[user91381237]

So, I'm in the market for a 340i/xi. I found a perfect spec one with decent pricing but, the downsides are that it was tuned by BootMod3 (Stage 2+ tune, Stage 1 Dorch HPFP, Catless Dp, BMS Cai). The car has 39k miles as of right now and was stock until 35k apparently, I plan to remove the bm3 tune with an MHD one as well, I was watching ThicWhips and his b58 got rod knock and one of the likely solutions was the previous owner's modifications. Is it better to buy a stock one and mod it myself or will I be safe with the stage 2 340?

[eluded]

I'd look for stock one but that is me

[eff32fl]

I'd buy a stock one and if wanted tune it myself. You never know if the previous owner drove it into the ground and it's more likely being tuned.

[Skyhigh]

Isn't that a rhetorical question?
It is ALWAYS safer to buy stock and tune (or not) as you see fit and safe!
Unless you know the previous owner personally and are confident in what he has been doing.

I understand that you were hoping for a "Go for it" kind of support, but it is common sense really.

[Livetodrive]

So they sank a ton of money into the tune, and then ran it only 4k miles afterwards. I’d be a bit suspicious as to why they're selling it.

[bimmer456]

Get factory mppsk tune big brake kit and lsd.

[aardate]

I would never do an after market tune to my car and hence would never buy a tuned car. But that's just me.

[Moupe]

I'm in the same camp. I'd never buy/touch another tuned car as you can bet that it's been more than likely driven hard and put away wet yadidimean?!

[dangerus_car]

but if the owner would just tuned back to factory settings, how would you know? you wouldn't know it anyway, the seller is just being honest.

i would say it's safe to buy a tuned car as long as all maintenance items are properly done. nowadays people are running OTS tune anyway, and if OTS tune is not safe, then would people still using it? probably not.

like you said, you are going to tuned it to MHD, if you don't trust OTS tune, would you tune your own car?

[Skyhigh]

Originally Posted by dangerus_car

but if the owner would just tuned back to factory settings, how would you know? you wouldn't know it anyway, the seller is just being honest.

i would say it's safe to buy a tuned car as long as all maintenance items are properly done. nowadays people are running OTS tune anyway, and if OTS tune is not safe, then would people still using it? probably not.

like you said, you are going to tuned it to MHD, if you don't trust OTS tune, would you tune your own car?

There is a certain liability related to what you declare about your car as a seller! Consciously buying a tuned car is not comparable to buying a car which is falsely declared as stock. Besides that, there are easy ways to check and know that.

If you look at the logs the OTS tunes nowadays throw and bother to read a bit about the meaning of the different corrections, you would question how safe they are in the long run, especially if used blindly, without taking actual fuel quality into account, etc. So yes - OTS tunes can be more dangerous/risky than a sensibly dialled in tune. They actually often are.

If cigarettes were bad for the health, would people still smoke them? Probably not.

[leew102]

Always safer to buy a non tuned car. However, I bet some cars tuned back to stock have slipped through BMW certified program, especially given the car shortage so should get a ppi on any vehicle before purchasing.

I've had my 340ix since 8k miles, bought it cpo. Pretty much immediately put BM3 Stg 1 on it and ran Stg 2 from ~13k miles to ~28k miles and have since been running stg2+ and currently sitting at over 39k miles. Since tuning to stg2, I have shortened my oil change intervals to 6-7k miles and the car is dealer maintained (I get a labor discount being an employee of a large dealer network). Car isn't skipping a beat. I don't necessarily think it would be unsafe to buy a tuned car, so long as the maintenance is kept up to date. Maybe get a ppi to make sure everything else is in good condition.

[BMWILUVU]

No its not safe.

[dangerus_car]

Originally Posted by leew102

Always safer to buy a non tuned car. However, I bet some cars tuned back to stock have slipped through BMW certified program, especially given the car shortage so should get a ppi on any vehicle before purchasing.

I've had my 340ix since 8k miles, bought it cpo. Pretty much immediately put BM3 Stg 1 on it and ran Stg 2 from ~13k miles to ~28k miles and have since been running stg2+ and currently sitting at over 39k miles. Since tuning to stg2, I have shortened my oil change intervals to 6-7k miles and the car is dealer maintained (I get a labor discount being an employee of a large dealer network). Car isn't skipping a beat. I don't necessarily think it would be unsafe to buy a tuned car, so long as the maintenance is kept up to date. Maybe get a ppi to make sure everything else is in good condition.

