[djjasper]

1. I had the opportunity to inspect my intake valves in the Helix shop after the manifold was removed and take a good look at (and feel) the carbon sludge itself. The thing that surprised me the most and to some extent was the most alarming, was the consistency and texture of the build-up material. There is a moisture content and kind of a crystalline structure to it which is not that apparent in most of the pictures I have seen. It is almost like grains of sand bonded together with a thick, slightly moist sludge, rather than the hard, flaky build-up you might expect like on your barbecue grill. Because of this, once the buildup starts I would imagine the growth is probably exponential due to the jagged surface, the ever-expanding area of build-up, and the stickiness of the coating as it develops. Yuck!

My car is 5 years old with 53,000 miles on it and from what I saw, this process should probably have been done a couple of years ago- probably nearer to 30,000 miles rather than 50,000. For a car that gets highway driven and accumulates mileage faster it may be ok to wait. As this process becomes more common and there is more data collected, the experts will probably come to a consensus on the recommended maintenance interval, but judging by the severity of build-up in my valves I am just glad to have gotten it done when I did.

2. Just like with anything else, it takes longer to do it right, so make sure you trust the shop and the tech who is operating the machine. The most severe buildup seems to be down at the valve seats which is of course at the deepest part of the port and thus the hardest to reach, so it may take just as long to get that last 10% as it took to do the first 90%. Again, YOU HAVE TO TRUST YOUR TECH. It would be easy to do a half-assed job on this.

3. Anyone who follows the "old-school maintenance schedule" should add this to the list of maintenance requirements every 30-50,000 miles. Obviously the maintenance of a fairly new DI motor is not going to be part of any "old-school" maintenance schedule…

4. I did not buy my car new and I have only known the engine-tone, feel, and performance as the 2nd owner. I have driven and ridden in many new and late-model BMWs however, and I can tell you that my car now feels like new. The engine tone is even, steady, and smooth at idle. There is no fluctuation on the tach anymore. Acceleration is smooth and unencumbered. This is a great service.

[MCweapon]

How long does this take? Can you wait for it or do you have to leave your car.

[djjasper]

From what saw of the process it is a good 20-30 minutes per port. So if you figure almost 3 hours working the blaster and another maybe hour or more to get the manifold and everything else off and then back on again, that's going to be a pretty long wait. Plenty to do in Manayunk though if you do want to wait. Or bring a bike and ride the trail. It's right there. Hmm, maybe Helix should get a loaner mountain bike!

[eric@helix]

Originally Posted by djjasper

From what saw of the process it is a good 20-30 minutes per port. So if you figure almost 3 hours working the blaster and another maybe hour or more to get the manifold and everything else off and then back on again, that's going to be a pretty long wait. Plenty to do in Manayunk though if you do want to wait. Or bring a bike and ride the trail. It's right there. Hmm, maybe Helix should get a loaner mountain bike!

I'm thinking beach cruiser

[woptang22]

Haha, the guys at HELIX are great. They know their stuff and easy to talk to. Anything someone needs for their BMW or Mini, HELIX can do it. Love that shop.

[badblkX6]

I too have nothing but great things to say about Helix. Great guys that do great work!

[WhiteonWheat]

Hey Guys,

I've seen this walnut blasting mentioned before and just read through all the comments.

I'm new to BMW, so y'all would have to tell me. I have a 2011 e90 LCI 335i with 10,390 on her. Do I need to do this for the N55 engine and would you still recommend doing it around 30,000 miles?

Also - I'm located in the Atlanta area - anyone that can highly recommend a good BMW shop, I'm all ears.

Thanks Guys!
-WoW

[turugara]

Originally Posted by WhiteonWheat

Hey Guys,

I've seen this walnut blasting mentioned before and just read through all the comments.

I'm new to BMW, so y'all would have to tell me. I have a 2011 e90 LCI 335i with 10,390 on her. Do I need to do this for the N55 engine and would you still recommend doing it around 30,000 miles?

Also - I'm located in the Atlanta area - anyone that can highly recommend a good BMW shop, I'm all ears.

Thanks Guys!
-WoW

Considering how new your engine and car is, I'd probably say wait till 30,000 mile. You'll get more value for your money then.

[WhiteonWheat]

^ Sounds about right - wait until 30,000. Thanks so much for the feedback bro!

Anyone know of a really great BMW shop that offers this service around the Atlanta area??

