[AWF30MSPORT]

So, my M Performance exhaust was just delivered to my office. Naturally, I opened the box to inspect for any shipping damage and to ensure everything arrived as promised. My very first visual impression...is not good at all. The welds are pretty shitty looking...and it's generally very unimpressive. While the tips are the only visible portion, and those look nice, I was expecting higher manufacturing workmanship and attention to detail. Even though it is underneath the car and will suffer the effects of the elements, I was expecting a higher level of finish and detailing to match the rest of the car--it's quite ugly. Anyway, I bought it more for the sound than anything, I will update after I install it on Saturday.

[justinnum1]

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

[UhhItsANT]

Originally Posted by lukeb817

So, my M Performance exhaust was just delivered to my office. Naturally, I opened the box to inspect for any shipping damage and to ensure everything arrived as promised. My very first visual impression...is not good at all. The welds are pretty shitty looking...and it's generally very unimpressive. While the tips are the only visible portion, and those look nice, I was expecting higher manufacturing workmanship and attention to detail. Even though it is underneath the car and will suffer the effects of the elements, I was expecting a higher level of finish and detailing to match the rest of the car--it's quite ugly. Anyway, I bought it more for the sound than anything, I will update after I install it on Saturday.

How much was it? Can you post pictures of the install process?

Thanks.

[ybbiz34]

Originally Posted by lukeb817

So, my M Performance exhaust was just delivered to my office. Naturally, I opened the box to inspect for any shipping damage and to ensure everything arrived as promised. My very first visual impression...is not good at all. The welds are pretty shitty looking...and it's generally very unimpressive. While the tips are the only visible portion, and those look nice, I was expecting higher manufacturing workmanship and attention to detail. Even though it is underneath the car and will suffer the effects of the elements, I was expecting a higher level of finish and detailing to match the rest of the car--it's quite ugly. Anyway, I bought it more for the sound than anything, I will update after I install it on Saturday.

Have faith my friend. My Glocks are ugly but they work.

[ybbiz34]

The M Performance Exhaust for the E90 M3 isn't much to look at either.

[AWF30MSPORT]

Originally Posted by ybbiz34;127****8

Have faith my friend. My Glocks are ugly but they work.

Haha, yes indeed, ugly but well made and functional. I'm an S&W man, myself.

The quality of the welds on the top and sides of the canister look so cheap and sloppy and the steel for the canister isn't prepped at all...still has writing in permanent marker that I assume was on the raw sheet metal prior to fabrication. I wasn't expecting a polished and shiny masterpiece, I was just hoping for a little better workmanship from BMW.

Originally Posted by ybbiz34

The M Performance Exhaust for the E90 M3 isn't much to look at either.

You're right, but the M3 exhaust does look a little nicer. I'm not really worried about it, I just expected a little higher level of finish from a BMW part. I can't wait to start up the engine after I get it installed on Saturday!

[JamesMA]

Glocks have some of the best fit and finish around, so that is not really a good comparison

Very happy with my port installed exhaust though.

Let us know how the self install goes.

[ybbiz34]

Originally Posted by lukeb817

I'm not really worried about it, I just expected a little higher level of finish from a BMW part. I can't wait to start up the engine after I get it installed on Saturday!

Certainly understandable. Be sure to post up your impressions!

Originally Posted by JamesMA

Glocks have some of the best fit and finish around, so that is not really a good comparison

In terms of fit, Glocks have a relatively loose slide-to-frame fit (i.e., compared to a custom 1911), which is one of the reasons that they are so darn reliable. In terms of finish, the Glock is certainly durable but it sure isn't as pretty as my Ed Brown Stainless Kobra.

[PGT]

I don't understand shiny exhausts with perfects welds, myself. Function > form for something nobody will ever see. I'd prefer the R&D and manufacturing costs be focused on what matters. But, that's me.

[justinnum1]

Originally Posted by PGT

I don't understand shiny exhausts with perfects welds, myself. Function > form for something nobody will ever see. I'd prefer the R&D and manufacturing costs be focused on what matters. But, that's me.

+1.

Tho the akrapovic exhausts are nice, but you will pay out the ass for them...8k for an m5 exhaust lol

[Jadar]

Originally Posted by ybbiz34;127****8

Have faith my friend. My Glocks are ugly but they work.

LMAO indeed! I love my G23.

