Has Anybody Ecu Remapped The Bmw 320D F30 ?

[BKMHKT]

Has anyone ECU remapped the BMW 320d F30, and if yes :

What company did you use ?

How is the result ?

Price ?

Can the BMW dealer trace a remapping (I guess the warranty is lost if they know) ?

[Woodsie888]

It's probably better to fit a tuning box instead. This is undetectable and can be quickly removed in less than 5 minutes without tools, prior to dealer visits.

Any remap is easily detected and on the F30 and the last E90's too as the ECU is protected by TPROT10 coding, and you're quite correct, they will will void your warranty in a heart beat if detected.

I did enquire about remapping once and was informed I'd have to remove the ECU and send it to Europe for the job.

Bluefin works on the earlier 177bhp E90's etc, but not on the later 184 bhp E90 & F30, at least that was the case a while ago.

A good quality tuning box will give 220 - 230 real BHP and about 450 Nm, plus believe it or not, you'll get better economy unless like me, you nail it everywhere. I still get 800 kms per tank though.

[hansgruber]

http://www.superchips.co.uk/

You're welcome.

[Woodsie888]

http://www.superchips.co.uk/

You're welcome.

How have you assisted the OP?

[hansgruber]

http://www.superchips.co.uk/

You're welcome.

How have you assisted the OP?

How did you?

Website has all the information from a trusted source.

You're just some random guy on the internet googling knowledge for all we know.

Establish company or some random net guy?

Pick one.

[BKMHKT]

_{I mailed superfchips in Uk a little while ago.}

_{They have a dealer in Bkk = V-Speed Co Ltd , 341/84 , Charoenkrung 107 Bangkoleam, 10120 Bangkok.}

_{I am waiting for V-Speed to answer my questions.}

_{I forgot to ask Superchips if they remap the F30, but this question is with V-Speed now.}

_{I am just a little afraid I won't get a no if they do not know what they are doing - here in Th almost everybody says yes to all, and the result will tell you what you should have believed at first.}

[Jobo]

Superchips UK have not yet developed a map for the F30. And when they do you would have to send them the ECU.

I do not believe that the remap is noticeable by BMW unless they are specifically looking for it.

I've had mine done and BMW Barcelona don't seem to worry if in fact they know!

The guy at V Speed BKK that has all the knowledge (K.Fah) is no longer there.

While an ECU remap is the preferred option this is not available via the OBD11 port on the F30 as has been mentioned.

There are plenty of piggy back options available but in my experience they are nowhere near as good as a remap.

This applies particularly to the systems that merely increase common rail pressure.

If anyone wants one of these I have one for sale - Race Chip

I tried one of those in my E90 320d and didn't like it. Just used more fuel and blew out lots of black smoke under heavy acceleration.

You can get a good piggy back from about 300 quid in the UK ( injector timing and turbo boost mods) or more sophisticated items from Germany - try Hartges but very expensive.

[Woodsie888]

http://www.superchips.co.uk/

You're welcome.

How have you assisted the OP?

How did you?

Website has all the information from a trusted source.

You're just some random guy on the internet googling knowledge for all we know.

Establish company or some random net guy?

Pick one.

Yes, I'm just a random guy googling.

hehehe

Have you got one of these vehicles which you have modified??

[Woodsie888]

_{I mailed superfchips in Uk a little while ago.}

_{They have a dealer in Bkk = V-Speed Co Ltd , 341/84 , Charoenkrung 107 Bangkoleam, 10120 Bangkok.}

_{I am waiting for V-Speed to answer my questions.}

_{I forgot to ask Superchips if they remap the F30, but this question is with V-Speed now.}

_{I am just a little afraid I won't get a no if they do not know what they are doing - here in Th almost everybody says yes to all, and the result will tell you what you should have believed at first.}

Don't hold your breath, they won't answer with any constructive info.

[Woodsie888]

Superchips UK have not yet developed a map for the F30. And when they do you would have to send them the ECU.

I do not believe that the remap is noticeable by BMW unless they are specifically looking for it.

I've had mine done and BMW Barcelona don't seem to worry if in fact they know!

The guy at V Speed BKK that has all the knowledge (K.Fah) is no longer there.

While an ECU remap is the preferred option this is not available via the OBD11 port on the F30 as has been mentioned.

There are plenty of piggy back options available but in my experience they are nowhere near as good as a remap.

This applies particularly to the systems that merely increase common rail pressure.

If anyone wants one of these I have one for sale - Race Chip

I tried one of those in my E90 320d and didn't like it. Just used more fuel and blew out lots of black smoke under heavy acceleration.

