[uberboosted]

Bootmod3 Stage 1 flashed on my 2020 540i today.

This is a long post; if you want to skip the mundane stuff you can go to Driving impressions.

Backstory: The reason that I decided on a 540i is that I was enthralled by the potential of the B58 engine. So there was no doubt in my mind that I would be tuning it. I finally found a 2020 that had the options I wanted. It's a CPO, so I still have 2 years warranty, and some might have been tempted to hold off on the tune until then, but I don't have that kind of patience.

My DME was locked, but the build date is Jan 20, so I contacted a local tuner to get a bench unlock. They charge $350, which is high, but the alternative was a 3 hour round trip to save $100, and I also prefer to work with a local shop.

After he was done, I tried both the bm3 and MHD apps to check the lock status, and both said the DME was still locked. He insisted that his software said that it was unlocked, and I finally agreed to pay based on his written promise that he would refund me if I was unable to install a tune. Plan B was to purchase the Mission Performance unlock tool for $350.

I did a lot of research on which tuning ecosystem I wanted to go with, and finally decided on bootmod3 due to the glowing reports of their customer service (more on that later), and the larger selection of OTS maps.

I saw that Mike @ Extreme Power House was offering discounts, so I called him and purchased a license and map pack. Of course, I tried to install it immediately, but my Android phone refused to connect to the DME and the Internet simultaneously, so I was unable to register the license.

Today: Fortunately, XPH had thrown in a free OBD to USB-C adapter, which arrived today. I was able to register the car with bootmod3 and activate the license. However, I had a separate activation key for the maps pack, and I couldn't find anywhere in the app to enter the key and access all the other maps. It only came with Stage 1 and Stage 2 91 octane maps. There's enough ethanol in the tank that I could run the E30 map, if I could access it.

I contacted bootmod3 to ask how to activate my maps pack key. I received a quick, but very terse response telling me to contact XPH. I was rather disappointed that they didn't seem to be inclined to answer a simple question, nor even take a moment to explain their reasoning.

I'm waiting on a response from XPH on this, but in the meantime I decided to try to install the 91 octane map. I was pretty sure it wasn't going to work, since the app still said the DME needed a bench unlock. But I tried the Force option, and was very pleased to see the progress indicator moving briskly. It successfully flashed in only a few minutes.

Driving impressions: I had been wondering whether I was going to notice much difference in normal driving, or only when I got on it. That question was answered quickly - it's much more responsive in traffic. Once I was sure the oil was up to temp, I went to Sport Plus mode and... yeah, it's much quicker. I was really impressed, considering that this is just a Stage 1 91 octane tune. Staying in the pedal revealed that the acceleration starts tapering off eventually, but I'm pretty sure I have a fix for that.

Future: My car already has a TU fuel pump, so all I need to go to Stage 2+ is a downpipe. Well, and access to the maps pack that I purchased.

I also want to get the XHP transmission tune; I can see where some more responsiveness from the gearbox would make a significant difference. My credit card could use a bit of a breather, but as I mentioned, patience isn't one of my virtues.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by uberboosted

Bootmod3 Stage 1 flashed on my 2020 540i today.

This is a long post; if you want to skip the mundane stuff you can go to Driving impressions.

Backstory: The reason that I decided on a 540i is that I was enthralled by the potential of the B58 engine. So there was no doubt in my mind that I would be tuning it. I finally found a 2020 that had the options I wanted. It's a CPO, so I still have 2 years warranty, and some might have been tempted to hold off on the tune until then, but I don't have that kind of patience.

My DME was locked, but the build date is Jan 20, so I contacted a local tuner to get a bench unlock. They charge $350, which is high, but the alternative was a 3 hour round trip to save $100, and I also prefer to work with a local shop.

After he was done, I tried both the bm3 and MHD apps to check the lock status, and both said the DME was still locked. He insisted that his software said that it was unlocked, and I finally agreed to pay based on his written promise that he would refund me if I was unable to install a tune. Plan B was to purchase the Mission Performance unlock tool for $350.

I did a lot of research on which tuning ecosystem I wanted to go with, and finally decided on bootmod3 due to the glowing reports of their customer service (more on that later), and the larger selection of OTS maps.

I saw that Mike @ Extreme Power House was offering discounts, so I called him and purchased a license and map pack. Of course, I tried to install it immediately, but my Android phone refused to connect to the DME and [...]

Let’s see the car bro

[uberboosted]

Originally Posted by NGT2

Let’s see the car bro

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by uberboosted

Attachment 3251532

Great color! Looks a like the 540 I had before the M550.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by uberboosted

Attachment 3251532

I still have the genuine BMW black fender vents if you’re interested. I did 3M gloss black wrap on the chrome window trim.

[BWilson263]

BM3 is a nice upgrade. I did stage 1 and not long later went to stage 2. Now I'm at stage 2+ with xHP transmission stage 2 tune. Enjoy your new found boost.

[AussieCharles]

Bought a 2018 540i a few weeks ago, wanted a b58 as well. Also wanted a more comfortable/quite car compared to 3 and 4 series. I don't have to deal with the dme lock issues, so i just went with MHD stage 1. I'm very happy with the car and don't really need much else. If i was to go downpipe, it would be annoying to take it off every other year for smog testing.

[uberboosted]

Update: I was able to download and flash the Stage 1 93 octane map. It's possible that I had simply missed where to change that option for the Stage 1 and Stage 2 maps. However, I still don't have any Stage 2+ maps available. I've gone through every setting I can find in the app and don't see anywhere to download them.

[uberboosted]

Originally Posted by AussieCharles

Bought a 2018 540i a few weeks ago, wanted a b58 as well. Also wanted a more comfortable/quite car compared to 3 and 4 series. I don't have to deal with the dme lock issues, so i just went with MHD stage 1. I'm very happy with the car and don't really need much else. If i was to go downpipe, it would be annoying to take it off every other year for smog testing.

Yeah, I agree about the hassle with emissions testing.

I wish I agreed about not needing much else. 😉

[mike@x-ph.com]

Congrats and thank you for the support

[uberboosted]

Update 2: Apparently bootmod3 doesn't have Stage 2+ maps for my car. Their website indicates that the maps are available for all except the B58D, and mine is a B58C, but they told me that if it isn't showing up, it's not available... which makes sense of course, but I thought it was worth asking, in case they had misidentified my engine.

The Stage 1 93 octane map feels slightly faster than the 91, although I could be imagining it to some extent. I'm going to add a bit more ethanol this afternoon, just be be on the safe side, and flash the E30 map.

I'm still planning to get a catted downpipe and flash a Stage 2 map. I might consider getting a custom Stage 2+ tune. Or possibly switch to MHD, if they have an OTS tune for me.

[540iSport]

Did you ever end up going to stage 2? I am getting my 2020 540i next week and am planning on doing a catted downpipe and Stage 1 tune. Still undecided if MHD or BM3 is the better option.....seen lots of positives on both but MHD seems a bit more popular. Is there any particular reason you went with BM3 other than the customer service?