BMW F30 320i

Potential Builds:

I see the potential for my car in these images. I want to do something similar for my car except with my own personal touches and ideas implemented. 

Next Upgrades:

Non-Priority:

Current Build: 

Performance:

Interior:


Exterior:

Current:

Currently, this is how my car looks like. It's a base 2013 BMW F30 320i. The color of the car is Glacier Silber Metallic.

BMW F30 320i History:

As my Senior Year in College is wrapping up, I wanted to get a car so that I would be able to have something to drive to work and a fun little project car to work on. One of my friends in my class was selling a 2000 Acura Integra GSR for around $6000, which wasn't a terrible price considering how sought after Integras are and it was a GSR. I knew I wouldn't be able to pay off the $6000 immediately so I asked my parents for a loan. However, when I told them they thought it would be a bad idea as I would be buying a car as old as me in 2023 and they didn't want me making poor life choices so they decided to give me their old car at no expense. Luckily, this car happened to be the BMW F30 320i. Although I know I would've loved the Intergra, this just made more sense from a practical and financial standpoint. I am now the proud owner of a 2013 F30 BMW, which has been in the family for 10 years. 

My BMW is an F30 era 320i BMW from 2013 in a Glacier Silber Metallic Silver. It's a base model with no xDrive (all-wheel drive), no PDC (Parking Distance Control), no AFS (Adaptive Front Lighting System), no Comfort Access (Keyless entry), no folding rear seat, no enhanced bluetooth, and no navigation. As nice as these things would have been, I'm thankful for the opportunity of owning this car and I think this car will be a great car with a few mods. I'm not asking for the best, but I would like to do a few things to make it mine and make it a fun project car. 

BMW F30 320i Specs:

Although this isn't the 328i, I still believe this car has a lot of potential and I believe it's a great first car for me. It may not be a 328i, but for the first time I can say that I am a car owner and I can't wait to get started. 

Engine: N20 - DOHC

Inline 4 Cylinder 2.0 L - Twin turbo

180 hp @ 5000 rpm -  200 lb-ft @ 1250 rpm

24/36 MPG city/highway - 28 MPG combined

Top Speed: 146 mph

Curb Weight: 3295 lb

Planned Performance Mods:

Details of Performance Mod Components:

ECU Tuning:

After doing lots of research on different routes for tuning, I decided that I wanted a relatively stock setup given a few considerations. 

1. The car is a 320i model and I don't think it's very worth it to do any serious ECU or flash tuning on such a low horsepower car. In the future, I plan to just buy a car with more horsepower stock. 

2. California has lots of restrictions regarding combustion vehicles and I didn't want to do anything extensive that I would need to remove every 2 years to clear smog. As much as I would love to do a downpipe and a stage 1 or 2 tune, I don't think its worth the hassle on such a low horsepower car and removing everything sounds very tedious. 

3. My car is already climbing up in years. I do plan to continue using the car for at least the next 5 years, but I don't know how long I will hold onto it. Spending anymore on the car just isn't worth it when I could be saving up for a better car. With all these considerations, I decided the simplest, most bang for buck, and super easy option would be the JB+. 

A. JB+:

Looking into ECU tuning, it requires lots of tools and a high cost initial purchase of software to flash your ECU. As enticing as this is, I don't think its a good path for my car. With a base horsepower of 180, the tune would be bring my car up to around 240 Hp, which is awesome. However, this is roughly the same as the BMW F30 328i. If anything, it would make more sense for me to just trade in my current car and buy a 328i. Right now, I can't trade in my car; I still like my car and I want to stick with it, so I wanted something that would make the car a little bit more fun without doing anything serious. 

ECU tunes - such as Bootmod3, Dinan, and MHD - would be versatile, but a hassle to deal with for smog. Mainly, the ECU would need to be flashed back to stock and the DME locked to pass and you would need to drive around 100-200 miles to get the car cleared and ready for smog. 

The JB4 piggyback tune was also viable, but I opted out of this for different reasons. The JB4's power delivery, tuning ability, and versatility wouldn't be as great as the flash tunes. (The JB4 tricks the ECU without actually monitoring engine output and isn't as safe for the engine as ECU tunes). You might say: Well the JB+ is also a piggy back tune. Why the JB+? Simply put, the JB+ is safe and literally a 1 minute installation. It provides 25 horsepower and 4 psi of additional boost for the N20 engine. There are no variables to tune, no extensive installation, the ECU is untouched. This is the most hassle free small boost in power for the N20 that doesn't delve into the complications of preparing for smog. For $239.00, every horsepower gained costs $9.56. This is cheaper than any other tune (when you look at dollars/Hp) while being the absolute easiest to install. It won't blow you away, but it'll provide a consistent boost in power across the RPM range and pull harder at higher RPM. 

