[Corno_Baldwin]

Originally Posted by musa

Won't you need to do it again after 30-40k miles or you don't think you'll keep the car that long?

Flipped a coin I suppose. I only put 6-7K miles/year - if I did 10K+/yr I would probably have invested.

While I also feel I am pretty competent - I also felt the extra 100 bucks was good insurance in case I screwed something up. In hindsight, I had some issues (not mechanical)with my car after picking it up, so I kind of wish I just did it myself.

[mweisdorfer]

If you own an n54 or N55, and plan on keeping the car for a while, it's worth it to buy your own walnut blasting kit and do it yourself every 35k

[STR8-6IX]

Would a regular italian tune-up help keep carbon deposits at bay?

[Mr. Tasty]

Originally Posted by 6IX-F10-N52

Would a regular italian tune-up help keep carbon deposits at bay?

no.

[thakid22]

Did the walnut blast on my 2010 535i and immediately enjoyed more pull throughout the rev range (compared to dirty valves).
However, the most dramatic change was in engine smoothness and sound quality.
With dirty valves, my N54 had a gruff, deeper, and less refined sound quality throughout the rev range.
After the cleaning, the engine (not exhaust) note was significantly smoother, more refined, and higher pitched.
In addition, there was less engine vibration everywhere from idle to redline. Cold start demeanor also improved.

In my case, dirty combustion chambers/valves did reduce power, smoothness, and induction sound quality.
I expected to get a couple of mpg out of it, but fuel economy seemed unaffected.

[thakid22]

A quick question... Does the throttle valve get dirty on these cars too?
My dealer did my walnuts blast, so I didn't get a chance to look.
On my N52 330i, the throttle blade was clean as a whistle @ 130k miles.

I understand that part of the N54 carbon problem stems from the fact that traces of crankcase oil get recirculated through the intake system...
Would this effect the throttle valve?
For those of you who have looked, how's the back side of your throttle plate look?

[STR8-6IX]

Originally Posted by thakid22

A quick question... Does the throttle valve get dirty on these cars too?
My dealer did my walnuts blast, so I didn't get a chance to look.
On my N52 330i, the throttle blade was clean as a whistle @ 130k miles.

I understand that part of the N54 carbon problem stems from the fact that traces of crankcase oil get recirculated through the intake system...
Would this effect the throttle valve?
For those of you who have looked, how's the back side of your throttle plate look?

n52 does not have direct injection. therefore, you will not run into this problem.

[thakid22]

Originally Posted by 6IX-F10-N52

n52 does not have direct injection. therefore, you will not run into this problem.

Right. I was thinking back to my old 330i remembering how clean the throttle body was.
But that caused me to question the throttle body of my N54 535i, because it does have D.I.
I know that our N54's are inherently less clean. I'm just wondering if this effects the throttle body at all?? Is the buildup/film localized in the combustion chamber only? Or does the N54 get messy in the intake manifold and throttle body too?

I've never had a look around in there as my N54 is strictly dealer serviced at this point. But I'd be willing to check it if there is a history of gunk, grime, or dirt in throttle body of N54s.

[ucdbiendog]

Originally Posted by thakid22

A quick question... Does the throttle valve get dirty on these cars too?
My dealer did my walnuts blast, so I didn't get a chance to look.
On my N52 330i, the throttle blade was clean as a whistle @ 130k miles.

I understand that part of the N54 carbon problem stems from the fact that traces of crankcase oil get recirculated through the intake system...
Would this effect the throttle valve?
For those of you who have looked, how's the back side of your throttle plate look?

when i did my walnut blast at ~100k miles the throttle valve and body were pretty clean (there was some oil residue but that wiped right off). There is a lot less heat there (as opposed the valves adjoining the combustion chamber) so the oil is less likely to get caked on

[123Britt]

Poor oil control down the valve guides coupled with a very poor PVC design and the in-line 6 valve cover prone to cracking (leaking which effects crankcase pressure) all lead to valve deposits and clogged injectors.
.
An OCC could help on the N54 but it did little good for me. And many do believe that 5k OCI with low NOACK oil like RL + Italian Tune on a regular basis can help. N55 did improve PVC and really helped reduce intake deposits but all DI engines suffer & will need walnut blasting .
.
.
I still have my Harbor Freight walnut hopper + BMW wand & vacuum attachment which I will eventually use on my M235i when she starts coughing for a cleaning.
.
Cheers

[Deluxx3]

Originally Posted by YoungBlood

Did mine myself for $60

How difficult was this?