I love my E92 but I hate it’s factory performance is a struggle when the car when it comes off the lot. Once you begin tuning it becomes a new beast and something that’s actually enjoyable to drive — this is why just 5 hours after taking delivery of my car I was at Benvo of BPM Sport’s house getting a tune.
I didn’t have exhaust yet, but I knew I was doing full Akra soon, therefore I went straight for the stage 2 — I also had him do the combox retrofit for bluetooth audio and iPhone integration. My car went into production in June of 2010, hitting dealerships in July, therefore I didn’t have the combox that was introduced in September to allow iPod functionality to work with the iPhone 5/5S.
All in all, even with it being dark out, it wasn’t long before we were back on the road. I think it maybe took 2 hours; spent some time looking at his cars also.
After all was said and done, we went on a test drive. The car was night and day different, it wasn’t the same car at all. It pulled harder, it was noticeably faster, and the euro-traction control was everything. I also had him do some cool stuff like my mirrors auto-fold and windows roll up when I hold the lock button down on the remote.
I still believe my favorite part of the tune is the tighter steering, the factory steering is too loose and doesn’t feel right for the car. When we were working on mine he was talking about how they were the first to ever tune the steering and it was because he shared the same sentiment about how horrible the factory steering was; it just feels right after he worked his magic on it.
And the DCT tune is everything, if you have a DCT.
If you’re wondering if the tune is worth the price, it 100% is. (Posted on 11/6/14)
Just treated my car to the Mike Benvo BPM trifecta! It's hard to add to all of the positive reviews already out there but I just wanted to share a few quick thoughts.
Why BPM and Mike Benvo? I was currently running an ESS Version 1 Akrapovic Evo tune on 231E with no complaints or issues. Car ran great and felt strong. I browse the forum a lot and it's hard to ignore all of the great feedback about Mike and his tune- it's like a dark force slowly pulling you in. More importantly for me however is how much Mike is engaged and passionate about his product and customers. You can just tell he settles for nothing less than perfection and that suits my personality spot on. His recent addition of the servo and DCT tuning compelled me to switch over with no hesitations.
I did the engine tune and servo on one day and added the DCT tune the following day. Car feels freakin' fantastic! The combination of all three just made my car better in all aspects. Engine start up and idle are so smooth. Throttle response is spot on and the engine pulls and revs with a new urgency and refinement. As stated before, the ESS tune ran great as well but there is something about the BPM tune that just makes the S65 sing! Love the servo tuning, and the DCT software just brought the whole package together. It's something you have to experience to appreciate and the differences would be instantly recognizable. Just do it- you'll have no regrets.
I can honestly say this is probably the best money I have spent on the car so far in terms of sheer driving pleasure. Can't wait to drive again. Mike takes a diamond and polishes it to new a level of brilliance. Really happy Thanks Mike! Can't wait to see what BPM does next.
As the title says, I had several thing done to my 2008 E92 M3 by Mike Benvo at BPM Sport.
1. Stage I performance tune
2. DCT tune
3. M-Drive retrofit with Euro MDM (I do not have iDrive!!!) and necessary coding
4. Alarm retrofit with coding
5 Convenience coding
And all of this was done remotely :-)!!!
Mike supplied the SZL for the M-Drive retrofit as well as the alarm bits and pieces for the alarm retrofit. I installed them. He first did the stage I tune last weekend. During the week I installed the SZL and alarm components. Then we had a powwow doing the DCT tune and the rest of the coding Thursday night. I didn't get the work done until 11:00pm and he stayed on the phone with me doing the coding until 12:15am because he wasn't going to be able to do the coding over the weekend. Talk about customer service :-).
I haven't been able to drive it much but I can give preliminary feedback.
Stage I tune:
I got the cold start delete, eliminated the top speed shelf, reduced redline when the engine is cold and kept factory redline when warmed up.
The car felt much smoother. Take off from a stand still is very smooth. No lurching. In fact, you need very little modulation of the gas peddle to take off quickly. The exhaust sounded a little deeper... not something I expected.
DCT tune:
Starts in D2. Smooth as hell with shifting... almost boring in automatic mode. When you shift back to manual mode, it remembers which setting you were in last (S5 by default). The shifts there seem quicker with more of a kick in the butt. The real fun is the downshift throttle blips... they sound much more refined than before the tune. It is loud, but definitely less rasp. I had no idea that was even possible but the effect is obvious. Another thing I noticed is the car is much smoother coming to a complete halt.
M-Drive with Euro MDM retrofit:
It works! I love being able to push a button and go from D2 with normal steering and DSC to S5 with firmer steering and Euro MDM enabled. The only problem is pressing the "M" button also changes the audio source so if you have the radio on it will change it to the CD player.
Alarm retrofit:
It works. Not much to say other than it is convenient, offers piece of mind and allows you to use the same key fob.
Convenience coding:
These little things are just nice. I got rid of a lot of the door chimes. I allowed the key fob to raise and lower the window and rotate the mirrors in and out. Taking off in the car automatically locks the doors and pulling the key out unlocks them... which means no double pulls on the door handle :-). I also got double flashes on the hazards and instantaneous MPG. Lastly, the windows can be raised or lowered with the doors open. I might be forgetting something but I think that's it.
Conclusion:
All in all with this boat load of changes it feels like a new car. I keep coming back to the same adjective... but the car just feels more refined. Personally I love it. Everything is the way I want it and I plan on keeping it along time so it was worth every penny. I'll be sure post again with more driving impressions but for now this will have to do.
I've had every 3 series BMW since the 1998 e36 sedan. I'm experienced and know the BMW products inside and out. What I didn't know I learned from the guys at BPM sport when they've unlocked the hidden potential of my cars. Each model is special in its own right and knowing the right options for each customer's driving style is their expertise.
The value they offer is worth every penny and I've always been satisfied with the services provided. I continue to use them for all of my BMWs and have no hesitation in recommending their professional team for your BMW.
(Posted on 10/20/14)
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