[Jadar]

Originally Posted by lukeb817

Haha, yes indeed, ugly but well made and functional. I'm an S&W man, myself.

The quality of the welds on the top and sides of the canister look so cheap and sloppy and the steel for the canister isn't prepped at all...still has writing in permanent marker that I assume was on the raw sheet metal prior to fabrication. I wasn't expecting a polished and shiny masterpiece, I was just hoping for a little better workmanship from BMW.



You're right, but the M3 exhaust does look a little nicer. I'm not really worried about it, I just expected a little higher level of finish from a BMW part. I can't wait to start up the engine after I get it installed on Saturday!

Honestly if you crawl under there and look at the stock canister/muffler it pretty much looks the same as an m performance muffler. Its more on the inside thats the difference and the nice shiny ///M logo tips. Better flow too. I know its dissapointing spending $1000 for just a muffler and its not exceptional quality. Its basically factory spec material from what I saw. But regardless I tink I will pull the trigger and dish out the coin. I like the suble sound and no warranty problems.

Oh and I was gonna ask you, since youre doing your own install, and I plan to do the same. What are you cutting the pipe with? I was planning on using a sawzall with a metal blade to drop the stock canister down. Let me know how it works out.

[AWF30MSPORT]

Originally Posted by dd1981

Honestly if you crawl under there and look at the stock canister/muffler it pretty much looks the same as an m performance muffler. Its more on the inside thats the difference and the nice shiny ///M logo tips. Better flow too. I know its dissapointing spending $1000 for just a muffler and its not exceptional quality. Its basically factory spec material from what I saw. But regardless I tink I will pull the trigger and dish out the coin. I like the suble sound and no warranty problems.

Oh and I was gonna ask you, since youre doing your own install, and I plan to do the same. What are you cutting the pipe with? I was planning on using a sawzall with a metal blade to drop the stock canister down. Let me know how it works out.

Yeah, that's basically what it comes down to...I was hoping for just a bit more for $1,000, but I'm not worried about it anymore...just my initial reaction when I opened the box.

Regarding your question, I'm actually having it installed at BMW right now as I type this...I was going to do it myself, but I got them down from $258 to $188 to install the exhaust while they do my Sirius enable coding and auto start/stop is being coded to remember the last setting. I too was a little worried about the best way to cut off the old exhaust cleanly, so this just seemed like the easiest way to go now that they aren't trying to charge me the orginal $258 quote. I also talked them WAY down on the labor for my H&R springs, so they are installing them now as well. After today, the only thing left are my wheels, which I expect to arrive on Wednesday.

[Sp82]

Please post pics

[Jadar]

Originally Posted by lukeb817

Yeah, that's basically what it comes down to...I was hoping for just a bit more for $1,000, but I'm not worried about it anymore...just my initial reaction when I opened the box.

Regarding your question, I'm actually having it installed at BMW right now as I type this...I was going to do it myself, but I got them down from $258 to $188 to install the exhaust while they do my Sirius enable coding and auto start/stop is being coded to remember the last setting. I too was a little worried about the best way to cut off the old exhaust cleanly, so this just seemed like the easiest way to go now that they aren't trying to charge me the orginal $258 quote. I also talked them WAY down on the labor for my H&R springs, so they are installing them now as well. After today, the only thing left are my wheels, which I expect to arrive on Wednesday.

Nice. Not bad at all. Just shows how much they gouge people for cash! If you get a chance ask them how they cut off the OEM pipe. I saw exhaust shops use a special tool that looks kind of like a pizza cutter/roller and they just make one big circle and its cut. The problem here is its tight under there that roller wont fit all the way around because of the floor pan. So sawzall seems like the best option without dropping the whlole exhaust off the hangars.

Still wanna do it myself.

[AWF30MSPORT]

So, I picked up my car from the dealer service department around 5:30pm EDT today; M Performance exhaust and H&R Sport springs installed, Sirius enabled. (I have to go back during a weekday for the A.S.S. last user setting coding) I've been driving around this evening trying to make my assessment of the new mods, and overall I'm very pleased with the results.

Now that the exhaust is mounted and you can only see the tips, it looks NICE, very nice. My initial reaction when I opened the box is a distant memory after seeing the M tips protruding from below the diffusor.

