Tuning F30 /31 320D. Advice and experiences.

Tuning F30 /31 320D. Advice and experiences.

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Msportman

Original Poster:

276 posts

155 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
Looking to possibly re map my F31 320D Xdrive.

Looked at the following options:

AC Schnitzer.....218bhp comes with factory back on engine gearbox.
Downside cost...over 2k

Steinbauer.....very similar to ACS but costs under £1k
No factory back up.

Superchips .....210bhp
Cheap....£399 but no warranty

Alpina.....do they make a tuning box for F31??

Anyone been down this road with their F30 31?

Any oppinions on the above.

I like the ACS back up but it is costly.

Edited by Msportman on Saturday 2nd August 22:27

Wills2

22,666 posts

174 months

Saturday 19th July 2014
quotequote all
IIRC BMW do an upgrade for the 320d which keeps the warranty intact.

Jon1967x

7,175 posts

123 months

Saturday 19th July 2014
quotequote all
Wills2 said:
IIRC BMW do an upgrade for the 320d which keeps the warranty intact.
Its called a 330d

I don't mean to be unhelpful but spending a couple of grand on an upgrade that may cause warranty issues and not be worth anything when you part ex is not the way I'd spend my money when there is a car already out there


Edited by Jon1967x on Saturday 19th July 11:36

Welshbeef

49,633 posts

197 months

Saturday 19th July 2014
quotequote all
BMW PPK is the official route - but really you should buy the correct model in the first place.

Wills2

22,666 posts

174 months

Saturday 19th July 2014
quotequote all
Jon1967x said:
Wills2 said:
IIRC BMW do an upgrade for the 320d which keeps the warranty intact.
Its called a 330d

I don't mean to be unhelpful but spending a couple of grand on an upgrade that may cause warranty issues and not be worth anything when you part ex is not the way I'd spend my money when there is a car already out there


Edited by Jon1967x on Saturday 19th July 11:36
I answered the OP's question, not sure what you're attempting to do?


Jon1967x

7,175 posts

123 months

Sunday 20th July 2014
quotequote all
Wills2 said:
Jon1967x said:
Wills2 said:
IIRC BMW do an upgrade for the 320d which keeps the warranty intact.
Its called a 330d

I don't mean to be unhelpful but spending a couple of grand on an upgrade that may cause warranty issues and not be worth anything when you part ex is not the way I'd spend my money when there is a car already out there


Edited by Jon1967x on Saturday 19th July 11:36
I answered the OP's question, not sure what you're attempting to do?

I'm just pointing out that while bmw will take your money on a upgrade, there is another route that many would feel is more sensible

Msportman

Original Poster:

276 posts

155 months

Sunday 20th July 2014
quotequote all
Not particularly helpful responses I'd hope for. I bought the car for a reason and won't be changing it anytime soon.I will be changing in 3 years for an M4. I just wondered if the many who use this site who happen to own a 320d may have any experiences.
I won't be going down the BMW route as it's only a 15bhp lift although the warranty issue can also be covered by ACS.

Alpina D3 was certainly praised on their similar 320d by the press and for me at this time it suits my needs. I don't need a 300+ diesel (330 or 335d) as I would have got one in the first place. I have a circuit car for fun days in any case.

So back to my original question is there anyone out there who has fitted one of the aforementioned tuning boxes to their F30/ F31?

Edited by Msportman on Monday 21st July 01:05

Wills2

22,666 posts

174 months

Sunday 20th July 2014
quotequote all
Birds do a Hartge tune for £1700 with a full warranty it gives 218hp, I would probably ask on f30 post (bimmerpost) you'll get a better response.

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=...


SimNugget

580 posts

169 months

Sunday 20th July 2014
quotequote all
Hartge are offering 10% discount and free fitting at present. It's about 1500Euro.

S

Wills2

22,666 posts

174 months

Tuesday 22nd July 2014
quotequote all

There is also a thread on f30 Post (bimmerpost) showing a before and after dyno with the official BMW PPK 189 vs. 218 so that kit is underrated.

IIRC the PPK is £1100?




