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Performance Engine Software - BMW E9x M3 - 2007-2013

Performance Engine Software - BMW E9x M3 - 2007-2013

Product Review (submitted on November 6, 2014):
Hi everyone,

It's been a little over two months now since I worked with Mike Benvo at BPM Sport to move from a Dinan's "Racing" to BPM Sport tune, and I couldn't be happier with the change. It took me several months of research to decide on what tuner to work with and I am very, very happy with the support I received before and after with Mike. Before I talk about the new tune, I am going to provide you with a bit of background on the whole cluster-muck of an experience I had with my Dinan "Racing" tune to give you a feel why I've been so happy since the change.

Quick background on the performance changes on my ride:
2008 E90 M3
AA Full Signature Cat-less X-Pipe and Exhaust
AA HF Air Filter
AA Short Shift
Eibach Springs + E36 Bumps

In Feb, 2011 I worked with BMW of Portland to flash my car to Dinan's "Racing" tune, because I was convinced it would be the safest and smoothest route while the car was under the existing factory warranty. From the first day I picked up the car after the tune I confronted with serval "behaviors," including the acute onset of a very rough and un-driveable cold start whenever the car sat for more than an hour. During the cold start folks would have to plug their ears if they were standing towards the rear of the car, and I can pretty much guarantee that most of my neighbors became acutely aware of what time I leave for work every day. I took the car back to the dealer 3 or 4 times during the next two years to trouble-shoot the cold start as well as rough idling and overly-rich symptoms I was experiencing, and I continued to get back my car with the same behaviors even after it had been "re-flashed" repeatedly by the dealer.

Of all of the behaviors the cold start was by far the most pronounced and really undermined my family's enjoyment and usage of the M3. Over time we began to avoid using it during the weekends, because we rarely wanted to wait the 2 to 3 minutes for the car to cycle through the cold start and become drivable. Additionally, starting the car late at night or early in the AM was a surefire way to get a few nasty stares the next time I went to get the mail at the mailbox. At work I rarely wanted to drive it during the day between meetings (I work at a company with an extended campus) and my car was nicknamed "rumble box" by a few of my friends. I am providing this background, because I want to emphasis (1) how frustrated I had become with my car, because of the way it was running, (2) how much that can have an affect on the way you use your car, and (3) why it can be so difficult to want to go out on the ledge to try out a new tune when your previous tune has left you feeling less that stellar about the whole experience.

I spent nearly 3 months reading postings on this forum and calling to interview tuners around the country. I'm not going to walk through the list, but at the end of the day I wanted to be as sure as possible that whoever I worked with would be able to address my concerns and fears as well as deliver a new tune that would address my cold start, rough idle, and overall driving experience concerns. I'm not sure what everyone's budgeting situation is like, but it took a ton of convincing to get my wife to want to invest our $ into another tune, when the previous investment had pretty much bombed out. Luckily she was willing to take a leap of faith with me and said "yes" to moving forward with the re-tune.

I became aware of BPM Sport and Mike Benvo by reading through peer postings on this forum and was particularly interested in working with Mike after so many folks (1) moved from existing tunes to at BPM Sport tune, and (2) commented on how much they enjoyed the process of working with Mike. Mike took the time to have 5 or 6 conversations with me before I decided to move forward with the BPM Sport tune, and it was his honest and candid feedback that sold me on working with him and BPM Sport. Still, after two years of living with my Dinan tune I was skeptical on whether or not the change would be as pronounced as promised.

The whole process of working with Mike to complete the tune straight forward and it was interesting to re-tune my car from my garage without having to make a trip anywhere. We ran into a few issues along the way (mostly due to using my MacBook while running Fusion for Windows), but we were able to troubleshoot all of them and completed the re-tune after 2.5 hours. I then took my car out for a maiden voyage and was immediately struck by how smooth and more pronounced the power delivery was across the whole RPM range (especially when the M Sport mode was engaged). Mike stayed on the line throughout the whole experienced and listened to me hoot and howler as I experienced the new driving dynamic of the car.

But, the true test of the BPM Sport tune came the next day when it was time to start my car after letting it sit over night. I eagerly jumped into my car the next morning, crossed my fingers and started it up and was pleasantly greeted by a normal, smooth, and cold-start-less experience that brought a huge smile to my face (and I am sure sighs of relief from my neighbors). I pulled the car out of the garage and ran up stairs to tell my wife. Her comment was "did you start the car yet?" Mine was "Hell yes I did and it's spectacular!"

During the next week my wife took the car to the gym in the morning to try out the new experience and sent me a string of texts along the way (we'll presume she stopped of course, because no one would text while driving in Oregon...) saying how excited and pleased she was by the change in the cold start as well as the driving dynamic of the car. I think the biggest compliment and confirmation came when she said that she "was so happy we did the new tune," because it made me feel as if I had spent our $ wisely and found the right tuning partner for the change.

It's been two months since the re-tune and I am 100% satisfied with the change and continued support I've received from Mike. So far I am experiencing:

1. No cold start and a smooth and stable idle
2. Better and smoother (butt dyno tested) power delivery and driving experience
3. Better gas milage
4. Better overall quality of life with my M3

Without a doubt I recommend BPM Sport and Mike Benvo, and can say for sure that it kicked the crap out of my Dinan tune!