Yes, this is what i meant. as long as maintenance is kept well, then do it. if maintenance is not done by AD which you can track in the idrive, then make sure paperwork are there.

[thejeremyman9]

As a couple people above alluded to, its not necessarily about the tune itself, it's about the tune being a sign that the car was likely driven harder than a car that was not tuned. Another fair point is that although one would assume the tunes are generally safe, it's about how well the person monitored the tune, datalogged, used the appropriate fuel, etc. All of these things increase the risk relative to buying a stock/unmodified car. Again, its not because of the tune itself, its about everything else that comes with it, and assuming the previous owner is a responsible user of said tune.

[BingoTheClown]

Originally Posted by Livetodrive

So they sank a ton of money into the tune, and then ran it only 4k miles afterwards. I’d be a bit suspicious as to why they're selling it.

THIS!!

As I read your post, that was the first thing that stood out. They drove it for 35k miles. Dumped a sh-ton of money into tune and bolt ons - drove it for 4k miles, and now it's for sale. That would make me run for the hills. Is it possible that they have legit reasons for selling right after modding? Sure. But not probable. The math does not add up. And buying a Tuned BMW (or any other vehicle) would scare the F out of me.

When I bought my used 440i, I specifically searched for an end lease turn in. Sure, it's possible . .but much less likely to tune a lease and violate the terms of that.

I bought mine stock, and added MPPSK - would not change that EVER.

[oem.plus_440gc]

There's 2 possibilities when it comes to a situation like this and tbh, not really a good way to know which you'll end up with.

1. As people above has mentioned, it is a bit strange that someone put the money into bolt-ons and a tune to just drop it shortly after. Could mean there's something wrong with the car. Also, could mean someone wanted to spend their money on mods rather than maintenance which is never what you want. And, with all mods, comes more wear and tear (especially if not properly maintained). The only good thing about the mods not being on for long, is that the previous owner didnt have much time to neglect maintance while the mods/tune were there (not saying it was maintained well prior to this).

2. The prior owner is an enthusiast who enjoyed the car stock, wanted more, got it, and then realized they still wanted more and decided to move onto another platform. Most real enthusiasts would properly maintain their car as they want it to last. So in some circumstances, a modded car from an enthusiast could be a good thing. I know plenty of people who lease nice (sporty) cars, and use poor fuel, are lazy about maintenance, and just don't care because they know they're turning them in and the problems won't be theirs.

Before I bought my 440, I had a 2015 WRX (purchased brand new) that was extensively modded (full bolt-ons, dyno tuned, suspension, wheels, etc.). Nearly every mod was on there from 15,000 miles. I maintained that car exceptionally well. 3,000 mile OCI, trans fluid/diff fluid/spark plugs every 30k, walnut blasting every 60k, etc. Sold the car with just over 120,000 miles and there was not a single thing wrong with it. Sold it with all the mods (and stock parts in boxes). I bet my 120,000 car was in better mechanical shape than alot of WRXs out there with 40,000 miles. I'm an enthusiast. I loved the car. I modded it and maintained it properly over its life. I also had documentation for every service I did, even those done by myself (every oil change), or by a buddy who was a Subaru technician (diff/trans/plugs/brakes/etc.). It was tuned by a highly reputatble shop.

TLDR: Just because a car is stock, doesn't mean its a good car. Just because a car is tuned/modded doesn't mean its a bad car. Do the research and make the decision. Buying any used car is a gamble.

[Wires]

Could be many reasons it was modded recently and then is being sold:
1) Something is wrong with it
2) Might have did the "tune + mods gets the power they need without buying the M3", but then decide they'd rather do the M3
3) Can no longer afford the payments.

Mine is tuned and modded, and I don't beat the crap out it. Kind of makes me wonder about all you on this thread with modded cars doing the "run don't walk from that". Are you all really that hard on the car!?!?!

[Pussiwillow]

FYI thic whips didn't spin a bearing
He had a piece of metal got inside the engine and beat the cylinder up a little. It was assumed rod knock, bearings looked good on tear down, sound was the piece of metal banging around, likely what got caught in his turbo stopping the blades, freed it up and lined it up and boom, got pulled in