[riddoch]

I bought my first BMW Saturday. I'm the proud owner of a 2011 e90 335i with a 6mt. It's technically for my wife but I think I'm more excited about it than she is. I've always heard BWM's are the "Ultimate driving machines" but I never really knew what that meant until I took one for a test drive. The car is an absolute blast!

My main question is, where do I start with mods? I'd like a mix of light performance mods, subtle appearance mods, as well as some added functionality. As this is technically my wife's (during the week at least) the mods need to be very tasteful and appear somewhat OEM. She's not into loud exhaust or boy racer looks. I've been browsing the forum for hours since the purchase and I have some ideas but I'm lacking specifics.

Appearance - I came across this video today looking at the replica m spoiler- http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E90-335...7/Video260-HD/ (that link only works for me in IE)
I like everything on that car. Are those LED angle eyes? Which ones specifically? The only thing I've found on this forum make the inside halos brighter than the outside halos. Those are perfect though. I also like the carbon fiber pieces added to the front lip. What are those?! I'll probably do the blackout high gloss Grille. What other subtle appearance mods are there? How much do springs cost? Is this a doable DIY project or do I need a spring compressor? Of course we'll do tint.

Performance - I don't want to do much here. The car is CPO for the next 3 years or 74K miles so my warranty is a concern. I test drove a m sport coupe before settling on the e90. Something about the coupe seemed more powerful. Do the m sport packages make more power? Was it the perforated leather shifter and steering wheel that just made it seem quicker? Is the coupe just smaller lighter? I don't want to void my warranty, but how do I get the feel of the m sport coupe I test drove? I'm hesitant to tune and I don't want to spend $500 on it. Intake might be an option if it doesn't add too much engine noise. Exhaust is probably out of the question and the vacuum pump disconnect seems pretty dumb (although I'll probably give it a shot one day when I'm bored).

Functionality - I'd like to get into coding. I work in IT so I'm confident I can do it. I start with a cable and some software, right? Where do i get a good, inexpensive cable? I'd like to start with the coding that folds the review mirrors in when I lock the doors. There's a button inside the car that does this, but I don't have the convenience package with the groves on the door handles. How doable is this for me? Secondly, how do I add apps and Internet to my nav, and how much does it cost? Price talks seem to happen in PM...I assume I need a combox or whatever. I'm not sure about my letters and aberrations but I have a Y adapter for my iphone if that helps.

Thanks for hearing me out guys and any advise and wisdom you all could share is greatly appreciated!

Here are a few pictures-

[tmdals0213]

woah sweet! congrats to both of you, mainly you haha.

[Game]

Congrats on the purchase. Have the space gray/saddle brown combo as well and love it.

First thing I would do is get some blacked out grills (I'd DIY but that's up to you).

Performance wise you can still get a tune. Most here get a piggyback tune (JB4) or Cobb (uploadable maps). I'd suggest the Cobb since you still have CPO and want to be able to take it out whenever you want without the dealer knowing.

[914kid]

Welcome and nice color combo!

I would do the JB4 over the Cobb because since you are CPO the JB4 hides the true boost value from the DME while the Cobb DOES NOT. Lets say something bad happens and BMW inspects the ECU (very rare) and you had the cobb installed they would see that you were boosting way more than stock and would realize that you had a tune. With the JB4 this does not happen.

You need a spring compressor for the springs lol, DIY isn't bad if you have worked on cars before. Don't do springs on stock struts, you should use aftermarket struts otherwise you will blow the stock struts quickly and have a bouncy ride. Blisten/Koni make good shocks.

You can do the CF rear spoiler, black roof vinyl, gloss black grill for "subtle" mods. I have the same color E90 and it looks really nice with all those things. Don't do LED angel eyes because they are NOT WORTH it. I did OSS instead but they are $650-$800. OSS are full ring replacements (Umnitza V4) and they are the brightest angel eyes in the market, have to open the headlight to get these installed though.

Anymore pictures of the wife?

[Taran.J]

Basic mods tint, stereo, wheels, suspension, OEM Performance exhaust, LUX angels eyes, Performance spoiler.

