[marksandygill]

So a, err, friend of mine, who never does anything remotely daft has decided to buy a TDI tuning box for his 320d MHT which he will be keeping for a while...as he can't really find much in the way of reviews etc he decided to ask me to write a few thoughts so far...

Ordering: Put his number plate in, paid money, all very simple, arrived the next day, has a small Union Jack on the box so it must be a quality product...

Installation: I mean when your tinkering under the hood of a nearly new £40k ish car, you want clear simple instructions right? Nah, a few pictures of what he can only guess is a E90/F30 engine with arrows pointing to sensors that sure as hell aren't in the same place anymore!!

He had to look at a video of someone fitting a racechip box to a G20 on YouTube as they have exactly the same sensors

First run: Okay so it has to be set to level 4 out of 7 for the first 40 miles so he's not expecting too much (it is only meant to increase hp from 187 to 247, not sure if the MHT is on top of that as well...) and that's good as he hasn't noticed any difference at all...

Did a quick 0-64mph test as he has done before and still around 6.1 seconds, will hopefully be able to crank the bad boy all the way to 7 tonight so see if it is worth the hassle and expense...

[HeebieJeebies]

I’ve got some magic beans he can buy, think they do the same thing as your friend is aspiring to do.......

[marksandygill]

Originally Posted by HeebieJeebies

I’ve got some magic beans he can buy, think they do the same thing as your friend is aspiring to do.......

Oddly he does have a cow he is looking to sell, looks like a sweet part exchange deal to me!

[HeebieJeebies]

Originally Posted by marksandygill

Oddly he does have a cow he is looking to sell, looks like a sweet part exchange deal to me!

[Beemer5to3]

I bought one for my 320i - instructions were wrong, and 2 of the sensor connections were back to front. Took it out once I got to the bottom of it and no difference at all. Needless to say it was sent back.

[Bugsyt1959]

Got some Tartan paint for sale if he's interested.

[marksandygill]

Originally Posted by Bugsyt1959

Got some Tartan paint for sale if he's interested.

Not if there's a long weight...

[225]

To be fair I had had tuning boxes on a mazda 6 tdi, volvo d5, and f31 340i and they did what they were supposed to do. The 340 took well to it and it did make a noticeable difference. Doubtful to them matching advertised power but still.

I'm still fence sitting on getting a racechip for the m340.

[marksandygill]

Well that was a waste of time!

First box made no difference and went back, they upgraded me to the Bluetooth version for free.

Installed the new box and drove it to work and back, turned it up to 7 and the car went into limp mode

Installed new software via bluetooth and it worked on 7 but made no difference to performance and then after 80 or so miles I turned the car on again and went into limp mode!

Not that bothered, and to be fair the company themselves have been really good, but for something that is meant to be simple, plug and play, it has been anything but!!

[HeebieJeebies]

I’ve still got some beans for sale.......

[marksandygill]

Originally Posted by HeebieJeebies

I’ve still got some beans for sale.......

If these beans can guarantee an extra 50bhp then I'm all in...

[HeebieJeebies]

Originally Posted by marksandygill

If these beans can guarantee an extra 50bhp then I'm all in...

Yes, they can, £4000 each

[Amos91]

And BMW can see whether these have been fitted & removed, so not a great idea if you're still in warranty.

[marksandygill]

Originally Posted by Amos91

And BMW can see whether these have been fitted & removed, so not a great idea if you're still in warranty.

Interesting, they make no changes to the ECU or electronics so I'd be interested to know how BMW would trace them? Especially as every tuning box manufacturer sells them on the premise that they are undetectable when removed...

[Amos91]

The FASTA data pulled from the car at the dealership will show a number of parameters running out of spec which is how these tuning boxes work. And unless you've completely killed the power for some time, even just unplugging all the connectors required is stored.

[Beemer5to3]

Originally Posted by Amos91

The FASTA data pulled from the car at the dealership will show a number of parameters running out of spec which is how these tuning boxes work. And unless you've completely killed the power for some time, even just unplugging all the connectors required is stored.

Correct - don't ever think modifying anything is untraceable. The fact that these companies market themselves as "traceless" is an absolute disgrace in my opinion.

The grey area is whether dealers will turn a blind eye to get paid for warranty work, but certainly if anyone is looking hard enough they'll find it.

[marksandygill]

Originally Posted by Amos91

The FASTA data pulled from the car at the dealership will show a number of parameters running out of spec which is how these tuning boxes work. And unless you've completely killed the power for some time, even just unplugging all the connectors required is stored.

Considering how many people have tuning boxes from various different manufacturers, I'm surprised more people haven't been caught then!

Fortunately in my case it never worked so shouldn't show any parameters running out of spec!

[Amos91]

Originally Posted by marksandygill

Considering how many people have tuning boxes from various different manufacturers, I'm surprised more people haven't been caught then!

Fortunately in my case it never worked so shouldn't show any parameters running out of spec!

I guess it depends how many people have a tuning box and then a significant warranty claim on the driveline within 3 years for it to be investigated... Going to be very small Vs the number of boxes sold.

[Charlie (Wessex)]

Had a Tuning Box on my e39 530d. Went for a TUV approved one, as thought that would give some reassurance. It worked really well. Had a horrid flat spot at 3k which disappeared. Revs raised about 500 rpm. BHP went from 184 > 220 (Christ, how things have moved on!). Was throatier. Better all round. Not sure the propensity of eating prop shaft couplings was a coincidence or not.

[225]

Originally Posted by Amos91

I guess it depends how many people have a tuning box and then a significant warranty claim on the driveline within 3 years for it to be investigated... Going to be very small Vs the number of boxes sold.

Exactly. If any manufacturer wanted to check they could detect a tuning box has been fitted. Proving it and denying big warranty claims is a big step though.

However If anyone fits a box it's at their risk, on a scale of nothing happening to engine goes pop, I'd suggest in 99 percent of cases no one ever knows.