[J.P.]

Originally Posted by Magna3

Perhaps I've been overly cynical. There is also very good info on this forum. Examples in this very thread:

- spend the $$ and have the car towed to your house
- carry an 8mm wrench with you at all times
- get it in writing
- never go in for warranty work with engine mods

Are you being a smartass?

[TwinTurboXI]

Originally Posted by JP_335xi

Are you being a smartass?

I dont think he was

I believe he's correct.

[ITLMOVE]

I'll start by saying that I am sorry to hear about your situation. I hope you get your car back on the road soon.

I'll probably get bashed for the next part. I find it amazing to read how many people think that the removal of mods, before warrantee work, is the right choice. Somehow, deception is acceptable?

In this particular situation, I agree that the dealer should be replacing the HPFP at no cost, based on the precedence of this issue. I also agree however that the dealer should void the warrantee. Let's face it, with your mods, you are running the car beyond its intended performance.

[J.P.]

Originally Posted by ITLMOVE

Somehow, deception is acceptable?

Very!

[DELTA BMW]

Originally Posted by Magna3

Perhaps I've been overly cynical. There is also very good info on this forum. Examples in this very thread:

- spend the $$ and have the car towed to your house
- carry an 8mm wrench with you at all times
- get it in writing
- never go in for warranty work with engine mods

and whats your excuse when you get it towed from your house to the dealership? It died in front of my house?

[thisguyhere]

Originally Posted by DELTA BMW

and whats your excuse when you get it towed from your house to the dealership? It died in front of my house?

it started acting up down the street, but luckily i was able to make it home?

OR a simple..yes, I tried to crank up the engine and this happened.

[Express]

thors man did they blame my radar =/

[Mike@N54Tuning.com]

Just thought I would share my experience with BMW Assist. If you ask they will tow you home. I got a flat, and requested a tow and they were more then happy to do so. They initially wanted to tow to the nearest dealership, but my reasoning is I want to deal with the flat on my terms, and they said, sounds fair even though it was a 35km tow and the dealership was down the street.

So if you ask there is no problems getting a tow home....

Mike

[Sniz]

Originally Posted by Mote

To the OP: I'm sorry this happened to you. This is useless to you now, but this is the reason that when anything happens...rather than tow the car to the dealer..I'd rather tow it back home and sit and think of a proper course of action. Even if it means putting everything back to stock, the cost of doing that is cheaper than the result of having your warranty voided.

100% agree.......one of the reasons my car only made it to the dealer 1 time in 2 years of ownership and 40k miles.

I'd much rather fix the little things myself and ONLY take it to the stealership for something like a HPFP, wastegates, turbo's, etc.

I'll make this simple for the rest of the readers, the OP has already dug a grave for his warranty:

DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP WITH MODS ON THE CAR!

[S54dan]

Sorry this happened to you man This also happened to a guy on 1Addicts... I hope everything works out for you.

There is a BMW bulletin on "tunes"... here you guys go:

SUBJECT
N54 - Various Complaints Caused by Aftermarket "Tuning Kits"

MODEL
E90, E92, E93 with N54 engine

E60, E61 with N54 engine

E82, E88 with N54 engine

E71 with N54 engine


SITUATION I
The customer may complain about an excessive muffler noise; "backfiring" into the intake manifold; high (increased) engine oil/fuel consumption; illumination of the "Service Engine Soon Light"; or an excessive battery draw.

Fault code "2D18-Manipulation protection, air mass" may be stored in the DME, indicating an implausible airflow. To prevent possible engine mechanical damage due to increased turbocharging pressure, the DME will limit the maximum available torque to the nominal torque value of 400Nm.

SITUATION II
The customer may complain that the vehicle couldn't pass the state emissions inspection, where scanning of the OBD readiness codes is part of the inspection procedure. The GT1/DIS or aftermarket testing equipment indicates that the EVAP system is a "not supported" function of the vehicle's OBD control system.

Also, various complaints regarding the cruise control being inactive; the battery draw message displayed in the Control Display; or incorrect muffler flap operation may be encountered.

CAUSE I
An aftermarket engine performance tuning kit, "turbo-tuner control module" (piggyback box), is (or was) installed in the vehicle. Depending on the manufacturer, these modules are plugged directly into the TMAP (Temperature / Manifold Ambient Pressure) sensor or into the DME harness in the E-box. The modified (erroneous) air intake pressure signal supplied to the DME causes an increased turbo boost. In some cases, these modifications also include alteration to the waste-gate vacuum plumbing, which may cause various vacuum supply problems.

CAUSE II
The vehicle's DME was reprogrammed with an aftermarket "N54 performance software calibration".

As a result, various DME OBD II-relevant diagnostic functions are inoperative, or their functionalities are limited. Examples include diagnostic of the purge system; map-cooling thermostat; engine temperature sensor; oxygen sensors; and the functionality of the evaporation system and exhaust flaps.

INFORMATION
With the integration level of E89X-08-03-530 or higher (introduced with Progman V29.02.00), any alteration to the TMAP sensor signal ("piggyback box") is detected by setting the DME fault code 2D18 ("Manipulation protection, air mass signal plausibility"). In such a case, the maximum engine torque cannot exceed 400Nm.

Aftermarket N54 DME software modifications usually do not change either programmed or basic DME part numbers, so it is not possible to identify this alteration via DIS/GT1 DME identification pages.

In certain cases, the MSD80 DME software modifications can be detected by executing DIS/GT1 test module "S1214 NG6OBDII/Read codes" (reading of the OBD readiness codes). If the readiness code for the "Fuel Tank Ventilation" shows "XXX" (instead of "yes" or "no"), this is an indication that evaporation system function is not supported by the DME and the original BMW software was altered.