You can get a good piggy back from about 300 quid in the UK ( injector timing and turbo boost mods) or more sophisticated items from Germany - try Hartges but very expensive.

Correct info

[BKMHKT]

Superchips UK have not yet developed a map for the F30. And when they do you would have to send them the ECU.

I do not believe that the remap is noticeable by BMW unless they are specifically looking for it.

I've had mine done and BMW Barcelona don't seem to worry if in fact they know!

The guy at V Speed BKK that has all the knowledge (K.Fah) is no longer there.

While an ECU remap is the preferred option this is not available via the OBD11 port on the F30 as has been mentioned.

There are plenty of piggy back options available but in my experience they are nowhere near as good as a remap.

This applies particularly to the systems that merely increase common rail pressure.

If anyone wants one of these I have one for sale - Race Chip

I tried one of those in my E90 320d and didn't like it. Just used more fuel and blew out lots of black smoke under heavy acceleration.

You can get a good piggy back from about 300 quid in the UK ( injector timing and turbo boost mods) or more sophisticated items from Germany - try Hartges but very expensive.

Correct info

Thanks - as I understand from above info it is not a Race Chip I want to buy than.

I have now contacted Hartges about what/if they use a dealer in Th.

Yes, the price from Hartge is expensive = around 2000 Euro for a plug/play piggy back, - according to their web page.

Anyway - if they deliver what they promise = 450 NM and 218 Hp, (WITHOUT smoke) I am willing to spend that.

The search goes on.

[steveromagnino]

have you tried AC Shnitzer? They are around in Thailand.

http://www.ac-schnitzer.de/en/bmw-cars/products-models/3-series/f30-sedan-since-2012/engineering/

On the website they don't mention engine tunes, but you can always ask.

http://www.ac-schnitzerthailand.com/products-bmw-3er.php

Hamann is distributed by prodrive in Rachada not sure if a tune is available yet though.

http://www.hamann-motorsport.com/en/tuning-ranges/spalte-1/bmw/

I am told by a reliable source at Europa motors they CAN actually see if the car has been modified even using a piggy back removed before servicing (the logging system can track info from all the various gauges), and for the most part they don't worry about it until something goes wrong, in which case they will look to see if the system has been running modified or been the result of driver error; it's at this point that you may have an issue whether you can get coverage under warranty/BSI.

That's why a reliable local tuner has the benefit of a local guarantee. Of course, less of an issue with grey market since the warranty is worthless after a fairly low number of km anyhow.

Running into the same issue myself as I'm buying a new car at the moment, and tuning it (other than VW brands) seems like a difficulty here once you start fiddling the warranty becomes problematic so you need a tuner that will pick up the warranty - since Brabus, Carlsson are controlled by the grey market Benz is aching to cancel the warranty, in the case of VW since ABT, APR and MTM are all owned by the Thaiyarnyon family, the chances of warranty being covered by someone are perhaps slightly more positive. AC Shnitzer seems to be pretty neutral, so perhaps BMW or Shnitzer will pick up the warranty, if that's what you are worried about - just don't know if they will tune for you locally or not.

[Ace of Pop]

Ive said this before, but got Poo Pooed by the Boy Racers.When you have a big whack these days the Insurance guys are on to it. Up to You. Quite rightly so in my Book. A Mitsu Lancer costs less than a G.T. to insure.Have the Balls to Inform them,if you tune it.

[BKMHKT]

Ive said this before, but got Poo Pooed by the Boy Racers.When you have a big whack these days the Insurance guys are on to it. Up to You. Quite rightly so in my Book. A Mitsu Lancer costs less than a G.T. to insure.Have the Balls to Inform them,if you tune it.

I am thinking of taking it a step further - I want to ask the BMW dealer if they want to tune it for me.

They sell other kind of accesories, so why not ?

My previous e90 model had larger rims (lenso) and the dealer never complained about that, opposite another poster here on TV said his dealer told him the guarantee was void because the modified rims he had put on.

[Ace of Pop]

Ive said this before, but got Poo Pooed by the Boy Racers.When you have a big whack these days the Insurance guys are on to it. Up to You. Quite rightly so in my Book. A Mitsu Lancer costs less than a G.T. to insure.Have the Balls to Inform them,if you tune it.

I am thinking of taking it a step further - I want to ask the BMW dealer if they want to tune it for me.

They sell other kind of accesories, so why not ?

My previous e90 model had larger rims (lenso) and the dealer never complained about that, opposite another poster here on TV said his dealer told him the guarantee was void because the modified rims he had put on.

