[chimp]

Originally Posted by danniexi

part number: 32-30-2-471-439

It's here! Proper CF/Leather Steering Wheel Trim (for LCI models with both DAP and Heated Steering Wheel) installed last night. Fitment was (obviously) perfect being an OEM piece. I really appreciate the leather over Alcantara since I don't have a single Alcantara piece in the interior. CF matches the CF paddles as well. Happy how it turned out.











Not much else to do with the interior so I guess I'm done modding here. The one and only thing that is bugging me now is the center console. I have no idea why BMW decided to go with piano black plastic instead of doing all CF like the other M models (G8x, F95/96, etc.). Not sure what to do with that since no one makes an aftermarket CF console for that. Maybe go the custom route one day. I just wish there was a reliable source for 2022 F97 LCI parts list like realoem. Anyone who can point me to the right direction it'd be greatly appreciated.


More mods (that I did not plan on purchasing) on the way. I promised myself not to go overboard with this car after the F80 but what can I say... there is no cure for the mod bug. Wallet and wife aren't gonna be happy.

I love the look of the Carbon Fiber Steering Wheel Trim. I do have a heated steering wheel but do NOT have DAP on my 2022 X4MC. My button layout on the left looks similar (minus the DAP controls obviously) but I don't have that little notch above the top 2 buttons. Anyone know if there is another model number for 2022's with the heated steering wheel and without DAP?

[danniexi]

Originally Posted by chimp

I love the look of the Carbon Fiber Steering Wheel Trim. I do have a heated steering wheel but do NOT have DAP on my 2022 X4MC. My button layout on the left looks similar (minus the DAP controls obviously) but I don't have that little notch above the top 2 buttons. Anyone know if there is another model number for 2022's with the heated steering wheel and without DAP?

32-30-2-459-671

youre welcome.

[chimp]

Originally Posted by danniexi

32-30-2-459-671

youre welcome.

Awesome! Thanks.

[danniexi]

Newest Addition:

Akrapovic F97 X3M Titanium Slip-On Exhaust + Evolution Link Pipe




What more can I say? It's the full Akrapovic titanium setup (downpipes back). The fitment is perfect and it sounds absolutely amazing. Do I really need to add sound clips? Because to be honest, none of the videos on Youtube do it any justice. It really needs to be experienced in real life to get the full effect.

Ever since I got myself into this platform (took delivery in August 2021), the first thing I knew this car needed was an exhaust. It is just TOO DAMN QUIET out of the factory. There were obviously a few options in the market but I decided to wait for the warmer weather to finally take the dive into investing in one. I really thought long and hard about getting the ER midpipe (my first choice) and an axel back of some sort (either Dinan or Akrapovic), but I hadn't committed to anything at the time.

Thanks to Pewtinn, timing was perfect and I was able to score his Akrapovic system since he had gotten himself into an F80 LCI (gorgeous car btw) and I was able to pick it up locally. I was so excited to get it installed at the time but life got in the way and I was a bit busy. This past Monday I was finally able to take to the time to get it installed. Special thanks to MpirePerformance93 for getting me in and busting out the install in an hour.

Now we ran into a small snag when it came to the install (I didn't realize that I had not gotten the springs that are needed for the valve actuators to work), so I had to drive home with the valves fully open the entire time. Blessing in disguise because I found out about a few things that I liked and disliked.


PROS:

• The Sound (part one): It's absolutely intoxicating. The low end growl when the valves are open is super deep at low revs. It kind of reminds me of a V8 (though not that deep) but still enough grunt that I havent heard from an I6. I love it. WOT? It screams like an I6 should. No rasp anywhere in the revband whatsoever.
• The Sound (part two): When the valves are closed, this things becomes super quiet... sounds just like OEM. Why is that a PRO? I have a wife and kids. My wife will never put this thing into Sport mode. She'll leave it in Efficient as is and use the car to run her errands for the occasional grocery run. Having the exhaust booming in local streets 24/7 is not necessary. And when doing the school run to pick up/drop off my kids from school or going on long trips for their weekend activities? Having that peace and quiet is a godsend. For the past two days my kid hasn't mentioned a single thing about the exhaust. There was no difference to her which is a huge plus in my book.
• Weight (or lack thereof): I'm a weakling (I have twigs for limbs) and lifting both the midpipe and the axelback was so effortless. It is still mindblowing how light it is compared to the stainless steel exhaust. The beauty of titanium I suppose.
• Fitment: Everything lined up perfectly and the install was super seamless. The precision of which everything was designed is like that of an OEM part or even better.

