[HartUnited]

I got my 2008 e92 3.28i about two months ago. I want to do some mods to it to make it faster and look better. But I want to keep to a daily because I am 16. The car has m rims and the suspension, xenon headlights, and paddle shifters that is all I know of right now. It also has the normal wear in the interior and cat hair from the first owner. The outside is different from rock chips on the hood and front bumper and a cut on the driver side near the wheel well. The wheels have dirty stuck in it and curb rash on them. The paint is stock and there is no wax on it because it was from the auction. In my mind I want it to be like an m sport car with around 300 hp. Can you guys help me out?

[Explorerlyon]

A sports car looks sportier when it is cleaned, polished and deep shine. Sounds like you need some cleaning anyways. Spend some time on this forum for how to get the best shine. Also a slick shiny car is good for an additional 5hp.

https://www.autogeekonline.net/

[colorado.e9x]

The N52 is meant to be a bulletproof daily driver with good reliability (when properly maintained), its not really meant for power. Imho I think you're better off buying some tasteful cosmetics and enjoying the car for what it is. Anyways..

+1 on cleaning it. Start off with detailing it. When you wash it please DO NOT use dish soap. You never want 'squeaky clean' on a car. Its bad for the paint. Use car shampoo such as Adam's Car Shampoo, it works pretty well. Or just go to a coin op for the convenience *

As far as performance, there's not a whole lot you can do that's worth the price. Start with an intake! K&N Drop In (I personally went with an offbrand that seems to be a carbon copy of a K&N, cause I'm cheap) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XXY1Y28..._iCXcDb843J3GC
While you're in the airbox, the charcoal delete can help a little bit too. That and a tune would be the best you can do without buying something like AA headers.

[HartUnited]

Should I get someone to repaint and wax the car and maybe powder coat the rims? The stuff in the rims is hardened and the Maguire carwash with a brush can't get it out.

[colorado.e9x]

The only reason in my opinion to repaint it is if the clear coat as shedded away all the way to the base coat. Otherwise a good paint correction and a sealant will bring it back to glory. For wheels, you'll need wheel cleaner.

I'm guessing the filth in your wheels is black soot almost. That would be brake dust, which typically is iron. It doesn't like to come off easy, that's what wheel cleaner is for. It breaks it down and makes it easier to remove.

I wouldn't powdercoat them unless you plan on having the curb rash repaired beforehand. I'm assuming they're stock wheels, and if you live in a place where you have winter's then they'll work great for winter wheels. You're 16 and own a BMW, so a nice set of wheels wouldn't hurt either. There are plenty of good 'budget' brands. Alzor, Avante Garde, VMR, ESR, etc

[Bimmer_Engineer]

Originally Posted by HartUnited

I got my 2008 e92 3.28i about two months ago. I want to do some mods to it to make it faster and look better. But I want to keep to a daily because I am 16. The car has m rims and the suspension, xenon headlights, and paddle shifters that is all I know of right now. It also has the normal wear in the interior and cat hair from the first owner. The outside is different from rock chips on the hood and front bumper and a cut on the driver side near the wheel well. The wheels have dirty stuck in it and curb rash on them. The paint is stock and there is no wax on it because it was from the auction. In my mind I want it to be like an m sport car with around 300 hp. Can you guys help me out?

I think you’ve gotten a lot of great advice on cosmetics thus far, and I think that’s about as far as most people go with a n52. For a 16 year old with limited resources a 300 hp n52 isn’t realistic. It’s honestly a real stretch to get 300 hp from an n52 even for someone older with more $$$ to spend. I would focus on making it look nice, enjoying it while it’s running, and saving your $$$ for when it’s broken...

[Explorerlyon]

Originally Posted by HartUnited

Should I get someone to repaint and wax the car and maybe powder coat the rims? The stuff in the rims is hardened and the Maguire carwash with a brush can't get it out.

You will always love your first car and remember how you cared for it. Take your wheels off for a good cleaning. Mine were horrible. I used Meguires Super Degreaser diluted 3:1 to clean these wheels.

[Efthreeoh]

To increase the engine performance you can perform a 3-stage intake manifold swap, which adds variable intake runners to tune engine output based on load requirements. There is also an MILV valve lifter upgrade as well. The 3-stage requires a software change. Go over to the N/A engine subforum which explains the mods. You can net about 270HP out of those upgrades, which are reasonably priced.