Msportman

Original Poster:

276 posts

155 months

Saturday 2nd August 2014
quotequote all
Bought a Steinbauer unit...they make the ACS units in any case and have more or less identical outputs.

Will be fitting next week.

218bhp
350lbs of twist.

Should be nice in my F31 in combination with the Schnitzer Sports springs which are now fitted and represent a huge improvement. Nice family wagon with a nice amount of performance for my needs and family duties and 4WD.

smashy

3,030 posts

157 months

Saturday 2nd August 2014
quotequote all
This is all odd there is another thread running about a 1 series and people saying no one has cracked the ECUs on the new bmw models????? Or am I missing something.

Helicopter123

8,831 posts

155 months

Sunday 3rd August 2014
quotequote all
OP needs to trade in his car and get into a 330d. More power, kit, sublime 8 speed auto box and considerably better refinement.

Welshbeef

49,633 posts

197 months

Sunday 3rd August 2014
quotequote all
OP what is the increase in insurance following this modification? also does it increase the VED as CO2 will now be above the level it left the factory OEM.


Lastly what consideration have you thought about re lower residuals as the very vast majority of buyers will not touch a modified vehicle.

DuraAce

4,240 posts

159 months

Sunday 3rd August 2014
quotequote all
Seriously? You remove it when you sell it so residuals don't come into it. You're just selling a normal car.

Nor does VED, who is going to test it? It's not going to cause any increase in VED.

Welshbeef

49,633 posts

197 months

Sunday 3rd August 2014
quotequote all
DuraAce said:
Seriously? You remove it when you sell it so residuals don't come into it. You're just selling a normal car.

Nor does VED, who is going to test it? It's not going to cause any increase in VED.
As a buyer I'd want to know if it has been modified even if it is now OEM why - the engine and drive train have been stressed far higher than OEM and therefore more wear.
There is another thread in BMW pistonheads forum where someone bought an AUC from BMW which turned out to be modified/remapped -- possible Misselling


Generally cars which have injector and Turbo failure on TDI have a much much higher failure rate in modified cars. Are you suggesting telling pork pies to a future buyer and hard luck to them of something breaks due to this previous modification?

Also insurance??



DuraAce

4,240 posts

159 months

Sunday 3rd August 2014
quotequote all
Welshbeef said:
Generally cars which have injector and Turbo failure on TDI have a much much higher failure rate in modified cars. Are you suggesting telling pork pies to a future buyer and hard luck to them of something breaks due to this previous modification?

Also insurance??
Isn't that what everyone does now? In most cases you wouldn't know if a car you bought from a dealer had been mapped and then removed before it was traded in. Same if you bought privately. Expecting people to honestly and openly declare mods that could affect reliability is a bit of a dreamworld. You might be that honest but I'd wager most people wouldn't be.

Cue lots of folk saying they'd declare everything and never tell porkies.........

In the OP case it's a removable tuning box that will leave no signs. Different to selling a remapped car with the map still applied to the car IMO.

Of course you should declare it your insurance. Madness not to.

Wills2

22,666 posts

174 months

Sunday 3rd August 2014
quotequote all
Helicopter123 said:
OP needs to trade in his car and get into a 330d. More power, kit, sublime 8 speed auto box and considerably better refinement.
The 6 pot diesels aren't all they're cracked up to be, they still rattle and bang.

I'm sure the tuned 4 pot is just fine for the OP.



Welshbeef

49,633 posts

197 months

Monday 4th August 2014
quotequote all
Wills2 said:
The 6 pot diesels aren't all they're cracked up to be, they still rattle and bang.

I'm sure the tuned 4 pot is just fine for the OP.


Oh yes they are, they are really superb.

Helicopter123

8,831 posts

155 months

Monday 4th August 2014
quotequote all
Wills2 said:
Helicopter123 said:
OP needs to trade in his car and get into a 330d. More power, kit, sublime 8 speed auto box and considerably better refinement.
The 6 pot diesels aren't all they're cracked up to be, they still rattle and bang.

I'm sure the tuned 4 pot is just fine for the OP.


Disagree, compared with the 4 pots they are super smooth. Not quite yet 6 pot petrol refined but a very significant step up from the 4 pots in terms of refinement.