[rdsport323]

I know that the car hasn't been out long enough to determine whether or not there are any long term effects from adding more boost or getting the car reprogrammed, but... in your opinion, if you plan on keeping the car for more than 5 years, it would be a good idea to mod it and potentially wear out the engine?

I'm assuming most of you are leasing, and plan on returning the car after 3 years and just think that since it's not your problem later, you can mod it to hell and back and everything is cool. But for those that actually purchased the car, would you risk potentially damaging the car for the added boost?

From reading the forums, the 335i doesn't seem like the car to keep longer than a few years, especially with all the oil problems etc... what do you guys think is better in the long run?

[radgator1]

From reading your post I would say it would be better to keep your car stock. Like they say, you gotta pay to play and you don't sound like you are willing to accept the risk and are looking for someone to reassure you that adding boost wont increase stress on your car, but the fact is it will.

[rdsport323]

Paying to play is fully understandable, but I'm just curious as to how many who DO mod their cars actually bought the car and not lease. Paying to play works differently especially when in the long run, the car is yours and you have to sell it eventually. When the car is no longer "your problem" after the lease is up, the amount you paid to play compared to someone that bought the car, is cheaper.

So, for a car like the 335i, I guess its better lease so that it's no longer your problem after the lease term?

[radgator1]

Originally Posted by rdsport323

Paying to play is fully understandable, but I'm just curious as to how many who DO mod their cars actually bought the car and not lease. Paying to play works differently especially when in the long run, the car is yours and you have to sell it eventually. When the car is no longer "your problem" after the lease is up, the amount you paid to play compared to someone that bought the car, is cheaper.

So, for a car like the 335i, I guess its better lease so that it's no longer your problem after the lease term?

I bought mine, I mod mine. Breaking down your question to the bottom line, you are asking what is safer for the car, modding it or not modding it and the answer is obvious. That's what pay to play means.

[Stinger]

I think the OP's question is a good one. But can I tweak the direction of this thread a bit.

1. Everyone knows mods can have a negative impact on longevity, sometimes not always.

2. Given #1, of those here who have done mods on previous vehicles did you find long term quality to really be an issue/impact to your ownership experience (most interested in prior-BMWs with mods others have tweaked and kept for awhile)?

To the OP, I'm keeping my car and plan to do the Dinan mod next month. I am really not that concerned about long-term quality. I know the car is not a Camry so I expect some long-term costs to occur sooner than other vehicle choices, but overall BMW quality is actually pretty decent and the 335i engine issues (fuel pumps) really isn't that big of a maintenance issue. Of course, long term who knows what will manifest. All I know is I love the car and just like my wife I'll keep the car even with all it's undisclosed faults.

[jaaz]

I wonder if someone has ever done a study on the long-term effects of increased boost on an engine. That would be a great read.

[Supramano]

I also bought my car and have done much modding. I think if your going to mod you car you also must add the things that will make your car run happier and healthier. If you plan on doing a piggyback it would be a bad idea to upgrade the the dinan oil cooler, a bigger ic, an oil catchcan, and gauges to monitor everythihg. Im not saying you need all this stuff, but with my experience is if you take car of your stuff and try and be preventative instead of trying to get the max power quickly and procrastinating the stuff that will make your engine last longer, than your takingg a bigger risk of something going wrong and putting a hole in your pocket. g/l

[Vince@ V K Motorwerks]

I own my car and I plan on keeping my car until it doesnt run anymore. eventually I will turn it into a weekend track/street racing car and get something else as my daily driver. I feel like you only live once, so do what you want and dont sweat the small stuff. Outside factors out of your control can damage your car, ie a car accident.

For my car I have to Procede V2. I change out the spark plugs every 15,000 miles, change my own oil every 3,000-5,000 miles, check my tire pressure weekly, To support the V2 I have installed a boost gauge to monitor my boost. I installed a CAI to help it get cool air in, and DP's to get the hot air out. Not to mention these mods help with the power too! also, I frequently just drive my car with the windows cracked open and the a/c/heater and radio off and listen for any types of knocking or changes in the cars tone. I think as long as you do the same you should be okay. Ofcourse the more mods the more you have to look out for.

Enjoy your car stock or modded. Smile and be thankful that you are one of the fortunate few to own and drive a car of this calibur.

-Vince

[Steve335i]

On my previous daily driver that now has 130k miles, I had a tune and a few bolt-ons and was running double the factory boost (8lbs to 16lbs) starting at 27k miles. I fiddled with the tune, ran it too lean one day, burnt a plug and intake valve. Fixed that and all is fine. If you drive normally and just do the occasional WOT run I wouldn't waste time worrying about it. If you're the type who always wants more, then it may come back to bite you.

[335iheLLraiseR]

the moment you touch or modify that engine from the way it comes from factory, you are on borrowed time.

[Steve335i]

Originally Posted by 335iheLLraiseR

the moment you touch or modify that engine from the way it comes from factory, you are on borrowed time.

