If you had $1,500....

[alexmtl_135i]

Originally Posted by 135Pats

IMO Get a Cobb and FMIC. Run the Stg1+ maps and you’ll have a punchy setup that will very likely run happier than your car currently is.

+1 for Cobb and FMIC. Don't forget the chargepipe, which is the weak link on our engines.

One thing worth adding is that the PPK doesn't just add power, but also lovely exhaust burbles. I would buy it just for that if I had the money

[Reapur]

Originally Posted by alexmtl_135i

+1 for Cobb and FMIC. Don't forget the chargepipe, which is the weak link on our engines.

One thing worth adding is that the PPK doesn't just add power, but also lovely exhaust burbles. I would buy it just for that if I had the money

My exhaust burbles with my Cobb flash. Just sayin...

[Dboyz321]

Doesn't sound like you're not looking for insane power right now, I'd go,with the m3 subframe bushings. I just bought my car two and have the ppk, it slightly noticable. I plan to upgrade the steering and handling first.

Supposedly, the best bang for buck upgrade to Handling. Depending on who installs them you may have a couple hundred bucks left.

[spun]

Did I miss something here?
OP wants to bump up his power a little bit but not void his warranty, right?

What tune is still covered by BMW warranty?

Dinan, stage 2 is only another $500 on top of what he has (total price $1999).
HP-355@5300rpm
Torque-401@3500rpm

4 year 50,000 mile waranty honoured by BMW


http://www.dinancars.com/shop/D900-3...55.aspx#page=1


To those of us that want to tune the hell out of our cars then dinan is the expensive way to go, plus it has to be installed by BMW which is the enemy when it comes to tunning.

Compared to the performance he would get out of the PPK1 the dinan tune is the way to go (IMO).

Isn't the PPK1 just a $1500 intake with a fancy fan that peaks out at 15hp ?

[kits135i]

Originally Posted by spun

Did I miss something here?
OP wants to bump up his power a little bit but not void his warranty, right?

What tune is still covered by BMW warranty?

Dinan, stage 2 is only another $500 on top of what he has (total price $1999).
HP-355@5300rpm
Torque-401@3500rpm

4 year 50,000 mile waranty honoured by BMW


http://www.dinancars.com/shop/D900-3...55.aspx#page=1


To those of us that want to tune the hell out of our cars then dinan is the expensive way to go, plus it has to be installed by BMW which is the enemy when it comes to tunning.

Compared to the performance he would get out of the PPK1 the dinan tune is the way to go (IMO).

Isn't the PPK1 just a $1500 intake with a fancy fan that peaks out at 15hp ?

How is he going to void the warranty with a COBB??? Unless he brings it in to BMW with the Cobb installed then he is golden! He pays only 500$ for MORE power. Then takes the rest of the money for whatever he wants. Dinan is a waste. It's for the people who don't care about their money.

[jester17]

Lots of good info; on looking at so many other "What the hell does this code mean?" thread, I see A LOT of folks with COBB and JB4 having code issues. I'm thinking -- still, which I know may be against the grain of many of your opinions -- PPK 1 now until the warranty runs out (I like the idea of even a small power gain, and the "burble"), and then see what's what...especially as my dealership (prob. like many others) has a 20% discount right now on the PPKs.

...but on that note, where's the best place to buy/type of code reader? Looked around for a thread on this, but didn't find much RE: Purchasing One. And I'm guessing the readers hook up to a laptop, yes?

[weeeee]

Cobb access port and the 5 inch ets fmic. Comes out to almost exactly 1500

[Sixle]

Originally Posted by Everfly

Where can i get LSD for $1500 can u show in? Thanks

Wondering the same thing myself

[hyphy1]

Originally Posted by Everfly

Where can i get LSD for $1500 can u show in? Thanks

http://www.hpashop.com/Quaife-LSD-BM...fe-ATB-LSD.htm

Enjoy!

[Everfly]

Originally Posted by hyphy1

http://www.hpashop.com/Quaife-LSD-BM...fe-ATB-LSD.htm

Enjoy!

Nice thanks. That's my next after upgrade turbo

[Reapur]

Originally Posted by jester17

Lots of good info; on looking at so many other "What the hell does this code mean?" thread, I see A LOT of folks with COBB and JB4 having code issues. I'm thinking -- still, which I know may be against the grain of many of your opinions -- PPK 1 now until the warranty runs out (I like the idea of even a small power gain, and the "burble"), and then see what's what...especially as my dealership (prob. like many others) has a 20% discount right now on the PPKs.

...but on that note, where's the best place to buy/type of code reader? Looked around for a thread on this, but didn't find much RE: Purchasing One. And I'm guessing the readers hook up to a laptop, yes?

The codes are not issues with the Cobb or JB4, the codes are from the car being a BMW.

Our cars are very sensitive electronically. A Cobb could tell you what the code is and allow you to fix the problem for a fraction of the cost.

If you need to service your car under warranty simply plug the Cobb into the obd port and uninstall it (takes 10 min or so). The dealer will have no way of knowing you had it installed.

Cobb is the most important power mod you can buy since any bolt ons are pretty much worthless without the tune aspect of it.

