[aremmell]

I am posting this thread because I would like to share my experience as a non-mechanic installing the Eventuri intake system, and because there are some things you need to know & tools you need to have that are not included in the instruction manual PDF.

N.B. I am an American, so this may confuse you if you only have access to metric tools.

1. How difficult of a job is it?

As a normal dude with a moderately complete set of tools, but without access to the stuff a pro has, I would rate the difficulty at 8/10. It took me nearly 15 hours when all was said and done due to my lack of necessary tools, stubbornness, lack of OCD-approved instructions, and extremely tight spaces/bolts you have to screw in but can't even see.

2. What tools do I need?

At the bare minimum, you will require:

- 3/8" or 1/2" torque wrench
- 9mm, 10mm, 13mm, 15mm, and 9/32" sockets
- Torx T20, T25, and T30 screwdriver bits/socket attachments (preferably magnetic)
- Torx E8 socket
- HW3 hex screwdriver bit/socket attachment
- 1/4" and 3/8" socket wrenches
- 1/4" and 3/8" socket extensions (6" should do)
- 1/4" swivel socket elbow
- Flathead screwdriver (6"+)
- Hose grip pliers (for removing breather hose on turbo inlet) - IMPORTANT!

Ideally, you should also have:

- A power driver that can fit in small spaces (something like this). Would have saved me hours.
- A jack and jack stands or ramps for when you inevitably drop tools and/or nuts and bolts into your sealed engine bay (I dropped 3 and I was being as careful as possible).
- A portable bright light or a headlamp with extra batteries. You're gonna be here a while.

3. Things that should be in the installation instructions but are not

- No torque specs are supplied for anything. The factory turbo inlet bolts came out very easily for me, so I used M539 Restoration's "guten tight" method when replacing them: just make them guten tight.
- Step 4: The turbo inlet requires quite a bit of force and wiggling to remove (it's press-fitted in) but it will come out.
- Step 5: The rubber grommet might pop out with the intake tube, so that's where it is if you can't find the one in the photo.
- Step 7: You should stick a clean microfiber towel in the turbo inlet once the tube is removed so that nothing falls in.
- Step 9: To remove the sensor plug, pull upwards on the green tab until it clicks, then press it inward while pulling up on the plug. To remove the breather hose, use your hose grip pliers to squeeze the sides of the plastic clip attaching it to the inlet. I was unable to remove the hose attaching the inlet assembly to the engine. I removed the assembly from the inlet tube, then replaced the tube and reattached it afterward.
- Step 14: You will likely have to replace the o-ring on the inlet assembly with the one in the kit. The instructions say "if it's too thick." Spoiler alert: it is.
- Step 18: The T30 replacement bolts for the turbo inlets are nonferrous and will not stick to your magnetic tools. Be extremely careful not to drop them.
- Step 19b: Instead of "the other side is more tricky to get to" it should say "the other side is nearly impossible to get to." I had good luck but spent a lot of time using a 1/4" socket wrench, extension, and T30 by placing both hands in and using both hands around the sides of the turbo actuator.
- Step 21: This is make believe. You cannot turn a tool with your hand like that and not drop the tool and/or the bolt.
- Step 30: The RHS duct may end up rubbing against sharp parts of the inside of the engine bay on the extreme right end. I placed a piece of rubber in so the carbon wouldn't get destroyed in 10 mins of driving. I have not had the chance to ask Eventuri WTF, but I plan to.
- Step 45: Instead of "is tricky" it should say "is nearly impossible." You will need to use some combination of a ratchet/socket wrench/ratcheting screwdriver plus the socket elbow, plus an extension, plus a T30. Once you start driving the bolt in, don't stop because you will have a hell of a time getting the wrench back on the bolt (it is not visible).
- Step 49: My kit only required 1 bolt
- Step 54: No, seriously, you need to put the hose *all the way* onto the turbo inlet. You will be working with nanometers to spare when you try to lower the filter housing in.
- Step 55/56: If you do not untangle some of the cables and wires attached to the coolant tank and lift it *way out of the way* upwards, you will never get the filter housing in, and you will probably think what I did: "this is against the laws of physics. F*!@ Eventuri"–but if you lift the tank way up and lower the housing in at the same time that you lower it back into place, you can get the housing in.
- Step 57: The alignment of the plaque thing is not just because Eventuri engineers have OCD–it is at that angle that the seal is best up against the other part of the intake. Make sure to line it up exactly the way they demonstrate.
- Step 58: You will likely need to tighten the hose clamp on the filter housing side, then pull the housing away from the turbo inlet while you or someone else tightens the other hose clamp. If you just let it rest where it normally would, you are not going to get a good seal on the other side of the housing.
- Step 61: Torque specs for the strut brace are 28Nm (20 ft-lbs) for the bolts on the ends of each piece, and 56Nm (41 ft-lbs) plus 90º angle of rotation for the center bolt. I have also heard that you are not supposed to reuse this bolt, but have not confirmed with my dealership yet. YMMV.

There. Now you have the full set of instructions that I wish I had 48 hours ago. Hopefully someone from Eventuri reads this and amends their pathetic document.

Godspeed!

[mike@x-ph.com]

Thank you for sharing

[aremmell]

Follow-up photos!

This is the pipe grip plier that you absolutely need to have. Auto parts stores and Harbor Freight have them; Home Depot was online ordering only for me:



And here's a photo of the RHS Eventuri up against a super sharp part of the side of the engine bay. I have placed a rubber washer there so that it doesn't get ruined before I can figure something out:

[adam12hicks]

This makes me glad I went with the Dinan intake 😳. It was a 4/10 at best to install and I love the symmetry and look. And price.

The eventuri is the coolest of them all, but IMO not for the price and installation hassle.

[aremmell]

Originally Posted by adam12hicks

This makes me glad I went with the Dinan intake 😳. It was a 4/10 at best to install and I love the symmetry and look. And price.

The eventuri is the coolest of them all, but IMO not for the price and installation hassle.

Yeah, but did you get golf ball dimpling on your turbo inlets!??! 😛 Plus, now that it's over with, I feel accomplished in a way that's only possible after severe hardship lol.

I like the Dinan, too. It really comes down to personal preference at the end of the day (I don't know what Dinan claims on perf increase). The Dinan can also look smart with their carbon strut brace setup.

[aremmell]

Follow-up:

• I did confirm with my BMW dealership that the center bolt on the V-shaped strut brace is designed to only be torqued once, and you should buy a replacement beforehand and toss the old one when you reinstall it (however, he also said that as long as the bolt does not start to feel looser as you torque it, it's probably still fine).
• Taking the nuts off of the actual strut brace beams is not how they do it at the shop–they remove the metal structure that sits on top of the strut tower on both sides, then remove the strut brace as one unit.
• Eventuri wrote me back and said they've never seen that sharp panel metal sticking out on the RHS, so it maybe a '24-only thing (or my car is a weirdo).

[forcefed]

Originally Posted by aremmell

Follow-up:

• I did confirm with my BMW dealership that the center bolt on the V-shaped strut brace is designed to only be torqued once, and you should buy a replacement beforehand and toss the old one when you reinstall it (however, he also said that as long as the bolt does not start to feel looser as you torque it, it's probably still fine).

If you read the service manual you'll be replacing every nut and bolt after you take it off. Everyone replaced the nuts on the exhaust brace? I think not...

[aremmell]

Originally Posted by forcefed

If you read the service manual you'll be replacing every nut and bolt after you take it off. Everyone replaced the nuts on the exhaust brace? I think not...

Good point; I didn't realize they said that about every bolt on the car... I'm sure it's fine. It's a BMW side hustle: selling bolts.