[MTL_E90er]

Hello everyone,

First time poster, long time lurker over here, you guys helped me do so much on my car and saved me countless dollars on labour. With all your help, a lot of research and some good contacts in the parts industry, I was able to do my valve cover, OFHG, changed calipers and much much more (with no background in mechanics whatsoever) for a fraction of the cost of an indy.

Long story short, I bought a used BMW 323i 2011 with 147xxx km in June 2018 and was brand new to the BMW world. I bought the car from a Ford dealer at a ''firesale'' for a total of $8k CAD. The car was sold as-is but seemed fin and ran great. Got a great deal on an extended warranty for $800 more (was $2.3K but got it down), which was one of my best moves because 3 weeks after taking possession of the car I got the two front shocks absorbers, A/C comp. fixed, serpentine belt+tensioner and rear diff seals all changed under warranty.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, I purchased a K+DCAN cable to be able to read codes and fix my FRM3R problem (got bricked when jump started the car when the original (11 yr old) battery died in -30 weather. The car now has 204777 kms.

*SURPRISE # 1
I managed to install a used FRM3R from a X2 2012, as soon as I plugged it in everything worked, I didn't even need to flash the module nor code it. I will be sending my original FRM module to get repaired from a guy on Ebay and reinstall it to gain back all my original features in a few months.
Is it normal that the module is working flawlessly even if it is not coded nor flashed to my vehicle? Could it cause other issues in the next few months if I leave it until I replace it?

*SURPRISE # 2
Two days ago, I found out I had a shadow code while using INPA and the cable I bought a few weeks ago, code 2AAC-Variable Intake System 2 (DISA related).
I was confused at first, I have a N52 2.5L and after some research I realized that I am not supposed to have DISA valves on my car.
Went outside yesterday evening after researching the subject, popped the hood to take a look and I could clearly see the big DISA valve.

Boy was I happy!
I've actually thought about doing this upgrade in the past 3 years I've owned the car and it turns out it already had it and I wasn't even aware
I kinda feel dumb too, I had it right in front of me the whole time when I was changing the valve cover or OFHG...
Now I just need to figure out if it is tuned or not, I might be sleeping on some extra horses. Is there a way to tell with INPA or other software if it is currently tuned without too many headaches?

How about this 2AAC code? It says it's not currently present. Should I stress about this and change the valves? It only happens once in a while at around 2870rpm. Which DISA valve is this code from?
It seems like it started throwing the code about the same time as the battery died. Is it normal for the code to not come on for days and only appear in error history once in a while?

Thank you all once again for all the help you already gave me without even knowing and the help that you are about to give me regarding my questions.

[2one3E90]

Bmw 328i is 3.0 inline 6. You prob have a N51 with 3 stage! Check for sulev warranty because your car might have it!

[e90yyc]

Originally Posted by 2one3E90

Bmw 328i is 3.0 inline 6. You prob have a N51 with 3 stage! Check for sulev warranty because your car might have it!

He has a 323i; it was a Canada-only model and has a 2.5 litre N52 (N52B25). We don’t have SULEV warranty (or requirement?) up here.

As for the DISA valve(s), I would say toss your VIN into RealOEM to see exactly what it came with. There are different variants of the 3IM, with the 2.5 receiving a slightly smaller version than the 3 litre (99% certain).