WTB MPE exhaust in NC + reputable shop

[V8FunNaturally]

Shopping around for a good price for MPE exhaust for my new 2013 E92 M3 ZCP. What reputable shop would you recommend in central NC that is experienced with BMW's for the install ?

I know it's just bolts and clamps but garages these days even screw up oil changes. I am going to request references from BMW customers, verify them and still watch over the whole time as they do the job.
Or..I might end up doing it myself.

[JPH704]

Eurowise or GMP. Good luck!

[V8FunNaturally]

Originally Posted by SpaceFox

Eurowise or GMP. Good luck!

thks, I am also considering Eurobahn. Now i need to find an invoice price new MPE.

[RD1M3]

Check out the forum vendors, you should be able to find a new MPE for around $3,200.

[V8FunNaturally]

Originally Posted by RD1M3

Check out the forum vendors, you should be able to find a new MPE for around $3,200.

Sure that's easy, i'm trying to find one for $2400 either new or lightly used.

[Andy_H_E92_M3]

Originally Posted by sunsweet

Sure that's easy, i'm trying to find one for $2400 either new or lightly used.

Dan runs a great shop in Raleigh.

BimmerPerformanceCenter.com

I'm selling mine for $2500.

[V8FunNaturally]

Still looking for a MPE FS in nc region.

[B8bydesign]

If I can find a Akra within the next couple weeks I'll have a used MPE available in Charlotte, used for ~30k miles.

[V8FunNaturally]

Originally Posted by B8bydesign

If I can find a Akra within the next couple weeks I'll have a used MPE available in Charlotte, used for ~30k miles.

uh, S4 ? you have not updated your signature, I suppose.

[B8bydesign]

Originally Posted by sunsweet

uh, S4 ? you have not updated your signature, I suppose.

Ah, sorry, ha. I'll be picking up a '11 e92 M3 w/MPE this Friday in Akron and driving back Sunday

[V8FunNaturally]

Originally Posted by B8bydesign

Ah, sorry, ha. I'll be picking up a '11 e92 M3 w/MPE this Friday in Akron and driving back Sunday

congrats on your new car, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
S4 is a good daily car though.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by sunsweet

Still looking for a MPE FS in nc region.

Get MPE out of your mind because it will "crack" like with many other members on this forum and there are threads about it !
It's a good looking Inconel exhaust very (too) light, but actualy it's crap !

[V8FunNaturally]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

Get MPE out of your mind because it will "crack" like with many other members on this forum and there are threads about it !
It's a good looking Inconel exhaust very (too) light, but actualy it's crap !

All the cases of cracked MPE that I read about, were replaced under warranty as MPE is an OEM part. I know about people waiting 3 days only to get it replaced, not a significant problem. Thickness being half of the stock, they probably should have made it a bit thicker to mitigate vibrations at the welding stress points. IMO it is still the best exotic sounding exhaust available out there. I've seen ur video about the oem exhaust mod sound. I do not like it. Full Akra is better overall than MPE (but it's a different type of sound, more loud than exotic) and cost too much, requires tune which voids warranty, etc.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by sunsweet

All the cases of cracked MPE that I read about, were replaced under warranty as MPE is an OEM part. I know about people waiting 3 days only to get it replaced, not a significant problem. Thickness being half of the stock, they probably should have made it a bit thicker to mitigate vibrations at the welding stress points. IMO it is still the best exotic sounding exhaust available out there. I've seen ur video about the oem exhaust mod sound. I do not like it. Full Akra is better overall than MPE (but it's a different type of sound, more loud than exotic) and cost too much, requires tune which voids warranty, etc.