[jester17]

Originally Posted by Reapur

The codes are not issues with the Cobb or JB4, the codes are from the car being a BMW.

Our cars are very sensitive electronically. A Cobb could tell you what the code is and allow you to fix the problem for a fraction of the cost.

If you need to service your car under warranty simply plug the Cobb into the obd port and uninstall it (takes 10 min or so). The dealer will have no way of knowing you had it installed.

Cobb is the most important power mod you can buy since any bolt ons are pretty much worthless without the tune aspect of it.

I TOTALLY hear you... and others have pointed out the same... but I rarely see threads wherein someone has an issue with their vehicle that's followed with "My car is totally stock, with no tunes/mods." I can see going for something like that if I REALLY wanted to push the car to the limit of power, and have true muscle -- but if the PPKs give just that next bit of push, esp. in the 3-4,000 RPM range, while enabling perhaps a stronger resale value in the future through both a 'no outside mods' reputation, and/or only 'BMW approved upgrades' I think -- while they may be more expensive -- that's the way to go for me right now. And, of course, I can always get the COBB later on...

[Reapur]

Originally Posted by jester17

I TOTALLY hear you... and others have pointed out the same... but I rarely see threads wherein someone has an issue with their vehicle that's followed with "My car is totally stock, with no tunes/mods." I can see going for something like that if I REALLY wanted to push the car to the limit of power, and have true muscle -- but if the PPKs give just that next bit of push, esp. in the 3-4,000 RPM range, while enabling perhaps a stronger resale value in the future through both a 'no outside mods' reputation, and/or only 'BMW approved upgrades' I think -- while they may be more expensive -- that's the way to go for me right now. And, of course, I can always get the COBB later on...

It's your money. And it's yours to waste on useless bmw mods.

Bmw makes some nice performance pieces, but the PPK upgrade is not one of them. If there were no other options other than the PPK then yeah it would be great.

Cobb and a FMIC will be your biggest bang for buck mods to make power. They will leave the car 100% reliable and never have a negative aspect to them.

But yeah just read the first paragraph I wrote a couple times and man up. The 135 is not a rare car and shouldn't be thought of as such. The resale of the vehicle plummets as soon as the factory warranty expires. And this is true of almost every bmw. It's not a collectors item or anything really all that special except maybe to me and you. Having a Cobb installed which can be removed without a trace in minutes will def not affect the resale price of the car ever.

[tracer bullet]

Originally Posted by jester17

I rarely see threads wherein someone has an issue with their vehicle that's followed with "My car is totally stock, with no tunes/mods."

Actually, a lot are like this.

Also keep in mind that you do not have a representative cross section of the population here. It is possible that we all here have the same problems as all owners at the same ratio, but since we tend to have more people adding performance parts the results of what causes what is really skewed. The mods may very well cause problems, but it is also possible they don't.

FWIW I tend to see the people with the big problems not doing say a Cobb & FMIC and calling it a day, they are going much much further.

[jester17]

Reapur and TB: Yep...all good points, esp. the selection of population posting here. I guess the REAL key is that the car is still new enough for me to think "No matter how easy the folks here say the COBB tune is, I just KNOW I'll end up %@!^&! it up." as for the FMIC, I'm not really sure where in this area I'd go to buy one/have it installed. I'm taking the car to a place to have it dynoed on the 17th, and they're one the shops recommended here in another thread; maybe I'll just talk to them, and see how long/how much, and maybe just pull the trigger right there and then...

Thanks again, everyone, for all your input!

[Dmacc]

Originally Posted by jester17

Reapur and TB: Yep...all good points, esp. the selection of population posting here. I guess the REAL key is that the car is still new enough for me to think "No matter how easy the folks here say the COBB tune is, I just KNOW I'll end up %@!^&! it up." as for the FMIC, I'm not really sure where in this area I'd go to buy one/have it installed. I'm taking the car to a place to have it dynoed on the 17th, and they're one the shops recommended here in another thread; maybe I'll just talk to them, and see how long/how much, and maybe just pull the trigger right there and then...

Thanks again, everyone, for all your input!

Trust me, there is no way you could mess up using Cobb... If you know how to push buttons on a smartphone or tablet, you can work a Cobb AP.

[orionredwing]

Yes, as others said, go with a flash tune since you don't trust yourself with any DIY.

If you're interested in getting your hands dirty and learning the basics of working on your own car, a DCI install is a great way start with few things to mess up.

For the flash tune, consider waiting a little longer for the new OpenFlash Tablet ($395) support to come out for the N55. There's been hearing a lot of great reviews from N54 users.

Since my 135i is my 2nd car, my budget was ironically, only $1500 as well. For that, I bought a 2nd PROCede ($350 used), and ST Coilovers ($850 + $250 install). I didn't even get a DCI; instead, I went w/ a drop-in K&N air filter I had for my 335i (before I installed DCIs).

[2totalled2months]

Originally Posted by Reapur

The codes are not issues with the Cobb or JB4, the codes are from the car being a BMW.

Our cars are very sensitive electronically. A Cobb could tell you what the code is and allow you to fix the problem for a fraction of the cost.

