[335xi Kevo]

I am absolutely livid. VRSF XI Downpipes do NOT fit at all.

The stock exhaust cannot meet the downpipes at all. The rear bank turbo butts up no problem. The front bank leaves about a .5" gap at an odd angle that cannot be attached to.

I've fiddled with the thing for 2.5 hrs trying to get it to attach and nothing.

Ridiculous.

What prevents the pipe from orienting properly is the fact that 02 sensor sits directly ontop of the downpipe.

Not only have I wasted my time here, there's no way these will fit.

VRSF should pay to get these damn things installed at his expense with an entire new set.

[E90Company]

Not suprised.

[psmitty95]

Hmm where in CT are you? I had mine installed last fall and they bolted up no problem. They weren't even a production set either, they were a test fit set and still went on no problems... If you head over to the shop that did mine i'm sure they'll have no problems doing yours

[Wedge1967]

I'm sure you called and got support for this before blasting VRSF online right? I'm sure you're pissed, but 99% of the time fitment issues are caused by the installer. You probably don't have the V Clamps on right and you're not clocking the pips correctly to make them fit in the limited space you have.

So if you didn't call them and you think that blasting them on the forum is going to provided you leverage in getting them to pay for your mistakes, you have another thing coming. The vast majority of people who run VRSF haven't had issues and if they truly did, they resolved them ASAP without question.

[SGJB135i]

Originally Posted by Wedge1967

I'm sure you called and got support for this before blasting VRSF online right? I'm sure you're pissed, but 99% of the time fitment issues are caused by the installer. You probably don't have the V Clamps on right and you're not clocking the pips correctly to make them fit in the limited space you have.

So if you didn't call them and you think that blasting them on the forum is going to provided you leverage in getting them to pay for your mistakes, you have another thing coming. The vast majority of people who run VRSF haven't had issues and if they truly did, they resolved them ASAP without question.

That's very true, sorry to say but you look like a idiot for posting this before contacting the vendor. From what I've seen and read, they will help you out for sure, delete this thread and go ahead and call them talk to them and they will 100% help you. Also, the installer might not be able to do it. Go to someone with actual experience.

[pits200]

You have an xi, fitment is tighter and it may be a possibility you got i pipes.

[Lunatic Fringe]

It's completely understandable that you would be frustrated after 2.5 hours of trying to get the pipes to fit. Like others have said, contact VRSF. Tiago's a very helpful guy and will sort you out.

[Lunatic Fringe]

Originally Posted by E90Company

Not suprised.

Everytime someone has an issue with a VRSF product, you feel compelled to skewer this small business further. I can only summize that this level of disdain was caused by a childhood friendship gone sour. Perhaps you gave Tiago your tamagotchi for the day and he forgot to feed it.

[Dr. G]

Originally Posted by Lunatic Fringe

Everytime someone has an issue with a VRSF product, you feel compelled to skewer this small business further. I can only summize that this level of disdain was caused by a childhood friendship gone sour. Perhaps you gave Tiago your tamagotchi for the day and he forgot to feed it.

Sounds like this happens quite often?

[Lunatic Fringe]

Originally Posted by Dr. G

Sounds like this happens quite often?

Frankly I don't care and I'm not even suggesting that the V1's were the best fitting downpipes in the world. I had VRSF downpipes on my 335i back when it had stock turbos. They fit fine, installed them myself.

However since you ask, there are 3 very good reasons these threads pop up every once in a while.

1. VRSF has most likely cornered the vast majority of the N54 downpipe market
2. Some purchasing these pipes are on a budget and DIY with very little experience. Getting ANY downpipes to fit correctly requires some finese.
3. Only people having problems post on forums.

[2Times]

Best service I've received from any vendor on this forum came from Tiago... and that's after modding my car, selling everything, then doing it again. I had Ar DP's on my XI and they are supposedly the "best" fit and it took ~3 hours for the install by someone who has done it before. I do most of my mods, but I left the DPs to someone else. Also, make sure you have the xi DPs and not the 335i as they are different.

[135Pats]

XI is a pain in the ass bottom line. Get in touch with Tiago and hell straighten things out.

[psmitty95]

If you wind up wanting to bring it to an installer and you're near ACI Dynamix, they're the ones that installed my test fit pipes. Their number is (203) 627-1881 so give them a call and say peter sent you and they should take care of you and get the pipes to fit.