A. JB+ N20/N55 Tune:

The JB+ makes 25 horsepower for the N20 or B55 BMW engine. It installs in under a minute and gives an additional 4 psi of boost. The 4 psi of additional boost is very safe and well within the boost limits of the turbo and N20 engine. With the JB+, my 320i will make 205 horsepower, breaking the 200 Hp barrier, which is good enough for me. 

Planned Interior Mods:

Details of Interior Mods:

A. BMW F30 Wood Trim:

B. ABS + PC Door Handles: 

During the installation of the wood trim, my rubber door handles started to get sticky and I am now going to replace the old handles with non-rubber ones. 

C. Aftermarket Head Unit:

 

D. IDrive Controller:

E. Sport Gear Shifter:

A. Interior Burr Walnut Trim:

My car came with black interior trim and silver accent pieces. Personally, I love wood trim and wanted to give this Burr Walnut trim a try for a change. The seller I bought from also included their IDrive controller, which happened to be the 7 button version that I was looking into purchasing (Radio and not Com). if I were to purchase the IDrive knob separately, it would be an additional cost of  $150 - $200. 

After testing the IDrive controller and finding that it wouldn't work with my car (with or without the aftermarket head unit), I went down a rabbit hole of potential routes to find a solution that would work for me. I will document the process in the IDrive Controller section. 

B. ABS + PC Door Handles:

During the installation of the wood trim, I made the mistake of pushing down into the rubber to remove the old silver trim. As a result, my driver side handle was badly marred - albeit due to my own volition - and the rubber became sticky. I am now going to replace all my door handles. 

Fortunately, I found some replacement door handles on Amazon. Unfortunately, the replacement process seems quite extensive after watching some videos. However, I am always up for the task of learning about my car. 

The install wasn't terrible, but it was tedious and time consuming. By far, the most difficult part was removing the power window control panel from the driver's side door. I learned a lot about my interior door panels and I am now adept in removing all door panels. It was interesting to see how the door locks and interior lighting work being able to see mechanical systems and wiring at play behind the door panels. 

The second hardest part of the install was removing the old door handles. The orginal rubber door handles were secured by plastic rivets. To install the new handles, the rivets needed to be drilled out and screws and washers would secure the new ABS + PC plastic handles. I am satisfied with the results and the texture of the new plastic handles is a pleasant, satiny rubbery finish that I am completely happy with. It was definitely worth doing. 

C. Head Unit/Aftermarket Screen:

First Upgrade Path: Android Screen

Second Upgrade Path: MMI Box and Replacement Screen

What I Learned:

There are many different versions of IDrive: CCC, CIC, NBT, NBT EVO. This is crucial for figuring out which aftermarket screen to purchase. For my car specifically, I may have a CIC or NBT unit. In this case, I need to remove the trim to verify which LVDS cable I have. Alternatively, an NBT or even NBT EVO retrofit can be done by replacing the head unit, IDrive Controller Knob, and OEM display. 

Steps to Identifying IDrive System:

General Timeline for IDrive Systems:

AVIN USA Aftermarket Screen:

After looking around and comparing the screens, I decided to go with the AVIN android screen. Compared to the other screens, it was the cheapest in the configuration that I wanted and it was on sale for Black Friday, whereas MotiveSupplies and Xtrons - the other 2 brands I was most likely going to buy from - were not. The Xtrons screen was on Amazon, but not in the configuration I wanted and without being able to add on any auxiliary items; however, there was a discount. Once I was able to get my car, I was able to check the back of the OEM screen to see which IDrive version I have. Luckily, I had the CIC-High or HU_entry version, which came with the 6 pin LVDS Screen. This meant that I wouldn't have to completely retrofit an NBT head unit/system and could just buy NBT compatible screens. 

My configuration:

Current Configuration:

After playing with the Android Screen, I was unsatisfied with the results. It took too long to boot up and the CarPlay feature would keep rebooting by itself. The calling would default to the screen and I hadn't installed the mic so I needed to manually switch to the default car bluetooth for calls. The one thing I didn't try was disconnecting my phone from the original car bluetooth altogether, but the slow speed of the screen was enough alone for me to return the unit. 