[SPDFAN]

I own mine and I mod mine, in fact, all the cars that I own are modded. To me, it makes sense to modify/customize something I own, for a lease though, I wouldn't even bother, not even getting the windows tinted. Longevity is something one should not worry about as long as that person knows what he/she is doing, if you are not certain, you should stick with a stock engine with a few cosmetic modifications.

[KWA VaTech]

Originally Posted by 335iheLLraiseR

the moment you touch or modify that engine from the way it comes from factory, you are on borrowed time.

That’s one of the more ignorant post I have ever heard, yes the engine will eventually die, with or without mods.

Mods will generally affect your engine’s longevity in a negative way. Is this what you were looking for?

But, something as simple as an intake or exhaust mod will most likely go unnoticed throughout the useful life of most engines.

Originally Posted by SPDFAN

Longevity is something one should not worry about as long as that person knows what he/she is doing, if you are not certain, you should stick with a stock engine with a few cosmetic modifications.

Knowing what you are doing is subjective. People think that adding a piggybacks is knowing what you are doing. Longevity might be 3 years with some of the ones out there. Point is, we don’t have a clue right now until more data is collected.

[pdjafari]

Modding a car is always about sacrificing one of the 3 below, so pick your 2

Reliability
Price
Performance

Remember, you can only have 2

[e.n335]

The higher the engine load, the higher the engine wear. An aggressive tune gives you the possibility to drive the car very hard. At the end the driver is responsible for longevity. There are quite some different ECU tunings around, choose the one which works best for you ( the best compromise beween power and reliability ) and you are golden.

[335iheLLraiseR]

Originally Posted by KWA VaTech

That’s one of the more ignorant post I have ever heard, yes the engine will eventually die, with or without mods.

its not ignorance. its reality. not to mention a brand new engine in its debut year. I think you are the one thats being a little ignorant. Honestly, when you tune your car, do actually tell yourself "hey, look at what healthy thing i'm providing my car with..." no, you shit bricks if it hits 17psi. BMW could of easily thrown in a couple more pounds of boost yet they didn't, wonder why? BMW says the engine is good for 10 years for example, you double the boost, whats the end result? no one was stating that engines last forever, but if you modify it you are accelerating the rate of decay.

Hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

hows cloud 9 working for ya BTW?

[rdsport323]

thanks for the reply guys, I also spoke with my dealer about this subject... and he said himself that if it were him, he wouldn't keep a BMW past its warranty...

So now that we agree that by tuning it, it will wear down the engine faster than stock... My next question is, are there any modifications that can be done to increase the life, or to make the engine run better/cooler, without sacrificing HP?

[j|rz44]

Im sitting on my pink....
just free up some air flow and boost at "safe loads"....

GL

[Crazy Bimmer]

Originally Posted by rdsport323

thanks for the reply guys, I also spoke with my dealer about this subject... and he said himself that if it were him, he wouldn't keep a BMW past its warranty...

So now that we agree that by tuning it, it will wear down the engine faster than stock... My next question is, are there any modifications that can be done to increase the life, or to make the engine run better/cooler, without sacrificing HP?

Best way is to keep it stock the way the BMW engineers intended. Do regular maintenance and you should be good.

Which includes letting the oil warm up before beating on the car. Letting the turbos cool down before turning off, etc... besides that I havent heard of any oil problems that you mentioned.

N54 is too new to know how reliable it will be in the long run. I do have to admit thats its more reliable than I thought it would be so far. If this trend lasts then I will be keeping it for a long time.

Plus if you really worried then get an extended warranty.

[Dan335i]

I can only comment on the mods i have done to previous cars i have owned. Long story short,my first Evo (03 8) was modded to 400whp running 23psi of boost for 20k miles.Before i traded it in for my 06 BR350 IX Evo i did a compression test on it and every cylinder had 170.And believe me when i say it was a hard 20k miles.I know they are completely different motors,configurations,etc.But i,m sure our motors can take lots of mods and live a long healthy life. I hope!

[travelinman53]

Originally Posted by rdsport323

thanks for the reply guys, I also spoke with my dealer about this subject... and he said himself that if it were him, he wouldn't keep a BMW past its warranty...

So now that we agree that by tuning it, it will wear down the engine faster than stock... My next question is, are there any modifications that can be done to increase the life, or to make the engine run better/cooler, without sacrificing HP?

I second the sentiment. According to an independent tech who has no dog in the fight, BMW's now have a planned " use by date" which coincides with the expiration of the warranty. All you have to do is reflect on the so-called "free" maintenance program which neglects that first oil change at about 1K miles, the supposed lifetime transmission and differential fluids, 15k
oil change intervals, etc..
Lifetime for BMW means after the expiration of the warranty, plain and simple. Also the more options to add to the complexity of the vehicle mean more potential problems down the road after the warranty expires. That's why my car is as stripped as possible with only the ZSP and leather for options. Manual tranny so I don't have to contend with a potential automatic failure at 80k to 120k.
BMW's are great driving cars, you just have to maintain them and that goes double if you mod them. I have a supercharged E36 M3 with 112k that has had the typical issues but nothing major since 1995. Compression and leakdown tests are good for such an old car and I drive it fairly hard getting into boost frequently so it just depends on how you treat the vehicle.