Agreed about replacing under warranty,saw and test driven with one at Bornem ///M test center Belgium .
Personal i don't like the sound, it sounds to hollow like you speak through a hollow barrel and it was not a a question of $$$$ for me !
I realy liked the design of it with the 4 lasered ///M logos on the tips it's a realy good looking exhaust 4 sure !
Now do you have think about when the warranty is over, it can still crack and to weld Inconel that's not a piece of cake and this exhaust was not cheap,last case what i saw about the MPE faillure was the piping inside the muffler was cracked and was making a realy bad vibrating noise and was out of warranty,so than you need to open up this ultra thin walled Inconel muffler(material) by your self,actualy i don't dare to think about it !
But i need to say nonetheless it's a very good looking exhaust for sure but personal i would think twice !
BTW...about that you saw my Oem. exhaust mod. video and you don't like it proves even more that sound is very personal, particularly because everytime i drive my car i love it even more...i call it sound by taste

[V8FunNaturally]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

Agreed about replacing under warranty,saw and test driven with one at Bornem ///M test center Belgium .
Personal i don't like the sound, it sounds to hollow like you speak through a hollow barrel and it was not a a question of $$$$ for me !
I realy liked the design of it with the 4 lasered ///M logos on the tips it's a realy good looking exhaust 4 sure !
Now do you have think about when the warranty is over, it can still crack and to weld Inconel that's not a piece of cake and this exhaust was not cheap,last case what i saw about the MPE faillure was the piping inside the muffler was cracked and was making a realy bad vibrating noise and was out of warranty,so than you need to open up this ultra thin walled Inconel muffler(material) by your self,actualy i don't dare to think about it !
But i need to say nonetheless it's a very good looking exhaust for sure but personal i would think twice !
BTW...about that you saw my Oem. exhaust mod. video and you don't like it proves even more that sound is very personal, particularly because everytime i drive my car i love it even more...i call it sound by taste

Yes nod to all that, the build weakness is fairly known knowledge around the forum, I wish they had done a better job, but it remains on top of my list regardless. And if it does break out of warranty then yes most likely it is a pure loss. Wiki page says some inconnel alloy are improved for easier welding as inconnel being known to be difficult to weld. It looks like it is poor engineering for long term reliability. I read somewhere it's manufactured/ engineered ? in Italy.

Sound just like color is a personal preference (still regret loosing my patience on a dakkar yellow order due to my brother thinking strongly against it and the SA failing to place the order under my name so he could hike the price at closing).
I heard three M3 with MPE running at the same time at the SC PCD and it sounded awesome. Heard it from inside the car, from a distance on the track and idling. IMO it should have been a standard factory option. I think the stock chrome finish doesn't look right on an M3. I see those on Acura or Lexus IS but a performance car like the M3 deserve something better. That alone is 50% of my motivation for MPE. The rest being the sound. I could better deal with the reliability issue if it was priced around $1.5k-$2k, still struggling with that decision.
your custom mod seems to add more volume and a bassy sound while undermining the high frequencies which is exactly the opposite of what I want. MPE let higher harmonics come through, it's not perfect but better than stock.

[V8FunNaturally]

btw, how many years is the mpe warrantied ?
I think i remember reading that for new car install at delivery it's same as car factory warranty (4yrs / 50k) and if you install it later it is different but can't remember the term.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by sunsweet

btw, how many years is the mpe warrantied ?
I think i remember reading that for new car install at delivery it's same as car factory warranty (4yrs / 50k) and if you install it later it is different but can't remember the term.

About the warranty i thought here in this damn country (Belgium) it's 2 year just like for the car !
BTW...just found something specially for you .........
It calls ///M Performance exhaust vs Oem. exhaust mod. (2 perforated method)
Put now your head phone on, and make your choise...
Actualy it's ....... YOU vs ME !

[V8FunNaturally]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

About the warranty i thought here in this damn country (Belgium) it's 2 year just like for the car !
BTW...just found something specially for you .........
It calls ///M Performance exhaust vs Oem. exhaust mod. (2 perforated method)
Put now your head phone on, and make your choise...
Actualy it's ....... YOU vs ME !

2 yrs only why ? is it the same in Germany ?