Bluetooth Receiver:

Android Screen Alternatives:

Potentially down the line, I can install an MMI box and use bluetooth. That way if I can't enable enhanced bluetooth or don't want to use a receiver I can use the MMI box. However, I would primarily have it for its rear camera. Currently looking at the MotiveSupplies MMI.

3. Design and 3D print some kind of phone clip system to hold my phone in place if I want to use it for nav. 

Figure 1: 5 Button IDrive Non-Nav

P/N 6582 9261704

Figure 2: 7 Button IDrive CIC/NBT

P/N CIC: 6582 9267955

Figure 3: 7 Button IDrive NBT

P/N 6582 9350723-02

Figure 4: CIC Controller Cover

D. IDrive Controller Knob:

This one was mildly infuriating and very confusing. Unfortunately, my car is a 2013 year model, which happened to be the period of time when BMW decided to transition from the old CIC (Computer Information Center) software to the new NBT (Next Big Thing) software. This means that my car has a HU_Entry head unit, which makes things significantly more complicated since it's an in between head unit. 

Important Key Factors:

Compatible Cross Reference Part numbers with IDrive controller 6582 9267955:

6131 9253944, 6582 9253944, 6131 9202948, 6582 9206444, 6582 9212449, 6582 9200317, 6582 9286699-01, 6582 9267955

TLDR: I think the HU_Entry head unit still uses the old CIC CANBUS signal for the IDrive Controller so I will be trying a 7 button CIC IDrive Controller even though my head unit is supposedly NBT (CIC High). - The 7 Button CIC IDrive didn't work; I went with an alternative option

Additional Information:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1B4DvCT9vlA1nwFYhRrUtf640SyiRSB28s_0CiflW4H4/edit 

IDrive Controllers I have tried: 

NBT 6582 9350723-02 (Figure 3), Production Date: 11/13/14

I received this NBT IDrive Controller when I purchased my wood trim and found that it didn't work with my head unit. I thought that I could just drop in this upgrade and call it a day, but after doing more research I realized that it wouldn't be that simple. This IDrive Controller led me to believe that I had the older CIC CANBUS and I started delving into research after the swap didn't work.

NBT 6582 9350723-02 (Figure 3), Production Date: 04/25/15 

This was to double check that the NBT IDrive Controller that came with the wood trim wasn't broken and to confirm my theory that my car was still running on the CIC CANBUS for the IDrive Controller. I was correct that this IDrive Controller wouldn't work, but I still didn't know if my head unit would be compatible with the older CIC Controller. This confirmed to me that my head unit wouldn't be able to accept NBT controllers. 

CIC/NBT 6582 9286700-03 (Figure 2), Production Date: 06/17/14

When I bought this controller, I thought I was getting a P/N of 6131 9253944 (Listing Title) or a P/N of 6582 9286699-01 from 2012 (Pictures in the listing) since this was what the description said on the Ebay seller's page. When the controller arrived, I actually got a P/N of 6582 9286700-03 from 2014. I thought this IDrive controller would work because this controller was supposed to be the CIC 7 button controller that would work with my head unit, but it didn't. I'm guessing that this could be an NBT version since: 

So this IDrive Controller needed to be returned and it was back to sourcing a true CIC 7 button IDrive Controller.

If I can get the 7 button CIC IDrive Controller working with my head unit, I can install the CIC Controller Cover and achieve an NBT Controller functionality and look without having to tap into the ZGW harness and code the controller or retrofitting an NBT head unit.

CIC 6582 9267955-01 (Figure 2), Production Date: 07/28/12

This controller was produced before 2013 and I made sure that its P/N was compatible per the realoem website. However, this controller still didn't work and I have no idea why. I ended up returning this IDrive Controller.

Unfortunately, my assumptions were incorrect and even the supposedly compatible CIC IDrive Controller didn't work. I decided to go with an alternative option. 

IDrive Controller Alternative Options:

If I am unable to get the 7 button CIC IDrive Controller to work, I have a few ideas left to at least get a satisfactory result for my IDrive. 