Great buy you'll enjoy it even more with that Cpo warranty!

[riddoch]

Originally Posted by Game

First thing I would do is get some blacked out grills (I'd DIY but that's up to you).

.

DIY? Do you guys you Plasti Dip? I really wanted a glossy finish.

[Bobby_Sardells]

car looks great but too stock! I'd get the M front/rear diffuser, short shifter, black grills, and a non-plastic charge-pipe.
I'd hold off on performance mods just in case your car may be a lemon. Last thing you want is to take it in and get warranty rejected so make sure the car runs problem-free for over 10,000km before changing downpipes and engine maps

[riddoch]

Originally Posted by 914kid

Welcome and nice color combo!

I would do the JB4 over the Cobb because since you are CPO the JB4 hides the true boost value from the DME while the Cobb DOES NOT. Lets say something bad happens and BMW inspects the ECU (very rare) and you had the cobb installed they would see that you were boosting way more than stock and would realize that you had a tune. With the JB4 this does not happen.

You need a spring compressor for the springs lol, DIY isn't bad if you have worked on cars before. Don't do springs on stock struts, you should use aftermarket struts otherwise you will blow the stock struts quickly and have a bouncy ride. Blisten/Koni make good shocks.

You can do the CF rear spoiler, black roof vinyl, gloss black grill for "subtle" mods. I have the same color E90 and it looks really nice with all those things. Don't do LED angel eyes because they are NOT WORTH it. I did OSS instead but they are $650-$800. OSS are full ring replacements (Umnitza V4) and they are the brightest angel eyes in the market, have to open the headlight to get these installed though.

Anymore pictures of the wife?

Thanks for all the info! $650-$800 and dismantling my headlights is out of the question though. I did see a DIY on a vinyl roof. That might be a possibility. Thanks for the advice on doing struts with springs. That makes sense but probably ups the cost beyond my budget. I'm already saving for springs and shocks on MY ride- 2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. More pics of the wife? 'preciate the compliment though.

[riddoch]

Originally Posted by Bobby_Sardells

car looks great but too stock! I'd get the M front/rear diffuser, short shifter, black grills, and a non-plastic charge-pipe.
I'd hold off on performance mods just in case your car may be a lemon. Last thing you want is to take it in and get warranty rejected so make sure the car runs problem-free for over 10,000km before changing downpipes and engine maps

I like this advice although I'm pretty sure I don't have a lemon. The dealer shared the car's service history (something they said they don't normally do) and it's only had oil changes, brake work, and something about a battery terminal cable. Non-plastic charge-pipe? What does this do for me? Any particular brand name or vendor links? Thanks!

[riddoch]

Originally Posted by Taran.J

Basic mods tint, stereo, wheels, suspension, OEM Performance exhaust, LUX angels eyes, Performance spoiler.

Great buy you'll enjoy it even more with that Cpo warranty!

I'll look into the OEM exhaust. I've found LUX angle eyes run about $175. Is that right? I've also seen other LED options for about half that price. Is LUX worth the higher price?

[kdbryce]

Originally Posted by riddoch

DIY? Do you guys you Plasti Dip? I really wanted a glossy finish.

I used a few coats of primer and gloss spray paint for mine. They look OEM and cost about 10 bucks to do

As for the vacuum hose disconnect for the exhaust, it's definitely worth it if you're staying with a stock exhaust. It makes it sound much sportier, but your wife would never know. Plus it's as easy as unplugging a wire in the trunk.

Subtle 19 inch wheels also make a huge difference. They have the ability to look stock, but still make the car stand out.

As for performance, I'd get an intake first... Check out burger motor sports. My dealers never cared when I brought my cars in with one, and it makes the turbo sound way better. After that, I'd get a tune. Cobb is probably your best bet short of a flash from dinan.

For more cosmetics, the most subtle ones are a rear performance spoiler, msport bumpers, and some front splitters. As for angel eyes, definitely go with the latest version of lux. Pretty much all others suck unless you want to go the expensive route which leaves you without headlights for a couple days.

