[IndyJC]

Hi All, first post, glad I found this community!

I'm blown away by how much this car has to offer. I didn't know the extent of the luxury + performance I was getting when I found the deal. The car appears well maintained, maintenance records, is very clean with no dents, scratches or noises. 67k mi. Tires look new, no oil leaks issues other than one small issue; the cig lighter/power port in the front cup holder doesn't work. I know there is a bit of maintenance I should do for a car this age: trans fluid, new plugs, & possibly clean the VANOS solenoids.

One thing I'm a little uncertain about and want to know before I start doing some pulls is if the car has a legit launch control? From what I understand, I select drive mode Sport +, put shifter to Manual, press and hold the DCS button until DCS OFF lamp is illuminated, hold down brakes, floor gas pedal until 6k RPM and then pull off brake?

First couple times I did the above, I revved up the engine but I could tell there is a lot of tension between the engine and brakes and let off on brake after 3500 RPM and the tires spun and I had to correct orientation a bit but it got up and going quick!

What I'm unsure about is if there is a de-facto "Launch Control" lamp on the dash that should illuminate? Will I cause any damage by doing the above as it seems a dichotomy when holding down both brakes and gas pedal at same time! Also for me LC is about getting the best 0-60 or 1/4 mi times, not spinning tires (although that's pretty cool too). So in the case of trying to get fastest times, do I want to leave DCS on so the tires don't spin as much?

Secondary is finding a large parking lot to try some Drifts, but without a hand-lever e-brake is it even possible to do so? Or am I looking at donuts (only?) For donuts I assume I do the LC I described above, only turn the wheel during the launch right?

Still, I have always wanted to mod a BMW, my last Mercedes E350 left me feeling underwhelmed. Below is my list of things to mod in order of what I think will give me the most horsepower.

I'm after the torque/HP more than the sound TBH, I do want A LITTLE pop and gurgle. The drone/trumpet exhausts annoy me but I do like the deep HP throaty pull sounds. Of course highpitched 'rari/F1 sound is sick too, but like I said, the lower-end noise is probably what I'm after with this car? You tell me, will I get better results going after a highpitched hypercar sound or a lower-pitched muscle-car sound with this car? Can I achieve a nice sound with the below mods & stock exhaust?

One thing to note is I have option of bringing car to my buddy's shop once a month and using his rack/tools. I've worked on my cars quite a bit and have replaced pipes, headlights motor mounts in the past on my other cars.

So here are the mods I think will get me best bang for the buck on Stage1/Stage2:

1. High-flow catted downpipe $399 - install myself? Not worried much about brand of downpipe
2. Upgraded front-mount intercooler $499- don't go cheap on intercooler, install intercooler myself?
3. Blowoff valve $250/install $400 (have shop do this)
4. K&N Cold-air intake $250 -install myself? Also, I wonder if just the K&N stock replacement filter is good enough?
5. Charge pipe $210- lube the charge pipe up on connections for easier install, install myself?
6. MHD Bootmod 3 - Stage 2 tune easy install

Appearance mods:

7. Black front kidney grills
8. Aftermarket Carbon Fiber diffuser with stock exhaust
9. Painted Calipers
10. Carbon fiber front lip & CF side mirror caps

Estimated Total for power mods:$2800
+100 horses
+120 torque

Thanks for any and all input!

[ctcarbonari]

Welcome & congratulations on the new ride!

Check the 20 amp fuse #54 located behind the passenger glove compartment box. That's usually the culprit; however, there is another fuse for the circuit located in the trunk as well. The glove compartment fuses are a bit of a PITA to get to. I had to use the "brail method" of touching them without seeing to pull mine. There should be a red fuse puller and a chart in the rear fuse box.

Re: Sound - that's pretty subjective. I have BMW's MPE and absolutely LOVE it! Normally subtle, yet very deep and throaty when you get on it in Sport mode. There are many other aftermarket exhaust systems that are a bit cheaper that will achieve similar. To each his own, imo, on this one.

Re: High Flow Catted DP @ $399 - that's a deal! The ones I'm looking at are closer to ~$700 - $1000 range.

Re: Intercooler - Wagner Tuning currently has a sale on their F10 Performance Intercoolers for $350 off. They are one of the only manufacturers that provide engineering airflow cooling data. In addition, they weld fins on the inside of the connection ports to help keep turbulent airflow attached. There are a couple other brands out there that are knock offs of WT that will work very well and are much cheaper.

