[Daya]

I know that the aftermarket options (i.e. Vishnu, AA, JB, etc) have comparable if not higher gains than Dinan but for peace of mind regarding warranty (yes, I know it is a Dinan warranty, not a BMW warranty) and convenience the extra $500 is worth it for me.

Local support is very important for me as well - I have 4 Dinan Shops within an hour driving of me but only one shop that does AA. I cannot get any local support for Vishnu that I know of, I should probably do more research, though.

I don't go to the 1/4 mile track so I am not too concerned with a horsepower/torque war. I occasionally autocross but that is more driver skill than anything.

I come from the aftermarket VW/Audi scene but I guess I am falling into the "Dinan Demographic" that many people are referring to.

All I want is a reliable option to bump my power when I start to get "used" to the power the stock 335 offers and not worry about warranty and messing around under the hood. Most people claim they feel like they have a completely new car after an ECU upgrade.

I find it interesting that people will spend thousands of dollars on wheels/tires (myself included), hundreds to thousands of dollars on body kits/cosmetic mods, thousands of dollars on brake kits, but bitch and moan when the Dinan option is $500 more than the competition and is "over-priced."

+80hp and +100tq at the engine is a pretty significant power upgrade for $2000, try to get that power/money ratio on a NA car

Again, all are great aftermarket options, and we should feel lucky that as consumers we have so many choices. As long as the Dinan proves itself in real life at the dyno I am sold.

Just my $.02

[e90AW335i]

Get ready for some flamming.....

[ybbiz34]

Originally Posted by Daya

I find it interesting that people will spend thousands of dollars on wheels/tires (myself included), hundreds to thousands of dollars on body kits/cosmetic mods, thousands of dollars on brake kits, but bitch and moan when the Dinan option is $500 more than the competition and is "over-priced."

+80hp and +100tq at the engine is a pretty significant power upgrade for $2000, try to get that power/money ratio on a NA car

Again, all are great aftermarket options, and we should feel lucky that as consumers we have so many choices. As long as the Dinan proves itself in real life at the dyno I am sold.

Just my $.02

Nice Post! +1

[sajakh]

agree, +1

[Daya]

Originally Posted by kyleh4852

Get ready for some flamming.....

LOL - I know, this forum is a place to share information and share your ideas. Some people will agree, some will not.

It's all good

[zenmaster]

The 384HP provided by Dinan's ECU flash provides about the same power as v2.0.2 (@ 90% user torque) with a lot more torque. That's not bad at all.

[e90AW335i]

Originally Posted by zenmaster

The 384HP provided by Dinan's ECU flash provides about the same power as v2.0.2 (@ 90% user torque) with a lot more torque. That's not bad at all.

Isn't that at the motor? So for a MT (12.5% loss) it would be 336 to the ground.....

[335montego]

We'll see what happens if for some reason, highly unlikely, that the Dinan tune causes some problems in the some 335's. I'm having a hard time believing Dinan will easily cover the work if there are major problems. Ive heard there have been people with Dinan products that have been SOL when dealing with Dinan on warranty work.

Bottom line it's great to see more companies involved with tuning the 335. It only makes products more affordable and better. Get the Dinan tune and give us a review!

[zenmaster]

Originally Posted by kyleh4852

Isn't that at the motor? So for a MT (12.5% loss) it would be 336 to the ground.....

Yes, it's at the motor. Procede @ 90% on an unmodified car should be about 344whp/358wtq on the 6MT. Assuming 12.9% drivetrain loss, that's 388hp/404tq. Dinan has advertised 384hp/421tq.

[BoostedBMW]

I see where you are coming from but some things that crossed my mind while I was reading your post are that in the end it will cost more than $500 more because as far as I know you can't just swap your ECU for another person's stock ECU plus some cash like you can do with many other cars. So, unlike the other piggybacks you will end up getting nothing back for the flash when you sell the car. Another thing is that when you say there is local Dinan support, i'm assuming that its through a Dinan authorized BMW dealer, right? Good luck getting support from any BMW service department without them bending you over for it, and dealing with most of those tards is just a hassle for me at least. In any case, i'm still glad that we have another option from Dinan.

[e90AW335i]

Originally Posted by zenmaster

Yes, it's at the motor. Procede @ 90% on an unmodified car should be about 344whp/358wtq on the 6MT. Assuming 12.9% drivetrain loss, that's 388hp/404tq. Dinan has advertised 384hp/421tq.

I see... In that case Dinan is looking better and better for people with $$$$$

[sambonator]

Originally Posted by BoostedBMW

...So, unlike the other piggybacks you will end up getting nothing back for the flash when you sell the car...

Also, be careful with Dinan if you have a lease. From what I understand, installing any Dinan parts in your car violates the terms of the lease, and you will be forced to buy the car at the end of your lease. Its exactly what happened to a buddy of mine with his e46 330i lease.

From what I understand, Dinan'ed cars cannot be sold as CPO cars.

[jpsimon]

yeah but with 93octane like we have on the east, and the v2 settings up to 94% like shiv says its good for 93... with the option to data log/adjust settings... upgrade maps in the future.... etc...etc....etc etc..... dinan doesn't look good at all.

