[scoobysmak]

In the past few months I picked up a 2017 328D, currently with around 15k miles. The car came from CA but not sure if that matters. The car had a few inspections before it got to me but I went and took it to my local BMW dealer for a final check. They said it was one of the cleanest they had seen. I have shut off the auto Start/Stop feature and so far have not even tested the Eco or sport modes.

I love the hwy mileage so far, the trip computer usually is around 45-47 mpg (main reason I got the car is for hwy travel). Not sure how accurate that is though, have not done a hand calculation yet. I think I have only put maybe 3 tanks of diesel in it.

I bought this car knowing I could have emissions problems later but just would like advice of things I should be aware and watch out for. I have never owned a diesel that had a DEF tank so I have no clue what a "regen" sounds like, what should I expect and will I know it happened? I do understand if you are in a "regen" cycle it is best to let the cycle complete even if you don't need to keep driving. I also hear running on the interstate is the best way to occupy this time.

I am also considering getting some tuning done. A few extra HP/Lbs along with a few extra MPG never hurt. I have looked through a few threads and it seems the Kerma tune is the preferred option but not sure if that is the best. I saw where I could do "tune my euro" as one of there dealers is somewhat local and consider a stage 3 tune and removing a few items that are doomed to fail in the long run. This is the first automatic car I have owned in 25 years. Not sure if I will need a second tune for this or not and where to go. As we all know the manual option wasn't offered here...

I have not really seen any intake or exhaust options for this model. Not sure they exist or even worth the price of admission.

I did see where there was a link to the manuals but that link seems to have gotten nuked from orbit. Any advice how to get a manual and what specialty tool I might want to have on hand for this car.

[mmm-five]

I’m not sure why you’d want to hear more of the 4-pot diesel with an intake or exhaust mod, but each to their own

Personally I’d stick with what you’ve got for a while, rather than chasing power gains so quickly. Otherwise you’ll soon be seeking more power (and less MPG…which is what you claim you bought it for).

[Enabled]

Bootmod3 is for the petrol/gas cars, so I wouldn't be recommending that.


Basically a tune would help a lot. Chopping off parts for the sake of 'reliability' doesn't actually guarantee any of that.

The intake and exhausts wouldn't actually make any significant difference to power, since in a diesel, it's all about the fuel. Diesels are fuel throttled, so if you are ramming in extra air will still do nothing to it.

[scoobysmak]

Got it, stick with a tune and go softly on the go pedal.

The tune would be help merging in traffic. The exhaust/intake would be for an occasional car show but not willing to risk reliability for looks. I could care less about sound...I take that back I would prefer it be quite as possible. I get enough loud diesel noise with my dodge cummins

[Enabled]

I go hard on the go pedal
It keeps the intake much much cleaner

[bigshooter]

Originally Posted by Enabled

Bootmod3 is for the petrol/gas cars, so I wouldn't be recommending that.


Basically a tune would help a lot. Chopping off parts for the sake of 'reliability' doesn't actually guarantee any of that.

The intake and exhausts wouldn't actually make any significant difference to power, since in a diesel, it's all about the fuel. Diesels are fuel throttled, so if you are ramming in extra air will still do nothing to it.

I come from the VW ALH world where if you don't block off the EGR, the intake manifold gets all clogged up. That's not a fun job to clean/replace. Burning off the soot with a torch was always risky bc it could warp the manifold.

I understand the emissions delete questions because I fear having a clogged manifold down the road or a gunked up EGR. On my TDI, I cut a Pepsi can and used it as a block off plate for 200k miles. Worked perfect. Had to tune out the CEL though.

I'm at 105k now. Just posted a question on an injector because I thought my issue was an EGR valve. Dealer called and said it was injector. Was surprised but did get a CEL for injector timing exceeding maximum twice a few months back. I don't understand how an injector could throw a drive train malfunction warning

[capt_slow]

Go put a KermaTDI Stage 2 tune on it. No need to modify emissions or any hardware. FaRKle! did a pretty good comparison of stock vs. Stage 2. For a 2017 that's done 15K, I would have a look at the intake manifold for gunk.

[Enabled]

I have an ALH I daily, with some hard driving, I haven't ever needed to clean the intake. It's at 318,000 miles now.


As for the drivetrain warning, that's just a very basic message that something is throwing errors and it needs to be looked at. That isn't used for diagnosis in any way.

[capt_slow]

Originally Posted by Enabled

I have an ALH I daily, with some hard driving, I haven't ever needed to clean the intake. It's at 318,000 miles now.

For a 2017 with only 15K on it implies infrequent city driving, which usually accelerates intake buildup compared to long highway drives. It's easy enough to remove the intake pipe and take a few photos of the throttle body.

[scoobysmak]

Originally Posted by capt_slow

For a 2017 with only 15K on it implies infrequent city driving, which usually accelerates intake buildup compared to long highway drives. It's easy enough to remove the intake pipe and take a few photos of the throttle body.

Not that taking a picture wouldn't be the ultimate discovery tool but is there a data log I might look into? My 2003 would give the dealer indications if I wore my seatbelt much less how I drove the car. With todays new OBDII tools just wonder if it might be in there somewhere waiting for me....

I do have bimmerlink and bimmercode downloaded to my phone and have the OBDII Bluetooth module but haven't attempted to use them yet.

ETA.. I haven't seen any recommended tools to have on hand, though reading it appears that some sort of anti-thief tool set is needed if you want to remove the EGR valve to clean it. Also is there a B47 manual or breakdown anywhere for download?

[Enabled]

You have an N47, by the way. Congratulations on your purchase!

[capt_slow]

Originally Posted by scoobysmak

Not that taking a picture wouldn't be the ultimate discovery tool but is there a data log I might look into? My 2003 would give the dealer indications if I wore my seatbelt much less how I drove the car. With todays new OBDII tools just wonder if it might be in there somewhere waiting for me....

You need a visual inspection of the throttle body to see how much gunk has accumulated. A USB borescope would be handy here. I think all you need to do is remove the pressure pipe and that will give you direct access to the throttle body.

Look up N47 intake cleaning on YouTube.

[scoobysmak]

Originally Posted by Enabled

You have an N47, by the way. Congratulations on your purchase!

Humm, guess I wouldn't know the difference by looking at it. I thought the N47 was phased out to the B47 in 2014. Maybe that is for the Euro model and not the US.

Information found here....where everyone can edit it....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_B47

[FaRKle!]

Originally Posted by scoobysmak

Humm, guess I wouldn't know the difference by looking at it. I thought the N47 was phased out to the B47 in 2014. Maybe that is for the Euro model and not the US.

Information found here....where everyone can edit it....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_B47

BMW NA continued with the N47 and never got the B47.

[scoobysmak]

Originally Posted by FaRKle!

BMW NA continued with the N47 and never got the B47.

Thanks...now I know....

I would assume after all the years the main problems like the swirl flaps and timing chain have had a fix since say around 2011?

ETA...the timing chain seems to be a UK problem early on. The US probably got the fix before it was offered here. Still haven't found much about the swirl flaps.

[Enabled]

The swirl flaps have not been an issue at all in the USA. They're actually quite reliable.

As far as the timing chain, I think the chain revision plus the 10,000 mile oil service interval pretty much solved it for the USA cars.