[chrismia]

Hi, all,

I’m excited to be in the market for the pre-LCI M340i. I found one locally that checks a lot of boxes: 2020MY, blue (Tanzanite), 792M wheels, adaptive suspension, HK audio …

Price and mileage also are acceptable for a 2020.

But some of the pics the dealer sent are making me hesitate. In particular, the previous owner seems to have added a bunch of parts (M Performance?). Now, I’m not an added parts guy and would be thrilled to have everything bone stock as I like the M340’s subtle, sleeper appearance compared to what this car has on it, which from what I can tell includes:

- Exhaust
- Rear Spoiler
- Lower rear panels
- Front lip spoiler
- Something on the iDrive knob

My questions are:

1. Do these look like BMW M performance parts or miscellaneous other brands?

2. Are the rear spoiler, rear panel, and front spoiler trim parts easily removed to restore the car to stock appearance? (I'd keep the exhaust)

3. Most importantly, is the presence of these parts a red flag to suggest that the previous owner drove this car especially hard? It’s got 40K miles on it now and I’d like to keep it for another 40-50K. But I'm kinda worried that the previous owner might've beaten up on this thing.

Thank you!

[BingoTheClown]

Disregard the following statements, for I know not which I speak of:

Each of us has our own priorities, when purchasing a car. For me, more important than the brand of bolt ons they added - would be: Has the car been previously tuned?

A previously turned car may be perfectly fine, or it could have been driven very hard and put a lot of additional wear on an engine and parts. A coin toss that I don't like to take. But it's not really possible to truly know if a car was tuned or not.

My rule of thumb: If the front Grille is BLACK, I typically stay away. Not saying that a gloss black grille automatically means it was tuned. That is not true at all. I AM Saying . . that if someone tuned their car . . it's highly unlikely they left the grille that factory chrome color.

Your car has the chrome color grille. And so that's a plus in my book. But the exhaust. I have the dual exhaust as well. And I kinda put that in my 'cautious' buyer book. Sure, someone may simply LOVE the way it looks. But most likely, if someone was into the exhaust mods - they tuned it.

Again - take what I say with a grain of salt. Nobody can truly answer your questions. All we have are our own experience and thoughts.

[BingoTheClown]

To answer one of the other questions you posted:

The parts are not that hard to remove. Your rear spoiler is probably on with 3m Tape. Using Goo Gone (or whatever it is) and dental floss, you can get under the spoiler, and lift it off, then clean off the residue with the goo gone, etc.

Lips, skirts are also 3m tape and screws. Not hard to remove, but will take some elbow work.

Rear Diffuser - is probably just tabs. Watch a YouTube video on how to change an M340i rear diffuser. That's how I learned to change mine.

[chrismia]

Thanks! My general (albeit limited) understanding is that a tune - even if subsequently removed - can be detected by a dealer when a car is turned in. Is that accurate?

This car was originally leased in NJ in December 2019, returned to a FL dealership in 2022 with 32K miles on it. Was then purchased as a CPO, and was traded back in to that same dealership this month with 40K miles on it.

[BingoTheClown]

1) Yes. BMW can detect a former tune. There are some tunes that offer the ability to back up all of your files and DME (like M-Link). These are fairly new, but claim that they can circumvent being detected from the dealership.

But more importantly: If BMW gets a tuned car on their lot, they de-tune it. And here is where I am just guessing (from what makes logical sense): I am willing to bet that they un-flag the car, when the de-tune it and prep it for re-sale.

I also don't think they would disclose that information, as it would hurt the potential sale of the car.

Just my own guesswork - but I highly down that BMW gets a car on the lot, finds out it was flagged as previously tuned and then dumps the car because of that. Highly unlikely.

Additionally, I don' think location would have much impact on whether it was run hard or abused. Cars move around the country with trade in auctions, etc. That's pretty normal.

Lease cars are usually (not always) safer bets. People are less likely to put a lot of effort into modding a lease car (it's also against the rules - but does not stop some people). You can still end up with an abused lease, but chances are much less in my opinion.

if the car was tuned or run hard - I would be willing to bet it was the CPO (most recent) previous owner.

Originally Posted by chrismia

Thanks! My general (albeit limited) understanding is that a tune - even if subsequently removed - can be detected by a dealer when a car is turned in. Is that accurate?

This car was originally leased in NJ in December 2019, returned to a FL dealership in 2022 with 32K miles on it. Was then purchased as a CPO, and was traded back in to that same dealership this month with 40K miles on it.

[Randy Johnson]

I looked at several M340’s before I found the one. It didn’t have some the features I wanted but it was very clean and cpo until dec 2025. For 45k I didn’t want to gamble with a used car that had only a few months warranty left. I found a very good deal on a 2020 M340 in west palm beach Florida. This car was clean but had a lot of aftermarket parts. Exterior had all aero parts that were too extreme for me. The nail in the coffin was the awe open exhaust. This car was way too loud for me. I would bet the previous owner ran it hard. Gotta go with your gut. These cars are not cheap.