[King Rudi]

Originally Posted by Bimmer_Engineer

I think you’ve gotten a lot of great advice on cosmetics thus far, and I think that’s about as far as most people go with a n52. For a 16 year old with limited resources a 300 hp n52 isn’t realistic. It’s honestly a real stretch to get 300 hp from an n52 even for someone older with more $$$ to spend. I would focus on making it look nice, enjoying it while it’s running, and saving your $$$ for when it’s broken...

This. You don't need to push for horsepower in that car. Don't be trying to race people in it as you'll get your ass handed to you. Nothing wrong with driving responsibly and looking good. You can get a fast car later. Keep it clean and enjoy it. I would have loved to have had a BMW at your age.

Post some pics!

[Meeni]

The stock filter box on the N52 is fine, changing the filter and other stuff makes it more difficult to work on (or pass inspection if that's a thing in your state) for no measurable gains.

The N52 engine is not very good for mods and power gains. You can make it like a 330i ~270hp with the 3-stage manifold, but that's a lot of money for a small benefit imo (I have the 330i, you can feel the extra horses, but its not like it makes the 328 feel slow).

Getting the N52 to 300hp is very difficult, and we are probably talking about very serious money and reliability downgrade here, if that can even be done.

For cleaning your wheels, you need a wheel cleaner. Normal car shampoo will do nothing on caked brake dust.

For the rest of the car, I strongly advice you do not repaint. A good cleanup and hitting the paint with a ramdom orbital (not a rotary) will do miracles for the looks. Then a coat of acrylic based 'wax' or nanoskin, and you should look all pretty.

You are 16 so I assume you don't have unlimited funds. Keep your money to spend on something more useful than a depreciating asset.

[HartUnited]

Here are some photos of the car

[WatchWolf34]

That car already looks great! Props to you and enjoy it!

[Bimmer_Engineer]

Agreed...great looking car...

[Meeni]

Yeah, just wax it and you're done. The paint is in great condition.

[bimmerguy1210]

That’s a very nice car, congratulations. I wouldn’t do a single modification to it and just focus on preventative maintanence.

[Biginboca]

Agree with the guys above that car looks great!

Best bang for your buck power mods would be a 3 stage intake swap ($300-400 DIY) and tune (Free 330i tune is out there) which will get you like ~25-30 more HP. Delete the charcoal filter (free) and add a k&n air filter ($60) to the stock airbox. Do not buy an aftermarket cold air intake, they are very poor use of money on these cars. I have tested them and you can do some research on a few mods to the stock airbox that will net more power than any of the aftermarket intakes make.

With an automatic 328i that’s as far as I would go for power mods for anyone who is watching their budget. Anything else won’t really deliver any meaningful changes or the ones that do deliver real power become very pricey and/or labor intensive (headers, MILV’s, etc).

Btw I have to disagree with a poster above I’m running a ~300hp N52 as my daily and the maintenance is unchanged and minimal. The mods for this platform do not affect reliability at all like they do for the turbo cars. You can do the 3 stage, tune, and charcoal delete and you will have the exact same set up as a European 330i straight out the the bmw factory. This will not affect reliability.

Another potentially worthwhile mod would be a muffler swap ($200-$600) which won’t make the car faster at all but makes it “feel” faster and sound sportier. This can add to your enjoyment quite a bit!

You should post your questions on the N52 forum. Looking at the posts above I think you are getting some advice from guys who don’t really know the N/A motor very well... after all we are in this general forum so you can’t expect them all to know the in’s and out’s of the n52. Here’s the N52 forum:

https://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=35

[Demz760]

Clean car, looks good.
For first mod I would go with GLOSS BLACK KIDNEY GRILLEs and wrap the sliver door trim. But that's just me.

[Rmtt]

Originally Posted by Biginboca

Agree with the guys above that car looks great!

Best bang for your buck power mods would be a 3 stage intake swap ($300-400 DIY) and tune (Free 330i tune is out there) which will get you like ~25-30 more HP. Delete the charcoal filter (free) and add a k&n air filter ($60) to the stock airbox. Do not buy an aftermarket cold air intake, they are very poor use of money on these cars. I have tested them and you can do some research on a few mods to the stock airbox that will net more power than any of the aftermarket intakes make.

