[WretchedRefuse]

Unfortunately the xhp website is broken and I haven't been able to find any nearby Flashpoints. But I just tried a different browser (Edge) and that seems to be working. So I may go that route if my Thor adapter doesn't arrive soon. They say it was shipped from Colorado yesterday so I'm hoping to have it by this weekend.

Has anybody tried flashing their N63T3 trans yet? The silence on this thread has been rather deafening.

[WretchedRefuse]

Originally Posted by Manley00

I bought the map pack…. Ordered the WiFi adapter overnight. Was supposed to arrive Monday. It just got delivered to my house. On my way to work this morning I had an injector fail. So it’ll be a bit, taking her in to BMW on Monday. BIG BOOOOOOO!!!

Oh no!! The injustice!! Just curious, how many miles do you have on those injectors?

[Duta569]

Originally Posted by Manley00

I bought the map pack…. Ordered the WiFi adapter overnight. Was supposed to arrive Monday. It just got delivered to my house. On my way to work this morning I had an injector fail. So it’ll be a bit, taking her in to BMW on Monday. BIG BOOOOOOO!!!

Sorry to hear. Are you still under warranty? I hope you're not one of those poor guys who's warranty ended two weeks ago! Haha

[Manley00]

Vehicle currently has 55k on it… issue wasn’t the injectors. My coolant expansion tank failed. So coolant was going down the drivers side of the motor. I have had one replaced already. Warranty would only approve the one failed injector even though all injectors had signs of coolant on them. The writer is going to submit that the others have failed now. So I can have them all replaced. BMW here has been fantastic at accommodating me. No mention of any mods (intake, JB4, exhaust) just right to work fixing the vehicle.

I’m really looking forward to trying out the trans tune…. Next step is downpipes and Bootmod3. There is a tuner out of Dallas that can do the bench unlock and tune. They actually just had an article here somewhere with one of the top HP S58’s. 940 AWHP or something. Cedars Performance. Guessing we will have 10.6-70 once it is all said and done. Possibly a little quicker. We shall see!!

[Duta569]

Originally Posted by Manley00

Vehicle currently has 55k on it… issue wasn’t the injectors. My coolant expansion tank failed. So coolant was going down the drivers side of the motor. I have had one replaced already. Warranty would only approve the one failed injector even though all injectors had signs of coolant on them. The writer is going to submit that the others have failed now. So I can have them all replaced. BMW here has been fantastic at accommodating me. No mention of any mods (intake, JB4, exhaust) just right to work fixing the vehicle.

I’m really looking forward to trying out the trans tune…. Next step is downpipes and Bootmod3. There is a tuner out of Dallas that can do the bench unlock and tune. They actually just had an article here somewhere with one of the top HP S58’s. 940 AWHP or something. Cedars Performance. Guessing we will have 10.6-70 once it is all said and done. Possibly a little quicker. We shall see!!

I'm not sure about the bench unlock thing? Was your car manufactured before July 2020? If so you have the old ECU's and I believe those can be bench unlocked.

Not sure what they charge, but you have to remember, six cylinders have one ECU, V8's have two ecu's. Both have to be unlocked.

For a 10.6-70 you're going to need to run an ethanol mix. 93 won't cut it.

[choppedliver]

Originally Posted by Duta569

For a 10.6-70 you're going to need to run an ethanol mix. 93 won't cut it.

These 2 cars are on 93. The 2018 likely has a trans tune. The 2020 won't.

[Manley00]

Originally Posted by Duta569

I'm not sure about the bench unlock thing? Was your car manufactured before July 2020? If so you have the old ECU's and I believe those can be bench unlocked.

Not sure what they charge, but you have to remember, six cylinders have one ECU, V8's have two ecu's. Both have to be unlocked.

For a 10.6-70 you're going to need to run an ethanol mix. 93 won't cut it.

Yep! 7/2019 build date! I bought this car specifically because I was doing research prior. It was the best of both worlds. The new Idrive, ability to tune, updated motor, priced right.

Unlock for both Ecu’s is $400. So not insane- Cedars works with Bootmod3. They also have an in-house AWD dyno. I personally haven’t been over to their shop- I’m out in East Texas.

Once these things are unlocked, tuned, trans- they are insanely capable. The limiting factor has been the trans because of the torque limiting. With the right fuel we have a monster in our hands!

[N1njaVlad]

This is exciting, I love the Unlimited amount of Launch Control starts allowed, time to wreck some axles lol.

[WretchedRefuse]

Originally Posted by Manley00

... Once these things are unlocked, tuned, trans- they are insanely capable. The limiting factor has been the trans because of the torque limiting. With the right fuel we have a monster in our hands!

