I had the chance to spend some time with the 1er over this past weekend in order to install the new Berk midpipes I’d gotten recently, as well as take care of a few other maintenance items. I’d been getting some intermittent o2 sensor codes, which is common with single turbo setups, and since the downpipe has to be removed to access them, this would be a good time to swap those out with a new set of NTKs. The last set lasted almost 60,000 miles before they started triggering codes occasionally, so I stayed with the same brand. I also had some Redline D4 ATF and 75W90 gear oils on hand to flush out the fluids in the manual transmission and rear differential while the midpipe was out -- they were both due. Here’s a comparison pictures of my old midpipe and its shinier replacement.
After replacing the o2 sensors, which is a most unpleasant job given the extremely small amount of space to work with, I noticed how worn all of my top mount heat protection gear had become. I’d only had the turbo blanket on and off a handful of times over the nearly 60,000 miles I’d had this top mount setup, but the extreme heat had gotten the best of it. The v-band clamp attaching the downpipe to the hot side of the turbo was also destroyed during removal. The heat wrap on my downpipe was tattered and had come off in spots.
The next time I have my car torn down completely, I’ll probably take the time to have the hot parts ceramic coated and get rid of the exhaust wrap all together. Here’s a shot of the engine bay after the o2 sensors were replaced, the downpipe was reattached with a new 3 inch v-band clamp and a new Amazon turbo blanket. From what I’ve read, all the turbo blankets break down eventually, so might as well consider this something I’ll have to replace every few years. I prefer the darker color of this one, but it didn’t fit quite as snug as the one included with the ACF kit.
Installation of the Berk midpipes was pretty straightforward, but even with swivel sockets and extensions, getting all of the nuts and bolts tightens took patience. Berk included new hardware and gaskets, along with another exhaust hanger. Initially I did not install the exhaust hanger because I wasn’t sure what it was for, and experienced some rubbing. After some more research I discovered that the shorter exhaust hanger is actually for the axleback portion of the exhaust and it pulls the entire midpipe enough to avoid any vibrations from hitting the v-brace below it. Once that was corrected, everything fit nicely and wasn’t rubbing on anything. These pipes look great underneath the car mated up to the ACF downpipe and MadDad Whisper axleback.
First impressions are that volume is increased probably 20%, but still not too loud. Just perfect. The modified OEM midpipe I had been running had mellowed out some of the aggressiveness of this engine/turbo setup, but the elimination of the stock resonator and larger diameter piping from the Berk really gives the car a sinister snarl. Sound clips to come.