Now for the CONS... mind you, this was the first impression I got when I drove home with the valves open the entire time.. and to be honest, it's not really a fault of the exhaust itself.

BEFORE installing the valve actuators (VALVES OPEN): This thing can drone quite a bit at highway cruising speed in top gear... around the 1500-2000 rpm mark. It's not the WORST thing in the world, but the reverberations in the cabin can get old REAL quick. I like to have my cake and eat it too. There's a reason why those valves work when closed because unless you're super young or have no other occupants in the car, that droning can drive you up the wall.

AFTER installing the valve actuators (VALVES OPEN/CLOSED controlled by the car): So I get home and I eventually install the springs/valve actuators when I get my hands on them. Remember how I mentioned that the car gets quiet like stock when the valves close shut? Well the problem is (at least on the Competition models from what I remember reading), the valves are variable, meaning they don't just open and close fully, but they do so partially, letting only a little bit of exhaust gasses out depending on engine mode,speed, load, whatever, etc. Now at WOT, I'm sure the valves will fully open and let the damn thing scream, but around town, I do want the valves to open a little bit more so I can hear the exhaust. I feel like the OEM programming is too aggressive when it comes to keeping the valves partially closed for longer periods of time. I could tell immediately... when the car is in Sport/Sport+ but in Park or Neutral, the valves are opened all the way, so it sounds badass as it should (I guess BMW engineers knew that their doucehebag owners want to show off at a standstill), but the moment the car is in D and any throttle is applied, the valves mostly close muting the majority of the sound. C'mon, I want to be a douchebag as well and be loud when I drive away too. I wish I had a bit more control when it comes to opening/closing the valves when I drive, which is why I'm already in the market of finding an exhaust valve controller. Ugh.

Conclusion: tl;dr

So that's my take on the exhaust. I absolutely LOVE it. What I don't like is the OEM exhaust valve programming. Need valve controller.

[chimp]

Originally Posted by danniexi

Newest Addition:

Akrapovic F97 X3M Titanium Slip-On Exhaust + Evolution Link Pipe




What more can I say? It's the full Akrapovic titanium setup (downpipes back). The fitment is perfect and it sounds absolutely amazing. Do I really need to add sound clips? Because to be honest, none of the videos on Youtube do it any justice. It really needs to be experienced in real life to get the full effect.

Ever since I got myself into this platform (took delivery in August 2021), the first thing I knew this car needed was an exhaust. It is just TOO DAMN QUIET out of the factory. There were obviously a few options in the market but I decided to wait for the warmer weather to finally take the dive into investing in one. I really thought long and hard about getting the ER midpipe (my first choice) and an axel back of some sort (either Dinan or Akrapovic), but I hadn't committed to anything at the time.

Thanks to Pewtinn, timing was perfect and I was able to score his Akrapovic system since he had gotten himself into an F80 LCI (gorgeous car btw) and was able to pick it up locally. I was so excited to get it installed at the time but life got in the way and I was a bit busy. This past Monday I was finally able to take to the time to get it installed. Special thanks to MpirePerformance93 for getting me in and busting out the install in an hour.

Now we ran into a small snag when it came to the install (I didn't realize that I had not gotten the springs that are needed for the valve actuators to work), so I had to drive home with the valves fully open the entire time. Blessing in disguise because I found out about a few things that I liked and disliked.


