The #1 Boost Gauge for the 335i is FINALLY here for the 135i !!

[mineo77]

looks sweet ,but for $350-400 yikes!

[jtsherri]

Originally Posted by ///M1

Can you comment on the install? Or maybe you got it pre-installed with the 135i vent already included? Looks great.

Any pics of how you can toggle/tell between JB3 maps? Wonder what the display reads.

The install is a piece of cake. And yes, I did have one that was pre-installed in to the vent already (this makes things VERY convenient, by the way). I ran in to one minor snag (which was my own, stupid fault) that added 5-10 minutes to the install; otherwise, it would have taken me roughly 35-40 minutes total.

I consider myself "well-versed" when it comes to working on cars and this was working at a mediocre pace. If I was really looking to tear through it, I could have done it faster, but my garage was only about 35 degrees... And I work slow when I'm cold. Having installed this one, I'm guessing I could do it in 30 minutes or less now.

I don't have pics of the gauge in action, yet - only of the pre-install parts that were included with it, but here are the directions, which includes shots of what the menus look like: http://www.p3cars.com/files/vg-menu.pdf

I'm hoping to have some time to work on the actual review tomorrow and get it finished in the coming days.

All I'll really comment on at this point is that after talking to Rick, this thing is no joke. I'll admit that I was thinking about going with a generic gauge, as I thought, "Bah, it's only a boost gauge..." But in this case, that's definitely not true. The ability to customize combined with perfect fitment/integration, functionality and [most importantly] accuracy of this device is amazing. After getting some details on the R&D that went in to it (not to mention the details I've gotten on the cost to actually build one), I can tell you that it's worth EVERY penny.

[RiXst3r]

Originally Posted by mineo77

looks sweet ,but for $350-400 yikes!

Help me understand why people feel this way, because I hear this a lot, and personally I feel the price is a steal for such a custom solution!

is it because people are used to paying $150 bucks for an off the shelf mass quantity made in china digital boost gauge?

We make a product that is 100% custom for a SMALL market of just ONE car, a year worth of design, includes almost $50 worth of OEM BMW parts, complex circuitry with over 50 electronic components, the most expensive OEM grade automotive electronics surface mount technology and robotic assembly, LASER cut and CNC parts, over 1,000 lines of custom firmware code, over 90 minutes worth of our time for assembly of EACH UNIT... Made in the U.S.A etc, etc, etc... You would be hard pressed to find any other product for your car with this much part cost and R&D in it.

If you guys knew how little money we made on these you would think I was crazy. I do it because I love the cars, I love quality products, and I think your turbo BMW deserves a properly integrated 100% custom boost gauge...

We sent our 335i unit to AMS earlier this year... here was their response:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=202381

I can say without a shadow of doubt that this gauge is not only the best boost gauge I have put in a car...it might be the best electronic part period. The only bad thing I can say about this is that with the R&D that is put into this piece they are charging WAAAY to little for this. lol if that is a bad thing.

So in short this passed the AMS test with flying colors! We highly recommend this piece and hope to see it or install it in as many cars possible.

[mineo77]

well the product is definitely sweet, and i appreciated the work. will def be putting this in down the road, but right now that is $$$ for me. I havent won the lottery yet.

[jtsherri]

Originally Posted by mineo77

well the product is definitely sweet, and i appreciated the work. will def be putting this in down the road, but right now that is $$$ for me. I havent won the lottery yet.

Just keep in mind that if you mod your powertrain AT ALL, you definitely want a GOOD boost gauge. Many of us have spent thousands on other mods, yet some are willing to shortcut the cost on a part that allows us to monitor a very critical bit of information.

I completely understand the decision to choose wisely where money is spent (hell, I'm not rich either! Hopefully some day though!), but this is definitely a worth-while investment, in my opinion.

[ncarter124]

Love it!

[ESC OFF]

I ordered one last week, now I'm anxious for it's arrival.

[JiveTurkey]

Originally Posted by RiXst3r

Pre-orders are shipping throughout the next 2 weeks. 5 units are going out tomorrow night.

As mentioned before... as a "thanks for waiting" gesture... all pre-orders will receive the unit pre-installed in an OEM 135i vent! a $42 cost! And a time-saver when it comes to installation.

Recieved my shipping confirmation today.....YEA!!!

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by RiXst3r

If you guys knew how little money we made on these you would think I was crazy.

I'm an electical engineer and programmer that's taken a couple of low volume products like this to market, and I can honestly say that I agree that you are charging a very fair price for this unit.

Sure, it's expensive for a boost gauge, but it's certainly the cleanest, most OEM looking solution available, and people should expect to pay a premium for that.

[Mega Man]

Product looks great! It probably is very useful for those times when your car "doesn't feel as fast as it should," or "this is how it should always feel." It's a much cleaner look than the pod gauges that install on an A-Pillar (had them on an older car of mine).

I'll probably be asking for one for my b'day. LoL!

In all seriousness though, and down to business and the DIY:
a) is a wire splice required (hopefully not soldering!). Will you need to strip the coating off of a wire, and then attach the coppers from your unit then electrical tape it together?
b) is a DIY install sheet included?

Great product, RiXst3r, best of luck with your sales on these forums.

[Markusarelius]

Thats fantastic! But my car is right hand drive!

[avsbmw]

this boost guage with the performance steering wheel would be awesome!

[jtsherri]

Originally Posted by Mega Man

Product looks great! It probably is very useful for those times when your car "doesn't feel as fast as it should," or "this is how it should always feel." It's a much cleaner look than the pod gauges that install on an A-Pillar (had them on an older car of mine).