Big Wheels do F/A to the Speed, i'm on about insuring, and not cheating.By all means enjoy a boost, but don't pull a fast one

[Jobo]

Superchips UK have not yet developed a map for the F30. And when they do you would have to send them the ECU.

I do not believe that the remap is noticeable by BMW unless they are specifically looking for it.

I've had mine done and BMW Barcelona don't seem to worry if in fact they know!

The guy at V Speed BKK that has all the knowledge (K.Fah) is no longer there.

While an ECU remap is the preferred option this is not available via the OBD11 port on the F30 as has been mentioned.

There are plenty of piggy back options available but in my experience they are nowhere near as good as a remap.

This applies particularly to the systems that merely increase common rail pressure.

If anyone wants one of these I have one for sale - Race Chip

I tried one of those in my E90 320d and didn't like it. Just used more fuel and blew out lots of black smoke under heavy acceleration.

You can get a good piggy back from about 300 quid in the UK ( injector timing and turbo boost mods) or more sophisticated items from Germany - try Hartges but very expensive.

Correct info

Thanks - as I understand from above info it is not a Race Chip I want to buy than.

I have now contacted Hartges about what/if they use a dealer in Th.

Yes, the price from Hartge is expensive = around 2000 Euro for a plug/play piggy back, - according to their web page.

Anyway - if they deliver what they promise = 450 NM and 218 Hp, (WITHOUT smoke) I am willing to spend that.

The search goes on.

I got those figures from a remap of the ECU for 350 quid but I had to take the risk of sending it to UK. Probably more now since I fitted an exhaust system and a massive intercooler.

Try Hartges USA where it is much cheaper but you might find they don't cover the diesel models and will refer you back to Germany. If you buy from Germany the price will be less around 20% as they will deduct their sales tax/VAT. And don't send by UPS/FEDEX/TNT etc

[Woodsie888]

Ive said this before, but got Poo Pooed by the Boy Racers.When you have a big whack these days the Insurance guys are on to it. Up to You. Quite rightly so in my Book. A Mitsu Lancer costs less than a G.T. to insure.Have the Balls to Inform them,if you tune it.

I am thinking of taking it a step further - I want to ask the BMW dealer if they want to tune it for me.

They sell other kind of accesories, so why not ?

My previous e90 model had larger rims (lenso) and the dealer never complained about that, opposite another poster here on TV said his dealer told him the guarantee was void because the modified rims he had put on.

A performance kit is available from BMW which also includes a larger intercooler, but you'll get a bit of a shock at the price.

Piggyback's are not detectable by the dealer, they're the most cost effective and do work. Schnitzer is represented in TH by MMS who are part of the Millenium Group.

The Schnitzer and Hartge piggybacks offer exactly the same advantages as lots of the other manufacturers, albeit at much increased pricing. There is a wealth of information available on this subject available.

[BKMHKT]

Vramotors group in Bkk gave me following offer.

They say they produce their own software for the piggyback - price is 42.500 Bht installed
They claim also F30, E90,91 and 92 all use same software + they have done lots of them..

Technical data
Original
afterTuning

Power hp
184 / 4000 min^-1
210 / 4100 min^-1

Torque Nm
380 / 1750 min^-1
450 / 1660 min^-1

Speed km/h
233
240

Acceleration 0-100 km/h s
7.9
7.4 Below the figures
Use of fuel l/100 km
5.3
4.4

Anybody know this company ?

[Woodsie888]

Vramotors group in Bkk gave me following offer.

They say they produce their own software for the piggyback - price is 42.500 Bht installed

They claim also F30, E90,91 and 92 all use same software + they have done lots of them..

Technical data

Original

afterTuning

Power hp

184 / 4000 min^-1

210 / 4100 min^-1

Torque Nm

380 / 1750 min^-1

450 / 1660 min^-1

Speed km/h

233

240

Acceleration 0-100 km/h s

7.9

7.4 Below the figures

Use of fuel l/100 km

5.3

4.4

Anybody know this company ?

They are correct about the software as long as it's the 184 bhp version. The 177 bhp versions have very different software. They've probably copied a European piggy back, just like they did for all the local pick ups a few years ago. 42,500 THB is a lot of money for something which does the same job and costs £250 - £400 in the UK though.

Why not try it and let us know how it goes?

[BKMHKT]

I haven;t yat decided what piggybck to take.

I have oyher options i YTh as well ranging from 30 - 42,5 K

Also I don't have the car in hand yet (it arrives later in this month).

I will let you know what I end up with.

I am not much into this issue yet, but slowly gatering more info.

[steveromagnino]

Ive said this before, but got Poo Pooed by the Boy Racers.When you have a big whack these days the Insurance guys are on to it. Up to You. Quite rightly so in my Book. A Mitsu Lancer costs less than a G.T. to insure.Have the Balls to Inform them,if you tune it.