Thanks Guys!
-WoW

[e90n54]

Just wanted to add my 2 cents...

I have about 58,500 miles on my 2007 E90 335i MT. At about 45-50,000 miles I started noticing the dreaded hesitation/jerkiness. Mostly at highway speeds when going from 60-70-80 mph in 5th or 6th gear.

Every time (must have been 2-3 occasions) I'd bring it in to the dealership to have it checked out, my SA would tell me that the tech was not able to reproduce the problem and no fault codes had been thrown. Finally, I asked my SA if I could take the tech out on a test drive to show him exactly what I was doing to reproduce the hesitation. He agreed and after experiencing the issue first hand, the tech and SA acknowledged the issue and agreed to admit my car and give it a closer look.

I got a call back that afternoon and was told that they'd be replacing my (still original) HPFP. I pick up the car, and the minute I take it onto the highway, hesitation again. WTF?! I give my SA a call and he says to bring it back in.

They decide to open a PUMA case and the mothership instructs them to take off the intake manifold and look for carbon build up. They found major carbon build up and recommended getting a walnut blast. My SA told me that it would not be covered under the CPO warranty, only under the new vehicle warranty. But, since it was on record I had been complaining about the issue before the original warranty expired, they would get BMW NA to cover the costs.

I just picked up the car this afternoon and it feels like a different car. No more hesitation. Acceleration and idle is much improved and smoother.

Regarding preventive maintenance, my SA recommended two things 1) have a fuel system cleaning service done about every 30,000 miles 2) use only top tier premium gas (Chevron, Shell, or 76). Can anyone shed any light on what's performed during that service? I'm thinking I might just have the walnut blast done every 40-50,000 miles.

[djjasper]

An update and one thing I forgot.

Over the weekend I got to really open up the throttle out on the highway. There was a very discernable difference in the amount of pull under WOT, and in the smoothness of the power delivery, which I monitored and scientifically verified on the butt dyno.

The other thing is something which people may have been wondering about which is related to the process. My battery was disconnected for safety precautions during the engine disassembly, and I am happy to report that all of the coding I have gotten done was still fully intact and operational once the car was powered back on.

Oh, and one other thing, if any of you Philly folks, or Delaware, Chester, or Montgomery County types are getting up there in mileage you ought to check in with Eric at Helix and see about scheduling to get this service done. Running like a new car!

[Brooklyn e70]

If you dont mind me asking how much they charge you ? Looking to get my cleaned also.

[MCweapon]

I think they're $499.

[Sal@AUTOcouture]

def needed it!

[woptang22]

Originally Posted by eric@helix

I'm thinking beach cruiser

Hey Eric, any interest on a walnut shell blasting group buy? Im at 37,xxx miles and probably going to need the intake valve cleaning soon.

[eric@helix]

Originally Posted by woptang22

Hey Eric, any interest on a walnut shell blasting group buy? Im at 37,xxx miles and probably going to need the intake valve cleaning soon.

Yeah, let me put something together. I'm out of town until Monday: TBA

[woptang22]

Originally Posted by eric@helix

Yeah, let me put something together. I'm out of town until Monday: TBA

Sounds good eric.

[BlueBimmer]

Originally Posted by eric@helix

Yeah, let me put something together. I'm out of town until Monday: TBA

I'm in if this is happening soon!

[oshusttoley]

ill be in if this happens in about a week. i have almost 38k on it... should i want till 50?

[djjasper]

Originally Posted by oshusttoley

ill be in if this happens in about a week. i have almost 38k on it... should i want till 50?

Unfortunately you won't know the extent of your sludgebutter until you pop off the manifold. Do you have any symptoms that might point to an intake problem- stumbling at idle, blips in acceleration, or in general not running as smooth as it used to. With mine, the difference was dramatic, and like I said, it runs like a 2012 now, not a 2007.

[AntTwon]

I would be interested in this as well. I am from CT but frequent the Philly area. Been wanting to gather some details on having this done for quite some time. Sounds well worth the money. Thanks for the review

[oshusttoley]

Originally Posted by djjasper

Unfortunately you won't know the extent of your sludgebutter until you pop off the manifold. Do you have any symptoms that might point to an intake problem- stumbling at idle, blips in acceleration, or in general not running as smooth as it used to. With mine, the difference was dramatic, and like I said, it runs like a 2012 now, not a 2007.

maybbeeee a blib while idle at stop light but not dramatic or a lot at all...maybe i can push it off for a another 10k