[F3thirty5]

Guys,

Apologize in advance for the newbie type questions

I have a 2008 335XI Coupe. I had the aggressive Dinan tune installed by the dealership for over a year now and I am very happy with the performance over stock. I went for this tune because I wanted to still take my car to the dealer for service, liked the Dinan warranty etc.

I am a bit confused about what mods will effect my warranty and give me trouble at the dealership (i.e. I keep reading about guys who install different intakes and have to change them back to stock if they want "free" work done at the dealership).

Here is what I am considering, will I have any trouble?

I want to install the Vishnu exhaust system. Will this automatically void my warranty? Anybody running the Vishnu exhaust? How do you like it? Should I expect any error codes with this catback system?

If I alter the intake, do I have to take it apart and put back the stock one if I want to have the dealership service my car for free and fix anything covered under the warranty? (Would like the Dinan CAI, but $1,000!!). Are there any drop-in filters that are better than others? I saw some going for over $100 and the K&N is about $65.

I should say, I drive this car everyday. I can't really afford to void the warranty (or have a warranty backing me up).

Thanks for the help!!

[._.]

If you are worried about you warranty and not able to remove the mods every time you go in for service (and leave no trace of the removal), don't mod. Don't think exhaust would cause a problem though, however some dealers are PITAs

[Overlord]

The cosmetic mods won't be an issue. It's when ytou start playing with performance mods that you could run into issues (especially flashing). You can go all BMW performance mods and that will keep you safe when done by the dealer, but most the after market stuff will out perform. Depends on what you want to get out of the car.

[howiedds]

i think if you install non dinan parts with dinan tune...the warranty is gone!

[cn555ic]

Since your worried about warranty and you already have the Dinan tune, your best bet would be the expensive Dinan intake....Installing the Dinan intake your Dinan warranty will still be covered.....As for the exhaust, being that your worried about warranty, I would go the Dinan route also...I realize that if you do choose the Dinan products, you may walk out of their installation shop without any arms or legs!!!lol

[F3thirty5]

Yeah, I spent the $$$ on the Dinan flash. Like I said, i have had no problems and I am happy with the performance. I think the exhaust and the intake are the only other mods I want to consider to get the most out of the tune. The Dinan intake is really expensive, but I can't picture taking the intake on and off each time you want to take the car into the dealership for service. Has to be a pain in the @ss. Since I have an XI, I read that the Rennart exhaust is only $899 and has gains over +12hp. The Dinan exhaust is exactly $1,000 more for exactly half of the hp. I need to find out if I change the exhaust will all the warranties fly out the window!!

Appreciate the input!!

[stratplaya06]

Don't buy an exhaust that doesn't remove any cats for anything but sound/looks. The hp gains are negligible. If you get an exhaust that removes the secondary cats, you chance the dealer giving you problems because of a illegally modified emissions system. Technically any removal of catalytic converters is against federal regulation.

I personally love my bmw performance mufflers, with the rest of the exhaust stock. I am probably not going to change any of the cats until a) bmw finally gets the hpfp right, or b) CP-E finally releases theirs. I cannot justify swapping out downpipes every time I need my hpfp replaced, or paying for it to be done out of my pocket.

[F3thirty5]

Probably missing the point, but if you put on the Dinan or the BMW performance mufflers, there is definitely a change in sound. I think the HP gains are negligible. All the rest of the exhaust remains stock. Its mainly a sound and maybe a different look thing.

The Rennart exhaust is $899. It looks to be Stainless and free flowing from the down pipes back. Is this wiping out cats (i.e. illegal?)? It looked to me that you got a more free flowing exhaust than stock, HP gains in the 12-15HP range, plus a different look and sound. It just seemed to make a lot more sense. My concern is that somehow the dealer would bust b@lls and not fix something under warranty (not exhaust related) or it wouldn't pass inspection.

Like I said, am I missing something? I understand the point about the intake. I am not interested in taking it on and off. I just would have to decide if DINAN is worth the $$$.

Can someone set me straight on this? THANKS!

