ESS Tuning, Please Fix my Car!
10-28-2010, 06:57 AM
#21
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My Ride: E53 E60 E92
I have not talked to Roman@ESS. However, I have been communicating directly with ESS in Norway. I have been bashing my head against the wall with ESS, as they have not been able to resolve the check engine light and poor driveability after 3 years.
I posted this thread in hopes that ESS would be motivated to fix the problem, as I will share the facts of my experiences with their customer support here. Potential customers obviously read posts on this board and will want to see how ESS treats their customers.
As I mentioned before, the car has been with the ESS installer for 6 weeks (this is the 7th week). I have told them that I will be picking up the car this week. I will update the thread after I get the car back.
I posted this thread in hopes that ESS would be motivated to fix the problem, as I will share the facts of my experiences with their customer support here. Potential customers obviously read posts on this board and will want to see how ESS treats their customers.
As I mentioned before, the car has been with the ESS installer for 6 weeks (this is the 7th week). I have told them that I will be picking up the car this week. I will update the thread after I get the car back.
Alot of debugging between the installer and mfg, it was the MAF incompatibility, it was faulty fuel injector, colder plugs needed, then finally missing clamp from intercoler (creating bucking as boost drop at WOT). As you can see, experience, patient and willlingness of all parties made it happens for me.
From anyone thinking to get mods, always get the work done at the mod's mfg delear network (or better yet in this case get it done at ESS shop). I'll make that 180 mile drive if I were you.
10-28-2010, 07:19 AM
#22
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My Ride: 2011.5 Alpine White E90 M3 | Black Novillo Leather | Carbon Fiber Leather Trim | ZCP | ZP2 | M-DCT | Navigation | Moonroof | 6FL Mods: TMS 12.5mm spacers all around l Hawk HPS Brake Pads l OEM M3 Edition Grills l Paint Matched Side Gills l Key Hole D
sorry if you posted this OP...but was the dealership that did your SC install an authorized ESS dealer/installer (by ESS)
11-11-2010, 04:51 PM
#23
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My Ride: 535i, Premium Package, Navigation, 6-speed manual. Mods include: M5 rear bumper, custom exhaust with quad tips, M5 wheels, M5 steering wheel & shift knob, MTech front bumper and rocker panels , LED tail lights, RD Sport short throw shifter, ESS Stage 2 supercharger system with air/water intercooler
To be fair, I thought I would finalize this thread.
Mike is my brother and I just bought the car from him AFTER these issues were fixed. The car spent several weeks at Stett Performance in Plano. These guys did a great job of troubleshooting several issues and I will be using them for any engine related issues in the future.
One point Mike did not mention in prior posts is that his local BMW dealership punted on all of his driveability issues "because it is the supercharger's fault". Stett found the following issues that we all thought the dealership should have addressed:
1. VANOS system was not working properly, needed new oil seals,
2. original factory spark plugs on a car with 71k miles,
3. neither O2 sensor was working properly,
4. The accessory belt, which also drives the blower, literally had 50% of the ribbing missing
Fueling was fine, if not a tad lean.
After Stett corrected all of these underlying problems, the car put down a little over 290HP to the rear wheels, at the high end of the advertised range. The car now runs like a rocket. The first couple of times I drove it, I had to let off the throttle at 6000 RPMs in second gear because the boost hit so hard it scared me (I also have a 500HP supercharged 69 Camaro, so I know what a fast car feels like). The traction control kicks in during 1 and 2 gear shifts, and that is with 285/35/19 tires. It would be undriveable in 1 and 2 at full throttle with stock-sized tires.
The local BMW dealership will be doing my basic maintenance and any additional warranty work, but Stett gets the drivetrain work.
Mike is my brother and I just bought the car from him AFTER these issues were fixed. The car spent several weeks at Stett Performance in Plano. These guys did a great job of troubleshooting several issues and I will be using them for any engine related issues in the future.
One point Mike did not mention in prior posts is that his local BMW dealership punted on all of his driveability issues "because it is the supercharger's fault". Stett found the following issues that we all thought the dealership should have addressed:
1. VANOS system was not working properly, needed new oil seals,
2. original factory spark plugs on a car with 71k miles,
3. neither O2 sensor was working properly,
4. The accessory belt, which also drives the blower, literally had 50% of the ribbing missing
Fueling was fine, if not a tad lean.
