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I've been running the stock plastic charge pipe for going in 4 years with a JB4 & Dinan Stage 1, at different times, seasons and temperatures, including a lot of 3am, "spirited" driving, in Mexico, of course - yet, never had a single issue..
I don't want to say that the OEM pipe on BMWs are flawless because there have been some notable examples of them cracking and it would not be fair to the folks that experienced unwarranted failure but I would venture to say this is mostly an issue to be addressed, if pushing a higher mileage vehicle or above-average boost levels.
After all the fear-mongering that was disperse here, throughout the years, regarding this potential failure, I was expecting it pop, at any given moment. I even had backup duct tape, replacement clamps and couplers, ready to go but ultimately I never needed it.
I still have warranty left, so I'm going to ride out the risk of it failing over replacing it with an aluminum pipe because of a few reasons.
One, being that a metal pipe would severely heat-soak over plastic and I believe it's kind of asinine that aftermarket aluminum pipes are claiming ultimate durability, when some utilizes silicone couplers and elbows, which is a form of rubber, vulnerable to expansion or ballooning.. It's almost seems like they're trading one potential design flaw for another and disguising this glaring fact.
Also, the end connect of an aluminum pipe retaining the OEM C-clip doesn't make a flexible mating hold to TB/housing, as the plastic pipe contours and does. Metal to metal would never flex and could potentially slip out, when vibrated.
Ultimately, the plastic pipe has been good to me and if it ever pops, I'm just going to chuck it up to wear and tear and replace it with an OEM piece..
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