I am thinking of taking it a step further - I want to ask the BMW dealer if they want to tune it for me.

They sell other kind of accesories, so why not ?

My previous e90 model had larger rims (lenso) and the dealer never complained about that, opposite another poster here on TV said his dealer told him the guarantee was void because the modified rims he had put on.

Europa motors said they could do a slight tune (maybe 1-3 HP) tune to adjust a few inputs, but they would not promise more than that, when I looked at the 328 at the motorshow.

[lingnoi34]

ECU remap is always detectable through the checksum of the software on the ecu. In case of modified software, i.e. remapping, it will have different checksum. Also there is a flash counter but this can be reset.

Piggy back is always detectable due to the engine exceeding certain parameters (common rail fuel pressure, etc.) and these instances are being protocolled.

So if they (dealer / insurance) wants / needs to find out they can! Don't fool yourself or be fooled by tuning company trying to make some money.

Regards,

L

[Jobo]

I haven;t yat decided what piggybck to take.

I have oyher options i YTh as well ranging from 30 - 42,5 K

Also I don't have the car in hand yet (it arrives later in this month).

I will let you know what I end up with.

I am not much into this issue yet, but slowly gatering more info.

No matter what piggy back system you go for ask them this question -

Are the HP and Torque numbers they are quoting on the standard setting ( as it comes to you) or are they the maximum their equipment can generate?

Most of them are multi adjustable but only when you start digging do you find the numbers they are quoting are at the maximum setting/s

And you won't want to be driving around on their maximum settings as more than likely -

car will be undriveable on the road

fuel consumption will be massive

lots of black smoke

However with a remap of the ECU you will get those numbers without the detrimental side effects.

If you go with a piggy back at the end of the day better off buying in UK or Germany and install yourself.

[mortenaa]

I used to own a E90 Diesel before. I used the Bluefin, which was excellent. I have searched a while for a proper ECU remap of the F30, and seems like no one can break the encryption so far.

This box looks promising though: http://mosselmanturbo.com/remapping-carstyling-chiptuning/bmw/car-tuning/chiptuning/x/bmw-320d-f30f31-135-kw-184hp/

[sjonburi]

I would go for a German made tuning box. Delivered by UPS in 4-5 working days., costs THB 13,870.00 incl shipping costs, import duties and 7% VAT. 235 HP and 485 NM When bringing it in for a service, remove the box, harness and tie-wraps and it's back to stock

http://www.racechip.com/chiptuning/bmw/3er/f30/320d-135kw/index.php

[mortenaa]

I used to own a Racechip Pro, or whatever it was called back then. The car went into limp mode a bunch of times. The power is nothing close to what is announced. It stopped working after a few months. Not worth it.

[sjonburi]

Prolly a faulty device which you should have claimed..

These Beemer folks seem to be quite satisfied..

http://e84.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=579939

http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=883719

I used to own a Racechip Pro, or whatever it was called back then. The car went into limp mode a bunch of times. The power is nothing close to what is announced. It stopped working after a few months. Not worth it.

[Ace of Pop]

I used to own a Racechip Pro, or whatever it was called back then. The car went into limp mode a bunch of times. The power is nothing close to what is announced. It stopped working after a few months. Not worth it.

Perhaps it drank Chang.

[mortenaa]

Prolly a faulty device which you should have claimed..

These Beemer folks seem to be quite satisfied..

http://e84.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=579939

http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=883719

I used to own a Racechip Pro, or whatever it was called back then. The car went into limp mode a bunch of times. The power is nothing close to what is announced. It stopped working after a few months. Not worth it.

I didn't even bother. I went for a Bluefin, and what a smooth experience in comparison. The car felt like a 6'er 325d. Too bad its not available for the F30 yet. I'm not sure if I should go for a new F30 or maybe a 4-series..

[bkmbkk]

Prolly a faulty device which you should have claimed..

These Beemer folks seem to be quite satisfied..

http://e84.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=579939

http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=883719

I used to own a Racechip Pro, or whatever it was called back then. The car went into limp mode a bunch of times. The power is nothing close to what is announced. It stopped working after a few months. Not worth it.

I didn't even bother. I went for a Bluefin, and what a smooth experience in comparison. The car felt like a 6'er 325d. Too bad its not available for the F30 yet. I'm not sure if I should go for a new F30 or maybe a 4-series..

I came back to TH after a trip overseas and expected to pick up the F30, but not yet arrived.

The sales lady than made me buy the 520d instead. i haven't yet looked into chip tuning of this model though.