(In this situation, when using the aftermarket scanning tool for checking readiness monitors, the Evaporation System status would be displayed as "Not Supported".)

In such a case, the vehicle is not compliant with the federal (EPA) and state (CARB) emissions anti-tampering laws.

WARRANTY INFORMATION
Any repair or diagnostic cost incurred by a component and/or system failure as a result of an "N54 aftermarket engine tuning kit" installation is not covered by the terms of the BMW New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

Moreover, modification of the vehicle or installation of any non-approved performance accessories or components attached to the vehicle, which alters the original engineering and/or operating specifications, or which results in damage to the other original components, voids the warranty coverage on the affected original Drivetrain and Emission Control components.

In general terms, the BMW warranty on Drivetrain and Emission Control components is void due to a modification where the modification, alteration or installation of a non-approved aftermarket part was responsible for the failure.

Please make sure to inform BMW customers considering the purchase of an aftermarket "N54 Engine Tuning" kit of the above legal, technical and warranty implications.

[addy85]

Thanks for that info, although I don't understand why BMW continues to blame other things on faulty HPFP

[Sniz]

Originally Posted by addy85

Thanks for that info, although I don't understand why BMW continues to blame other things on faulty HPFP

$$

[scheherazade]

You guys... the warranty is only good for catastrophic stuff, like needing a totally new engine.

There is nothing typical that goes wrong with a car that isn't fixed for 'a few hundred bucks labor' + parts.


Ex.
A turbo swap costs $12'000 labor dollars from the dealer.
It costs $1000 labor dollars at a normal garage.

Get the picture?

The only reason you're shitting over your warranty is because you're going to the dealer for work.
Just _STOP_IT_, go to a regular, privately owned garage, and get it done for *normal* money, not inflated "you own a BMW so we can fleece your ass" money.

-scheherazade

[Mote]

Originally Posted by Sniz

100% agree.......one of the reasons my car only made it to the dealer 1 time in 2 years of ownership and 40k miles.

I'd much rather fix the little things myself and ONLY take it to the stealership for something like a HPFP, wastegates, turbo's, etc.

I'll make this simple for the rest of the readers, the OP has already dug a grave for his warranty:

DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP WITH MODS ON THE CAR!

+1

I'd also like to add that I know your service adviser told you one thing and then did another. But I can guarantee with certainty that he's not willing to lose his job over keeping his word to a customer who's modified his vehicle. And rightfully so given the state of the economy. Can you blame him?

As Dan@UnitedBMW has posted, the tuning kit advisory is probably adding even more pressure for employees to do the right thing, so to say. Bottom line here: Let this be a lesson to everyone here, including myself. You clearly run the risk of losing your warranty when you modify the car and everyone should understand this going into it. I'm sorry if it sounds harsh, but I've been down this road before with my previous car (Audi TT) and I've learned these lessons.

[ThorsHammer]

Update...

So they just called me. 100% no ifs ands or buts about it, warranty is voided. They said if I return it to stock, they will review it for future stuff, and restate the warranty.

However, for purposes of the HPFP, it's done and there's no use crying about it. Total cost: $1398. Maybe someone can confirm, but the part is $539. Labor is $520. and I have to pay the full diagnostic charge. They won't even waive that.

I emailed Evan at Tischer and am waiting on a response, but the part seems unreasonably high.

[DELTA BMW]

Originally Posted by Dan@UnitedBMW

Sorry this happened to you man This also happened to a guy on 1Addicts... I hope everything works out for you.

There is a BMW bulletin on "tunes"... here you guys go:

Very good info. thank you but what is meant by

"or an excessive battery draw."

[J.P.]

Originally Posted by DELTA BMW

Very good info. thank you but what is meant by

"or an excessive battery draw."

Battery dies overnight, because a tune is still powed on even though the car is off

[nick6753]

Yeah, sounds like you are screwed. Hope it works out for you. No warranty after just 6000 miles....that sucks.

[stimpy]

Sent you a PM but here's some additional information...

I believe the part through Tischer is 280 bucks - so your dealership is trying to rape you like they do everyone else. They should match Tischers prices if you bring it up however their labor will still be an arm and a leg.

Here is a good site I bookmarked for future reference to find an independant shop:
http://www.bimrs.org/MapPage.html

[turb0]

Originally Posted by Dan@UnitedBMW

Sorry this happened to you man This also happened to a guy on 1Addicts... I hope everything works out for you.

There is a BMW bulletin on "tunes"... here you guys go:

so dan...

are you guys "mod friendly" over at United? lol

[ThorsHammer]

Originally Posted by stimpy

Sent you a PM but here's some additional information...

I believe the part through Tischer is 280 bucks - so your dealership is trying to rape you like they do everyone else. They should match Tischers prices if you bring it up however their labor will still be an arm and a leg.

Here is a good site I bookmarked for future reference to find an independant shop:
http://www.bimrs.org/MapPage.html

Horrible. They will not match, as I had already asked.

Here's the insult...and what gives dealerships the reputation of "stealerships."

I did have the wrong part from Tischer originally, but the point is the same.

Here is an email I just sent the ASM:

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...&siteid=214672

If you go to Tischer BMW's site and put in part number 13517592881, it shows the MSRP and their price.

The original price you quoted me is actually above MSRP, and the price you agreed to is MSRP? Does BMW San Antonio routinely sell their parts at price points above MSRP?

Price Originally Quoted: $559
MSRP: $481.47
Tishcer BMW's List: $ $385.18

Just seeking to understand.

Just to note, he "agreed" to drop the price, but strangely, it was exactly $481.47. Unreal.

[stimpy]

Tell him to fuck off and you will have it fixed elsewhere. Do *NOT* give that dealership another penny.