[Will_460cs]

Hoping for any insight to my dilemma.

I have a 325I using the N53 Engine car (note not the N52!) with a MSD80/81 ECU. This a is a 3LT car, as the hardware is the same as the 330I bar the inlet manifold I have bought and fitted the 330I 3 stage Inlet. So far so good.

So I have been considering the best way to get the 330I tune on to the car:

-Option 1: Tuner to merge 330i Map onto my ECU and modify the power class to match my car, so that it gives at least 330I performance.

- I have found a tuner to do the this the cost is about £300

Major con: Removal of the tune is going to require a trip to tuner and thats a long distance away..
I would really like to be able to remove the Tune at future points in time, particularly when I eventually sell the car.

-Option 2: I have found a secondhand N53 330I ECU with matching CAS module and Key, the gearbox is also the same - Manual.

So my thought on this are:

- I understand as I have found a matched set of DME/CAS/KEY/Gearbox type it should be a straight swap and the car should run I think in theory as plug and play, but:

- The replacement 330i ECU has mileage of 140K whereas my car has under 100K, as I'm not swaping the Instrument cluster I believe the tamper dot will light up like christmas.
I'm not bothered about the DOT except if sell the car and revert it back to 325I spec and fit the original ECU - At this point I'm not sure if the DOT will clear/remain as the car will obviously have done a few thousand more miles and there will be a mismatch... I understand its possible to "virginize" the Instrument cluster but that sounds like quite an effort...

- I can recode the correct Vin to the new ECU in WinKFP myself so I think as far as coding goes that all thats required?

One option is to get the services of "mileage corector" or buy a program to change mileage data in the replacement 330I DME and CAS? Again not sure how straightforward this is or what is the best DIY method (I like DIY)..

I'd really like to go the ECU swap route if possible as costs are less than tune marginally but crucially are easily reversible/plug and play.

If any gurus could chime in Id appreciate it, I realise what Im doing isn't potentially that difficult but I'm truing to plan it rather than go down a black hole! ....research, research!

[dstrickland]

Originally Posted by Will_460cs

Hoping for any insight to my dilemma.

I have a 325I using the N53 Engine car (note not the N52!) with a MSD80/81 ECU. This a is a 3LT car, as the hardware is the same as the 330I bar the inlet manifold I have bought and fitted the 330I 3 stage Inlet. So far so good.

So I have been considering the best way to get the 330I tune on to the car:

-Option 1: Tuner to merge 330i Map onto my ECU and modify the power class to match my car, so that it gives at least 330I performance.

- I have found a tuner to do the this the cost is about £300

Major con: Removal of the tune is going to require a trip to tuner and thats a long distance away..
I would really like to be able to remove the Tune at future points in time, particularly when I eventually sell the car.

-Option 2: I have found a secondhand N53 330I ECU with matching CAS module and Key, the gearbox is also the same - Manual.

So my thought on this are:

- I understand as I have found a matched set of DME/CAS/KEY/Gearbox type it should be a straight swap and the car should run I think in theory as plug and play, but:

- The replacement 330i ECU has mileage of 140K whereas my car has under 100K, as I'm not swaping the Instrument cluster I believe the tamper dot will light up like christmas.
I'm not bothered about the DOT except if sell the car and revert it back to 325I spec and fit the original ECU - At this point I'm not sure if the DOT will clear/remain as the car will obviously have done a few thousand more miles and there will be a mismatch... I understand its possible to "virginize" the Instrument cluster but that sounds like quite an effort...

- I can recode the correct Vin to the new ECU in WinKFP myself so I think as far as coding goes that all thats required?

One option is to get the services of "mileage corector" or buy a program to change mileage data in the replacement 330I DME and CAS? Again not sure how straightforward this is or what is the best DIY method (I like DIY)..

I'd really like to go the ECU swap route if possible as costs are less than tune marginally but crucially are easily reversible/plug and play.

If any gurus could chime in Id appreciate it, I realise what Im doing isn't potentially that difficult but I'm truing to plan it rather than go down a black hole! ....research, research!

Your best bet is finding a used OFT tablet if you want to be able to flash back and forth.

Buying a DME/CAS/KEY is ALOT of unnecessary work just to get a tune.

If narrow down your options to the following-

Buy flashing tool- obtain 330I N53 file somewhere on the internet. hassmaschine do you have one lying around somewhere?

The CAS & DME are 2 of the few modules that WILL NOT accept a vin write with winkfp unless they are virgin.

Ship your ecu off to a tuner.

[Will_460cs]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply, its really appreciated I did't know the VIN couldn't be updated so thats one black hole i won't fall into!

Are there any other options outside of openflashtablet?

I sent a message to TopGear Solutions a couple of months back and they couldn't confirm if the N53 was supported, although it's mention in the title of their marketing and then never mentioned again if you read further on, I guess the N53 isn't global, they never responded back to me with confirmation.

I was trying to find [Admin Notified] Flash, but the download seems to have disappeared. I have also sent a message to MSH tuning for their tool which I think is N54 specific.

thanks

Will

[Will_460cs]

Have I said something bad, overtime I try to type "xxxxxxxx flash" it has it and says admin noted....

[hassmaschine]

[Admin Notified]? Not sure if it will work on the N53. It does work on MSD80/81, I guess it depends if the boot code is the same on the N54 as it is on the N53.

The other option is something like the OFT. You would flash it with the 330i file in WinKFP (expert mode), and edit the binary to change the power class to 00 (or whatever your car is now). The rub is you need to know where the power class is stored in MSD80/81 and I don't have that answer.

edit: admin notified? really? This site is a joke..