Howdy! My name is Aaron, I am 19 years old, and this is my Carbon-Black Metallic 2008 BMW 550i M-Sport:



I am partially new to E60s and even the automotive world as a whole, I have been following BMWs since I was a little kid (unfortunately) and around 14 years old I got into the M5 E60, and now, 5 years later, I wish I didn't have such expensive taste. But I love her so, cant complain I guess. She is completely bone stock, 105k miles, beautiful paint, engine runs great, trans is pretty good, shifts kinda hard often on the first drive, but I haven't checked into it yet. I have only had this car for about 2 months now and am learning that the N62B48 engine isn't the best for leaving much room for improvement which is a bummer. I would love to hear all of your guys' opinion on the n62 and the 550i! Also, would love some advice if possible: I am looking to tune my e60 to stage 2, but I am pretty new in the tuning world, what can I use to tune my engine? I believe JB4 and MHD doesnt tune n62s but I am not totally sure.

Anyways, thanks for having me here, looking forward to meeting you guys and your e60s!

 

to the forum, Aaron!

 

to the forums!

 

to the forum where you will find a lot of useful information about your car.
I have the same year/model but with about 50k more miles and the 6-spd manual tranny. I love the car and I know you will too.
I'm not sure what exactly you are looking to tune; the stock engine is pretty strong as-is. There are a few maintenance issue you may want to keep an eye open for such as a leaking alternator oil gasket, leaking valve cover gaskets, and a leaking coolant transfer pipe that runs through the top-center of the engine. All of those can be pricey due to labor costs so check those out first; hopefully you can tackle most of the maintenance work yourself.
I would encourage you to attend the local BMW CCA Car Control Clinic so you can become familiar with the limits of your car and, more importantly, your personal limits as a driver.
Locally I see many younger drivers with powerful BMW's that have a naive, slightly inflated view of their skills and they end up in trouble. They fall victim to the case of "too much car and not enough driver".
I would not want you to end up in this situation.
Enjoy your beautiful new E60.

 

Thank you for your reply I’m so glad I can converse with other N62 owners! I will be honest, unfortunately I was that kid that fell victim to the “too much car” incident and was involved in a drifting accident when I was 16. I have since then learned much more about BMWs and cars through auto school and even learned how to properly drift, though I wont be doing it on the streets anymore (I hate myself for that). I’m not looking for too much more horsepower out of a tune, but maybe a bit more get up, not too sure yet. That will be a “later down the road project”, I am still getting this vehicle up to proper health before doing any performance or visual modification! The car has no oil leaks, I have changed the trans and engine fluid and filter. And I have had the valve seals, valve cover gasket, and coolant leak (which I did have) all fixed! The only thing wrong is the AC wont blow cold, I have tried recharging and it wont take it so and my fan blows really cold so im not sure why. If you have any suggestions it would be really helpful, it seems like you know your stuff! Also, have you modified your n62?

 

Sorry to hear about your drifting incident/accident; hopefully you were not injured nor was anyone else. Let's consider that indiscretion "out of your system" and you can now enjoy your powerful 550i with a more mature attitude.

There are others on this forum who are far more knowledgeable than me re the mechanics of the car. Hopefully they will chime in re your A/C issue. If you have confirmed the A/C belt is turning the compressor then it sounds as though you may have a leak in the system. That will take some detective work to uncover.

I have not modified my 550i but try to keep it well maintained and detailed so it's always in good shape and operating at peak levels. The previous owner installed some type of electronic "switch" that changes the acceleration profile. It has 3 positions: Stock (which I found allows for a slight hesitation when I let out the clutch in 1st gear); Sport (which gives me a smooth, crisp acceleration in 1st gear); or Economy (which I believe is intended to increase gas mileage by "retarding" performance, but I have never used this setting). I have always kept it in Sport mode and I still get decent mileage.

It sounds like you're off to a good start with the work you've already done. Keep it up and enjoy the car for a long time.