how much did the supercharger cost you

[infoe330i]

and sorry im kinda ignorant to the ecc talk and al lthat if i got a supercharger on my steptronic wha twould i have to send in for replacement and all that key entrance stuff you were taling about

[MarvelPhx]

Yes, you need to remove and send them your ECU (Engine Control Unit). I believe it is on the firewall inside the car on the passenger side.

They will remap your ignition and throttle mappings, remove the top speed limiter, raise the rev limiter, etc. Pre-E46 had a removable IC chip that you could replace with a new one. Now, it is attached to the circuit board and the entire unit must be sent in. One of the major reason for this is that they must retrieve your keyless entry code overlay from your existing chip and encode it into the new programming.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: MarvelPhx on 2001-08-22 15:16 ]</font>

[Greeps]

Will they cross ship a loaner ECU so as to avoid the downtime?

I could live without the keyless entry for a couple of weeks if I could use the car.

[Darius]

No they will not cross ship any ECU, plan on having the car down for 1-2 weeks.

[garycck]

hey Darius where you got your ESS s/c form?...
I'm in the bay area too so Im just wondering...
and how much is that?

[morcheeba]

It's not just the keyless entry code, it's also the electronic code built into the key that provides another level of theft protection.

I know I didn't explain that well, so here's a more detailed try. The key actually has two radio functions -- the first is the long-distance unlocking (the two master keys have this function). The second is the theft prevention. This works at a short range - the ring around the key hole is actually a coil antenna. You'll notice that the two keys that don't have a remote still have electronics (this is especially noticable on the all-plastic emergency key).

One solution would be to see if the code is printed on the ECU - I'm not sure if it is, or if the serial number has to be looked up by bmw. Another solution would be to send one of the keys ahead, they could read the code from it, and then send you the proper ECU. But all that's more complicated, and swapping ECUs (as opposed to reprogramming) is probably more of a warranty hassle than they want to deal with. A third solution would be a programmer that they sent you, a.l.a. the shark injector, and you could return when done.

[Greeps]

Or I could buy a shark injector and then send it to them for them to program.

When a car is your only ride, it makes a difference whether the install time is really 8-12 hours or two weeks.

I'm also looking into the Aatuning supercharger kit. I wonder if they have a solution for the 1-2 week downtime.

[Darius]

Greeps,

I ordered the SC directly from ESS. The cost was $6K. I am not sure if the shark would work. You should send ESS an E-mail about it.

[MarvelPhx]

There is a fix in the works for this downtime issue, more along the way of getting it back within 2 days and never having to leave the US... and I am directly involved... details to come.