[tgmsocal]

Hey all,

Was lucky enough to have access to a friend's lift (and a few extra hands) a couple days ago. Installed ER competition FMIC, ER CP, aFE Momentum intake, and did a trans fluid change. I'm in a 2013 328i xDrive at 65k miles.

First of all, the ER FMIC was the hardest piece - I suspect the one I purchased was designed for M-perf bumper (I'm in a sportline), so it required removal of some of the trim behind the bumper. Luckily this wasn't too hard and after removal was relatively straightforward. Also, removing the front bumper made all of this MUCH easier and is also a very easy removal (see the Bimmer-Tech video on YouTube, great overview).

ER CP was pretty easy, had a little trouble getting the line on the bottom to clip back on but wasn't too bad. Suggestion here is to leave the two clamps on the rubber joint loose while you seat the CP on the FMIC, then ensure you are past the ribbing and still on rubber when clamping down. Also, do yourself a favor and pick up 3 O-rings if you're installing a used CP (or just 1 if you bought new) - 1 for the IC side of your TIC and CP, and 1 for the turbo side of the CP. Someone had recommended to me to pick up a couple T-clamps, but there is no reason to use these - it is a metal on metal connection, can't really clamp that down lol. Just reused the C-clips from the stock setup as the CP has grooves for them. They were not nearly as hard to get off as people have made it sound like. Just put a screwdriver into the tab you see, twist lightly until it comes forward a bit, then slide up either side to disengage. The guide on this forum that shows the clip makes this easier to understand.

Intake was as simple as you'd think. Nothing to note here. I also installed the aFE air scoop which was very simple with the bumper removed (rather than popping out the kidney grilles).

Transmission fluid was a joke, can't believe how much the dealer wanted for this. Got the full kit for under 300 (all fluid, new pan, all bolts). Just put the fluid in the freezer, make sure your car is COMPLETELY cooled (it was 40F here, perfect temp to do this). BEFORE you drain, make sure you can access the fill plug and get enough leverage to get ~35-40 NM torque on it. Drain, remove pan, install new pan following ISTA torque specs and bolt pattern. Fill until fluid comes out, get in car, start it, run through P -> R -> D1 -> M2 -> M3 (will autoshift back to M2), 10 sec per gear. Have a buddy keep pumping fluid in while you do this, tranny will eat it up. Repeat until fluid starts coming out again, put new fill plug in. That was it. Took maybe hour and a half. Also, the fluid that came out wasn't horribly dirty, but definitely looked ready to change, plus noticeable debris from the filter; I would DEFINITELY do this before 75k miles if you're planning on keeping your car, as I am.

Overall, car feels a little snappier, can definitely hear the intake, and the transmission shifts significantly smoother. The FMIC/CP are me just getting ready for a tune, so don't expect too much out of them on stock setup until the weather gets hot enough for me to heat soak the turbo a bit. No boost leaks or other anomalies were noted on a spirited drive after safe warm up.

Feel free to ask any questions below. I used no special tools (just various Torx and hex bits). Definitely helps a TON to have a lift and a couple friends who like to wrench.

On another note, will be selling the stock bits as I won't be using them anymore, if you're looking to return to stock before turning a lease back in. Will post in FS section soon.

-tgm

Edit: Here are the part numbers for the O-rings, note that they are directional so be sure to look at the orientation of the old ones as you remove them!

11618506786 - need 2 of these, go on the FMIC side of CP and TIC
13717637707 - goes on the turbo side of CP

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by tgmsocal

Hey all,

Was lucky enough to have access to a friend's lift (and a few extra hands) a couple days ago. Installed ER competition FMIC, ER CP, aFE Momentum intake, and did a trans fluid change. I'm in a 2013 328i xDrive at 65k miles.

First of all, the ER FMIC was the hardest piece - I suspect the one I purchased was designed for M-perf bumper (I'm in a sportline), so it required removal of some of the trim behind the bumper. Luckily this wasn't too hard and after removal was relatively straightforward. Also, removing the front bumper made all of this MUCH easier and is also a very easy removal (see the Bimmer-Tech video on YouTube, great overview).

ER CP was pretty easy, had a little trouble getting the line on the bottom to clip back on but wasn't too bad. Suggestion here is to leave the two clamps on the rubber joint loose while you seat the CP on the FMIC, then ensure you are past the ribbing and still on rubber when clamping down. Also, do yourself a favor and pick up 3 O-rings if you're installing a used CP (or just 1 if you bought new) - 1 for the IC side of your TIC and CP, and 1 for the turbo side of the CP. Someone had recommended to me to pick up a couple T-clamps, but there is no reason to use these - it is a metal on metal connection, can't really clamp that down lol. Just reused the C-clips from the stock setup as the CP has grooves for them. They were not nearly as hard to get off as people have made it sound like. Just put a screwdriver into the tab you see, twist lightly until it comes forward a bit, then slide up either side to disengage. The guide on this forum that shows the clip makes this easier to understand.

Intake was as simple as you'd think. Nothing to note here. I also installed the aFE air scoop which was very simple with the bumper removed (rather than popping out the kidney grilles).

Transmission fluid was a joke, can't believe how much the dealer wanted for this. Got the full kit for under 300 (all fluid, new pan, all bolts). Just put the fluid in the freezer, make sure your car is COMPLETELY cooled (it was 40F here, perfect temp to do this). BEFORE you drain, make sure you can access the fill plug and get enough leverage to get ~35-40 NM torque on it. Drain, remove pan, install new pan following ISTA torque specs and bolt pattern. Fill until fluid comes out, get in car, start it, run through P -> R -> D1 -> M2 -> M3 (will autoshift back to M2), 10 sec per gear. Have a buddy keep pumping fluid in while you do this, tranny will eat it up. Repeat until fluid starts coming out again, put new fill plug in. That was it. Took maybe hour and a half. Also, the fluid that came out wasn't horribly dirty, but definitely looked ready to change, plus noticeable debris from the filter; I would DEFINITELY do this before 75k miles if you're planning on keeping your car, as I am.

Overall, car feels a little snappier, can definitely hear the intake, and the transmission shifts significantly smoother. The FMIC/CP are me just getting ready for a tune, so don't expect too much out of them on stock setup until the weather gets hot enough for me to heat soak the turbo a bit. No boost leaks or other anomalies were noted on a spirited drive after safe warm up.

Feel free to ask any questions below. I used no special tools (just various Torx and hex bits). Definitely helps a TON to have a lift and a couple friends who like to wrench.

On another note, will be selling the stock bits as I won't be using them anymore, if you're looking to return to stock before turning a lease back in. Will post in FS section soon.

-tgm

Sounds like you followed my tips in this thread:

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...1016592&page=3

[tgmsocal]

Originally Posted by Polo08816

Sounds like you followed my tips in this thread:

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...1016592&page=3

Absolutely did! Just to be clear, not trying to steal the thunder from all the excellent DIY write-ups on this forum, just offering to share my experiences based off those DIYs. Hence why my write-up has very little actual technical detail.

Thanks for all the tips in your thread, made it approachable as a DIY and definitely helped things go smoothly.

-tgm

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by tgmsocal

Absolutely did! Just to be clear, not trying to steal the thunder from all the excellent DIY write-ups on this forum, just offering to share my experiences based off those DIYs. Hence why my write-up has very little actual technical detail.

Thanks for all the tips in your thread, made it approachable as a DIY and definitely helped things go smoothly.

-tgm

No problem!

In case you're ever interested in a rear diff DIY I wrote one up this past weekend: http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...=982938&page=8