Matth5

BM Workshop or Bellars Motor Works, they're good but you'll have to see they're keen on installing aftermarket stuff for you. Some places don't like it at all, some will do if you're a regular customer.

Charge pipe won't affect performance but it is a reliability upgrade. It's necessary if you tune these cars, because the stock one will explode! Mine blew up 3 hours from home, it was not a pleasant experience

Oh look at what the courier dropped off They didn't stick the invoice on the box and it slipped right past customs... man I have ridiculous luck with that!

IMO that BMW ad comes across as someone who cares for the car, Pretty much my thoughts too. The write-up too, mentions known issues and recent work done on the car, that's what I like to see when browsing for a car.

2.5 years or more.... pics and price haven't budged. I remember seeing it when I was hunting for a 335i/M3 to buy. Reversing the horrible mods will cost a fair bit. Maybe offer 15 - 20k and see if you get a bargain, otherwise I'd pass.

Wow you don't limit yourself to 9-5 working hours Awesome! I'll PM you my contact details

Well things seem to be moving slow at the workshop, they are down 2 techs apparently. They've sent me some interesting photos. They also said if I want to do the turbo, now is the time, even if it takes a few weeks. So I've decided I will get comfy with the 116i loaner and tough this out. @crunchy Steve, I understand you're swamped. If you think you can manage something within a 1 month timeframe (more or less), then I'd love to drop my turbo at your doorstep. If you can, PM me an estimate? Otherwise I think I'll place my order with Pure. They use the OEM housing, I'll just have to deal with the hassle of shipping the old one back. It would be pretty cool to have something made locally though, if timing allows Also they have confirmed my head gasket leak. "We have found that the Cyl Head bolt for Cyl 6 Exhaust side was loose compared to the rest. – warped perhaps?" Exact same issue I've read from other reports online. Must be a factory fault! Real shame this didn't get picked up with the past owner(s). Really should have been sorted by BMW. Also I have ordered a VRSF downpipe Pics for those interested:

Major engine failure at only 104000km.... this is why they're cheap!

That's what I'm thinking, I'll try to find a used turbo that I can leave with him and he can take as long as he likes to finish it. That does depend how much a turbo swap would cost me though. Full day job for a workshop I imagine.

Well I don't seem to have any decent options that can deliver in time. Vargas hasn't even replied to me. Pure has a good enough reputation that I'd be ok going with them if they could have shipped in time. They require the old turbo so they clearly use those. Vargas... No idea, but your observations are a red flag. Guess this isn't happening, for now. Might just get a catlesss downpipe installed so I can enjoy a little performance boost for now

Pure say a Stage 1 will take 3-4 weeks Stage 2 can arrive in 1 week, but I don't want to spend that much. BTW Vargas state that for the no-exchange option, they use a "brand new N55 turbo, custom cast and manufactured for VTT".

It will probably work. Don't think BMW changed anything in that time.

Their reputation seems very good. The concern is how quickly they can deliver :/ There's Vargas Turbo as well, website says in stock. But more expensive and some people have had bad experiences, but no need to ship back the stock turbo so I'd possibly earn back the difference by selling mine. If this doesn't work out, then maybe later I'll look to get my hands on a used N55 turbo and leave it with you to upgrade, with no time constraints. Would be pretty cool to have something built here

It's possible to get the NBT system from the F Series cars retrofitted these days. Expect to pay around $3k though. I have a cheapskate solution, using this: https://www.amazon.com/iClever-Bluetooth-Hands-Free-Multi-Point-Activation/dp/B00GJFGE0K

Understandable. Maybe your pricing is too good, an increase might bring down your workload I'm pretty close to ordering a Pure Stage 1. Seems they ship for free so it's just the customs tax that'll hit me, and I'll need to ship back my old turbo to get the $1000 deposit back. I should probably make sure the deposit isn't on the shipping invoice or customs will incorrectly include that in the tax calculation. Then I need downpipes... and an LSD... and bigger brakes... oh god I'm going down that road...

Nope, not in my ownership at least, I've even logged temps when thrashing it and it's been fine. I'm obsessive with my cars so I tend to pick up issues before the workshops do haha Perhaps it did with a previous owner and that's what caused it. I've seen a few cases online of N55s where one of the head bolts isn't tightened at the factory, might be that. Will find out this week probably, they started removing the head today. Hmm if I can't get anyone local to work on the turbo soon(ish) I'll probably leave this. The overseas options will probably not arrive in time, and there is a core charge that requires me to ship my turbo back which will add to the cost. Was thinking a rebuild done in NZ might give me more value for money. If I do buy one from overseas it would probably be Pure Stage 1 as price is ok but I imagine with shipping, taxes, shipping them the stock turbo (you need to send the old one to them or it costs $1000USD extra), it'll add up and probably isn't worth it for me.

Coolant loss that never happens while it's being pressure tested. When driven hard it sprays some out the cap, evidenced by white stains that re-appear every time I clean them away. Cap, water pump, thermostat all replaced in the past year and made no difference so it seems we've gone through all other possibilities. It's a pretty slow loss that hasn't gotten worse, just needs a glass of water every few months, would have left it if not for the aftermarket warranty So thankfully it's not demolishing my bank account too badly.

Wish I saw your reply before I messaged Steve, LOL. Awkward

Thanks guys. I've sent a PM to Crunchy and I'll see what he says. What's the best way to contact Steve Murch? Edit: Crunchy says it'll be a month before he'll be able to do this. My car isn't likely to be down that long I think. I'll ask Steve.

I know there are some aftermarket turbo options from the states. But what about locally? A quick google shows we have some companies that do turbo rebuilds here. Would any be able/willing to upgrade an N55 turbo, making say a Pure Stage 1/2 equivalent at a reasonable price? Maybe some N54 owners have done something similar. Anyone know about this? Reason I'm asking is my car is currently getting it's head pulled off at the workshop and I expect it will be in this state for a while. Making the turbo easily accessible for now. So it would be the perfect time to do this.

http://www.datazap.me/u/matth5/log-1489827935?log=0&data=3-5-11-19-20-21-22-23-24&zoom=1408-1480 I think their 98RON maps for N55 need work, have yet to see anyone run them smoothly.

Probably not, Apple restrictions prevent them from interfacing with the OBD cables. They'd have to make it work with the Wifi ones, which aren't ideal for flashing... You can just buy a cheap second hand Android device from Trademe or somewhere, just need to make sure it has USB OTG to work with the cable. Eg a Nexus 5 would work, a Nexus 4 would not.

MHD has more engine parameters unlocked and they're still actively looking for more. So the tuner potentially has more control, they can adjust parameters that they can't access with Cobb.

They list RON values on the screen alongside the Octane. But I think people will still get confused if they're not aware of this. I did once spot a guy from Europe with bad timing corrections on the e90post forum and asked him if he was going by Octane number instead of RON... He was. I still get an uncomfortable level of timing corrections on the 98RON map though so I use the 95RON map even when I'm running BP98.

According to XHP's Facebook page they're now able to flash the older TCU versions as well "Very good news for 2007 335i drivers. We were able to complete the work on the (very rare) 7573661 TCU, which was used mainly in export Right-Hand-Drive markets on 2007 production cars." https://www.facebook.com/xhpflashtool Might be good news for you @Herbmiester