Although I doubt it's true, I'm hoping that the 2018 model posted above that punched out the 2.92/10.60 was modified only with BM3 Stage 1 and a trans tune. If that's the case, we 2020 owners have some serious fun (and axle breakage) in our future!

Update: I should receive my Thor dongle on Saturday.

[Manley00]

Originally Posted by WretchedRefuse

Although I doubt it's true, I'm hoping that the 2018 model posted above that punched out the 2.92/10.60 was modified only with BM3 Stage 1 and a trans tune. If that's the case, we 2020 owners have some serious fun (and axle breakage) in our future!

Update: I should receive my Thor dongle on Saturday.

That is definitely moving…

Looking forward to your feedback! I will be the first to have purchased it and the last to have installed and tried it at this point. Lol. Maybe not necessarily a bad thing 🤔 haha

[WretchedRefuse]

Originally Posted by Manley00

That is definitely moving…

Looking forward to your feedback! I will be the first to have purchased it and the last to have installed and tried it at this point. Lol. Maybe not necessarily a bad thing 🤔 haha

I'm currently planning to flash Stage 2 just to see what is changed and how I like it. I don't drive this car very hard and am not planning to do any Dragy runs right away, but I reserve the right to succumb to temptation.

[Manley00]

Originally Posted by WretchedRefuse

I'm currently planning to flash Stage 2 just to see what is changed and how I like it. I don't drive this car very hard and am not planning to do any Dragy runs right away, but I reserve the right to succumb to temptation.

We are here for you in your moments of temptation… 😁

On another note, I’m an even greater idiot than I realized. I bought a wifi adapter through Amazon because it was supposed to arrive quicker. Well, that got delayed. Then the injector thing. I noticed to the injector cleared and car was running normal (still getting them swapped) so I got the Wi-Fi adapter and headed to the car in glee. Open program, begin to backup, ADAPTER CAN NOT BE USED. Lord have mercy, they legitimately mean it MUST be one of the 4 or so that they say. I even read tons of reviews on Amazon of people flashing with this enet WiFi. xHP specifically!

I should probably take this as a sign and walk away. Since I’ve established I’m an idiot though. Why stop now! Head forth into the great abyss I shall (I ordered the RIGHT adapter). Hopefully it arrives soon!

[WretchedRefuse]

Unfortunately, for G-series you must use one of the three approved adapters for the initial unlock/flash: xHP Flashtool, Thor, or MHD. The web page does not list Amazon as a supplier for any of them. The online reviewers were probably flashing F-series cars with your "Amazon" adapter.

Having done some additional reading on the subject, it seems that the MHD UNI Wi-Fi adapter is the best because it supports the widest number of tools. Don't confuse it with other MHD adapters - they make several.

If you have a nearby Flashpoint, you can get it done there and avoid the wait for the adapter. You no longer need one of the specific adapters after it's been flashed the first time.

[540iSUP]

If you're on the fence with MAP packs, just buy them all. That way if you need to, you can switch things up. Then, when you're more familiar with the setup, go ahead and do a custom trans tune.

Kies also has a wifi adaptor for $99 that works well too.

[Manley00]

Originally Posted by WretchedRefuse

Unfortunately, for G-series you must use one of the three approved adapters for the initial unlock/flash: xHP Flashtool, Thor, or MHD. The web page does not list Amazon as a supplier for any of them. The online reviewers were probably flashing F-series cars with your "Amazon" adapter.

Having done some additional reading on the subject, it seems that the MHD UNI Wi-Fi adapter is the best because it supports the widest number of tools. Don't confuse it with other MHD adapters - they make several.

If you have a nearby Flashpoint, you can get it done there and avoid the wait for the adapter. You no longer need one of the specific adapters after it's been flashed the first time.

No flashpoints near me unfortunately! I went back and cancelled my original order and went with your advice on the MHD UNI! It was priority shipping so hopefully it will arrive in a timely manner!

Thanks for the advice!!

[oldtexasdog]

How would this maybe affect my factory and extended warranty?

[WretchedRefuse]

Originally Posted by oldtexasdog

How would this maybe affect my factory and extended warranty?

That is a really good question. My understanding of the official position is that any powertrain tuning, whether by ECU flashing or bolt-ons, will void the warranty for any damage caused by said tuning. It is also apparently true that it's impossible to conceal tuning because your car's software is programmed to recognize and record any evidence of tuning.

In reality, it seems that individual dealerships and service advisors show varying degrees of ignorance and/or tolerance of tuning. See for example Manley00's comment above about getting his injectors replaced.