The sound is not as loud as I expected, others have said "25-30% louder" than stock and I'm not sure if it's even that much. When I first started the engine and pulled away from the dealership, I couldn't tell any difference rolling through the parking lot-- the change from stock is subtle, there is more bass in the cabin when the windows are closed and the overrun burble in sport mode is definitely more pronounced. Under hard acceleration the combined sound of the engine induction noise, turbo and exhaust is sweet and exhilarating, but not over the top. I'm not able to roll down my windows yet (5 day wait after new tint application) but I did a couple pulls through a nearby tunnel with the sunroof open and it sounded very nice. I suspect (read: hope) the sound will "mature" a bit with some more miles, as I have encountered with other aftermarket exhausts in the past-- I would like just a little bit more bark and growl to it. It's clearly quieter and less aggressive-sounding than the Performance exhaust for the E9X (N54 and N55). I think the average bystander won't even notice that it's an aftermarket exhaust--which, in general, is good to me. I chose this exhaust because I didn't want something too over the top or obtrusive in a daily driver. I will try the "golf tee" mod tomorrow to see what, if any, difference that makes.

I know, I know..."where are the pics and videos?!?!" My apologies, it was already dark by the time I got home, I will post some pics and attempt to capture the sound on Sunday.

[ybbiz34]

Originally Posted by lukeb817

So, I picked up my car from the dealer service department around 5:30pm EDT today; M Performance exhaust and H&R Sport springs installed, Sirius enabled. (I have to go back during a weekday for the A.S.S. last user setting coding) I've been driving around this evening trying to make my assessment of the new mods, and overall I'm very pleased with the results.

Now that the exhaust is mounted and you can only see the tips, it looks NICE, very nice. My initial reaction when I opened the box is a distant memory after seeing the M tips protruding from below the diffusor.

The sound is not as loud as I expected, others have said "25-30% louder" than stock and I'm not sure if it's even that much. When I first started the engine and pulled away from the dealership, I couldn't tell any difference rolling through the parking lot-- the change from stock is subtle, there is more bass in the cabin when the windows are closed and the overrun burble in sport mode is definitely more pronounced. Under hard accelleration the combined sound of the engine induction noise, turbo and exhaust is sweet and exhilerating, but not over the top. I'm not able to roll down my windows yet (5 day wait after new tint application) but I did a couple pulls through a nearby tunnel with the sunroof open and it sounded very nice. I suspect (read: hope) the sound will "mature" a bit with some more miles, as I have encountered with other aftermarket exhausts in the past-- I would like a just a little bit more bark and growl to it. It's clearly quieter and less aggressive-sounding than the Performance exhaust for the E90 (N54 and N55). I think the average bystander won't even notice that it's an aftermarket exhaust--which, in general, is good to me. I chose this exhaust because I didn't want something too over the top or obtrusive in a daily driver. I will try the "golf tee" mod tomorrow to see what, if any, difference that makes.

I know, I know..."where are the pics and videos?!?!" My apologies, it was already dark by the time I got home, I will post some pics and attempt to capture the sound on Sunday.

Excellent write-up! Very detailed. Thank you for sharing and congratulations!

Give the exhaust a few days. I can assure you that it only gets better.

[justinnum1]

Originally Posted by lukeb817

So, I picked up my car from the dealer service department around 5:30pm EDT today; M Performance exhaust and H&R Sport springs installed, Sirius enabled. (I have to go back during a weekday for the A.S.S. last user setting coding) I've been driving around this evening trying to make my assessment of the new mods, and overall I'm very pleased with the results.

Now that the exhaust is mounted and you can only see the tips, it looks NICE, very nice. My initial reaction when I opened the box is a distant memory after seeing the M tips protruding from below the diffusor.

The sound is not as loud as I expected, others have said "25-30% louder" than stock and I'm not sure if it's even that much. When I first started the engine and pulled away from the dealership, I couldn't tell any difference rolling through the parking lot-- the change from stock is subtle, there is more bass in the cabin when the windows are closed and the overrun burble in sport mode is definitely more pronounced. Under hard accelleration the combined sound of the engine induction noise, turbo and exhaust is sweet and exhilerating, but not over the top. I'm not able to roll down my windows yet (5 day wait after new tint application) but I did a couple pulls through a nearby tunnel with the sunroof open and it sounded very nice. I suspect (read: hope) the sound will "mature" a bit with some more miles, as I have encountered with other aftermarket exhausts in the past-- I would like a just a little bit more bark and growl to it. It's clearly quieter and less aggressive-sounding than the Performance exhaust for the E90 (N54 and N55). I think the average bystander won't even notice that it's an aftermarket exhaust--which, in general, is good to me. I chose this exhaust because I didn't want something too over the top or obtrusive in a daily driver. I will try the "golf tee" mod tomorrow to see what, if any, difference that makes.

