Help me assess my situation

[Mr. Snood]

I recently purchased an '08 135i. Its been modded and I was aware of that going in. Not too concerning as I was planning on modding anyways. What i'm unsure of, being new to the world of BMW, is what do I currently have under my hood and is there anything I should look at doing right away.

From the looks of things, my DCI is well used and the filters look in a bad way. Can someone tell me if I should just go ahead and replace them for the $100 its going to run, or is this just how they are going to look after time anyways.

Looks like the charge pipe is the plastic OEM one, but there is a pipe that seems to be attached to the IC with an Evolution Racewerks tag on it. I don't think the IC is aftermarket though - could it just be the previous owner parted it out and left his pipe in there?

I'm getting an SES related both to the fuel mix (too rich) - mechanic said it was likely due to the intakes which I wasn't sure to believe, unless my DCI is toast which is preventing enough air getting through (does this make sense?) Another code was related to the exhaust (sorry that's vague, forgot to write down the damn codes but the mechanic I brought it to said the codes say the exhaust is "mixed" - no idea what that means).

I plan on getting a JB4 or Cobb ASAP so I can read the codes myself and figure it out. Car is running smooth and the mechanic said the codes aren't too worrisome but I though I'd check here to see if anyone has some advice as to where to start.

I've attached some pics and hoping you can help me assess my situation.

Engine bay

DCI

You can see the evolution racewerks tag on this one




I can take more pics if these aren't helpful.

Thanks in advance and looking forward to the joining the world of N54 tuning

[johngrossi]

Seems to me you have an ER fmic and bms dci. Those are the white filters so they will look dirty quite fast. Although hard to say how dirty I would recommend changing so you know you are in the clear.

I wouldn't be surprised if you have a tune also. You can check for a jb4 by turning the ignition on and pressing down on both the volume and track steering wheel buttons.

[Mr. Snood]

Thanks - Is there an easy way to tell if that is for sure an ER FMIC?

I just checked for the JB4 tune and unfortunately its not there.

[ilikebmxbikes]

Originally Posted by Mr. Snood

Thanks - Is there an easy way to tell if that is for sure an ER FMIC?

I just checked for the JB4 tune and unfortunately its not there.

take a photo of your intercooler. you will easily be able to tell by the fins. Your photo suggest you have an ER intercooler because of the Intercooler piping with the ER logo is visible.

[Dr3K0]

I hate when mechanics try to take advantage of customers.

I would do the following. Get a BT cable to read and erase codes. After pulling all the codes erase them, including shadow codes. There is a codes page somewhere for reference and help, I cant remember. Put a bottle of seafoam on the gas tank to clean the injectors. If its possible, find a reputable shop to do a walnut blasting on the intake valves. Or build your own rig and do it. Changing the plugs and oil + filter should be a good idea as well. All this is just to put back the engine to a good state.

Get under the car and check if you have catless downpipes or cated OE ones. If he had a tune like a JB4 he could erase the codes but the codes should keep popping up. by removing the tune then the codes pops again and no auto delete. This would explain the exhaust codes.

Those codes could be stored there from before. If the codes shoes up again after erasing them, then start from there.

Don't get invested in a tune if your engine is not 100% functional. This is not a Honda, a silly mistake will cost you some bucks.

I never had seen an air intake put that kind of code. Honestly I never had seen to generate any type of code.

As for tune direction I would go with a JB4G5. If you get the BT cable you also can flash the ecm as well, 2ble bonus. Also get a oil catch can ASAP. I heard BMS is a good one. I have a different one tho, they where not available bay the time I bought mine.

GL.