Re: CAI - I'd highly recommend sticking with a Dry filter instead of an oiled one. The MAF sensor is susceptible to oil deposits (not to mention the N55 engine in general). AFE makes some good products. I use a drop in high flow dry filter.

Re: Charge Pipe - yup, you'll want to replace this one with aluminum when running higher boost. Consider upgrading boost piping too. I'm a fan of Evolution Racewerks products. Excellent quality on both welds and anodizing. Plus pipes are American made! Plenty of other CP brands out there tho that work well.

Re: MHD vs BM3? I'm still on the fence on this one (leaning towards MHD). Those 2 seem to be the most popular. I'm also considering just going with a custom flash tune from a local Indy shop.

Re: Appearance - If you go CF then go "all in". On my Alpine White BMW w/Shadowline Trim I decided to stick with the Gloss Jet Black scheme. A bit cheaper than CF but not as many options. I'm a BIG fan of the 3D Design Front Lip on the F10!

That's my 2 Cents @ modding.

Since you seem to be a handy enough DIY'er, I'd recommend dumping out ALL your fluids and changing filters (Engine Oil, Transmission Oil, Brake Fluid, Coolant, Differential Oil). I'd recomment this for ANY used car purchase but @ 67k miles you're coming up onto the first point of significant preventative maintenance items.

Spark Plugs @ 50k mile intervals (25k miles and colder with a significant performance tune). I went ahead and did my Ignition Coils at the same time since I was in there.

PM for Oil Filter Housing Gasket, Serpentine Belt, tensioner & pully is just around the corner - as well as coolant system. Consider installing an aftermarket Crank Seal Guard w/ Crank Bolt Capture and an aftermarket Aluminum Coolant Hose Flange (aka the "Mickey Mouse Flange") when you do these PM items. They are known N55 issues.

Consider having your intake valves walnut blasted to remove carbon buildup from DI.
Have your flex discs (Guibo) checked on your driveline. These are the most common failure points; especially when pushing the limits of the ~330 max torque that the 535i is rated for.

Have Fun!!!

[IndyJC]

ctcarbonari
Thank you so much, I didn't see an MPE that was available. Did you get direct from BMW?
Thanks for the advice on the cig lighter too.

[ctcarbonari]

Originally Posted by IndyJC

ctcarbonari
Thank you so much, I didn't see an MPE that was available. Did you get direct from BMW?

I got lucky on my "new-to-me" BMW purchase as it had the M Performance Exhaust installed during initial production. (I didn't even fully realize what I was getting at the time) There are plenty of other aftermarket exhaust mods that will provide similar (or more/less aggressive) sound quality and definitely at a more reasonably priced range than the BMW MPE.
Again, sound is one of those "to each his own" type mods, imo. Comes down to individual preferences. For me, the sound of the MPE during cold starts brings a smile to my face.....every time....

Interesting, looks like the MPE is on backorder for the F10 and currently unavailable. That will probably change in near future.

https://www.getbmwparts.com/oem-part...st-18302354362

[Qsilver7]

In regard to the 12 volt lighter…more than likely its your 12v adaptor…which may be the incorrect size for the front socket. There are two different sizes and it is something multiple BMWs have issues with…I believe there is an SIB (service bulletin) for this issue.


Here are the two socket sizes:

12-volt cigar lighter receptacle and plug, size A:

• Receptacle inside diameter: 20.93 - 21.01 mm (median 20.97 mm)
• Plug body diameter: 20.73 - 20.88 mm (median 20.805 mm)
• Most often used in American automobiles.

12-volt cigar lighter receptacle and plug, size B:

• Receptacle inside diameter: 21.41 - 21.51 mm (median 21.455 mm)
• Plug body diameter: 21.13 - 21.33 mm (median 21.18 mm)
• Most often used in European automobiles, and sometimes as a second socket in American automobiles expressly for DC power connections.

If what you are trying to keep charged in the front 12 volt socket uses a USB or USB-C power cord…perhaps a BMW 12v adapter with the correct connection you need will get that socket working for you.



LC (launch control) will be explained in the embedded owners manual if it is a feature the car is optioned with. Its easy to use…and there are multiple ways to search…in this case a keyword search should take your right to the explanation of LC if you have that feature.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by IndyJC

...
Secondary is finding a large parking lot to try some Drifts, but without a hand-lever e-brake is it even possible to do so? Or am I looking at donuts (only?) For donuts I assume I do the LC I described above, only turn the wheel during the launch right?...

[ctcarbonari]

Awesome Video!

Refueling while drifting.
Would have never thought I'd ever see that. Crazy!