PROS:

• The Sound (part one): It's absolutely intoxicating. The low end growl when the valves are open is super deep at low revs. It kind of reminds me of a V8 (though not that deep) but still enough grunt that I havent heard from an I6. I love it. WOT? It screams like an I6 should. No rasp anywhere in the revband whatsoever.
• The Sound (part two): When the valves are closed, this things becomes super quiet... sounds just like OEM. Why is that a PRO? I have a wife and kids. My wife will never put this thing into Sport mode. She'll leave it in Efficient as is and use the car to run her errands for the occasional grocery run. Having the exhaust booming in local streets 24/7 is not necessary. And when doing the school run to pick up/drop off my kids from school or going on long trips for their weekend activities? Having that peace and quiet is a godsend. For the past two days my kid hasn't mentioned a single thing about the exhaust. There was no difference to her which is a huge plus in my book.
• Weight (or lack thereof): I'm a weakling (I have twigs for limbs) and lifting both the midpipe and the axelback was so effortless. It is still mindblowing how light it is compared to the stainless steel exhaust. The beauty of titanium I suppose.
• Fitment: Everything lined up perfectly and the install was super seamless. The precision of which everything was designed is like that of an OEM part or even better.

Now for the CONS... mind you, this was the first impression I got when I drove home with the valves open the entire time.. and to be honest, it's not really a fault of the exhaust itself.

BEFORE installing the valve actuators (VALVES OPEN): This thing can drone quite a bit at highway cruising speed in top gear... around the 1500-2000 rpm mark. It's not the WORST thing in the world, but the reverberations in the cabin can get old REAL quick. I like to have my cake and eat it too. There's a reason why those valves work when closed because unless you're super young or have no other occupants in the car, that droning can drive you up the wall.

AFTER installing the valve actuators (VALVES OPEN/CLOSED controlled by the car): So I get home and I eventually install the springs/valve actuators when I get my hands on them. Remember how I mentioned that the car gets quiet like stock when the valves close shut? Well the problem is (at least on the Competition models from what I remember reading), the valves are variable, meaning they don't just open and close fully, but they do so partially, letting only a little bit of exhaust gasses out depending on engine speed, load, whatever, etc. Now at WOT, I'm sure the valves will fully open and let the damn thing scream, but around town, I do want the valves to open a little bit more so I can hear the exhaust. I feel like the OEM programming is too aggressive when it comes to keeping the valves partially closed for longer periods of time. I could tell immediately... when the car is in Sport/Sport+ but in Park or Neutral, the valves are opened all the way, so it sounds badass as it should (I guess BMW engineers knew that their doucehebag owners want to show off at a standstill), but the moment the car is in D and any throttle is applied, the valves partially close muting the majority of the sound. C'mon, I want to be a douchebag as well and be loud when I drive away too. I wish I had a bit more control when it comes to opening/closing the valves when I drive, which is why I'm already in the market of finding an exhaust valve controller. Ugh.

Conclusion: tl;dr

So that's my take on the exhaust. I absolutely LOVE it. What I don't like is the OEM exhaust valve programming. Need valve controller.

Appreciate the write up! I have wanted to buy the Akra for 6 months now but puke a little every time I see the price in my cart.

I have the M Performance exhaust on my F82 and installing that changed the car for me.

I believe Akra makes a kit that allows you to control the valves on your phone.

[danniexi]

Originally Posted by chimp

I believe Akra makes a kit that allows you to control the valves on your phone.

yeah I saw the installation instructions for that and immediately thought “hell no.”

[M3Pilot09]

How do you like your M Performamce carbon paddles? Other than looks are they an improvement over stock?

[danniexi]

Originally Posted by M3Pilot09

How do you like your M Performamce carbon paddles? Other than looks are they an improvement over stock?

love em. one of the first mods that i did and are a 10000% improvement over the stock metal paddles. the longer length really do make a difference and the rear dimples are a nice touch. the fact that they match perfectly with the interior trim is icing on the cake.

[Shaun170]

You ‘need’ carbon seat backs like mine. Not OEM but the match is spot on.

[danniexi]

Originally Posted by Shaun170

You ‘need’ carbon seat backs like mine. Not OEM but the match is spot on.

haha. i'll get there eventually. problem is, i have two car seats in the back... driver side is covered by a seat protector so kid #1 doesn't make any marks with her shoes and kid #2 is rear facing so the passenger side is basically covered as well.