If you need to service your car under warranty simply plug the Cobb into the obd port and uninstall it (takes 10 min or so). The dealer will have no way of knowing you had it installed.

Cobb is the most important power mod you can buy since any bolt ons are pretty much worthless without the tune aspect of it.

Ive heard this over and over on this thread and its absolutely wrong,,,wish it wasn't,,,uninstall does not hide everything,,,,say ur wastegates are rattling and u need turbo work,,,very common problem,,,,u can uninstall cobb,,,thats all good,,,but bmw will access ur turbo pressures etc from the stored info,,,,if u ran cobb or whatever,,,they will be higher and zap,,,,warranty gone for turbo etc,,,,get friendly with SA at dealership and u may have a chance,,,he can wipe u clean and tell u to come back after so many miles,,,,but uninstall does not wipe clean the history of operation of ur car

[Reapur]

Originally Posted by 2totalled2months

Ive heard this over and over on this thread and its absolutely wrong,,,wish it wasn't,,,uninstall does not hide everything,,,,say ur wastegates are rattling and u need turbo work,,,very common problem,,,,u can uninstall cobb,,,thats all good,,,but bmw will access ur turbo pressures etc from the stored info,,,,if u ran cobb or whatever,,,they will be higher and zap,,,,warranty gone for turbo etc,,,,get friendly with SA at dealership and u may have a chance,,,he can wipe u clean and tell u to come back after so many miles,,,,but uninstall does not wipe clean the history of operation of ur car

Unless the dealer gets head office in Germany to do a low level remote scan of the car they will not find the cob was installed. The chances of this happening are pretty slim. Waste gate rattle is a common problem they're not going to dig too deep and see if you had a tune installed. If you Swiss cheese your block by throwing a rod then they'll investigate. Unless you give them a reason to look they won't bother.

[jester17]

Originally Posted by Reapur

Unless the dealer gets head office in Germany to do a low level remote scan of the car they will not find the cob was installed. The chances of this happening are pretty slim. Waste gate rattle is a common problem they're not going to dig too deep and see if you had a tune installed. If you Swiss cheese your block by throwing a rod then they'll investigate. Unless you give them a reason to look they won't bother.

This sort of ambiguity is what has me moving toward the PPK 1 or 2 simply for the peace of mind; it's worth it -- to me -- to pay the extra costs as I know those parts will (much more likely than not) give me the driving satisfaction I want without the psychological hassle of wondering what if.

Still, these posts have been incredibly information, and again, thanks so much folks!

[jordantii]

Originally Posted by 2totalled2months

Ive heard this over and over on this thread and its absolutely wrong,,,wish it wasn't,,,uninstall does not hide everything,,,,say ur wastegates are rattling and u need turbo work,,,very common problem,,,,u can uninstall cobb,,,thats all good,,,but bmw will access ur turbo pressures etc from the stored info,,,,if u ran cobb or whatever,,,they will be higher and zap,,,,warranty gone for turbo etc,,,,get friendly with SA at dealership and u may have a chance,,,he can wipe u clean and tell u to come back after so many miles,,,,but uninstall does not wipe clean the history of operation of ur car

This is absolutely true. And is the chance you take when doing a mod that directly affects a part or system that may go bad. And don't think that BMW is unaware of these forums, Cobb, JB etc. they are intimately familiar with all of it. And at times lurk here and on the others as well.

So knowing this you can make the decision that best fits your needs and risk profile.

I wrestle with this all the time. Hence my car is stock. Only my second BMW that is stock out of the 17 I have owned. Sucks, because I want more power, better handling and piece of mind. This is what Steve D knew and you pay for it when you go with Dinan. I had his suspension on my 2002tii and it was damn good. Not as tame as his stuff today but he knows what he is doing. And BMW knows it.

[2totalled2months]

Originally Posted by jordantii

This is absolutely true. And is the chance you take when doing a mod that directly affects a part or system that may go bad. And don't think that BMW is unaware of these forums, Cobb, JB etc. they are intimately familiar with all of it. And at times lurk here and on the others as well.

So knowing this you can make the decision that best fits your needs and risk profile.

I wrestle with this all the time. Hence my car is stock. Only my second BMW that is stock out of the 17 I have owned. Sucks, because I want more power, better handling and piece of mind. This is what Steve D knew and you pay for it when you go with Dinan. I had his suspension on my 2002tii and it was damn good. Not as tame as his stuff today but he knows what he is doing. And BMW knows it.

yes, I agree. It is very true, certain repairs they cannot approve at the shop, it goes to BMW and at that point they pull what is stored in the computer,,,some is even transferred on a continuous basis thru the BMW assist,,,pressures and temps rpms etc are stored and can only be cleared at the shop,,,,if you blow something small priced u probably wont have any worries,,,but a turbo,,,trans etc,,,u can bet BMW will look. I went in for what I thought was wastegate rattle,,,BMW had to analyze my system before they would approve or disapprove the repair. A good friend to make is a SA,,,not only can u get deep discounts but they can help u work thru this if they know up front,,,they can reset and send u driving for a few days,,,also tell u how to drive for those few days to help the reset