[Mid_West]

Ok, so they didn't *really* give me a 335i but I swear my car has NEVER felt like this and I've owned it since she was a baby.

A lot of people turn to the forums to rant about bad service stories and issues they've had with their mechanics. People rarely post when they have something good to say. I feel compelled to share my experience with anyone who is within a few hours of Offset Motorwerks shop in Glendora, CA. The reason being is that I swear these guys are, by far, the best mechanics I have EVER worked with.

Keep in mind that I'm not new to the car scene. I've been driving for over 25 years and have owned MANY BMW's, not to mention other brands. Over the years I've visited a LOT of shops and know a good/bad one when I see it. As a matter of fact I had to take my car in for the dreaded oil pan and inferior sleave leaking issue less than a month ago and I have nothing good to say about them (so I'll keep that info to myself).

So, heres the facts:

I discovered that my front upper and lower control arms (which, as you know, aren't really officially named that) needed the bushings replaced. Since I could pick up the M3 arms with better bushings I figured that would be the better route to go. I went on to this forum and found that Offset Motorwerks offered a group buy on the control arms a few months ago and were willing to do the install as well. I called Sean who had me convinced within seconds that he really knew what he was talking about.

Yesterday I drove from Huntington Beach to Glendora, which is about an hour (with no traffic) to take my car into the shop. When I arrived I parked next to an identical alpine white 335 with black vinyl top. The owner of the car walked out to greet me and it turns out it was Seans car. He proceeded to show me all that was done to his ride and started describing issues that I will find with mine. Little did he know, and before he looked at my car, I already had some of the problems.

The main reason for going to them was to install the M3 arms but I figured he really knew what he was talking about and I should get them all addressed during this visit.

This is the list:

1. M3 Control arms (plus alignment)
2. Walnut blast my intakes (I have 56k miles on car)
3. Oil filter housing gasket leaking (if yours isnt leaking, it will!)
4. PCV upgrade (the plastic valve is crap so they used an upgraded metal valve)
5. Spark plugs


While I was there Sean asked if I wanted some functions turned on/off such as folding mirrors on lock, MPH display on speedo, deletion of the start up nag screen on the iDrive, etc... He also asked if I wanted the Alpina TCU programming update for my transmission. I would have been an idiot to refuse all those goodies?!

Oh, they also got me a rental car for the day on their dime.

Fast forward 24 hours and my car was done. When I drove away I was amazed at 1) how SMOOTH it was 2) how much power had been robbed from my engine for a LONG time 3) how awesome my new transmission shifted and 4) how my car now felt like it was on rails. I literally revved it a few times at the stop lights just to see if I could get the car to shake. It was rock solid and I attribute that to the walnut blasting.

Speaking of the walnut blast... IF YOU HAVE OVER 40 - 50K AND HAVENT DONE THIS, DO IT IMMEDIATELY!!!!! THIS IS THE SINGLE MOST PERFORMANCE BOOSTING NON-MOD YOU CAN DO!!! I swear my car feels about 500 lbs lighter AND smooth as the day she rolled off the dealership lot. You drive your car all the time and you won't feel the gradual decline in performance until you get this done.

As for the M3 control arms, wow, I'm still beside myself after the hour drive home. If I didn't have to work I would still be driving! The car is perfectly planted and feels completely solid. 120 mph feels like 60 used to. Yeah I know I shouldnt have gone that fast on the highway but it happened so quickly (reason: see above paragraph). BTW, I don't have a tune in my car (anymore) but now that everything is in tip-top shape I may go back to one along with getting some other bits and pieces put on by them.

The upgrades and maintenance aside, one of the greatest things about going to these guys (Mitchell, Ryan, Sean, Jessie, Jane & Zoe) is the fact that its clear to see that everyone on the team is working there because its their passion. Business is secondary to their love of cars and it shows. This is something you RARELY find with any business these days! A quick walk around their shop will show you this. BTW, they also didn't mind that I poked around the bays. As a matter of fact I think they actually enjoyed talking about the various projects they have at hand. One, in particular, is a v10 M5 engine swap in an e90 M3. I would love to be there the minute they fire that up.