[danniexi]

And another one...

BMW OEM M-Performance Flow-Through Rear Spoiler with iND Custom Paint Scheme

As a birthday gift, my wife presented me with this beautiful OEM M-Performance spoiler, painted by iND. She's always asked "what was next" with her typical eye roll and I would go off naming random stuff that I know she wouldn't pay attention to, but I guess this one stuck in her head as she wanted to plan something for my birthday.

The X3M is a family car, so 99% of the time, it's a mom/dad mobile, either to ferry the kids to and from school, pick up groceries, or the weekend excursions to keep the little ones entertained. My wife isn't into crazily modified vehicles and prefers clean lines and subtle, tasteful mods, whereas I'm on the other end of the Asian spectrum and RICE is the main staple of my diet. So when I mention the word "wing" or "spoiler" to her, she immediately cringes. I'm damn sure when I mentioned the "OEM spoiler" for the X3M, the wife was immediately turned off on the idea, but she must have looked online anyways and found she liked it as well, especially with the paint scheme from iND. So, with the help of a friend, she ordered it online. Of course, what with the backup of parts and paint jobs what not, the gift didn't come later until a month later. But no big deal to me. I'm just happy I received it in the first place.

What with being busy and the weather being a bit icky until recently, I wasn't able to install it until last night with a group of friends. I could've done it on my own, but 1. that wouldn't be fun and 2. I knew I would screw up the fitment and having the extra set of hands made all the difference.

Impressions: It looks absolutely beautiful. The fitment is obviously dead on considering its an OEM part, and the installation process itself was straight forward. The paint scheme and the work done on the spoiler from iND is pretty much god-tier. The color match is absolutely exact to the rest of the car and the detail/lines are unrivaled from any other provider in the business. I always say this, but iND can never do any wrong. When it came to the install, I basically went by the iND youtube video. I skipped on the betalink because it's basically permanent and extremely messy to use. Before the install day, I took the time to add my own 3M VHB to where the betalink would go (following the BMW install guide) and got the 3M adhesion promoter and added that to the base of the spoiler like what the iND video suggested. That adhesion promoter really did work, and basically once the tape made contact with the surface, it stuck on immediately and wouldn't budge at all. of course, I added tons of pressure and made sure each and every spot had no gaps. With the 3M tape and adhesive promoter, this thing is NOT going anywhere. My forearms are sore from all the pressure I put on the damn thing.

Anyway, here are the pictures. If anyone is on the fence on getting this thing, don't. Just do it, especially with the iND paint scheme. It makes all the difference.

Special thanks to IND-Distribution



r

[///minh]

Looks good! Does it just go over the current spoiler that comes with the car?

When you have a chance, can you take a side profile pic and lower backend please?

[danniexi]

Originally Posted by ///minh

Looks good! Does it just go over the current spoiler that comes with the car?

When you have a chance, can you take a side profile pic and lower backend please?

it's a two piece system for the X3M... basically the bottom piece is from a regular X3 in gloss black (so G01 owners only need the top part) whereas F97 needs both the bottom piece and the top.

a few more pics but i haven't had any time to take any more pictures. hope it helps.

[danniexi]

iND Painted Roundels + Floating Wheel Center Caps

Added some iND painted roundels. Very very subtle but they do make a difference. I opted for the painted spinning wheel roundels as well. Gimmicky but I like that sorta thing. Paint is perfect as per usual. Install was a breeze. Thanks to IND-Distribution as always.









but for the bigger upgrade...

CG Precision VSC-2 Exhaust Valve Controller

Enter douche-mode.

After installing the full Akrapovic exhaust, I was still wanting more. With the OEM valve control, the exhaust sounds was barely audible. The valves were closed more of the time than when they were open, even in Sport + mode. I wanted the ability to open them up at lower RPMs even when driving around town alone, but of course, want to keep them closed when ferrying the kids around to keep the noise level down.

