[simon_e]

Dear all,

I'm new to the mod game so I'm a bit nervous about the whole process.

I'm thinking of a J B 4 for my new (2mths old) e92 335i.

How do insurance companies view this? Do you tell them? I know you're supposed to... But what does it do to your premium?

2nd -am I kidding myself. Does an extra 50hp make a noticeable difference day to day? I don't do track days so am I ever going to notice?

3rd do you have to remove it before having the car serviced at a BMW dealer - or just set to pass through... Do they care? Does it invalidate the warranty?

Any help gratefully received.

Thx

[gangzoom]

Originally Posted by simon_e

Dear all,

I'm new to the mod game so I'm a bit nervous about the whole process.

I'm thinking of a J B 4 for my new (2mths old) e92 335i.

How do insurance companies view this? Do you tell them? I know you're supposed to... But what does it do to your premium?

2nd -am I kidding myself. Does an extra 50hp make a noticeable difference day to day? I don't do track days so am I ever going to notice?

3rd do you have to remove it before having the car serviced at a BMW dealer - or just set to pass through... Do they care? Does it invalidate the warranty?

Any help gratefully received.

Thx

1) By law I'm pretty sure you have to inform your insurance company, ofcourse thats up to you. But if your unfortunate enough to be involved in a major accident (regardless of fault) and the insurance company investigates and finds the mod, than you might find yourself in a lot of trouble...

2)Yes you will feel the difference.

3) Again its up to you, on Map 0 I think its pretty hard for people to realise its fitted unless they go looking for it...but BMW provide the warranty on the understanding the car is running stock. Personally I think its not really fair to expect BMW to pick up the bill if something breaks due to the fact your pushing the components beyond their design limits...but than again life isn't fair

[DanTheManc]

1) They view it a modification which you should declare. If you don't declare it and mske an insurance claim, it will show up if they read your ECU and your claim will be void and could see you seriously out of pocket.

2) Yes its a very noticable difference and a great bang for buck mod given the gains. The JB4 also does other things like fault code reading. Its a great inexpensive device.

3) You can switch it off in seconds using the steering wheel controls. As long as they dont read you ECU you will be fine.

[DanTheManc]

Originally Posted by gangzoom

1)Personally I think its not really fair to expect BMW to pick up the bill if something breaks due to the fact your pushing the components beyond their design limits...but than again life isn't fair

A JB4 doesn't push components beyond their limits. It's an extremely popular mod which is proven to be well within the cars limits.

[phil200tdi]

Upping boost will always put added pressure on the turbos and components downstream. The turbo spins much faster and hence wears more quickly - we add downpipes to help the breathing and reduce back pressure. It also generates significantly more heat which is why we add cold air intakes, intercoolers and meth. It generates more torque hence the clutch, gearbox and axles will be under more strain..

Whilst 335i's stand up well to significant abuse, the harder you push things the more wear you'll get.

But it's great!

[Subzero2003]

I was very very close to buying a JB4 the other day when I put things into perspective for myself. I have never, in 15 months of ownership found myself wanting any more power, which is the first car that i've ever had which i can honestly say that about. I just thought, "what's the point? I'm going to have to risk my warranty, risk the car going pop, pay more for my insurance and have to be even more careful in the wet when putting the power down"

So, for me, the car simply has enough power for the roads - any more and i think it's just for bragging rights, especially if you don't have any intention of going near a track.