[Sal Collaziano]

I received a call from my BMW dealership stating I'm scheduled for a brake fluid change and oil change.. Is it recommended that I remove my JB3 for this? I'm guessing the DCI is a no-brainer - but is there any chance they'll go into the ECU? Should I wait there for the service to be completed so they don't waste time messing around? How long might it take?

Thanks in advance...

[IL X5 M60i]

Honestly I would remove the JB3. There is no reason based on your service for them to crack the ECU, but you never know. At least with my dealer I know they aren't poking around in ECU's trying to find tunes, but if something else is wrong with the car and they do go in, they won't be turning a blind eye.

It does suck, but how pissed would you be if you got flagged by BMW NA because you didn't want to take the 30 min to remove the tune and DCI. It's the price you pay to be faster than BMW meant for you to be

This isn't my first BMW and hopefully not my last, so if possible I'd like to stay on BMW NA's good side!

[IL X5 M60i]

Oh and just an FYI if this is your first time switching the intake back to stock, make sure you drive around a little bit to warm up the engine. Definitely helps all the stock plastic stretch back into place.

[GeorgiaTech335coupe]

+1 on above, it is much easier to do when the engine is hot. I have heard that Techs are instructed to look in the ecu for a tune, so I'd take it out.

[lookin4e90]

I would call your SA and tell them about your bolt-on's. obviously do not mention the tune. Most of them are normal, reasonable people like all of us. When I took mine in for oil change and brake service, I called my SA and told him about my mods (full exhaust, DCI, intercooler, didn't mention my GIAC flash) and asked him if it would be OK to leave them on or if he thinks I should remove them. He said it's no biggie as long as there's no problem w/ the car and we're not doing any warranty work (my car runs great!)

The service went without a glitch. They kept the car for a whole day, even test drove it because I had complained about the driver seat clicking. Did not even mention or discussed my mods.

Of course every dealership is different. But I would just call and be upfront. Definitely remove the JB3 tho.

[PKumarM3]

its a shame that BMW is now becoming like other companies, where the dealerships are looking for an excuse to not fix the car.

porsche encourages HPDE and getting into grassroot motorsports w/their vehicles. modifications are encouraged. BMW touts itself as having such RICH and DEEP motorsport heritage, and it attempts to void your warranty and not stand behind their vehicle. I can understand a hard core tune that makes the motor put down 400+whp, but a dual cone intake that only gives you noise, or an exhaust, or a intercooler - its a shame what BMW has become because of this motor.

[IL X5 M60i]

Originally Posted by PKumarM3

its a shame that BMW is now becoming like other companies, where the dealerships are looking for an excuse to not fix the car.

porsche encourages HPDE and getting into grassroot motorsports w/their vehicles. modifications are encouraged. BMW touts itself as having such RICH and DEEP motorsport heritage, and it attempts to void your warranty and not stand behind their vehicle. I can understand a hard core tune that makes the motor put down 400+whp, but a dual cone intake that only gives you noise, or an exhaust, or a intercooler - its a shame what BMW has become because of this motor.

I totally hear you, but Porsche owners also don't get the warranty we do.

[Brey335i]

Also, if you have problems getting the stock intake back in may I suggest using your wife or gf's hair drier to heat up the plastic...

[canesr1]

Originally Posted by Sal Collaziano

I received a call from my BMW dealership stating I'm scheduled for a brake fluid change and oil change.. Is it recommended that I remove my JB3 for this? I'm guessing the DCI is a no-brainer - but is there any chance they'll go into the ECU? Should I wait there for the service to be completed so they don't waste time messing around? How long might it take?

Thanks in advance...

I say leave everything on and see what they do. Why deceive the dealership and make them pay for something YOU did? That is fraud! If you don't want to pay, then don't play the tuning game

[NJ65]

It all depends on your SA, hopefully you can tell by now if he/she is the kinda person who's gonna give you a hard time. I recently went into mine for regular service, let him know about all I did to the car (which is everything, Catless DP's and all) and he didn't give me any trouble about it. At worst, he says if it makes things hard for him, he'll let me know to remove certain items first before bringing it in. However, it also doesn't hurt to see if you can find a dealership with lots of modified cars. Just cruise by a few in the morning when most people bring their cars in and you should be able to tell how strict they are with the modding policies.