After Stett corrected all of these underlying problems, the car put down a little over 290HP to the rear wheels, at the high end of the advertised range. The car now runs like a rocket. The first couple of times I drove it, I had to let off the throttle at 6000 RPMs in second gear because the boost hit so hard it scared me (I also have a 500HP supercharged 69 Camaro, so I know what a fast car feels like). The traction control kicks in during 1 and 2 gear shifts, and that is with 285/35/19 tires. It would be undriveable in 1 and 2 at full throttle with stock-sized tires.
The local BMW dealership will be doing my basic maintenance and any additional warranty work, but Stett gets the drivetrain work.
11-11-2010, 09:33 PM
#24
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To be fair, I thought I would finalize this thread.
Mike is my brother and I just bought the car from him AFTER these issues were fixed. The car spent several weeks at Stett Performance in Plano. These guys did a great job of troubleshooting several issues and I will be using them for any engine related issues in the future.
One point Mike did not mention in prior posts is that his local BMW dealership punted on all of his driveability issues "because it is the supercharger's fault". Stett found the following issues that we all thought the dealership should have addressed:
1. VANOS system was not working properly, needed new oil seals,
2. original factory spark plugs on a car with 71k miles,
3. neither O2 sensor was working properly,
4. The accessory belt, which also drives the blower, literally had 50% of the ribbing missing
Fueling was fine, if not a tad lean.
After Stett corrected all of these underlying problems, the car put down a little over 290HP to the rear wheels, at the high end of the advertised range. The car now runs like a rocket. The first couple of times I drove it, I had to let off the throttle at 6000 RPMs in second gear because the boost hit so hard it scared me (I also have a 500HP supercharged 69 Camaro, so I know what a fast car feels like). The traction control kicks in during 1 and 2 gear shifts, and that is with 285/35/19 tires. It would be undriveable in 1 and 2 at full throttle with stock-sized tires.
The local BMW dealership will be doing my basic maintenance and any additional warranty work, but Stett gets the drivetrain work.
Mike is my brother and I just bought the car from him AFTER these issues were fixed. The car spent several weeks at Stett Performance in Plano. These guys did a great job of troubleshooting several issues and I will be using them for any engine related issues in the future.
One point Mike did not mention in prior posts is that his local BMW dealership punted on all of his driveability issues "because it is the supercharger's fault". Stett found the following issues that we all thought the dealership should have addressed:
1. VANOS system was not working properly, needed new oil seals,
2. original factory spark plugs on a car with 71k miles,
3. neither O2 sensor was working properly,
4. The accessory belt, which also drives the blower, literally had 50% of the ribbing missing
Fueling was fine, if not a tad lean.
After Stett corrected all of these underlying problems, the car put down a little over 290HP to the rear wheels, at the high end of the advertised range. The car now runs like a rocket. The first couple of times I drove it, I had to let off the throttle at 6000 RPMs in second gear because the boost hit so hard it scared me (I also have a 500HP supercharged 69 Camaro, so I know what a fast car feels like). The traction control kicks in during 1 and 2 gear shifts, and that is with 285/35/19 tires. It would be undriveable in 1 and 2 at full throttle with stock-sized tires.
The local BMW dealership will be doing my basic maintenance and any additional warranty work, but Stett gets the drivetrain work.
I am glad it's taken care of. U can't trust the dealerships 100%. They follow the BMW manual and training. You need hands-on experience. Congrats on the fix and hope to see some video clips.
290WHP assuming 25% drivetrain loss equates to 387 at the crank.
11-11-2010, 10:41 PM
#25
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My Ride: Alpine White 2006 530Xi (SLD)
To be fair, I thought I would finalize this thread.
Mike is my brother and I just bought the car from him AFTER these issues were fixed. The car spent several weeks at Stett Performance in Plano. These guys did a great job of troubleshooting several issues and I will be using them for any engine related issues in the future.
One point Mike did not mention in prior posts is that his local BMW dealership punted on all of his driveability issues "because it is the supercharger's fault". Stett found the following issues that we all thought the dealership should have addressed:
1. VANOS system was not working properly, needed new oil seals,
2. original factory spark plugs on a car with 71k miles,
3. neither O2 sensor was working properly,
4. The accessory belt, which also drives the blower, literally had 50% of the ribbing missing
Fueling was fine, if not a tad lean.