[WLF]

Originally Posted by Wedge1967

I'm sure you called and got support for this before blasting VRSF online right? I'm sure you're pissed, but 99% of the time fitment issues are caused by the installer. You probably don't have the V Clamps on right and you're not clocking the pips correctly to make them fit in the limited space you have.

So if you didn't call them and you think that blasting them on the forum is going to provided you leverage in getting them to pay for your mistakes, you have another thing coming. The vast majority of people who run VRSF haven't had issues and if they truly did, they resolved them ASAP without question.

+1

Originally Posted by 335xi Kevo

I am absolutely livid. VRSF XI Downpipes do NOT fit at all.

The stock exhaust cannot meet the downpipes at all. The rear bank turbo butts up no problem. The front bank leaves about a .5" gap at an odd angle that cannot be attached to.

I've fiddled with the thing for 2.5 hrs trying to get it to attach and nothing.

Ridiculous.

What prevents the pipe from orienting properly is the fact that 02 sensor sits directly ontop of the downpipe.

Not only have I wasted my time here, there's no way these will fit.

VRSF should pay to get these damn things installed at his expense with an entire new set.

Dude contact them directly instead of blasting them here. They have excellent customer support. and btw probably ur not skilled enough to do a DIY, take it to someone who knows what hes doing.

[ajsalida]

XI is a huge pain no doubt to put DP's in. I did mine and hope to never do it again, though I learned a lot about how to make it easier. I installed VRSF DP's, very hard to tell what is due to the part and what is due to the lack of experience on a Xi DP install.

However, I did find the bell mouth fitting on the VRSF was a tiny bit thicker than stock, so the V-bands took some effort to fit. Once they did they felt better seated than stock, which is good.

I also had a small gap between the outside DP flange and the OEM exhaust. If you undo the double hanger-clamp gizmo right behind the OEM side of the flange, as well as the diff hangers, you can easily get the two to mate up. That assumes you've rotated the bell flange around enough so the other end of the DP's flanges are roughly same plane orientation. I had zero issues with O2 sensor interference.

Also you want to test fit everything before final TQ down, esp prior to putting that subframe back up. Put the gaskets in and bolts thru flange lightly hand tight, leaving plenty of room. Then tighten down V bands, check fit. Then tighten flange bolts. Check fit. Then clamps and hangers on OEM exhaust.

Took me most of a day to do this on my back, not something I ever want to do again. Except dammit, I installed some whiteline subframe bushing inserts and a rear M3 sway bar, and to do that I loosened the exhaust up to the DP flanges. Buttoned it all up nd did some pulls, heard some creaking and groaning on 3-4 WOT shift arrgghh I had forgot to tighten the hanger clamp right after the flanges. This is an important support point for the exhaust with DP's esp.

Got to get under there and align it all again. O well.

[335xi Kevo]

Frustration won. I was going to use the shop in CT mentioned in the thread but for $500 no chance. Other posts here said NY shops do it for $250.

I can't say I'm very proud of my method of getting the downpipes to butt up to the exhaust and this shouldn't be the fix.

I used a come-along and yanked the exhaust to the downpipe and bolted it in.

The vbands were perfect. I kept twisting them back and forth ever so slightly on each pipe to get them to fit. The rear o2 is in the way causing you pain and anguish. Every time you move one it forced the other out of adjustment

The o2 rests on the other pipe.

[psmitty95]

Originally Posted by 335xi Kevo

Frustration won. I was going to use the shop in CT mentioned in the thread but for $500 no chance. Other posts here said NY shops do it for $250.

I can't say I'm very proud of my method of getting the downpipes to butt up to the exhaust and this shouldn't be the fix.

I used a come-along and yanked the exhaust to the downpipe and bolted it in.

The vbands were perfect. I kept twisting them back and forth ever so slightly on each pipe to get them to fit. The rear o2 is in the way causing you pain and anguish. Every time you move one it forced the other out of adjustment

The o2 rests on the other pipe.