I'll probably be asking for one for my b'day. LoL!

In all seriousness though, and down to business and the DIY:
a) is a wire splice required (hopefully not soldering!). Will you need to strip the coating off of a wire, and then attach the coppers from your unit then electrical tape it together?
b) is a DIY install sheet included?

Great product, RiXst3r, best of luck with your sales on these forums.

a) Nope. None. It's all Plug 'n' Play... And quite easy, at that!
b) I'm not sure if Rick plans to include printed install sheets in the future, but he gave me a link to a PDF that could be printed. This seems like the more logical way to do it, in case he needs to update them, he's not throwing away old printed batches. Also, the instructions were VERY well done. ZERO guessing was involved during my install.

[Mega Man]

Originally Posted by jtsherri

a) Nope. None. It's all Plug 'n' Play... And quite easy, at that!
b) I'm not sure if Rick plans to include printed install sheets in the future, but he gave me a link to a PDF that could be printed.

That's great! I'll probably be ordering one in the near future...just not now...the holidays, and all my spending exceeding my earnings...need to replenish...haha!

Looks like a solid product, and I'd really like to take the guess work out of anything going on with my car; ie. HPFP or future tuning possibilities.

Originally, I was thinking of going with A-Pillar pod clusters, but, this is much cleaner...it's not as heads up, but more concealed. The only advantage I see to the A-Pillar clusters is that I can more easily glance at it; and it won't be something I'll be staring at. This one looks too good to not stare at!

[jtsherri]

Originally Posted by Mega Man

Originally, I was thinking of going with A-Pillar pod clusters, but, this is much cleaner...it's not as heads up, but more concealed. The only advantage I see to the A-Pillar clusters is that I can more easily glance at it; and it won't be something I'll be staring at. This one looks too good to not stare at!

The nice thing about the gauge is that there's a peak recall option. One tap of the button shows you where you were peaking since the last press. And you'd actually be surprised at how easily you can glace at the gauge - the location is quite visible.

ALSO, please be careful doing an A-pillar cluster on this car (or most other modern vehicles)... Keep in mind that airbags are practically everywhere. The last thing you want is the boost readout imprinted in your forehead during an accident (I kid about this, but it's a very serious thing to consider).

[dunny]

Originally Posted by RiXst3r

Help me understand why people feel this way, because I hear this a lot, and personally I feel the price is a steal for such a custom solution!

My simple answer: $400 is $400, period. That is $400 for something that people are used to paying $100 or less for most other cars/applications. Granted you can't compare this to an autometer mechanical gauge, but that doesn't mean the initial reaction isn't "WOW, $400 for a BOOST gauge?" I'll admit, that was my initial reaction, but after reading up on the details I grew to appreciate your efforts to bring this product to market.

With that said, I see the 335i group buy prices are around $311 or so for the PNP version. If you decide to offer something like that for the 135i gauge I will most likely be on board. Until then, I'm going to have to save my pennies

Good luck with selling them here - I'm sure you won't have a problem with such a quality piece! I see you are in the Columbus area....I have quite a few friends up there in the tuner scene and make it out to National Trails a few times every year. I should be at Mid-Ohio next year as well for one of the BMWCCA 2 day classes.

[Mega Man]

Originally Posted by dunny

With that said, I see the 335i group buy prices are around $311 or so for the PNP version. If you decide to offer something like that for the 135i gauge I will most likely be on board. Until then, I'm going to have to save my pennies

Think we could get that here, Rixst3r?

[dunny]

Here is the link for that group buy:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=318112

[///M1]

FWIW, if there is a GB I'll jump on it. Considering early adopters got a freebie given how considerate the seller is, that shouldn't disrupt anyone's feelings.

I do appreciate all the R&D and engineering effort behind it, but as dunny said, $400 is $400. In the grand scheme of things this is a great mod, but if you are early in your mod wishlist as I am, to me those funds are better spent for/applied to other more pressing mods (e.g. exhaust and suspension). With that said, a GB price would probably put this much higher on my list...

[RiXst3r]

Originally Posted by Mega Man

Think we could get that here, Rixst3r?

I really wish I could... but to give full transparency, because I believe people support vendors who are 100% honest.. it's just me doing these 135i gauges (other than the circuit board assembly which we farm out, since it is surface mount technology, not to be done by hand)... because I can't even afford to pay anyone to help, with such low production quantities.

The 335i gauge has been on the market for over a year now, and my assembly methods are much more streamlined and cost effective. I don't even touch them anymore... I have 2 people that build and ship them for me. Hundreds of units have sold/shipped.

Also, the 135i gauge actually has more components than the 335 version... it has an external, regulated switching power supply... originally this was integrated on the board, but it just wouldn't fit... so the power supply sits behind the vent. I will get a photo of all the components for you guys, so you can see all that goes into making this puppy light up!

As it stands now, I am losing money on every 135i gauge even at the current price, group buys are not possible anytime soon... We may even be forced to raise the price if we cannot get any breaks from our suppliers

[RiXst3r]

Originally Posted by avsbmw

this boost guage with the performance steering wheel would be awesome!

I agree! Your car would then have pretty much a complete set of needed driver info, and it would all look totally OEM!

[BCBM]

Originally Posted by RiXst3r

Yes, it will fit just fine!

Hi Rick,

Do you have RHD version in hand? I would like to get one.

Billy