Thanks but no, this is precisely the video I first saw about your oem exhaust mod that made it clear to me I don't want that. But it's good to hear again it confirms what I wrote above: it increases volume but cuts into the higher frequencies and has less definition than stock oem. The MPE the first car in the video has completely different but distinct sound, the timbre is more refined like an exotic supercar, plenty of sonic richness at all frequencies especially higher harmonics. Sounds awesome to me and when you push that throttle it gets even better.
Even the idling sound on your mod sounds very unattractive to me a lot like those civic with a cheap aftermarket oversized exhaust. It has that low monotonic old dog type of sound. Unfortunately that remembers me of a cow mooing except without the modulation (mooing held at a constant pitch).

Something tells me that you are not actually really liking it maybe you don't want to admit it to yourself and you would grab an MPE without hesitation if not for the price.

[///M Power-Belgium]

...

Originally Posted by sunsweet

2 yrs only why ? is it the same in Germany ?

Thanks but no, this is precisely the video I first saw about your oem exhaust mod that made it clear to me I don't want that. But it's good to hear again it confirms what I wrote above: it increases volume but cuts into the higher frequencies and has less definition than stock oem. The MPE the first car in the video has completely different but distinct sound, the timbre is more refined like an exotic supercar, plenty of sonic richness at all frequencies especially higher harmonics. Sounds awesome to me and when you push that throttle it gets even better.
Even the idling sound on your mod sounds very unattractive to me a lot like those civic with a cheap aftermarket oversized exhaust. It has that low monotonic old dog type of sound. Unfortunately that remembers me of a cow mooing except without the modulation (mooing held at a constant pitch).

Something tells me that you are not actually really liking it maybe you don't want to admit it to yourself and you would grab an MPE without hesitation if not for the price.

About the 2 year waranty.. here they call it the factory waranty !
Example....last month i bought a new Mini for my wife,same thing...2 years !
Not agreed about the price topic of the MPE and i said this before ,i realy don't care about the price , when i want something that i realy like well than i will buy it, prove is ...do you know the price in Euro's of a /// M3 E92 DCT,EDC ect. here in Belgium and the yearly and first time in traffic taxes of it ?
Actualy i buy each year the MPE it's the price of the "yearly" driver taxes in this damn country ,and the first time in traffic taxes = MPE X 4 !
First year was first time in traffic tax+yearly driver tax on one paper ... it was a nice number !
When you know the numbers... well than you know also the anser !
Now about exhaust sound for me personal ...in order !
1-Megan with MS test pipe is the winner ,but not possible here because of the yearly car inspection...damn i would fail !
2-My Oem. exhaust mod .(The cow )
3-AE
4-MPE for the design of it,i realy like the 4 lasered ///M logos on the exhaust tips ,the sound is to hollow for me and maybe it will crack !
Conclusion..
To drive a car like this in this damn country ...first make sure that your wallet is "very" big , and in town where i live there is only one ///M3 and it's mine ......and think this explains everything ...
But i'm curious to hear what you think about this...

[V8FunNaturally]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

...
About the 2 year waranty.. here they call it the factory waranty !
Example....last month i bought a new Mini for my wife,same thing...2 years !
Not agreed about the price topic of the MPE and i said this before ,i realy don't care about the price , when i want something that i realy like well than i will buy it, prove is ...do you know the price in Euro's of a /// M3 E92 DCT,EDC ect. here in Belgium and the yearly and first time in traffic taxes of it ?
Actualy i buy each year the MPE it's the price of the "yearly" driver taxes in this damn country ,and the first time in traffic taxes = MPE X 4 !
First year was first time in traffic tax+yearly driver tax on one paper ... it was a nice number !
When you know the numbers... well than you know also the anser !
Now about exhaust sound for me personal ...in order !
1-Megan with MS test pipe is the winner ,but not possible here because of the yearly car inspection...damn i would fail !
2-My Oem. exhaust mod .(The cow )
3-AE
4-MPE for the design of it,i realy like the 4 lasered ///M logos on the exhaust tips ,the sound is to hollow for me and maybe it will crack !
Conclusion..
To drive a car like this in this damn country ...first make sure that your wallet is "very" big , and in town where i live there is only one ///M3 and it's mine ......and think this explains everything ...
But i'm curious to hear what you think about this...

