Bayn46
Active member
Finally got around to starting a thread for my "recent" move to the dark side.
Had an itch early last year to try something new, from E46 M3's to 335i's to 120d/320d's - even went as far as looking at couple other brands, but either the change wasn't worth the cost, or the available options weren't in the best condition.
After some inspiring words from Andy and knowledge of how those Promotec diesels were performing, I took the plunge and found myself an E90 330d (auto). The car was a daily traffic cruiser in an overall healthy condition - the first time I planted my foot I remember the smokescreen that engulfed the 3 cars behind me, which goes to show that you need to practice those 0-100 times often
The car had a few aesthetic mods, namely: vinyl wrapped grills, front splitters, straight chrome exhaust tips, and a really nice rear diffuser.
Couple pics I snapped when I first got her, but will update with a few more once I get some time.
In terms of maintenance, the following has been done since I took ownership (just over a year at the time of this post):
Couple items that I will be doing soon:
Now for the fun bit...the POWA!
Being extremely heedful of who I let near my car, I spent ages looking for someone in Cape Town who would put up with all my questions and also deliver what I needed. A friend referred me to C-Teq (located in Milnerton) who do pretty much everything, from carbon cleaning, to repairs and maintenance, to all levels of modification - would highly recommend them.
After chatting with Mario, I was extremely confident that they could achieve what I wanted so I booked the car in for a DP and mid-level tune (some pics below). The new-found power is addictive, but ultimately what impressed me the most was how smooth and consistent the power delivery was throughout the RPM range, which you can see in the graphs below. I saw another improvement in the low RPM drive-ability where, in stock form, the car can feel a bit lazy and will take a second to get the turbo going, but with the new map, the car is much more responsive. For the first test went for a drive in my friends A4 3.0TDI, which had the same treatment, and the 330d seemed to be the quicker car, but we'll need to go side-by-side to really tell
76mm DP
Power (Kw at the flywheel)
Torque (Nm at the wheels)
It should also be noted that this particular dyno is new and still requires some calibration, especially for RWD cars, so the figures are likely overstated, although the gains are correct given that the before and after were done on the same dyno.
Overall I'm very happy with my decision although I did question it daily for the first month or 2, as the E46 330i left a real lasting impression.
Had an itch early last year to try something new, from E46 M3's to 335i's to 120d/320d's - even went as far as looking at couple other brands, but either the change wasn't worth the cost, or the available options weren't in the best condition.
After some inspiring words from Andy and knowledge of how those Promotec diesels were performing, I took the plunge and found myself an E90 330d (auto). The car was a daily traffic cruiser in an overall healthy condition - the first time I planted my foot I remember the smokescreen that engulfed the 3 cars behind me, which goes to show that you need to practice those 0-100 times often
The car had a few aesthetic mods, namely: vinyl wrapped grills, front splitters, straight chrome exhaust tips, and a really nice rear diffuser.
Couple pics I snapped when I first got her, but will update with a few more once I get some time.
In terms of maintenance, the following has been done since I took ownership (just over a year at the time of this post):
- EGR Clean and Bypass
- EGR Thermostat Replacement
- Oil Service (a few days after I got the car)
- 10,000km Service (Oil, Air Filter, Cabin Filter, Fuel Filter)
- New Battery (registered to the car)
- New Tyres (Michelin PS3)
- Windscreen Wipers (Bosch Aerotwin)
- Boot Struts
Couple items that I will be doing soon:
- Main Thermostat Replacement (doing it this month)
- Vibration Damper
- Carbon Clean
Now for the fun bit...the POWA!
Being extremely heedful of who I let near my car, I spent ages looking for someone in Cape Town who would put up with all my questions and also deliver what I needed. A friend referred me to C-Teq (located in Milnerton) who do pretty much everything, from carbon cleaning, to repairs and maintenance, to all levels of modification - would highly recommend them.
After chatting with Mario, I was extremely confident that they could achieve what I wanted so I booked the car in for a DP and mid-level tune (some pics below). The new-found power is addictive, but ultimately what impressed me the most was how smooth and consistent the power delivery was throughout the RPM range, which you can see in the graphs below. I saw another improvement in the low RPM drive-ability where, in stock form, the car can feel a bit lazy and will take a second to get the turbo going, but with the new map, the car is much more responsive. For the first test went for a drive in my friends A4 3.0TDI, which had the same treatment, and the 330d seemed to be the quicker car, but we'll need to go side-by-side to really tell
76mm DP
Power (Kw at the flywheel)
Torque (Nm at the wheels)
It should also be noted that this particular dyno is new and still requires some calibration, especially for RWD cars, so the figures are likely overstated, although the gains are correct given that the before and after were done on the same dyno.
Overall I'm very happy with my decision although I did question it daily for the first month or 2, as the E46 330i left a real lasting impression.
