[VeeDubbinJetta]

Hey all,
Wanted to introduce myself as I make the transition into the BMW world to learn as much as I can. Been a car enthusiast my entire life and prior to this car I have only ever owned VW's and Audi's, with exception to the wife's car (2021 Explorer ST). Prior to landing a job in the corporate world I was an ASE Master Tech and Ford Sr. Master Tech so I have always done all of my own work on my cars. Most recent car was a 2014 S4 3.0T(S/C) which was fairly modified (Dual pulley, Stage 2+ ECU/TCU, AWE Touring, Bilstein B12, 034 drivetrain suite). Loved the car and owned it for nearly 10 years but with growing kids I needed something a bit bigger.

In comes the '22 X3M. I had been looking for ~1.5 months, nationwide to find what I wanted. I somehow lucked out and found exactly what I was looking for pop up right in my area (Seattle) in the color combo I was dreaming of (Brooklyn Grey/Sakhir Orange). I am about 3 weeks in ownership wise and I have been loving every single minute of it. Can't wait to learn all about the brand and the car, and hopefully a little down the line start adding some modifications.

I have been on the forums now about 3 weeks as well trying to learn as much as I can by searching, reading through old threads, etc. though I do have a few questions for the community.

1) From what I understand being a '22 I cannot get the DME unlocked for a tune, and piggyback is my only option for the time being? Am I misreading that or is that in fact the truth?

2) I just picked up the OBD Link MX+ so I could get Bimmercode for a few tweaks and possibly Bimmerlink for service functions. Seems to be the recommended go to for Apple iOS devices. Is there something else recommended instead of these?

3) Any must haves, or must do's to the car? I think first mod a little down the line will be an exhaust, possibly intake as well, because who doesn't love the noises? I have already added Ceramic tint as well as XPEL PPF to help protect the paint.

I look forward to learning as much as I can here and getting out to some local events.

-Nick

[RFGuy_KCCO]

Welcome! I came from VW's myself and still own a 2016 Touareg, having owned several GTI's and GLI's, as well as an Alltrack, in the past. You'll love the X3M. Mine puts a smile on my face every time I drive it.

[ttx3m]

Welcome and nice color! I also looked nationwide and wanted the same color spec but settled on Adelaide grey interior. Didn’t get quite as lucky as you with a local find either. Congratulations!

[M3Pilot09]

Congrats and great spec! I would replace the chrome side vents with the OEM black ones that come on the X3MC. I would also swap out the exhaust tips with the black ones and get the black X3M badge. This is an inexpensive mod and you can get everything from IND.

[Kevin_The_Clean1]

Congratulations & welcome. We don't see too many X3 M (base / non comp) models that often. Great exterior / interior combo. And yes, the non comp has a very very quiet muffler. So that will be fun to open up a bit later on.

[95wildtt]

Originally Posted by VeeDubbinJetta

I have been on the forums now about 3 weeks as well trying to learn as much as I can by searching, reading through old threads, etc. though I do have a few questions for the community.

1) From what I understand being a '22 I cannot get the DME unlocked for a tune, and piggyback is my only option for the time being? Am I misreading that or is that in fact the truth?

2) I just picked up the OBD Link MX+ so I could get Bimmercode for a few tweaks and possibly Bimmerlink for service functions. Seems to be the recommended go to for Apple iOS devices. Is there something else recommended instead of these?

3) Any must haves, or must do's to the car? I think first mod a little down the line will be an exhaust, possibly intake as well, because who doesn't love the noises? I have already added Ceramic tint as well as XPEL PPF to help protect the paint.

I look forward to learning as much as I can here and getting out to some local events.

-Nick

Welcome Nick!
Beautiful color combo, congrats!

1) From what I understand being a '22 I cannot get the DME unlocked for a tune, and piggyback is my only option for the time being? Am I misreading that or is that in fact the truth?

I have a pre-lci so was able to tune mine with a BM3 Stage 1 (93) which I very highly recomend!
I may be wrong, but if you really want a tune I believe you can pull your DME and send it away for a Femto Unlock, then you can tune away... otherwise a PB is the only option.

[VeeDubbinJetta]

Originally Posted by M3Pilot09

Congrats and great spec! I would replace the chrome side vents with the OEM black ones that come on the X3MC. I would also swap out the exhaust tips with the black ones and get the black X3M badge. This is an inexpensive mod and you can get everything from IND.

I forgot to mention, the previous owner had replaced the factory chrome front with the black Comp version but had left the side vents chrome. I had some 3M vinyl at home so I wrapped them black on day 2 of ownership. I figure I’ll run these until the vinyl starts looking bad and then pickup the actual black ones from IND

[F97_Rico]

FEMTO is the only option at the moment for unlocking your DME unless you want to just go the piggyback (JB4) route. I have a 21 and I'm quite certain that I still have to send it off to FEMTO. 2020's lucked out. Bench unlock is all they require, if that. I've heard of some 2020 owners that were able to just connect a dongle and tune away without issue.