With an automatic 328i that’s as far as I would go for power mods for anyone who is watching their budget. Anything else won’t really deliver any meaningful changes or the ones that do deliver real power become very pricey and/or labor intensive (headers, MILV’s, etc).

Btw I have to disagree with a poster above I’m running a ~300hp N52 as my daily and the maintenance is unchanged and minimal. The mods for this platform do not affect reliability at all like they do for the turbo cars. You can do the 3 stage, tune, and charcoal delete and you will have the exact same set up as a European 330i straight out the the bmw factory. This will not affect reliability.

Another potentially worthwhile mod would be a muffler swap ($200-$600) which won’t make the car faster at all but makes it “feel” faster and sound sportier. This can add to your enjoyment quite a bit!.

You should post your questions on the N52 forum. Looking at the posts above I think you are getting some advice from guys who don’t really know the N/A motor very well... after all we are in this general forum so you can’t expect them all to know the in’s and out’s of the n52. Here’s the N52 forum:

https://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=35

I have to agree. We all know you aren't gong too make huge power with this engine, even if adding a supercharger. But my 128i has that engine, and I've done a few things to make it more enjoyable. I did the rear differiential first since the 6 speed has a stock 3:23 rear gear if I remember correctly. You have an auto, so your already setup. I put the 3:73 auto differiential in mine. IMO, gears make the biggest change in "feel".....even more so than engine upgrades. My next mod was a 3 Stage and tune. This also made a difference that I could feel.

Yesterday I wrapped up my AA header install and Magnaflow cat-back install. This was the biggest PITA install I've done in a long time, and I've done quite a bit of them across various platforms. Today I load my new tune and see how much of an impact they made. I hope it's noticble just because of the aggravation of the install.

My last mod will be MILVS. Although I know in the real world, things can be different. But I hope to realistically have a 280hp (give or take) daily driver. I already have a higher HP weekend car, but power delivery between the two is so different, that's what makes it so fun. I can row through the gears in my BMW without worrying about getting into trouble, but with the other car I'm having to shut it down after 2nd gear.

I would do like suggested, silicone rev boot, charcoal delete, drop in filter. That's maybe $100. Later you can do a 3 stage intake as you can find them pretty cheap from junked cars if you look around. Then you can do the free bimmergeeks tune. That should make a nice little difference in feel.

After that, enjoy the car for a while and do cosmetic stuff as you see fit.

Honestly, I think your car looks great considering its black and we all know how hard it is to keep that color looking good.

Good luck!

[lemans_e91]

An ///M badge on the tail and on the front fenders will add 15hp.

[dakine_surf]

Originally Posted by lemans_e91

An ///M badge on the tail and on the front fenders will add 15hp.

I really hope you are joking or trolling, ///M badge on a non ///M car is a crime... unless you really are a complete tool... then I guess it would suit

[colorado.e9x]

Originally Posted by dakine_surf

I really hope you are joking or trolling, ///M badge on a non ///M car is a crime... unless you really are a complete tool... then I guess it would suit

He's clearly joking

[Meeni]

Originally Posted by Biginboca

Agree with the guys above that car looks great!

Best bang for your buck power mods would be a 3 stage intake swap ($300-400 DIY) and tune (Free 330i tune is out there) which will get you like ~25-30 more HP. Delete the charcoal filter (free) and add a k&n air filter ($60) to the stock airbox. Do not buy an aftermarket cold air intake, they are very poor use of money on these cars. I have tested them and you can do some research on a few mods to the stock airbox that will net more power than any of the aftermarket intakes make.

I couldn't find the parts for less that $1000 new, looking quickly around. Looks like MSRP would be around $2500 for parts only!

Used you can get the manifold piece itself for $150, but then you still have to source the DISA valves and wiring harness, I don't see that fitting in $400, but maybe with some luck?

I do not like K&N filters and I don't think they make any changes to HP. I kinda remember someone did a full study with dyno runs and all and proved it, but can't find it now.

Btw I have to disagree with a poster above I’m running a ~300hp N52 as my daily and the maintenance is unchanged and minimal. The mods for this platform do not affect reliability at all like they do for the turbo cars.
https://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=35

Glad to hear that. I honestly though that pushing 285-290 was about where you'd land without getting crazy with timing and other stuff.