Originally Posted by zenmaster

Yes, it's at the motor. Procede @ 90% on an unmodified car should be about 344whp/358wtq on the 6MT. Assuming 12.9% drivetrain loss, that's 388hp/404tq. Dinan has advertised 384hp/421tq.

[5soko]

Originally Posted by sambonator

Also, be careful with Dinan if you have a lease. From what I understand, installing any Dinan parts in your car violates the terms of the lease, and you will be forced to buy the car at the end of your lease. Its exactly what happened to a buddy of mine with his e46 330i lease.

From what I understand, Dinan'ed cars cannot be sold as CPO cars.

wow now that is scary!!!
looks like no1 with a lease wont be able to get this flash?
is there no way to flash it back to stock from dinan before ur lease is up.

[sambonator]

Originally Posted by 5sokol335icoupe

wow now that is scary!!!
looks like no1 with a lease wont be able to get this flash?
is there no way to flash it back to stock from dinan before ur lease is up.

Yes it can be reversed... but the records with BMWNA of your car as having once had Dinan flash can't be reversed, and the car cannot be CPO'ed.

[5soko]

wow thanks for the inf. im gonna stick with my sstt.
thanks

[Daya]

I bought my car and plan on driving it into the ground, so resale isn't a big deal for me. I am through with leases.

And yes, the local support I have is from Dinan authorized dealers and shops.

I am happy to see a lot of open-minded dialogue on this thread - keep it coming

[elucas730]

Originally Posted by Daya

I bought my car and plan on driving it into the ground, so resale isn't a big deal for me. I am through with leases.

I think I've said the same thing with every car that I've bought. I found that easier said then done, so I finally bit the bullet and actually leased instead of bought.

Originally Posted by Daya

I am happy to see a lot of open-minded dialogue on this thread - keep it coming

My opinion - why do we need 15 different threads to talk about this? I would think that it is pretty obvious what the pros and cons of each system is. It just seems like people are trying to justify to other people why they buy what they buy. What's the point? But since you ask....

Dinan pros:
Warranty for up to 4 years/50,000 miles.
Long standing relationship with the BMW community (we know that they won't abandon the community like other tuners have abandoned the Subaru and Evo communities).
Good customer service.

Dinan cons:
Expensive ($500-$1400 more expensive than other solutions).
Less power than all the other options (looks like ~325whp and ~360wtq).
If you don't already have one, you are forced to buy an oil cooler whether you need one or not.
Warranty is limited (there are people here already with 40,000+ miles on their cars).
Any other mods (even intake or catback) will cause Dinan to deny your powertrain warranty claims.
You may be forced to buy your leased car if you go Dinan.
They are not as involved in this community as some of the other tuners.
If you sell or total your car or just want to go back to stock, you can recoup some of the costs from the other solutions, but not Dinan's.

So if you want less power for more money and don't plan on doing any other mods and are worried about your warranty (even though I haven't heard of any blown engines from the other solutions), go with Dinan.

I personally would like to see someone come out with a plug-in reflash system (ala the Cobb AccessPort for Subarus). $650 for a plug-in device that can load any map that you want.

[ybbiz34]

Originally Posted by sambonator

Also, be careful with Dinan if you have a lease. From what I understand, installing any Dinan parts in your car violates the terms of the lease, and you will be forced to buy the car at the end of your lease. Its exactly what happened to a buddy of mine with his e46 330i lease.

From what I understand, Dinan'ed cars cannot be sold as CPO cars.

That's not accurate AT ALL. Especially in the case of the flash. Dinan was supposed to be the solution for people with a lease, NOT the biggest problem.

[zenmaster]

Originally Posted by jpsimon

yeah but with 93octane like we have on the east, and the v2 settings up to 94% like shiv says its good for 93... with the option to data log/adjust settings... upgrade maps in the future.... etc...etc....etc etc..... dinan doesn't look good at all.

Agreed about the differences. However, my point was not that Dinan was somehow superior in features or power or whatever, only that the hp/tq they're providing is rather good, obviously better than many had expected. There is also some peace of mind due to their policy.

[B'CahiLL-The Boss]

Originally Posted by zenmaster

Yes, it's at the motor. Procede @ 90% on an unmodified car should be about 344whp/358wtq on the 6MT. Assuming 12.9% drivetrain loss, that's 388hp/404tq. Dinan has advertised 384hp/421tq.

Wonder how the Dinan ecu will adapt to power mods. Downpipes, VIP Tuning Air Intake, Custom Turbo-Back. Dinan is coming out with a new front mount, after my upload I look forward to knowing how much the intercooler is ? and hopefully a dinan lsd

[hl0m4n]

Originally Posted by sambonator

Also, be careful with Dinan if you have a lease. From what I understand, installing any Dinan parts in your car violates the terms of the lease, and you will be forced to buy the car at the end of your lease. Its exactly what happened to a buddy of mine with his e46 330i lease.

From what I understand, Dinan'ed cars cannot be sold as CPO cars.

damn are you seriousy about this? this just eliminates me from being a potential customer....