All in all did I have a good experience with Offset Motorwerks? NO, it was fantastic!!

If you live within a couple hours of them and need some work done I HIGHLY recommend you go! I'd even ship my car in to get it worked on by them. They are that good! BTW, if you need more proof, go to Yelp and notice that they have a ton of reviews and NONE are less than 5 stars.

Ok, enough of that. Time to get my work done so I can go drive my *new* car!

-S

[stashtrey]

Nice write up.

[kjohnson949]

Ive heard so many good things about the walnut blasting. I'll have to give Offset a call asap. Nice write up thanks for the info. Also been looking to get the alpina tcu done.

[aeilers]

It is always refreshing to hear about great shops that do great work, thanks for sharing!

[oogabooga]

Thanks for sharing! I am in the so cal area as well and will have to check the place out. How much did the blast run you if you don't mind sharing?

[jaymesbry]

Wow I just did virtually the same service you did a couple weeks ago. Except no m3 control arms yet... But had to do the valve cover gasket while they were down there and got them to remove the CDV. Definitely great service there

[Mid_West]

Originally Posted by jaymesbry

Wow I just did virtually the same service you did a couple weeks ago. Except no m3 control arms yet... But had to do the valve cover gasket while they were down there and got them to remove the CDV. Definitely great service there

Did you feel the immediate difference in the smoothness and responsiveness of your car after? Its like night and day for me. It honestly feels like I just gained about 50hp!

[jaymesbry]

Originally Posted by Mid_West

Did you feel the immediate difference in the smoothness and responsiveness of your car after? Its like night and day for me. It honestly feels like I just gained about 50hp!

Oh definitely so, it just sucks since I did about EVERYTHING like you did, I don't know whether to attribute it to the walnut blasting. Feels a lot smoother, no more "on and off" feeling like I got before. My car feels a bit slower now, but I think its because its soooooooooo smooth. Definitely happy

How are those control arms? Thats definitely next on my list, just waiting to get a new suspension first and do it all together.

-James

[Mid_West]

Originally Posted by jaymesbry

Oh definitely so, it just sucks since I did about EVERYTHING like you did, I don't know whether to attribute it to the walnut blasting. Feels a lot smoother, no more "on and off" feeling like I got before. My car feels a bit slower now, but I think its because its soooooooooo smooth. Definitely happy

How are those control arms? Thats definitely next on my list, just waiting to get a new suspension first and do it all together.

-James

My control arms feel great. They seem a bit "tight" right now, as in the steering isn't as easy as it was before but that may also be due to the fact that my frame of reference was old bushings that were so bad if I ran over a piece of paper my steering would deflect. With the combination of the .75 degrees of camber and the stiffer bushings the car steers like a race car.

Im not sure why your car feels slower. I got yelled at last night while driving to dinner because mine is so fast now it scared my girlfriend. I let her drive on the way home and ended up yelling at her too since even she got a little happy with the throttle as well.

[Mid_West]

Originally Posted by oogabooga

Thanks for sharing! I am in the so cal area as well and will have to check the place out. How much did the blast run you if you don't mind sharing?

PM sent...better to talk prices that way so everyone remains happy.

[1chanc3]

Originally Posted by Mid_West

PM sent...better to talk prices that way so everyone remains happy.

I just hit the 40k mark on my car, no performance mods.
Do you guys recommend I get the blast done? Also, can you PM me the price it cost you just for the blast.

[jaymesbry]

Originally Posted by Mid_West

My control arms feel great. They seem a bit "tight" right now, as in the steering isn't as easy as it was before but that may also be due to the fact that my frame of reference was old bushings that were so bad if I ran over a piece of paper my steering would deflect. With the combination of the .75 degrees of camber and the stiffer bushings the car steers like a race car.