Current IDrive Controller:

After trying a compatible 7 button CIC IDrive Controller and finding out that it doesn't work. I ended up going with option 2. The bigger IDrive Controller cover makes the IDrive look significantly better and I like the feel of it more than the OEM 5 button IDrive Controller. As of now, I have finished upgrading my IDrive Controller, and thus, this ends my chapter in trying to upgrade my IDrive Controller. In the end, I only spent about $20 adding the cover to the IDrive Controller knob, the controller ended up looking much better, and I didn't have to spend around $150-200 upgrading my IDrive Controller so I'm pretty happy overall. Although, I'm disappointed in not being able to get the CIC 7 button controller to work, I'm still happy with the outcome. 

E. Sport Gear Shifter:

Although there were no functional issues with my IDrive gear shifter, I liked the look and feel of the sport gear shifter. Some benefits are that it has a genuine leather boot and is much wider and more comfortable to hold. The sport gear shifter looks significantly better than the standard base gear shifter, in my subjective opinion.

The install was nice and simple. Remove the trim and the screws holding the old shifter down. The lower left screw is a little difficult to get to, but not terrible. All you have to do is bend the trim to the side until you can access the screw. Unclip the plug from the old shifter and plug it into the new shifter. Reassemble everything and everything should be fine. 

The component is a very easy swap with no hassle compared to the IDrive controller, where extensive research and digging was needed. 

Planned Exterior Mods:

My bumpers will be good quality, but I will get a cheap diffuser, spoiler, and front lip since they are more prone to damage. I feel like this is a good way to go about modding the aesthetic aspects of the car. Currently, I don't feel like there is a need for the M3 Fenders. I'm not quite convinced of doing this yet as the bumpers really are for aesthetics and won't really do much for the sheer cost it takes to do them. I'm not sure if I'll change anything as the cost for getting the bumpers and painting them is ludicrous. 

Details of Exterior Mod Components:

A. Spyder 12-14 BMW F30 Projector LED Headlights (F80 M3 Style):

When I bought the headlights, they came stock with H7 halogen bulbs for the low beam and high beam projectors and PY21W halogen bulbs for the turn signals. I decided to install LEDs for better visibility. 

Hikari 2023 20000 Lumen H7 LEDs:

What I learned: 

LEDs must be installed properly (3 and 9 o'clock directions) for the best beam pattern and for the proper safety of other drivers. You can blind other drivers if you don't align your beams correctly. 

Matte Black 6 Double Slat Kidney Grilles:

B. Front Bumper:

C. Exhaust:

Stock Bumper:

Unfortunately, when I got the car it already had some previous damage. The car had been backed into by a truck and the tow hitch ripped a hole into the bumper. 

M Sport Bumper:

I took this as an opportunity to upgrade the looks of the bumper as well as fixing the hole. I ordered a replacement M Sport bumper and had a shop paint the bumper. I'm very happy with the result and the car looks great. 

A. Headlight Installation and Details:

H7 Halogen Bulb:

Hikari 20000 LM H7 LED:

F80 M3 Style Headlights:

Here are the headlights. They came with halogen H7 and PY21W bulbs stock. I was able to replace the projector halogens with LEDs.

Headlight Test Setup:

I hooked a power supply to the headlights and tested the connector to see which pins corresponded to which lights. Here is the setup.

Low Beam:

High Beam:

Daytime Running Lights:

Turn Signal:

Cutoff/Beam Pattern:

You can see the *CRISP* cutoff and beam pattern after installing the Hikari LEDs and shining low beam projectors at my door. I have them pointing at my door because I had my headlights hooked up to a PSU.

Projection:

You can see how well the Hikari LEDs do in reaching all the way across my apartment from the far side of my room all the way to the front door. This is roughly 40 feet. 

Headlight Connector Pin Mapping:

Pin 1: Daytime Running Lights (Dim) - Angel Eyes

Pin 2: High Beam (Inside Projector) - Hikari LEDs

Pin 3: Daytime Running Lights (Bright) - Angel Eyes

Pin 4: Low Beam Projector (Outside Projector) - Hikari LEDs

Pin 5: Ground 

Pin 6: Turn Signal - PY21W (Stock)

Headlight Installation Details:

Before: Stock OEM Halogens

After: Spyder Headlights with HIKARI LEDs

Before: Stock OEM Halogens

After: Spyder Headlights with HIKARI LEDs

Headlight Install:

The install wasn't too difficult - just extremely time consuming. This was for a few reasons, mainly the fact that I didn't have the proper tools during the install. I knew that the install could be done without having to jack up the car, but this made the install significantly more difficult. 