[5ilver-5amurai]

Originally Posted by chrismia

Hi, all,

I’m excited to be in the market for the pre-LCI M340i. I found one locally that checks a lot of boxes: 2020MY, blue (Tanzanite), 792M wheels, adaptive suspension, HK audio …

Price and mileage also are acceptable for a 2020.

But some of the pics the dealer sent are making me hesitate. In particular, the previous owner seems to have added a bunch of parts (M Performance?). Now, I’m not an added parts guy and would be thrilled to have everything bone stock as I like the M340’s subtle, sleeper appearance compared to what this car has on it, which from what I can tell includes:

- Exhaust
- Rear Spoiler
- Lower rear panels
- Front lip spoiler
- Something on the iDrive knob

My questions are:

1. Do these look like BMW M performance parts or miscellaneous other brands?

2. Are the rear spoiler, rear panel, and front spoiler trim parts easily removed to restore the car to stock appearance? (I'd keep the exhaust)

3. Most importantly, is the presence of these parts a red flag to suggest that the previous owner drove this car especially hard? It’s got 40K miles on it now and I’d like to keep it for another 40-50K. But I'm kinda worried that the previous owner might've beaten up on this thing.

Thank you!

Anything with that level of aesthetic modification was probably tuned. I would personally avoid it. I would try to find something fully stock out of the gate with a full service history at BMW at the regular intervals.

[M340I///M]

I personally avoid any car that’s modified and being sold at a dealership. Being a former technician I ran into some Honda type r’s that were heavily modified ( leases) and we had to wholesale the car regardless of the minor miles it had. We were able to detect the amount of boost added to the Perimeters located within the ecu, we were able to determine how many times the car hit red line ,the car was flashed back to stock, they used a tuner called Hondata which stamped itself into the ecu. (This type r only has 35,000 miles… lease). We don’t want to provide anyone with a bad apple. Abuse is abuse regardless if the car can take the power. It lessens the life span of the engine in a mechanical aspect. You be amazed how much information the ecu records, it’s doing its job by registering unhealthy behavior. The dealership should disclose all info to the buyer.

But you also have shady businesses that don’t care about your purchase.

Just be careful about what you buy.

[BklynNYBMW]

Hello There. Figured I would chime in here. I have a similar car. The grill mirrors and badges should all be cerium gray. The rear apron and muffler could be aftermarket not too sure, but they are not standard. Like other's here i would be more concerned about an engine performance up grades. Chances are if they were done then this care was "driven". Go with you gut feeling. Here are some pics of mine the day I picked it up. Still looks the same today. No performance parts add on or engine upgrades or engine flashes. Will give you an idea how the standard car looks.
__________________________________________________ _______________________
2024 X6 M60i. Tanzanite Blue with Black extended Leather with Red Calipers. Every option box checked. No nickname yet
2021 M340i xdrive. Tanzanite Blue with W/Oyster with Red Calipers. All options except Adaptive M suspension, Driver Assistance Professional Package, Cooling and High Performance Tire package. AKA Blue Angel
*Retired 04/30/21: 2018 340i MSport Xdrive sedan. Glacier Silver w/Oyster. All options except active cruise control and window shades. AKA Airstream * Retired 12/16/23: 2017 X6 5.0 MSport, Carbon Black Metallic w/ black leather. All options except vented seats and B/O sound system. AKA the Tumbler

[cyam]

No the grill does NOT have to be grey. I have a 2020 and it has a factory option that blacks out the grill - its in my spec sheet (BUT my car is sapphire black metallic). So you can get from FACTORY the black grill. It does not mean a thing the color of the grill. Certainly does NOT mean its been tuned if its black - thats FUNNY someone would actually come to that conclusion.

Overall I wouldn't buy a car that has been mod'd. Even cosmetically. All that cosmetic "crap" is someone else preferences. If they like it great, but I don't want any of it.

But that's not actually important. What is important is how its been driven and maintained. For me the car is a red flag and I'd steer clear. If it seems fully factory then I'd consider it.

What I would look at is the tires and brakes. Especially if the tires are not new - you can tell a LOT from how the tires are worn. Same with the brakes. You can tell a LOT from the brakes as to how the car has been driven. Although you do need to know what to look for.

Fully checking the ECU would also be a wise thing.

[BingoTheClown]

PLEASE READ my actual comment before claiming I said something that I did not Say.

Not once did I say that when I see a black grille, that it means that is is tuned. Here is the exact quote that I DID say

"My rule of thumb: If the front Grille is BLACK, I typically stay away. Not saying that a gloss black grille automatically means it was tuned. That is not true at all. I AM Saying . . that if someone tuned their car . . it's highly unlikely they left the grille that factory chrome color."

Read that about 7 times (they say people need to see things 7 times for it to sink in).


What I AM SAYING is that there is no way to look at a car and understand if it was tuned or driven hard. BUT . . . if you can walk backwards. Again - what I AM SAYING IS: People that tune their bmw may or may not swap the exhaust, or add a spoiler, skirts, lips, etc. They may or may not. BUT . . . almost nobody tunes their car and leaves the grille the metallic color.

