Borla Cat Back Exhaust on E46 M3

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#1
I just had a Borla Cat Back EXhaust put on my 05 e46 M3, and it sounds great, but as soon as I drove over 50 miles, the oil gauge on my dash indicated that the oil level was low.

I just had the car serviced that day, so I am very curious how this happened. I plan on putting some oil in the car, any recommendations?

Also, does anyone have any input about how this cat back exhaust system would affect the warranty? I plan on putting the old exhaust system back on when I take it back to service. There was no welding involved or anything invasive.

Are there any oil lines that might have been jeopardized by this install near the exhaust area?

BTW, the car is notably quicker. I took it to the track, and I ran a 13.35 in the 1/4 mile, at 103.7 mph on a hot, humid day. The best I ever did was 13.39 with a tailwind and really good air, dry cool air temp.
 
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#2
a few guys in the rx8 club have the borla, but most of their issues were fitment and noises that required going back and either having it replaced under warranty and/ or re-fitted. am not sure about the oil loss, but that does sound wierd.

is it possible to physically feel a 0.04 second time difference? <lol> the smallest time interval i can "feel" maybe is the time it takes me to blink my eyes. even that is nearing a second. the main thing is that u r happy w/ the exhaust. :)
 
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#3
Cat back and oil loss should not be at all related. Reminds me of the joke about "muffler bearings". Maybe the muffler bearings are bad and using oil. [hihi]

By law, Cat back will not affect warranty.
 
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#4
thanks for the heads up. Overall I usually run a 13.5 to a 13.7 depending on the conditions in the 1/4 mile. With regard to the Borla mod, I was running consistent 13.3, and the torque is very noticeable. It sounds very loud and is instantly recognizeable. A big improvement over the "dirty" looking stock tips of the stock muffler.

The last response about the cat-back not being able to affect the warranty by law is interesting. Is there a resource that I can use to find that out, or confirm that? I would think that BMW can do whatever they want and make the warranty void for any reason. Keep in mind that I still have the old muffler, and I want to install it before I take it into servicing.. what if I didn't have it done by BMW?
 

Big Daddy

Senior Member
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#5
I have numerous upgrades, Dinan suspension, Dinan strut bar, Dinan software, and more and have never had a warranty claim denied (these were not done at BMW dealer). What Kirby is referring to is that if your car comes in for some warranty work to be done on the transmission, for example, they cannot deny it because you have altered the exhaust. Now if you want a warranty claim exhaust related, they could deny that.
 
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#8
Great. Overall, there is a rattling in the muffler though, because the mechanic left a piece from the OEM so when I put the stock muffler back on, it would't be obvious or damaged. Now I'm thinking to just get a few of those pieces for when I need to swap it and get it serviced, so I don't hear the tinny noise in 3rd gear.

I can't explain the torque that this muffler gave my m3. It doesn't sound guady, but just enough to get noticed. I recommend this upgrade to everyone that has an M3. Easy to install, and non invasive! It also looks great. Besides, Borla made it specially for the E46 M3!

Dinan is the way to go, but I heard that their mufflers only have one functional on each side. is that true? The Dinan chip is my next upgrade and a good air filter. Who nows, I might even get a methanol injection....
 


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