I know, I know..."where are the pics and videos?!?!" My apologies, it was already dark by the time I got home, I will post some pics and attempt to capture the sound on Sunday.

Sounds good. From youtube videos the E90 with N55 sounds awesome, i am hoping my F30 sounds real close to that. And yea, from what people say it sounds better after 1000 miles.

Let us know if the "golf tee" mod does anything and any sound clips would be awesome.

[Jadar]

Originally Posted by lukeb817

So, I picked up my car from the dealer service department around 5:30pm EDT today; M Performance exhaust and H&R Sport springs installed, Sirius enabled. (I have to go back during a weekday for the A.S.S. last user setting coding) I've been driving around this evening trying to make my assessment of the new mods, and overall I'm very pleased with the results.

Now that the exhaust is mounted and you can only see the tips, it looks NICE, very nice. My initial reaction when I opened the box is a distant memory after seeing the M tips protruding from below the diffusor.

The sound is not as loud as I expected, others have said "25-30% louder" than stock and I'm not sure if it's even that much. When I first started the engine and pulled away from the dealership, I couldn't tell any difference rolling through the parking lot-- the change from stock is subtle, there is more bass in the cabin when the windows are closed and the overrun burble in sport mode is definitely more pronounced. Under hard accelleration the combined sound of the engine induction noise, turbo and exhaust is sweet and exhilarating, but not over the top. I'm not able to roll down my windows yet (5 day wait after new tint application) but I did a couple pulls through a nearby tunnel with the sunroof open and it sounded very nice. I suspect (read: hope) the sound will "mature" a bit with some more miles, as I have encountered with other aftermarket exhausts in the past-- I would like just a little bit more bark and growl to it. It's clearly quieter and less aggressive-sounding than the Performance exhaust for the E9X (N54 and N55). I think the average bystander won't even notice that it's an aftermarket exhaust--which, in general, is good to me. I chose this exhaust because I didn't want something too over the top or obtrusive in a daily driver. I will try the "golf tee" mod tomorrow to see what, if any, difference that makes.

I know, I know..."where are the pics and videos?!?!" My apologies, it was already dark by the time I got home, I will post some pics and attempt to capture the sound on Sunday.

Congrats. I think you did right. Got exactly what you wanted. Like you said not over the top and still pleases your ears. Post some sound clips after a few hundred miles when shes all broken in.

[AWF30MSPORT]

Sorry, no pics or videos today. I did however disengage the exhaust valve and fix it in the open position--no noticeable difference except on initial start-up. As noted in another thread, it appears to only be closed when the engine is first started cold and then moves to the open position after about 30 seconds of idling. I don't notice any difference during other driving conditions. After another day of driving, I can clearly tell the difference between stock and the M Performance exhaust, but it's still pretty subtle considering the stock exhast already has a pretty nice sound to it. The "burble" sound is much more pronounced and makes a deep bass sound in the cabin when the windows are closed. Overall, I'm very happy with the result.

[justinnum1]

Originally Posted by lukeb817

Sorry, no pics or videos today. I did however disengage the exhaust valve and fix it in the open position--no noticable difference except on initial start-up. As noted in another thread, it appears to only be closed when the engine is first started cold and then moves to the open position after about 30 seconds of idling. I don't notice any difference during other driving conditions. After another day of driving, I can clearly tell the difference between stock and the M Performance exhaust, but it's still pretty subtle considering the stock exhast already has a pretty nice sound to it. The "burble" sound is much more pronounced and makes a deep bass sound in the cabin with the windows are closed. Overall, I'm very happy with the result.

Sounds great. happy to hear you can def hear it with the windows closed.

In your opinion is it worth disengaging the exhaust valve?

Also, looking forward to a vid

[Sp82]

waiting for pics and vids!


either way---I went ahead and ordered my exhaust today--should be here Wednesday, and am aiming for install on Thurs/Fri. Will update you guys.