It was a longggg wait (six weeks) but it’s finally here. Enter the VSC-2 valve controller. I’ve actually had it years ago on my old F80 M3, but have since gotten rid of it since I switched to BM3 and had more freedom with the exhaust valves/burbles through the tune only. With no flash tuning (through OBD) on the S58 in sight, I figured I’d go back to using this product since I’ve had a great experience with it. I didn’t think it would be compatible, but with other G8x M3/M4 owners having great success with it, I’d give it a shot as well.

So far, I’m happy. Install was a breeze as per usual. It only took me 10 minutes to test it out and make sure it worked, and probably another 15 minutes to “clean up” the wiring. When purchasing, I opted for ON: OPEN and OFF: default, since I figured the car was so damn quiet stock anyways, there was no reason to ever have the valves fully closed.

With the valves fully open, the exhaust note is MUCH louder than before. I can actually hear the damn thing. Yes, At highway speeds, I KNOW this thing will drone, so having the ability to turn it off I can eat my cake too. I just wanted the ability to drive around town with a louder exhaust because the child douchebag in me enjoys that sorta thing.

So yeah. Anyone who thinks their exhaust is too quiet, opt for this valve controller as well as any other mods (midpipe, axelback, etc.). It’s cheaper than the Dahler or Akrapvoic, and install is an absolute breeze. Just be prepared for the wait if you do order now.

[danniexi]

LFGGGGG.


Indiv X3M LCI Carbon Fiber Center Console Trim


Needs no introduction. This carbon fiber center console trim from Indiv is perfect in replacing the horrid piano black nightmare that is around the gearbox shifter. It perfectly complements the interior along with the rest of the trim. Carbon weave is exactly the same pattern and direction as the rest of the OEM carbon fiber trim. It really brings the center stack more upscale,comparable to an F95 or G8x. It’s like an OEM piece like it should’ve been from the start. Install is dead simple. Those that are on the fence or missed out on the group buy, iND has a few in stock for the same price. No need to wait either.








OEM M-Performance Carbon Fiber Grill Surround

Part number: 51-71-9-628-252



So… am I one of the first in the US to have one of these in hand? After searching and waiting, I finally found the part number, and immediately a few of the BMWUSA vendors uploaded it onto their websites/databases, but of course, do not have any in stock. They all said it would have to be ordered and involve a 4-6 week wait. I COULD have waited, but instead I overnighted parts from Germany and put it on my tab at Harry’s. Boom. They arrived with the carbon fiber brake ducts to match, but those are currently being PPF’d. I’ll wait to install those another day when finished.

So fitment and quality? Well they’re OEM so they better be perfect and they are. No words needed. Installation was a bitch though. Getting the double slats off the original grill was not fun. I think I broke like 3-4 tabs off the original black grill surround. Whoops. I could’ve been more gentle and follow the BMW recommended procedure of using a heat gun to make the plastic more flexible but whatever, my brain is smoother than a hardboiled egg and I was impatient. They look fantastic and I can’t wait to get the other stuff installed as I have more on the way.
















Carbon Fiber Mirror Caps


Meh. A Monet. Fitment is OK and looks are decent (from a distance). Not much can be said. If something happens to them I won’t cry about it. Just did these to match the rest of the CF stuff that will go on the car eventually.

[danniexi]

3D Design F97 X3M Carbon Fiber Rear Diffuser


I'm still waiting on the brake ducts to be finished with PPF and contemplating on a few other parts; those'll have to wait for now. On my ongoing quest to finish the exterior aspect of the build, I needed something to tie up the rear end of the vehicle. What better way than a carbon fiber diffuser? There were a few on the market that I was eyeing, but nothing could compare to the 3D Design diffuser. Thanks to Bmock17, I was able to get my hands on one so quickly and get it installed sooner rather than later.