ACI quoted you $500? I could have sworn last time he was there he told me xi installs he charges around the 3's... Regardless i've never found a place that would do xi for $250 considering it is a long job. The old shop I went to in Stamford quoted me $950 to do fmic and dp's which is why I stopped going there

[E90Company]

Originally Posted by Lunatic Fringe

Everytime someone has an issue with a VRSF product, you feel compelled to skewer this small business further. I can only summize that this level of disdain was caused by a childhood friendship gone sour. Perhaps you gave Tiago your tamagotchi for the day and he forgot to feed it.

"Lunatic Fringe" huh? If a company has MULTIPLE fitment issues, both what I've experienced first hand, here and on other forums, and locally then yes, of course you don't want other people working with them if they don't have to. Half the people on here don't even look at the pipes, and they have shops install it for them, so how would they know? Have you even woke up and looked at the amount of fitment threads that come up here about VRSF issues? Seems like its once a week a minimum, recently every few days. No so with the quality brands. It's been like this forever, trade $ for quality, and has been going on since 2008 with multiple different companies. Now it's starting with their catback. I know this Thiago character as much as you do, never met or talked to him. Hell of a story you came up with though...

[idrift4wd]

LOL I CANT INSTALL SO VRSF SHOULD PAY TO INSTALL THEM FOR ME LOLOLOL

is this real life? come onnn man

[Mike@N54Tuning.com]

Originally Posted by Lunatic Fringe

Frankly I don't care and I'm not even suggesting that the V1's were the best fitting downpipes in the world. I had VRSF downpipes on my 335i back when it had stock turbos. They fit fine, installed them myself.

However since you ask, there are 3 very good reasons these threads pop up every once in a while.

1. VRSF has most likely cornered the vast majority of the N54 downpipe market
2. Some purchasing these pipes are on a budget and DIY with very little experience. Getting ANY downpipes to fit correctly requires some finese.
3. Only people having problems post on forums.

I don't know how many pipes VSRF has sold but there are over 650 sets of BMS N54 pipes out in use. So I don't think the market has been corned. I do know the Xis are a real pain. For those I always suggest AR Design or CPE. I've heard of the least amount of Xi fitment issues with those brands. They cost a bit more but its worth it for the labor saved.

Mike

[Lankster]

Originally Posted by E90Company

"Lunatic Fringe" huh? If a company has MULTIPLE fitment issues, both what I've experienced first hand, here and on other forums, and locally then yes, of course you don't want other people working with them if they don't have to. Half the people on here don't even look at the pipes, and they have shops install it for them, so how would they know? Have you even woke up and looked at the amount of fitment threads that come up here about VRSF issues? Seems like its once a week a minimum, recently every few days. No so with the quality brands. It's been like this forever, trade $ for quality, and has been going on since 2008 with multiple different companies. Now it's starting with their catback. I know this Thiago character as much as you do, never met or talked to him. Hell of a story you came up with though...

Perhaps I can shed some philosophical light on this subject. People who buy VRSF are mostly on a budget, and will have either just barely scrapped the money together to buy these DPs, or have enough but dont want to spend more money for someone to install for them. So, they think "hey, Im on a forum and I have 200 posts already so Im pretty sure I can figure this out. Ill just do it myself!" Then they attempt and get stuck, frustrated, etc. Especially with XI! Then these posts come up since they figure that their post is completely different from everyone else's problems with the same exact product... and BAM here we are.

Those who can afford CPe and all the higher, more expensive brands are either long time car aficionados, or have the resources to pay for an installer. So troubles that are ran into by those guys are usually very rare circumstances where its less of an installer issue and more of a rarity car/product problem. But if they have the experience they can fix themselves, or the resources to have someone else do it for them.

In the end, everyone on the forum is either trying to make a few bucks or save a few. If we were all limitless resources, wouldnt we just go out and have speed freaks or something make our cars for us and we just drive?

[335xi Kevo]

I have the resources for AR's but can't justify the expense. Why pay the inflated cost for the brand?

Mind you these were the old version of the XI pipes since a revision has been released.

I can't make it up, no matter how you twist the pipe one 02 sensor is slightly in the way. 8mm would solve the issue.

As for the installation, I don't pay people to do something that is easy. I've big turbo'd my GTI, done numerous timing belts, swapped turbos on Audis etc. Air ride install on an r32. I feel competent in tackling the pipes.

The fix was yanking the exhaust into position. If the pipes were fully divorced this would not have been an issue.