Does that mean a black grille is tuned? Nope, I never said that.

Does that mean a metallic grille is not tuned? Nope, I Never said that.

READ PLEASE. And keep my comments in context.





does NOT have to be grey. I have a 2020 and it has a factory option that blacks out the grill - its in my spec sheet (BUT my car is sapphire black metallic). So you can get from FACTORY the black grill. It does not mean a thing the color of the grill. Certainly does NOT mean its been tuned if its black - thats FUNNY someone would actually come to that conclusion.

Overall I wouldn't buy a car that has been mod'd. Even cosmetically. All that cosmetic "crap" is someone else preferences. If they like it great, but I don't want any of it.

But that's not actually important. What is important is how its been driven and maintained. For me the car is a red flag and I'd steer clear. If it seems fully factory then I'd consider it.

What I would look at is the tires and brakes. Especially if the tires are not new - you can tell a LOT from how the tires are worn. Same with the brakes. You can tell a LOT from the brakes as to how the car has been driven. Although you do need to know what to look for.

Fully checking the ECU would also be a wise thing.[/QUOTE]

[Assassin]

When you are keen to get one its sometimes hard to walk past a "near" match. But that said I'd simply keep looking for the one you really want. To many uncertainties with this one and my money would be on it having been driven hard. Also those mods will also increase your insurance and attract the wrong type of boy racer attention.

[zazzau]

Might be the lone voice here - I'm having a hard time understanding the logic here that just because a car has cosmetic installs, that automatically raises questions it's been mod'ed (and driven hard.)

Folks on this forum make cosmetic changes to their car all the time. Search for the thread "What did you buy for your G20 today?" seeing some of the pics on there would leave you with the same impression you have right now.

At any rate, the cosmetics on the car could have been restored back to stock before going on sale and the same folks raising questions would have no objection - which, again, just defeats the entire logic around cosmetics. Cosmetics alone don't mean jack. No one here can tell with a 100% certainty that the car has been mod'ed and driven hard just by looking at those photos.

If this car has what you are looking for, invest a little by hiring a professional who knows that they are doing to inspect the car - more than likely, you will know if the car has been mod'ed; rather than listen to anonymous folks on the internet. If it's just cosmetics; that can be remedied but that's an added cost to you.

I agree that if the car has been mod'ed I won't touch it with a ten foot pole.

Finally: when in doubt, do without and move on.

[XxSullyxX123]

Im not normally a used car buyer, but when i was I bought a car I knew well off of a lease. the fact that it had a second buyer who drove it 8k miles and dumped it is as much a red flag as the mods. I would look for something else, particularly if you want a more stock looking car on top of it. No reason to buy someone else's car they possibly beat on. a third red flag is that it went back to the same dealer (buy back to "make it right"?). there are enough of these around. I'd run.

[chrismia]

Thanks for your thoughtful responses, everyone. The consensus here confirmed my own instinct, which is to leave this car alone.

Also confirming was that when the dealer called me back last night and I was telling him my concerns, he told me that the mechanics didn't certify the car because of the modifications (particularly the exhaust). And that while the car was withing the CPO warranty period from the December 2022 purchase, the mods probably voided it.

This was a good exercise in reining in my zeal. My current X5, like every other used luxury car I've bought in the past, is a CPO. Opinions might differ on the value of CPO versus run of the mill used, but there's a peace of mind in knowing the manufacturer warranty stands behind the purchase. Onward I go looking for the right one.

Thanks again!

[Motorwerke_man]

Not once did I say that when I see a black grille, that it means that is is tuned. Here is the exact quote that I DID say

"My rule of thumb: If the front Grille is BLACK, I typically stay away. Not saying that a gloss black grille automatically means it was tuned. That is not true at all. I AM Saying . . that if someone tuned their car . . it's highly unlikely they left the grille that factory chrome color."

Read that about 7 times (they say people need to see things 7 times for it to sink in).


What I AM SAYING is that there is no way to look at a car and understand if it was tuned or driven hard. BUT . . . if you can walk backwards. Again - what I AM SAYING IS: People that tune their bmw may or may not swap the exhaust, or add a spoiler, skirts, lips, etc. They may or may not. BUT . . . almost nobody tunes their car and leaves the grille the metallic color.

Does that mean a black grille is tuned? Nope, I never said that.

Does that mean a metallic grille is not tuned? Nope, I Never said that.

READ PLEASE. And keep my comments in context.

Your post actually made made me laugh out loud in the office. I took it as a hint of sarcasm with a surprising amount of truth to it. The typical M340i "mod" crowd has the following path:

1) Black grille, black badges, everything black
2) Alibaba quad tips
3) Alibaba carbon "M" mirror caps
4) Alibaba diffuser & wing
5) Tune


FWIW I don't think any of these things improve the car aesthetically but to each their own.

I'm a fan of the cerium parts but the right deal came up on a car with the full shadow line package and I couldn't refuse... I've actually grown to like it.