Your feedback on chipping please!

[gr8000]

Hello everyone!

Before going for a chip I would like to have your valuable feedback from those of you who already have chipped their M3s. Can you PLEASE spare 5 mins to comment on the following 5 points:

1. Provider & cost
2. Power & torque gain on the wheels if measured, otherwise P & T gain advertised
3. Approximate fuel consumption increase after chipping in % (if known / estimated)
4. Any reliability / poor performance issues
5. Any other general comments worth sharing, good / bad experiences, anything!


General questions to everyone who is familiar with chipping (and may or may not have chipped their M3):

a. Can BMW find out that you are chipped?
b. Engine re-mapping: I have heard (may be total b/s) that whenever you bring in your M3 for regular service, BMW may also evaluate engine performance and possibly do minor re-maps. If this is true, what happens if you are chipped?
c. Is it logical to expect that due to the increased power / torque (and thus increased strain) the engine may develop problems which would not come up otherwise, and/or to notice significant performance reduction sooner than otherwise expected? In other words do you think that there is there some hidden power / torque there or is the S65B40 already running to the limits?
c. Any comments / feedback / experiences worth sharing?

Thanks guys

Stefanos

PS. If possible please follow the numbering as per above when responding to each point i.e. 1, 2, 3, or a, b, c etc, otherwise it may be hard to follow.

[Eurotrash8]

I'll be nice and save the hassle of you seacrhing.

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138584

[gr8000]

Originally Posted by Eurotrash8

I'll be nice and save the hassle of you seacrhing.

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138584

Thanks. I have read this thread and I have already gone through some of the chipping companies' internet links as well but what I am asking here is not a list of chips, but valuable user feedback from those who have used and tested the chips. The thread you pasted indeed provides some scattered user feedback in bits and pieces, but I would appreciate user feedback in the more organised fashion as per my message above.

Hopefully this will be a useful summary of the various considerations which will help me (and possibly others) to decide whether to chip or not, and if yes what to keep in mind!

[Ajax-Prime]

Not sure how serious this is, other than the PITA factor...but one thing that kind of bugs me is the possibility that BMW could overwrite the new ECU programming during a normal maintenance visit. Then you have to go through sending the whole dang thing back (at least for the AA) and get it reflashed.

Not saying there should be a work around...it's just an inconvenience.

[Sticky]

Originally Posted by Ajax-Prime

Not sure how serious this is, other than the PITA factor...but one thing that kind of bugs me is the possibility that BMW could overwrite the new ECU programming during a normal maintenance visit. Then you have to go through sending the whole dang thing back (at least for the AA) and get it reflashed.

Not saying there should be a work around...it's just an inconvenience.

Helps to have someone local.

BMW will overwrite the software, I know after I get the DCT update I will have to go in for a reflash. Not a big deal for me, as I have a local Powerchip dealer, but if you are in a remote location definitely something to consider.