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Depends on how important the cost of mods are, how strict your dealer is, and how you are with removal of mods if necessary.

There is no cut and dry answers to these things as some people are more flexible and can sacrifice more as well.

You have to weigh out the advanatages of savings a few dollars on a mod, to possibly have to take it off.

Or spend 4x on Dinan parts, to keep the warranty dinan offers you (which I think is a joke).... so.


IMO any exhaust isnt too much cause for concern (assuming a cat back), however they obviously wont be warranty complaints of rattles and squeeks etc

With an intake like a dual cone from say BMS, its an easy install and a 15 uninstall. So for $100 its worth it comapred to a $1000.

[Bobble]

One important point that was mentioned earlier, if you mix Dinan and other parts, NON BMW perfromance, you can risk both warranties. They will only deny for the part in question. IE change the exhaust the exhaust system and related components are the only ones affected. Dinan will not cover problems if you mix other manufacturers in there. Personally if the warranty is important and you do not want to remove and hide the fact stick either with Dinan or BMW performance. There was a vendor on here who was offering a warranty coverage program, 3rd party, but those prices were in the same ballpark as Dinan and BMW Performance so why do that?

[JayKay335i]

1. No Dinan tune is "aggressive" per say, but once you pass that 350+ hp mark you want to look into options that keep your car running cooler, put less stress on your turbos, etc.

You're not going to see 15hp from an exhaust. Period. End of story. Expect about a handful, if even that. Its downpipes that will really give you some extra HP. The down pipes have cats and the exhaust has secondary cats. If you get an exhaust you're just deleting the secondary cats and will still pass emissions. An intake is great but Dinans warranty requires you to use just dinan parts to keep their warranty. You're not going to see the crazy gains you expect from an exhaust. An intake would be great, but again, if its not Dinan or BMW you risk warranty issues.

When you go that route, its pay to play or disassemble your mods before dealer visits.

[F3thirty5]

Thanks for this info. I didn't realize that there were two sets of cats on the exhaust. There is a ton of manufacturers out there claiming double digit HP increases for the down pipe back system. I think you are basically saying that 5 or 6 HP with just the DINAN mufflers or BMW mufflers is about the same thing as these down pipe back systems, (but it will preserve the warranty).

With the "aggressive" Dinan tune, I just meant that I went for the most aggressive Dinan had. Thats the only performance mod. I have. I have the stock oil cooler and stock intercooler.

I understand about the intake too. Its basically $1,000 for Dinan or another type that you have to take on and off.

Thanks for the points in the right direction.

[HTRules]

Originally Posted by cramp

Probably missing the point, but if you put on the Dinan or the BMW performance mufflers, there is definitely a change in sound. I think the HP gains are negligible. All the rest of the exhaust remains stock. Its mainly a sound and maybe a different look thing.

The Rennart exhaust is $899. It looks to be Stainless and free flowing from the down pipes back. Is this wiping out cats (i.e. illegal?)? It looked to me that you got a more free flowing exhaust than stock, HP gains in the 12-15HP range, plus a different look and sound. It just seemed to make a lot more sense. My concern is that somehow the dealer would bust b@lls and not fix something under warranty (not exhaust related) or it wouldn't pass inspection.

Like I said, am I missing something? I understand the point about the intake. I am not interested in taking it on and off. I just would have to decide if DINAN is worth the $$$.

Can someone set me straight on this? THANKS!

You have two sets of cats on your car. While you may be able to pass emissions w/o the secondary cats (ie an exhaust from the downpipes back) ANY tampering or removal of emissions equipment is illegal. Period.

I would go with an exhaust from either BMW Performance or from Dinan. Both are smog legal, but neither will make more than roughly 5 hp, and no removal of either is required when you visit the dealership (and they both sound great).

I haven't been to the dealership yet following my Dinan CAI install, but I don't think it will be an issue - and I'm sure as hell not going to remove it!

Rick

[RambleJ]

Bottom line, since you purchased the Dinan flash if you put any mod on your car that is not from either BMW or Dinan say buh-bye to your beloved Dinan warranty.