After Stett corrected all of these underlying problems, the car put down a little over 290HP to the rear wheels, at the high end of the advertised range. The car now runs like a rocket. The first couple of times I drove it, I had to let off the throttle at 6000 RPMs in second gear because the boost hit so hard it scared me (I also have a 500HP supercharged 69 Camaro, so I know what a fast car feels like). The traction control kicks in during 1 and 2 gear shifts, and that is with 285/35/19 tires. It would be undriveable in 1 and 2 at full throttle with stock-sized tires.
The local BMW dealership will be doing my basic maintenance and any additional warranty work, but Stett gets the drivetrain work.
Mike is my brother and I just bought the car from him AFTER these issues were fixed. The car spent several weeks at Stett Performance in Plano. These guys did a great job of troubleshooting several issues and I will be using them for any engine related issues in the future.
One point Mike did not mention in prior posts is that his local BMW dealership punted on all of his driveability issues "because it is the supercharger's fault". Stett found the following issues that we all thought the dealership should have addressed:
1. VANOS system was not working properly, needed new oil seals,
2. original factory spark plugs on a car with 71k miles,
3. neither O2 sensor was working properly,
4. The accessory belt, which also drives the blower, literally had 50% of the ribbing missing
Fueling was fine, if not a tad lean.
After Stett corrected all of these underlying problems, the car put down a little over 290HP to the rear wheels, at the high end of the advertised range. The car now runs like a rocket. The first couple of times I drove it, I had to let off the throttle at 6000 RPMs in second gear because the boost hit so hard it scared me (I also have a 500HP supercharged 69 Camaro, so I know what a fast car feels like). The traction control kicks in during 1 and 2 gear shifts, and that is with 285/35/19 tires. It would be undriveable in 1 and 2 at full throttle with stock-sized tires.
The local BMW dealership will be doing my basic maintenance and any additional warranty work, but Stett gets the drivetrain work.
And congrats on what sounds like a one sweet-ass 530
Sorry to read about all the earlier problems. IMHO you should expect this kind of problems with an aftermarket super-/turbochargers. Not to mention, that it is to be expected that when you're adding something like a SC, you should definitely check your engine for any maintenance issues. I am curious - not to jinx you or anything, but I am curious - whether all four problems you listed were not indeed created/facilitated by the SC? Guess, if any of them come back, you'll know for sure - I sure hope not
GL with the car, and enjoy this forum
11-12-2010, 03:51 AM
#26
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My Ride: 535i, Premium Package, Navigation, 6-speed manual. Mods include: M5 rear bumper, custom exhaust with quad tips, M5 wheels, M5 steering wheel & shift knob, MTech front bumper and rocker panels , LED tail lights, RD Sport short throw shifter, ESS Stage 2 supercharger system with air/water intercooler
It is possible the SC did help some of these issues along. The spark plugs and O2 sensors were likely related. Don't see how the SC would affect the VANOS though. Seems ridiculous not to replace the accessory drive belt just because of the SC.
Regardless, new maintenance procedures - new plugs and drive belt every 12 months.
Regardless, new maintenance procedures - new plugs and drive belt every 12 months.
11-16-2010, 09:10 PM
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Glad you got it all worked out. It is always best to contact us direct if you have issues with one of our products as it is hit and miss when we find these types of threads on the forums. Also it is always best to take the car to a shop that is an authorized dealer even if it is a little out of the way. If you do not have a local authorized dealer you can always contact me and I will do my best to try and locate a local shop that can help.
11-17-2010, 02:39 AM
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And congrats on what sounds like a one sweet-ass 530
Sorry to read about all the earlier problems. IMHO you should expect this kind of problems with an aftermarket super-/turbochargers. Not to mention, that it is to be expected that when you're adding something like a SC, you should definitely check your engine for any maintenance issues. I am curious - not to jinx you or anything, but I am curious - whether all four problems you listed were not indeed created/facilitated by the SC? Guess, if any of them come back, you'll know for sure - I sure hope not
GL with the car, and enjoy this forum
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