[Andrew115]

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Hi,
I am a new member to the forum but have been lurking the past few months reading and enjoying the content. There are many ppl here with great ideas, input and ingenuity.

I have a 2012- 328i and recently added a Burger Stage 1 tune. Thought it would be nice to share my findings (since there isn't a lot about about this product to read currently) and also ask others with this product for some of their feedback.

My Impressions:
The product was easily purchased from www.burgertuning.com at a reasonable price and was received in a week.

I purchased the product on 5/14 after a few days I inquired about the status since I hadn't received any shipping confirmation. I received a prompt response from Jon stating the product were out of stock and would not be shipped until 5/24. On 5/21 I received a notice from usps that the package was waiting for me at the post office since it needed a signature for delivery. Nice suprize to get it earlier then expected

I picked up and installed the unit on the 22nd. The install was quite easy and went very well overall. The components seem to be of high quality and neatly assembled.

*I would suggest having some small zip ties and also a more comprehensive solution to secure the "box/interface to PC".

The wiring illustrations within the instructions (found on burgertuning.com) are great they show exactly how to connect each each terminal in each location.

*One thing it's missing would be suggestions on how to secure the wiring and "box" to stop from flopping around. Assuming you are mindful and not too excited to get out and play, I would think most people will secure the product sufficiently. If you have zip ties handy that would be very helpful, keeping wiring off very hot components and also finding a way to secure the "box"

Post Install:
Immediately after I installed the product I started the car and let idol for a few minutes checking for any indicators on the dash and observing the overall operation of the care to ensure nothing alarming was going on. After about 5min I noticed a significant amount of smoke coming from the exhaust. It was dark but seemed odorless. I wasn't sure if this was due to reconnecting the battery and the engine priming fuel again? I double checked all vacuum hoses and other connections finding no issues. Anyone else have experience like this with this tune?

Day 1 - 1st Drive: - Comfort Mode - Easy driving.
I went for a short drive 5-10miles, I noticed a significant difference in turbo lag and response. Not that the lag was long before but it felt reduced. It could be the increased boost is noticed earlier in the RPM range so it feels that it comes on earlier.

Day 2 - Mixed Modes and some fun.
Day two was a normal work day with a little extra fun on the way to and from. I am still experiencing some intermittent exhaust smoke. There doesn't appear to be any consistency to this. Sometime its at startup (in NC not cold enough to see condensation right now) other times it's happening at stop lights after proper warm up. I have only noticed this 2-3 times total so far.

I don't believe I have a seal, gasket or other issue - the car is running strong, it's still quiet as ever and no warning indicators at all. I think this has something to do with a rich condition being created with some type on input from the increased boost. I can't confirm this but will continue to try and identify the issue.

Overall Performance Impressions:
I would say that this is well worth the investment. The power is significantly improved on low and mid range. I don't notice a huge difference in higher RMP ranges but I know it's a bit better. Overall it's a win assuming that things hold together as expected.



I did try to reach out to Terry regarding the smoke issue and this was our communication. Not sure what to make of it but it appears he doesn't seem concerned and believes this tune would have nothing do with any changes in exhaust smoke. I am not nearly as experienced as he is but I believe that this is a direct result of the tune having logged 20K miles on the car prior and knowing it very well prior to install.


Terry Email:
__________________________________________________ ___
Hi Andrew,

The tuners can't do anything that will cause smoke out the exhaust.

Best,
T
__________________________________________________ ___
On Wed, May 22, 2013 at 6:30 AM, Andrew
<andrewp@thisisnotmyrealemail.com> wrote:
Hi Terry,
I have been following your product on F30post and decided to purchase and
install on my 2012 328i. I received the product from your company on the
20th and installed yesterday. The install was quick and easy but I noticed
after I started the car for the first time and let idol their was
considerable smoke coming out the exhaust. I let the car run for about 5
min while I reassembled the battery cover and closed the hood and put away
my tools. I took the car for a test ride (just normal driving not pushing
it). The power gain is noticeable and I don't believe anything is wrong the
the car but the smoke from the exhaust continues. This was not present
before at all until I started after installing the Stage 1 I received. Is
this smoking considered normal when installing your product? Have you had
similar experiences?