During the install, the steering wheel needs to be turned several times throughout in order to remove the fender liner (optional, but makes installment much easier). having a proper jack and jack stands would've made the whole process easier. 

After performing this install, I was unhappy with the way the front end looked because my left headlight was lower than my right. Because the front bumper seats into both head light housings, the left headlight would pull down on right side of the bumper causing a dip in the top left of the bumper and slight bulge in the upper right side of the bumper. In my photos you can see the misalignment. Additionally, I knew the bumper was being pushed out as I had installed the headlights with the mounting points at their maximum length (suggested by videos I watched), which created tension in the bumper mounting points along the fender. I believe this also added to the tilt caused by the left headlight. 

After taking roughly 5-7 hours installing the headlights with limited mobility, I've decided to purchase a floor jack and jack stands to make realignment easier. I would've needed a floor jack anyway to do my own oil changes. 

DRL Running:

Low Beam:

High Beam:

Headlight Install Continued:

I should've been using the floor jack and jack stands all along. making adjustments on the headlights was significantly easier after using these tools. I went from taking 2-3 hours to take the front bumper off to about 30 minutes. 

After installing the headlights, I had flickering issues with my headlights so I contacted HIKARI and was able to get CANBUS LED Resistors to mitigate the flickering. It was another day in the garage removing the front bumper and adjusting the headlights. At this point, I was able to reduce the length of the mounting points and eliminate the tension in the bumper mounting points along the fender. The trick was to not actually have the headlight mounting points at max length. I was then able to install the CANBUS resistors and eliminate the flickering. However, the left side of my bumper was still slightly lower while my right side was perfectly aligned and it was driving me crazy.

While making more adjustments to my left headlight (my right headlight was perfect at this point), I found that the latching hooks for the hood could be adjusted. After giving the left hood latch a few turns to make its length shorter, I had the left side of the hood perfectly aligned with the left side of the front bumper. I was ecstatic knowing that it wasn't a headlight mounting issue - the headlight mounting points aren't really that adjustable - rather that it was a simple fix with using the hood latching point. My hood and bumper were matched up perfectly after this. 

After installing the CANBUS resistors and getting the headlights to run smoothly I still had my beam pattern to figure out. Prior to adjusting the beam pattern, my headlights were aimed so low that I was actually still having a difficult time seeing the road. I found that I didn't have to remove the fender liner to access the headlight beam pattern screws and this was a huge relief as I wouldn't have to jack up my car. 

Before Hood Adjustment:

After Hood Adjustment:

Hood Latching Hook:

Tips for Proper Installation:

Fender Liner Removal:

Bumper Removal/Installation: 

Headlight Install: 

B. Front Bumper Details:

M Sport Front Bumper:

The M Sport has a friendlier looking smile.

M3 Front Bumper:

The M3 has a more aggressive look.

C. Exhaust Details:

For the exhaust, I really don't like the look of the single exhaust tip so I wanted to find something that had twin tips while still being California legal. For catback options, I found that AWE and Remus had full catback options while Remus and Active Autowerke had muffler exhuast options. Additionally, I could replace my 320i exhaust with a 328i exhaust to achieve the twin tip exhaust look. Currently, what seems to be the easiest catback exhaust option would be the Remus because you can order a connector that comes with the exhaust. For everything else, you need a 60 mm (Diameter of stock 320i exhaust) to 75 mm (Diameter of aftermarket and 328i exhaust) exhaust adapter. 

Stock 328i Exhaust:

Remus Exhaust:

Active Autowerke Exhaust:

Exhaust System:

To get the stock 320i exhaust to work with a twin exhaust, I need to use an adapter. The stock 320i exhaust has a diameter of 60 mm and the stock 328i exhaust has a diameter of 75 mm. 

There are lots of exhaust systems that are created for the 328i with twin exhuasts so to get these exhausts to work on my 320i, I would need an adapter that goes from a diameter of 60 mm to 75 mm. 

In order to keep my car California legal, I decided to go with an axel-back exhaust to retain the stock catalytic converters with much less hassle than full cat-back systems. When looking into twin tip exhausts, I found that there are cheap tail pipe add-ons that give you the twin tip look, but I wanted the slight performance increase and deeper sound of a good exhaust. The add on just feels cheap and ricey. 

Modifications to the rear bumper must be made to accommodate the new twin exhaust. I will most likely use a template to cut out the exhaust when I get to this step.

Bill of Materials:

BMW F30 320i build