Im not sure why your car feels slower. I got yelled at last night while driving to dinner because mine is so fast now it scared my girlfriend. I let her drive on the way home and ended up yelling at her too since even she got a little happy with the throttle as well.

Well sorry let me explain a little more what I meant by that, the car "feels" slower, just because its so smooth now, no funky jerking when the turbo kicks in.. smooth as butter. But yes I do know my car is faster

[805beemer]

for guys asking about their pricing:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=940323

[Mid_West]

Originally Posted by 805beemer

for guys asking about their pricing:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=940323

Good point. I just didn't take the time to see if the group buy had ended.

[Mid_West]

Originally Posted by 1chanc3

I just hit the 40k mark on my car, no performance mods.
Do you guys recommend I get the blast done? Also, can you PM me the price it cost you just for the blast.

I'm not an expert on this but I did a LOT of research before I had it done since money isn't exactly flowing as freely for me these days. The pictures I've seen on the web of cars with even less miles and no tune showed significant build up on the intakes. I figured with 56k miles I was due. They showed me before and after shots of my intakes an they looked pretty bad.

I had a feeling my car just wasn't performing as it used to and I've had it since it was *almost* new. Like me, you may not notice decreased performance over time until someone in a 328i comes up next to you and you are shocked that they are not that far behind.

The issue we have, at the risk of belaboring the many threads on this topic, is that we have direct injection. The fuel never hits the intakes and therefore never cleans them. Manually cleaning the intakes is the only thing you can do. In other words you cant use any additive in your fuel to help with the cleaning.

Therefore I chalk this up to routine maintenance for these engines and I will most likely get it done every 25k miles.

[007_e350]

come on guys Walnut blasting doesn't do much ... I took the pains to do it myself reading all this BS, its gotta be adaptation resets if he did those

[Mid_West]

Originally Posted by 007_e350

come on guys Walnut blasting doesn't do much ... I took the pains to do it myself reading all this BS, its gotta be adaptation resets if he did those

Not to start a thread war but you don't really make sense. If you think cleaning the intakes doesn't do much then why did you take the "pains" to do it yourself?

BTW, the cleaning can be performed manually as well but it will take longer and not be as effective as the blasting.

My ECU has had its memory reset a few times over the years due to programming updates so I know what that is like and I can tell you it had nothing to do with that.

[007_e350]

Originally Posted by Mid_West

Not to start a thread war but you don't really make sense. If you think cleaning the intakes doesn't do much then why did you take the "pains" to do it yourself?

BTW, the cleaning can be performed manually as well but it will take longer and not be as effective as the blasting.

My ECU has had its memory reset a few times over the years due to programming updates so I know what that is like and I can tell you it had nothing to do with that.

bcoz I read posts praising it so freakin much.... I didnt see any HP gain, maybe stability at idle which wasn't that bad before ... I think it matters more for NA engines, turbo forces air in regardless of carbon build up, IDK

[Sfvalley135i]

Originally Posted by 007_e350

come on guys Walnut blasting doesn't do much ... I took the pains to do it myself reading all this BS, its gotta be adaptation resets if he did those

I agree, I did walnut blasting at 40k, I saw the valves gunked up... The only difference I noticed is at idle... no more stumbling...

[Jklad]

Originally Posted by Sfvalley135i

I agree, I did walnut blasting at 40k, I saw the valves gunked up... The only difference I noticed is at idle... no more stumbling...

The first time I had my valves cleaned at 55k it resolved some slights bumps or hitches I would feel during normal acceleration under normal driving circumstances. This second round at 100k seems to have improved the idle a bit. It's not always noticeable, depends on the vehicle and how much build up. In some cases it's bad enough to lead to misfires.

[Offset Motorwerks]

Thanks for the kind words everyone!

- Mitchell