The 3D Design diffuser is flawless. The detail and quality of this part is on par with OEM. When it came down to installation, however, fitment was a tiny bit off... I blame BMW for changing that on the LCI and not 3D design, as this piece was originally designed for the pre-LCI models. The only slight change made to the LCI was the "screw" on the outer portion of the OEM diffuser (which isn't even a screw, but a plastic expanding rivet). BMW have slightly changed the positioning of the hole, so I couldn't install that rivet portion of the diffuser. Other then that, the diffuser lined up PERFECTLY with the rest of the bolts and the fitment of clips aligned so well with the OEM bumper. I've bought a few carbon fiber parts in my day, so it was satisfying to buy an aftermarket part that just fit so well. You get what you pay for. I'm loving the look and it fully completes the rear end of the car. So satisfied with this one...

[Bmock17]

Looks great!

[danniexi]

OEM M-Performance Carbon Fiber Side Air Ducts

So I finally picked these up from my buddy who owns a detail/tint/PPF shop. Did an amazing job and it actually took me a little while to see the paint protection film on them. Autostrada 187 for those in the NY/Long Island area. Can’t recommend them enough.

As for the pieces themselves, they full complement the front end along with the the CF grills and what not. But what a BITCH to install. I know glfwdw got these done recently and I should’ve taken his advice. Getting them off was stupid simple… remove the two push pins at the bottom and pull up. Remove PDC sensor and reinstall. Getting the PDC sensor back on was a real pain in the ass. I didn’t have any extra rivets (and I was impatient to order some) to go through the wheel well behind the bumper, so I shimmied my hand in between the trim and bumper and used all of my strength to get them on. I eventually did it somehow, but yeah, would not recommend. Do it the smart way and go through the wheel well (like what you would do when installing painted reflectors). The scratches, the pain, the regret, and the amount of swearing wasn’t worth it in hindsight.








Autotecknic Carbon Fiber Side Vent Trim

Well obviously I needed to do the side vents… I thought about the full replacement, but figured I’d take the lazy route and do the side vent trim (boomerangs) instead. The OEM pieces were a major rip-off so I went with Autotecknic instead. Quality was good and was basically just 3M taped instead of being clipped on. I initially felt that the install wouldn’t turn out well since they lacked the clips but they turned out looking good. No complaints.






Autotecknic Red Audio Button

Saw these on the website and figured why not. Matches the Start/Stop button. I like it… brings a bit of color in the sea of black plastic. Hated the installation though. Damn near broke the volume knob itself getting the silver ring off. Nearly put my fist into the dash when I screwed up and installed the ring back on incorrectly. But it all worked out in the end.

[porkipine69]

yooo just got my carbon bits in for the front of the car, did you PPF everything? I'm considering it because I got a scratch on one of my mirrors already but if its too expensive,i might just not do the ppf. I was wondering if you did PPF, whats a good price to do the grill, brake ducts and side ornaments.

[danniexi]

Originally Posted by porkipine69

yooo just got my carbon bits in for the front of the car, did you PPF everything? I'm considering it because I got a scratch on one of my mirrors already but if its too expensive,i might just not do the ppf. I was wondering if you did PPF, whats a good price to do the grill, brake ducts and side ornaments.

my car was fully PPF’d right the day i picked up the car from the dealership.

for the mperf carbon parts themselves, the only piece that i applied PPF were the cf brake ducts since they were the largest and had the most surface area. i shouldve done the grill surrounds, but got hasty with the install. i figured id take my chances with those. side mirrors are no name reps, the side vent grill accent pieces are from autotecknic, so i didnt bother with those either. diffuser i left alone as well.

[JP30]

Looks amazing - love all the CF. Very nicely done

[IcEWoLF]

Originally Posted by danniexi

my car was fully PPF’d right the day i picked up the car from the dealership.

for the mperf carbon parts themselves, the only piece that i applied PPF were the cf brake ducts since they were the largest and had the most surface area. i shouldve done the grill surrounds, but got hasty with the install. i figured id take my chances with those. side mirrors are no name reps, the side vent grill accent pieces are from autotecknic, so i didnt bother with those either. diffuser i left alone as well.

Any plans on adding the BMW M Performance Carbon Gas Cap Cover?

Btw I got my car full clear bra. Took them two weeks but they did a great job. They did my grille and rear diffuser too.