under), then there should be no real problems. It just depends on your preferences. A chip vs a flash tune, a conservative tune vs an aggressive tune.. etc.

Originally Posted by xiosmx5

Don't open your hood with the wipers raised.

And listen to this!!!! ^^^^^^^^

Biggest mistake new owners make!!

[Giancarlo]

Thanks!!! really helpfull!!!

Looking forward to getting my car at the end of the month!!! and adding to this forum as well.

Is the DCT as capable of a conservative tune chip as the manual? I can imagine that it is a lot more expensive than a manual if you have something go wrong.

With the Audi tuners there are some that really do just add boost and not have the proper air/fuel ratio and I have seen 2 blown engines because of this, both where same tuner. APR is a really good tuner since they race and work close with the manufacturer, so this is the tuner I trust the most for Audi/VW. There are other tuners but I would say from my personal point of view that APR is the safest/best.

I was thinking about the black with terra interiors, but from 15 cars that come with each ship, 7 are black, only 2 blue. Have had 3 black cars already and hated the keeping up that a black care takes, they look great when they are perfectly waxed and clean and horrible after 2 days of not washing them, so choose the Le mans blue since I have never had a blue car, like the color and with the white it should look good. Wanted grey interior but would take 2 more months.

Are piggy back tuners like the JB3 or 4, as safe as a reflash?

How many miles should I wait to make sure no bugs are in the car? 3k?

Again, thanks for all the help!!!

[old1]

Look for a comfortable chair in your dealer's service department waiting room. You'll be spending a lot of time there.

[1speedbike]

Originally Posted by Giancarlo

Thanks!!! really helpfull!!!

Looking forward to getting my car at the end of the month!!! and adding to this forum as well.

Awesome!

Is the DCT as capable of a conservative tune chip as the manual? I can imagine that it is a lot more expensive than a manual if you have something go wrong.

A conservative chip, yes, the DCT is definitely capable of handling. A lot of extra power, I'm not sure. Though I don't have DCT, so I'm not the best source of information for this. If you're looking for a conservative tune for the N55, the Cobb is great. It doesn't produce as big numbers as the JB4 and Procede tend to (stage 2 cobb isn't out yet), it hooks right up to the port under your steering wheel so there is no need to go into the ECU, and it can be erased and rebooted really fast for dealership visits.

With the Audi tuners there are some that really do just add boost and not have the proper air/fuel ratio and I have seen 2 blown engines because of this, both where same tuner. APR is a really good tuner since they race and work close with the manufacturer, so this is the tuner I trust the most for Audi/VW. There are other tuners but I would say from my personal point of view that APR is the safest/best.

I think the JB+ chip is the only tune available that really does that for our cars. It plugs into the TMAP sensor, so it just messes with the ECUs altitude and air pressure readings and adjusts boost based on that. However, the boost is capped at about 12-12.5 psi, so it's definitely a conservative tune and it does not push the engine beyond its limits this way. The JB4, Procede, and almost every other chip have CPS offsetting, timing adjustment, boost caps, and many other more advanced tweaks to your engine.

I was thinking about the black with terra interiors, but from 15 cars that come with each ship, 7 are black, only 2 blue. Have had 3 black cars already and hated the keeping up that a black care takes, they look great when they are perfectly waxed and clean and horrible after 2 days of not washing them, so choose the Le mans blue since I have never had a blue car, like the color and with the white it should look good. Wanted grey interior but would take 2 more months.

I have a black metallic car. It hides everything better than Jet Black. From a few feet away, the car looks flawless as long as it's regularly waxed and not particularly dirty. Once you come up close, depending on when my last detailing was, you can see all the swirls, paint imperfections, and chips (BMW paint is VERY soft and prone to etching. If you live somewhere with a lot of bugs, prepare to either have a very ugly front bumper or to be cleaning it off very often!). I just really love the almost evil looking black / red combo. BMWs blues, though, are definitely some of the nicest blues I have ever seen. Not many other car makes have such beautiful blue colors.

Are piggy back tuners like the JB3 or 4, as safe as a reflash?

Yes they are. Unless you count the chance of you messing something up in the ECU during install/uninstall. Reflashes are foolproof. Piggybacks require a bit of manual labor. However, all of the piggyback companies have just as many built-in safeguards as any reflash.

How many miles should I wait to make sure no bugs are in the car? 3k?

A lot of people just put everything on as soon as they can after the break-in period, with no problems at all I waited a year, but only because the "mod bug" didn't bite me yet, back then.

Again, thanks for all the help!!!

You're welcome. That's why the forum is here

[Venom]

Just a warning, cobb is not available for the N55 *yet*!

[Giancarlo]

Ok, now I'm in a dilema!!! if the F22 1 series, or new 1 series (2series) comes out in sept 2012, maybe I should just wait!!!

Could get a used mini for a year and then jump to the new 2 series.

I would hate for my car to be the old model in a year!!!!

Hate when this happens!!!! and I only have a few days to decide since the car is coming to the dealership!!!

[Ash83]

Originally Posted by Evice

COPS!

I agree.. Today on my way to work a cop literally ran into a two lane street and stopped a car that i guess was doing 55 on a 45 street..

[yaymitch]

Lease one for 36 months and by that time all the kinks will be out of the first edition 2. The M2 may even be available then. ...just a thought.

[Giancarlo]

True, I guess that even if they do come out in early 2013, most of the time they get new engines one or two years later. Wouldn't be surprised if they added the turbo 4 cyl, instead of the 6, and I like the turbo 6.

If I keep waiting for what is coming next then I will never get a new car.

So car should arrive on the boat of the 25th and maybe a week to 10 days later I should be able to take delivery.

Just going to go for it!!!!!