I Saved This Cheap F30 BMW! N20 Turbo DIY

In this video I show you how to replace the turbo on your N20 or N26 powered BMW. I do this on a 2012 328i with the N20 engine.

This video covers removing and installing a replacement turbo. I also convert the replacement turbo from electronic to pneumatic.

This car would blow smoke on start up and had a wastegate rattle sound.

If you're following this guide you would need a turbo install kit, that can be found here (affiliate):

The updated turbo feed line with the check valve can be found here (affiliate):

Special thanks to Keegan Currie for donating the turbocharger. His Instagram handle is "keegancurrie" if you would like to give a follow for some car content.

Thanks for watching :)

When you see the word "affiliate" listed beside any link in my description please know that this is a custom link and I will earn a small commission if you opt to purchase using said link. This is at no extra cost to you so it's a win all around :) Thank you!

[MrKcatx]

Glad that turbo got put to some good use!

[kevincalhoun]

So I just finished my turbo install and boy let me tell you!!! This kicked my ass but if it wasn’t for this video, I would’ve set this car on fire and watched it burn to the ground! Huge shoutout to you man! Big time! If you ever end up in South Florida, the first round is on me homie! 🤙🏽

[austinsalt]

This is the best camera work I have seen on ANY repair video! Well done.

[davidfrank]

First off I did hit the like and describe a button.

I started laughing when you were talking about the smoke coming up from the engine. I still remember the first time that happened to me. I turned my car off immediately and my father asked me what was wrong? I told him the engine was smoking after doing a complete tune-up and oil change. He told me to turn it back on and within a couple minutes it started again. I was getting ready to turn it off again and he was over there laughing and told me to leave it alone. You went through all the things that would cause it and it would stop after running for a little bit. So we jumped into the car and drove to go pick up dinner. And by the time we arrived there it was done smoking. Money came out with dinner he was laughing he told me he was watching me from the window.

Looking forward to watching more of your videos.

[Streamlined]

You sir, are a treasure to the BMW community. Nice job and great video.

[CastroJordan]

I daily drive 100 miles in one of these and it’s perfect for that. I just have a sprinter booster set on max and an afe intake and it makes the car feel very peppy. Fwiw my engine is very quiet also and no ticking, everyone says it’s loud due to the gdi but I suspect they need shorter oci’s because I change my oil frequently and no ticking. Glad you are making content on one of these.

[Mike-ogqk]

Great content. I was just talking about maintenance with my brother between my E92/N54 and his F87. You have been my favorite BMW content provider for a while. Although we do not have this model, it is always enjoyable to watch you work and see what can be done at home.

[BmwAlex]

I dont even have an f30 and these videos are just so informative

[MarioDallaRiva]

Nice! You make it look simple 👍🏻

Kudos to the turbo donor.

[covertorange]

While I don’t own any of the cars that you have on your channel (e90 m3) I always love the style of your videos and the work you do. Very satisfying!

[RidingF]

Watching this gives me hope for whenever my turbo goes bad. It’s not bad of a job just need to have some patience and remember how everything goes.

[jayjwin]

You made this all look so easy. you are at master level!

[paradeinberlin]

Seriously informative N20 content, keep it up !

[firasalwakeel]

Waaaw. Removing a turbo without the subframe, what a huge difference between this and the e90. Great video as always. Maybe the next one, would be how to replace a cracked windshield 😄

[rriis]

so, this is the second video i watched on replacing a turbo. i think it shows to me that I would rather pay someone to do the work. i got a quote from a shop that would do the labor for about $500, and the book shows it to be a 6 hour job. of course, the 6 hours is not running into any issues, not to mention they can put the vehicle on a lift and of course not run into any issues with tools, etc.

[Bimmer]

Your content is always on fire bro 🔥it's like a trophy I always save till I get off work

[joelmerimaa]

So I've finally gotten around to changing the turbo on my 320i. The reassembly is still in progress because the car is fighting me so much on every step! Probably doesn't help to have everything rusted because of the harsh winters, and the combination of xDrive & auto trans, working on the floor etc... You make it look so easy, magic of editing? 😂

[miodragmaravic]

My wife is not happy I found this video😂😅 . Great video. Thank you very much

[Jack-sdte]

post notifications, have been waiting for another f30 vid 🔥🔥

[IDontHaveAVideo]

Your videos are awesome. Keep up the good work. You’re inspiring me to get back into BMW ownership.