[GeorgiaTech335coupe]

Originally Posted by canesr1

I say leave everything on and see what they do. Why deceive the dealership and make them pay for something YOU did? That is fraud! If you don't want to pay, then don't play the tuning game

Another one of these arguments....How is he deceiving the dealership? How is he committing fraud? He is going to get his brake fluid and oil changed. I'm pretty sure every car needs that done at intervals and it is included in warranty. So what it is it that HE did?

[Poderes1]

I took my E92 for service a few months ago but this was in PA when I was on a work assignment. I removed all error codes before taking it in with my BT tool. I took it to Sun Motor Cars in Mechanicsburg, PA and my car was serviced with no problems. If you go to a dealer in South FL let me know if you got any problems as well as which dealer you went to.

[hun77777]

i no longer care about warranty because mine expired but if it's just oil change and brake fluids, they have no need to tab into the computer. some tech and SA do make a note on your record if they do find any aftermarket modification that is on the car so in the future if you need a warranty claim they will know exactly what went on.

my friend who bought a cpo vehicle been told the previous owner put DCI and aftermarket springs before but they removed that note since ownership changed and bmw cpo'd his car prior to his purchase... so do what you want at your own risk...

[canesr1]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaTech335coupe

Another one of these arguments....How is he deceiving the dealership? How is he committing fraud? He is going to get his brake fluid and oil changed. I'm pretty sure every car needs that done at intervals and it is included in warranty. So what it is it that HE did?

Simple question georgiatech- If he has nothing to hide, then why bother taking everything off and clear codes?

[GeorgiaTech335coupe]

Originally Posted by canesr1

Simple question georgiatech- If he has nothing to hide, then why bother taking everything off and clear codes?

You know that if he went into the dealership to get his HPFP fixed and he had any mod, even just a DCI, the dealership would tell him they couldn't do the work. We all know that there is no possible way a DCI would affect HPFP, but they would still deny work. It just saves the hassle of arguing with someone who has much more (if not all) bargaining power. Had he asked if he should take his stuff off to get his blown turbos replaced, then its a different story.

[canesr1]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaTech335coupe

You know that if he went into the dealership to get his HPFP fixed and he had any mod, even just a DCI, the dealership would tell him they couldn't do the work. We all know that there is no possible way a DCI would affect HPFP, but they would still deny work. It just saves the hassle of arguing with someone who has much more (if not all) bargaining power. Had he asked if he should take his stuff off to get his blown turbos replaced, then its a different story.

bottom line is he is still deceiving the dealership and BMW ANY way you look at it. That's all I am saying.

[IL X5 M60i]

Why do people care what he does to his car? Stop preaching about what is "right", this is the technical section. Start a thread in the right spot if you want to judge people for the things they do to the car they bought.

OP, hope it all works out

[Sal Collaziano]

Thanks, guys.. I'm not here to have an internet battle so I'll just do what I feel is best - which is probably taking my car to a local shop and having the oil and brake fluid changed there. No big deal. My only concern is that it doesn't affect my warranty being I didn't have this done at the dealership...

[Poderes1]

Originally Posted by Sal Collaziano

Thanks, guys.. I'm not here to have an internet battle so I'll just do what I feel is best - which is probably taking my car to a local shop and having the oil and brake fluid changed there. No big deal. My only concern is that it doesn't affect my warranty being I didn't have this done at the dealership...

Take it to Geman Motoring over in Coral Gables. Excellent service.

[Sal Collaziano]

Do you void your warranty by taking the car for repairs somewhere other than the dealership? What if I'm under warranty and I want to change my own oil and brake fluid. Is that a problem?

[forza1976]

Originally Posted by Sal Collaziano

Do you void your warranty by taking the car for repairs somewhere other than the dealership? What if I'm under warranty and I want to change my own oil and brake fluid. Is that a problem?

No you can do the maintenance yourself without worry of warranty. Just make sure you use approved fluids.

BTW, how about that info I requested on PM?

[Bimmer335i07]

Just got my oil change and spark plugs changed and they even gave me a new filter still in the box cause I have the BMS DCI. lol! Since it's part of the maintenance package and they needed to change it, they just gave me the filter. lol!

I left all the mods in my car, including, the BMS DCI and the JB3 2.0 and had no problems, since I was only bringing in the car for maintenance and not warranty work.

Just make sure to speak with your SA to make sure they're cool with mods.

GL!