Congrats and good luck!

[mike@x-ph.com]

Nice car.
Appearance : get led angel eyes , lots of customers are very happy with bmwled best mod for the price.

Performance: trust me you want to get a cobb V3 lol , you would never go back to stock thats for sure haha ... you can uninstall it in 2 mins and take it to the dealership, it wont be detected.

pm me, ill be happy to help

[riddoch]

Is a tuned e90 more likely to have mechanical issues?

[riddoch]

Originally Posted by kdbryce

Subtle 19 inch wheels also make a huge difference. They have the ability to look stock, but still make the car stand out.

I could sell the wife on new rims. She wanted the m sport wheels over the 5 spokes we ended up with. The tires have a lot of life left though. We'll probably wear them out before swapping to 19".

I'll be honest, I was a disappointed when I looked in the trunk and there wasn't a spare. Do ya'll really spend twice as much on run flats? Do you buy and 5th wheel and leave it in the garage? I'm confident the wife wouldn't change a flat on the side of the road regardless, but I hate the thought of throwing a spare in the trunk we go on road trips.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by riddoch

Is a tuned e90 more likely to have mechanical issues?

No.
these tunes have been tested by thousands of cars with no issues.
If your car had bad spark plugs the tune would expose it.
So if you tuned your car and then suddenly your car is misfiring, that does not mean the tune ruined the spark plugs, the spark plugs were going bad and the tune exposed it.

[JAL0988]

Start with a tune and take it from there. I'd drive the car for a month get used to the power and when you get bored get a JB4 or a Cobb. Hang around here for a little while and you'll learn/see a few things and you'll take it from there. I personally did:

1. Tune (Cobb)
2. Intake
3. Downpipes
4. FMIC
5. Pro Tune

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by JAL0988

Start with a tune and take it from there. I'd drive the car for a month get used to the power and when you get bored get a JB4 or a Cobb. Hang around here for a little while and you'll learn/see a few things and you'll take it from there. I personally did:

1. Tune (Cobb)
2. Intake
3. Downpipes
4. FMIC
5. Pro Tune

+1

[kdbryce]

Originally Posted by riddoch

I could sell the wife on new rims. She wanted the m sport wheels over the 5 spokes we ended up with. The tires have a lot of life left though. We'll probably wear them out before swapping to 19".

I'll be honest, I was a disappointed when I looked in the trunk and there wasn't a spare. Do ya'll really spend twice as much on run flats? Do you buy and 5th wheel and leave it in the garage? I'm confident the wife wouldn't change a flat on the side of the road regardless, but I hate the thought of throwing a spare in the trunk we go on road trips.

Well the point of a run flat is you don't have to change it on the side of the road. You can drive like 75 miles on a flat tire until you have a chance to get it changed.

They do suck, they're uncomfortable, and they're expensive, so many of us change out to non run flats when we upgrade our wheels

[stevers314]

Originally Posted by riddoch

I'll look into the OEM exhaust. I've found LUX angle eyes run about $175. Is that right? I've also seen other LED options for about half that price. Is LUX worth the higher price?

Lux is what I ended up going with on my E70, and carried them over to my E90 when I traded it. They are surely worth the extra in my opinion.

If you send me the last 7 of your VIN, I can look up what options you have in regards to combox and such to help with coding.

This is the cable most people buy for coding. The one I have looks exactly the same.
http://www.one-stop-electronics.com/...&product_id=16

[riddoch]

Do down pipes result in failed emission tests? If so, if can't do that.

[riddoch]

Originally Posted by stevers314

If you send me the last 7 of your VIN, I can look up what options you have in regards to combox and such to help with coding.

This is the cable most people buy for coding. The one I have looks exactly the same.
http://www.one-stop-electronics.com/...&product_id=16

Fantastic! I'll get the VIN tonight. Thanks!!

[dman77]

Congratulations great car!

First things first:

you really need TINT, and the chrome grills must go.
start simple, you don't really need to add nitrous, a blower, or Lamborghini doors the first week!