Quote:
Originally Posted by John_01
I'm still a bit curious why the PE isn't officially available for our cars.
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When I did my ringing around last year, I was given the impression by the dealership parts guy (Sylvania BMW I think, but I did ring a few) that it doesn't meet ADR because of noise levels.
I'm not sure if this was just a guess on his behalf though. He did say they were working on it but it could take a while or may never happen at all.
I do find it hard to believe that noise was the issue because while it makes it unquestionably louder, it's hardly what you'd call raucous. Its definitley no louder than what some other cars produce in OEM spec. HSV's, FPV's or even the standard M3 would all be considerably louder than the PE on a 2.5L BMW six.
Since, it doesn't require modification to the cats I can't see any environmental issues and Australia is no tougher than Europe on emissions anyway.
My guess, and its just a guess is that because the PE is the only part in the BMW Performance range of accessories that really changes the base characteristics of the car (i.e. alot of the the other options are costmetic) that it might have to go through some special ADR approval process. I would expect there would be costs involved in this and lots of paperwork for what is essentially a niche part and BMW simply can't be bothered for the 50-100 units they might actually sell to enthusiasts like us. Easier just not to offer it at all.
That being said, you can get the PE for the 320i and 320d and I'd have thought they would have fallen into the same category. Weird?