[95wildtt]

Originally Posted by F97_Rico

FEMTO is the only option at the moment for unlocking your DME unless you want to just go the piggyback (JB4) route. I have a 21 and I'm quite certain that I still have to send it off to FEMTO. 2020's lucked out. Bench unlock is all they require, if that. I've heard of some 2020 owners that were able to just connect a dongle and tune away without issue.

I have a 2020 built late in 2019, and I was able to just connect and tune.
Had no idea when I bought it, just got very lucky

[F97_Rico]

Originally Posted by 95wildtt

I have a 2020 built late in 2019, and I was able to just connect and tune.
Had no idea when I bought it, just got very lucky

LUCKY!!! Haha. I miss the good old days when you didn't have to deal with so much to tune. It's such a hassle now.

[Fredcohiba]

Welcome. Nice looking ride.

[PNW_F10]

Welcome! This forum is super helpful, and this particular sub is great not douchey like some of the BMW subs.
Also in Seattle (eastside). Not sure of your tire situation, but I did the 295 rear/265 front with Michelin Pilot AS4 and it makes a huge difference. Better ride, incredible grip in the rain. I picked mine up last year used at Elliott Bay, non comp 18k miles for $52k.
You're going to love it! I don't really have any upgrades planned, I have an extended warranty and after going down the rabbit hole tuning my F10 to stage 2+ I really don't feel like doing that again. Good luck!

[knali8]

Welcome! And great looking machine. You'll learn a lot on this forum about the x rocket 🚀 ship, just have a read though the post everyday or every now--and-then as everyone has something to offer.

My favourite mods are adding a midpipe and lowering. The midpipe unleashes the true M feel within the cabin, you can feel the gear changes! Lowering the car improved the looks, covering performance and slight added comfort.

What ever you plan to do, you'll love this platform!

[Brandt51]

Blend Mount for Maxcam360 or the like.

ECU should be unlockable thru Femto, but it can easily be bricked with software updates (I would know, doh!). I had a race shop in the PDX area hook up our S63 X5M and it’s just a tune with downpipes. The S58 is the real monster though they said. That motor is legit. Besides not being able to take it to BMW for fear of locking up the ECU, the turn time with sending the ECU off is another downside. Otherwise, that motor can rule the world.

Nice rig, enjoy!!!!

[Brandt51]

Oh yeah, HRE has an off the shelf rim that fits great without having to use spacers. Stock rims look good too, that’s all personal preference. But between our two X cars, the X5M has to get custom size rims and the X4M fit the off the rack ones, bonus bonus there.

[VeeDubbinJetta]

[QUOTE="PNW_F10;31144496"]Welcome! This forum is super helpful, and this particular sub is great not douchey like some of the BMW subs.
Also in Seattle (eastside). Not sure of your tire situation, but I did the 295 rear/265 front with Michelin Pilot AS4 and it makes a huge difference. Better ride, incredible grip in the rain. I picked mine up last year used at Elliott Bay, non comp 18k miles for $52k.
You're going to love it! I don't really have any upgrades planned, I have an extended warranty and after going down the rabbit hole tuning my F10 to stage 2+ I really don't feel like doing that again. Good luck!

Thanks for the info. I got it from BMW Seattle and they put brand new Pilot AS4’s on it but in the factory sizes. I also picked up an extended warranty, which I typically never do, but being new to the brand and platform I wanted to help cover any unexpected issues. I’d love to tune it down the road as I have seen what an absolute beast the S58 is. Happy to be part of the family now and looking forward to learning a ton. Maybe I’ll see ya around the area sometime!

[PNW_F10]

Sounds good! Send me a message if you ever go to the Redmond Exotics car show. It was a perfect day to go today, but I got busy. They don't let our cars in :-( but it is still fun to go.

[e30 4 life!]

ORT Motorsport for wheels!

[MADBMWX5MC]

OP, nice X3M...congrats!

[M*Kydd]

Nice and Great combo. I had been contemplating returning to BMW till last month. Love the response from this car. I'm coming from owning previous Audis (Tuned A4s & S4)/VWs (Tuned GTis & Golf R) as well. You'll enjoy the X3 M

[F97_Rico]

Originally Posted by Brandt51

Blend Mount for Maxcam360 or the like.

ECU should be unlockable thru Femto, but it can easily be bricked with software updates (I would know, doh!). I had a race shop in the PDX area hook up our S63 X5M and it’s just a tune with downpipes. The S58 is the real monster though they said. That motor is legit. Besides not being able to take it to BMW for fear of locking up the ECU, the turn time with sending the ECU off is another downside. Otherwise, that motor can rule the world.

Nice rig, enjoy!!!!

Best workaround I found for this is an OBD2 cover that says "Consult owner do not reflash". Lol. Had BMW call me and ask about it when I took it in for an oil change.I also never did the OTA updates either. Didn't want to run into any bricking issues.