Well, I wouldn't say Nowack is totally bad. In Charles case, yes very bad.
But I met Dragos (another N500 owner) and he was very satisfied. And I was very impressed by that car. No black smoke when flooring, not dirt on the back of the car from running too rich as on some standard M5s and less oil cunsumption. Combine this with ALOT of HP and you are a satisfied owner.
I saw a head-to-head race with the N500 vs a standard M5 (only Kelleners exhaust) and before third gear the standard M5 was overtaken by ease. Impressive.
And my impression of the Nowack company is that it is mainly enthusists who want to build the fastest M5 instead of a company who want to maximize it's profits. More enthusiasts than businessmen. And it's good they are like that becasue otherwise we wouldn't have the option to get a 500 HP Porsche Turbo eating M5 but instead like AC Schnitzer producing cosmetic stuff and no engine kits.
But as I said before a customer should not be treated like Charles.
The danger is if Nowack gets too big and can't focus enough on each individual customer. As Charles. That would be too bad and lead to a loss of credibility. But i am still very impressed with Nowack.
Charles, I really feel for you on this one. I was quite curious about the whole Nowack thing, but your experience has put me off. Thanks for the info and best of luck with the car.
Charles,
My heart breaks for you because I can sense the disappointment in your not achieving the dream you are entitled to.
I have had similar experiences with aftermarket stereo equipment and the thing is, for people who are enthusiasts, you kind of live and die with it for a few weeks/ months and it begins to sap your energy.
I think we all appreciate your sharing your story with us and you seem to be fair, telling us the good, bad and unfortunately the ugly.
if you can live with it then thats great. but I couldnt- everyday would be a reminder of a bad situation. I would put it up for sale and tell whom ever is interested in the car all about it- good bad and ugly. There is bound to be a gear head who would look at the car as a bit of a project. Then Id get a M5 and perhaps Id use BMW Individual to do some interior mods and maybe an individual exterior color and leave it alone.
I can tell you this from my experiences with things like this- time will help with the sense of disappointment.
Finally, I wonder if Nowack cant resolve the mid range rpm power cutout issue if they wouldnt mind giving you a bit of a rebate since you didnt get all that you paid for.
Originally posted by Gustav But I think one thing is important regarding M5 Tuners. AC Scnitzer doesn't have any engine tuning. Hartge and Kelleners have 450 HP kits but no one have the knowledge / enthusiasm / spirit to develop the full potential of the M5 as Nowack do.
For the record Hartge's kit has 460hp and Kelleners' 465hp.
Or more correct Kelleners' kit gives you at least 65hp more.
I think there can be a million reasons why Kelleners and perhaps even Hartge choose not to develop a 500hp kit. IMO, skill and knowledge are not the reason. With Charles' story in recent memory issues such as reliability, quality, etc. springs to mind.
"I also noticed that the 0 - 60 time is 4.5 sec and a top speed just under 200mph. That seems like a modest improvement over the stock car for all that cash & 100 additional ponies.
Am I missing something "
Yes. That 0-60 is a pointless measurement for comparing two cars' performance and is more about getting a good launch than absolute power.
If the Nowack car really does have 500bhp vs. stock 400bhp, it will be significantly quicker from, say, 0-100 or 30-70.
Don't get fooled into thinking people only modify cars to improve 0-60 times or that 0-60 actually means anything relevant to real-world performance.
sorry to hear about your bad experience! on the plus side, at least your BMW garage seem to know their stuff and are willing to fix the problems (I know you'll be paying for the privilege, but I can imagine them saying "we're not touching it")
it would really be a waste of money and effort not to enjoy the final results - I'm sure when you get your car back it will help you see the upside and remember why you originally started this 450 rwhp... brmmm.... brmmm....
anyway, if you can make any of the upcoming meets (23rd Feb etc) please come along. I'm sure everyone will be salivating heavily over your car...
Answering Bobafett's point, i haven;t contacted Nowack since i got the car back, because after my experiences to date I can't imagine what they are going to say to expalin themselves....
The heat shield was like that when we got your car?
The oil hoses were fine when we took delivery from you?
There's not a lot they can say other than "sorry", and that's not a whole heap of help. As I said, I've just chalked this one down to experience and tried to get my local dealer to make the best of it. In fact, I will not be in contact with then ever again, that I can imagine. ...... Anyway, I guess I have to rememebr that I do have a beast which puts down 452 hp and 460 ft lb on the road and (barring the odd hiccup if I really push it) will see off virtually anything else around.
Having been so negative about my expiriences to date (I'm a a natural pessimist -- it helps with the job) , I guess I really should make the best when I get my baby back from the local dealer.
I promise, i will post a non-Nowack related, optimisitc comment sometime !!
Ian, when and where is the meet on the 23rd? i'll try to post you direct to get the info. ........
I feel for you in this tale of trial and tribulations.
I guess you, amongst a few others on this board, is a pioneer in the quest for the holy grail. Unfortunately, most pioneers suffer some form of hardship as they have little else to guide them. Their value is that what they gained in experience will make the followers' journeys a little easier.
If this is any comfort to you at all, please know that whoever is thinking about the N500 will be thankful to you for helping them with their homework.
Hope everything works out for the best in the long run. At least you have a machine that will not give an inch to any exotic supercar on the road, and that must be a good feeling.
450 rwhp... brmmm.... brmmm....
Linear Mode