Wow i can imagine how that feels, those taxes are extortion ! You deserve praise for owning an M3 in such adverse tax regulations. Not a country that makes it easy on you to own a sports car for sure but at least Belgium has great food traditions not to mention beer and chocolate

About your ranking of exhaust sounds, really ?? I've heard 4 M3 with MPE running at the same time on a track and it was epic (also as a passenger). It's not perfect but is 4X better to me than anything else. I agree it sounds a bit hollow, it's not perfect. Your custom mod sound goes in the completely opposite direction. Even the OEM exhaust is closer to MPE than your sound. So I would prefer OEM to your mod. My guess is you've trained your ear to like that lazy sounding low note sound you got. It makes the car sound like a cheaper car in my ear. Check out this horrendous civic exh sound. Don't you think you've made a step in that direction with your mod ? That's exactly my feeling. It's important to me the sound stays classy and recognizable high end DOHC V8 sound. Not some lazy and congested sounding like your mod. I like the stock OEM sound better than your mod.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by sunsweet

Wow i can imagine how that feels, those taxes are extortion ! You deserve praise for owning an M3 in such adverse tax regulations. Not a country that makes it easy on you to own a sports car for sure but at least Belgium has great food traditions not to mention beer and chocolate

About your ranking of exhaust sounds, really ?? I've heard 4 M3 with MPE running at the same time on a track and it was epic (also as a passenger). It's not perfect but is 4X better to me than anything else. I agree it sounds a bit hollow, it's not perfect. Your custom mod sound goes in the completely opposite direction. Even the OEM exhaust is closer to MPE than your sound. So I would prefer OEM to your mod. My guess is you've trained your ear to like that lazy sounding low note sound you got. It makes the car sound like a cheaper car in my ear. Check out this horrendous civic exh sound. Don't you think you've made a step in that direction with your mod ? That's exactly my feeling. It's important to me the sound stays classy and recognizable high end DOHC V8 sound. Not some lazy and congested sounding like your mod. I like the stock OEM sound better than your mod.

Just listened to your Civic sound....Jesus man ?!?!
Is this a joke ? Do you have heard the Oem. exhaust mod. in person ?
I'm 100 % sure you have not and when my car had a exhaust sound like that Civic you posted well than i would be"ashamed" to push the start button again, and thats 4 sure !
So i'm still thinking it's a joke and that's why this 2 videos of the Oem. exhaust mod. especially for you...
So here is how a Civic sounds inside cabin and outside..... to low...lazy and like a cow !(thats what you said)
And all this with my trained and cheap ear !

[V8FunNaturally]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

Just listened to your Civic sound....Jesus man ?!?!
Is this a joke ? Do you have heard the Oem. exhaust mod. in person ?
I'm 100 % sure you have not and when my car had a exhaust sound like that Civic you posted well than i would be"ashamed" to push the start button and thats 4 sure !
So i'm still thinking it's a joke and that's why this 2 videos of the Oem. exhaust mod. especially for you...
So here is how a Civic sounds inside cabin and outside..... to low and like a cow !

haha, you persevere. No it's not a joke. I'll be honnest with you then not sparing you the unpleasantness but I was slightly embarrassed for you when i first read and heard your original post and video on your MPE vs. Exh mod. in a different thread. Especially the idling sounds so poorly, in fact i was thinking you were being sarcastic showing how worse it sounded !! Seriously no need for more video of that sound, it gets worse everytime i hear it. Even the OEM sound significantly better even though it's quieter. The more i listen to your mod the more displeasing it gets. So let's call it to each is own preference. If someday you'll get your auditory sense back get yourself the factory OEM back. That would be an upgrade from your current setup It sounds way better than that. I've done my best not to use expletives qualifiers. But i don't think i can hold much longer.