There are no warning lights on the instrument panel and I triple checked
vacuum hoses and other connections. Please let me know your thoughts on
this. If it's easier and more convenient for you please call me anytime
000-000-0000 or respond by email with anything helpful you may know
regarding this.

Thanks,
Andrew
__________________________________________________ ____

Hope you find this helpful and if you have any smoke experiences please share with me how you solved them if at all.

[ScarecrowBoat]

Yeah that's pretty much what to expect with Burger customer service. They don't seem to care about anything. I guess the good news is their products are pretty good and you really shouldn't have to get in contact with them, but when you do...yikes. Getting info from them is like trying to juice a rock.

I don't have any smoke issues, and haven't really heard of that before. I would be very concerned as well, but unfortunately you will get zero help from BMS over it. They will just say like they did "Our tune isn't causing your issue" over and over and will never go into more detail than that. This will just leave you concerned and wondering if your car is okay....

[Andrew115]

Originally Posted by ScarecrowBoat

Yeah that's pretty much what to expect with Burger customer service. They don't seem to care about anything. I guess the good news is their products are pretty good and you really shouldn't have to get in contact with them, but when you do...yikes. Getting info from them is like trying to juice a rock.

I don't have any smoke issues, and haven't really heard of that before. I would be very concerned as well, but unfortunately you will get zero help from BMS over it. They will just say like they did "Our tune isn't causing your issue" over and over and will never go into more detail than that. This will just leave you concerned and wondering if your car is okay....

Thanks for the info....

I have to say they have been very prompt in responding to my inquiries.
I also understand that there may be lots of incompetent ppl reaching out to them for reasons that are truly not their problem. That being said it would be nice to get reassurance about my concerns (when deemed valid) in more than 10 words or a one sentence answer.

I know they are busy, just a hint more info would go along way for someone like me. That would be the difference between me wondering if Terry is a 16 year old with a soldering iron vs. instilling confidence in my purchase and their product resulting in investing more money with additional product offerings they have. You would think its a lot easier selling stage 2's to ppl that already have stage 1 and are happy - Just my 2 cents.

[ScarecrowBoat]

Originally Posted by Andrew115

Thanks for the info....

I have to say they have been very prompt in responding to my inquiries.
I also understand that there may be lots of incompetent ppl reaching out to them for reasons that are truly not their problem. That being said it would be nice to get reassurance about my concerns (when deemed valid) in more than 10 words or a one sentence answer.

I know they are busy, just a hint more info would go along way for someone like me. That would be the difference between me wondering if Terry is a 16 year old with a soldering iron vs. instilling confidence in my purchase and their product resulting in investing more money with additional product offerings they have. You would think its a lot easier selling stage 2's to ppl that already have stage 1 and are happy - Just my 2 cents.

They are indeed prompt with their responses, however, as we have both found there isn't much in the way of substance in their help. That's the price you pay for a product that is much cheaper than most of the competition, and like I said, it's a pretty good product. Not much you can do except remove it, see if it continues to happen, and if so tell them they are obligated to help you out since it is clearly a problem related to the tune.

[ixse]

Cant believe they said tuners cant do anything to cause smoke out of exhaust.. if you run rich, and stock cat is still on, pretty easy to make black cloud of smoke. If you run test pipe, thats how you get flames to pop (letting unburned fuel to go through). What a nonsense..

[Mike@N54Tuning.com]

Glad the tune is working well for you. It's a very nice upgrade over stock and easy to install. Regarding exhaust smoking, if it smells like oil on the N54 its normally turbo seals or PCV related. Never heard of an N20 smoking though. If it continues I'd remove any mods and let the dealer sort it out for you.

Mike

[Andrew115]

Originally Posted by Mike@N54Tuning.com

Glad the tune is working well for you. It's a very nice upgrade over stock and easy to install. Regarding exhaust smoking, if it smells like oil on the N54 its normally turbo seals or PCV related. Never heard of an N20 smoking though. If it continues I'd remove any mods and let the dealer sort it out for you.

Mike

Thanks for the info Mike. That was my plan also. I removed the tune this evening with the plan to go to the dealer tomorrow. The only issue is that I can't get it to smoke.... At least not yet. I'll leave it off for the next few days and see if it starts up.