Cobb or Jb4?

Johnny Boost · 09-25-2014, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elinstylez

I've heard the downside to Cobb is that the dealer can tell how many times your ecu has been flashed..

I've heard the exact opposite. Any sources on this? I would be curious to read about it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by b1aze

Flash forward 5 month and at a meet I was able to ask a self-proclaimed BMW service manager at a dealership a few states away. I asked him if BMW can see that the ECU was flashed with a Cobb tuner if its uninstalled and unmarried. He shook his head and said "nope, they can't tell at all." This may be different than the JB4 in terms of storing and wiping shadow codes but it was reassuring either way.

Source:
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=825122

JETmn · 09-25-2014, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Boost

I've heard the exact opposite. Any sources on this? I would be curious to read about it.

I did a lot of looking before I made my purchase as I was worried about warranty also. I found the JB4 was virtually undetectable and the Cobb they can find out about if they dig hard enough. The dealership usually does not do this, but BMWNA can if it is a big claim, like engine or tranny.

Since then I have heard a guy with a JB4 was denied a claim because there were a lot of codes stored in his car that showed he had a JB4 installed. I was told he cleared codes before hand, but can't verify if he did it correctly or not. I am not going to try and find sources again, just a brief summary of my research FWIW.

Johnny Boost · 09-25-2014, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JETmn

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Boost

I've heard the exact opposite. Any sources on this? I would be curious to read about it.

I did a lot of looking before I made my purchase as I was worried about warranty also. I found the JB4 was virtually undetectable and the Cobb they can find out about if they dig hard enough. The dealership usually does not do this, but BMWNA can if it is a big claim, like engine or tranny.

Since then I have heard a guy with a JB4 was denied a claim because there were a lot of codes stored in his car that showed he had a JB4 installed. I was told he cleared codes before hand, but can't verify if he did it correctly or not. I am not going to try and find sources again, just a brief summary of my research FWIW.

Ya that was my understanding also. That BMW NA can dig deep and find out if you were tuned. But I don't think it's specific to Cobb or jb4. They can see that the car was running outside of oem specs.

wobbles1 · 09-25-2014, 11:54 PM

Had the jb4 G5 ISO for about 1 month and it just never felt right. Switched to cobb v2 and was instantly in love with the power and smoothness of the tune. Also to chime in I work at bmw. Have for over 15 years, they can see if exceeded values are stored of certain parameters. Not specifically if you had a jb4 or a cobb etc. of course you have to realize the only way to get certain boost levels I is with a tune,and they know this.

aren93 · 09-26-2014, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wobbles1

Had the jb4 G5 ISO for about 1 month and it just never felt right. Switched to cobb v2 and was instantly in love with the power and smoothness of the tune. Also to chime in I work at bmw. Have for over 15 years, they can see if exceeded values are stored of certain parameters. Not specifically if you had a jb4 or a cobb etc.

Really...hmm

elinstylez · 09-26-2014, 02:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aren93

Really...hmm

Do it Aren! Ppl get away leaving it on the car all the time, but you can always remove it quickly before bringing it in for service. Also get to know your dealer and SA and see if they're okay with your mods (before bringing it in).

elinstylez · 09-26-2014, 03:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Boost

I've heard the exact opposite. Any sources on this? I would be curious to read about it.

Source:
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=825122

I don't have first hand knowledge nor can I find those threads atm about the AP. So far I've never had any issues with the JB4 - I've taken it off for each dealer visit for maintenance.

aren93 · 09-26-2014, 03:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elinstylez

Do it Aren! Ppl get away leaving it on the car all the time, but you can always remove it quickly before bringing it in for service. Also get to know your dealer and SA and see if they're okay with your mods (before bringing it in).

Yeah im pretty cool with my service adviser and my cars almost at 50k miles anyways so I don't really care about the warranty part. Everyone is saying jb4 and cobb gains are pretty much the same so I mind as well get the cheaper one and it's so easy to tune apparently with the auto tune feature.

JETmn · 09-26-2014, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Boost

Ya that was my understanding also. That BMW NA can dig deep and find out if you were tuned. But I don't think it's specific to Cobb or jb4. They can see that the car was running outside of oem specs.

That is the beauty of the JB4, it actually lies to the ECU so it doesn't think it is outside of the normal parameters. While not nearly as elegant of a tuning device as the Cobb, it will help in the warranty situation.

Jeff@TopGearSolutions · 09-26-2014, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff@TopGearSolutions

JB4

Quote:

Originally Posted by aren93

Even if I upgrade my turbo?

Yes

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Boost

The jb4 is compatible on all of the n55 DMEs so it's by far the most popular n55 tuning option. It's also cheaper and can auto-tune right out of the box. It definitely has it's benefits but it also comes down to personal preference. Try to do as much research as you can because only you can decide which products are the best fit.

This is the majority of why I recommend the JB4 as there are too many incompatibilities with Cobb on N55. So if you buy it and it doesn't work on your car you got a nice paper weight on your hands. I'm also tired of people trying to return it because of it! LOL

If you insist on buying an N55 Cobb, contact Cobb with your VIN and make sure it's compatible.

Quote:

Originally Posted by narstune

Coming from someone who has had both Cobb and JB4, I would lean towards a JB4 with Flex Fuel wire and USB cable. To answer your question about Map 5, yes, it's okay to leave the JB4 on that map all the time. I've been alternating between E70 and CA 91 without bothering with map switching. I do reset adaptations as I see fit from time to time.

I think only 10% (maybe less) of us has had the balls to upgrade turbos, so going with Cobb because it's better suited for those with a turbo upgrade doesn't really apply to many of us.

09-25-2014, 11:54 PM	#48
wobbles1 Second Lieutenant 16 Rep 299 Posts Drives: 2011 AW 1M #541 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Hawaii iTrader: (4)	Had the jb4 G5 ISO for about 1 month and it just never felt right. Switched to cobb v2 and was instantly in love with the power and smoothness of the tune. Also to chime in I work at bmw. Have for over 15 years, they can see if exceeded values are stored of certain parameters. Not specifically if you had a jb4 or a cobb etc. of course you have to realize the only way to get certain boost levels I is with a tune,and they know this. Last edited by wobbles1; 09-26-2014 at 12:32 AM..
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