Reading other boards, it seems that third-party extended warranties are more tolerant and/or ignorant of tuning. Maybe just because BMW has no vested interest in alerting third parties that a covered car shows evidence of tuning.

I suggest you search around this and other forums and read what others have posted. Bottom line is: You roll the dice, you take your chances.

[Rocket455]

Pic of me just having discovered that transmission tunes are a thing.

[WretchedRefuse]

Well guess what arrived a day early! I found an early Christmas present in my mailbox and promptly went to work. Here are a few initial impressions while they are fresh in my mind.

1. It took several tries for the app to recognize the Thor adapter. Fortunately, patience paid off.
2. The flash itself went as smoothly as possible. It took about 11 minutes for the initial "long" flash. I flashed Stage 2.
3. My initial impression was very negative. Nobody warned me but the flash reset pretty much every single one of my iDrive settings including seat positions, preset buttons, drive modes, and who knows what else. I'm going to have to spend quite a lot of time now going through each and every menu to set back to my preferences. Hopefully this was a one-time event with the initial flash. My advice to others is be sure to record all of your settings before flashing.
4. Per xHP instructions, I need to drive nice and easy for the first 50 miles so I didn't try anything aggressive.
5. Comfort mode: It passed the "wife test," meaning that if I'm driving mildly the shifts are not noticeable. Cruising was in the 1200-1500 RPM range, which I believe is slightly higher than stock.
6. Sport mode: Cruising was in the 1700 RPM range and shifts were a little harder but still barely noticeable while driving mildly. This is still a great 'daily driver' setting for when I'm feeling a little more aggressive.
7. Sport+ mode: Cruising jumped to about 3000 RPM and the shifts under acceleration were definitely firm, but not jarring.

I didn't try manual or sport shifting mode yet. I'll report back more once I've had a chance to drive more over the weekend.

[lanlilan]

Thanks for sharing your initial experience! I am very interested in reading about your continued impressions as you get used to the new tune.

[oldtexasdog]

Originally Posted by WretchedRefuse

That is a really good question. My understanding of the official position is that any powertrain tuning, whether by ECU flashing or bolt-ons, will void the warranty for any damage caused by said tuning. It is also apparently true that it's impossible to conceal tuning because your car's software is programmed to recognize and record any evidence of tuning.

In reality, it seems that individual dealerships and service advisors show varying degrees of ignorance and/or tolerance of tuning. See for example Manley00's comment above about getting his injectors replaced.

Reading other boards, it seems that third-party extended warranties are more tolerant and/or ignorant of tuning. Maybe just because BMW has no vested interest in alerting third parties that a covered car shows evidence of tuning.

I suggest you search around this and other forums and read what others have posted. Bottom line is: You roll the dice, you take your chances.

Well this is a bummer! I got the impression at the BMW dealership that they did not like any mods. I am a old gear head and now that I have had the car for a couple of months I would really like to start modding it for more fun. IE: HP and tranny shifting to go with the added HP.

As this is my first foray into foreign territory( BMW M550) I am on a learning curve. I bought it as a certified unit with still one year and or 16000K miles and I picked up an extended warranty taking it out to 70K so I would not like to disavow or negate that but I have the hots to mod.
Like I said BUMMER

[Duta569]

Originally Posted by WretchedRefuse

Well guess what arrived a day early! I found an early Christmas present in my mailbox and promptly went to work. Here are a few initial impressions while they are fresh in my mind.

1. It took several tries for the app to recognize the Thor adapter. Fortunately, patience paid off.
2. The flash itself went as smoothly as possible. It took about 11 minutes for the initial "long" flash. I flashed Stage 2.
3. My initial impression was very negative. Nobody warned me but the flash reset pretty much every single one of my iDrive settings including seat positions, preset buttons, drive modes, and who knows what else. I'm going to have to spend quite a lot of time now going through each and every menu to set back to my preferences. Hopefully this was a one-time event with the initial flash. My advice to others is be sure to record all of your settings before flashing.
4. Per xHP instructions, I need to drive nice and easy for the first 50 miles so I didn't try anything aggressive.
5. Comfort mode: It passed the "wife test," meaning that if I'm driving mildly the shifts are not noticeable. Cruising was in the 1200-1500 RPM range, which I believe is slightly higher than stock.
6. Sport mode: Cruising was in the 1700 RPM range and shifts were a little harder but still barely noticeable while driving mildly. This is still a great 'daily driver' setting for when I'm feeling a little more aggressive.
7. Sport+ mode: Cruising jumped to about 3000 RPM and the shifts under acceleration were definitely firm, but not jarring.

I didn't try manual or sport shifting mode yet. [...]

Hey bud how long did it take for xhp to send you your license code?