[skalberti]

I have a 2008 335i with 40,000 miles on it. The only mods on the car is a CAI and Dinan stage 2 tune. I've already been through 2 fuel pumps and sets of injectors due to thrown codes in the car. There were several weeks that i could hardly drive the car due to the constant limit mode waiting on an appt to get it into the dealer. I started noticing a metallic rattling noise when the cars RPM was held around 3000. Car runs great, just an odd noise. BMW dismantled the lower motor to find metal shavings in my oil and a worn rod bearing on piston #6. Bearings 5-1 are in perfect condition. My car is at the dealership for over a week now. A BMW engineer came in two days ago to look at the car. I took the day off so I would be available to speak to him. He came, took pics, pulled data from my computer and then left without calling me as he was supposed to. Then tells the shop manager that the warranty is void leaving me with $12,000 charge to put a used motor in the car or $18,000 for a brand new complete motor! BMW didn't even take the time to pull the crank and look at the oil galleries to see why that bearing wasn't getting the oil it was supposed to! They just simply said you've altered the motor, warranty voided. It's my understanding that due to the magnuson-moss warranty law, BMW has to show me how the Dinan damaged the motor. Does anyone have any info to help me proceed with this? I called customer service at BMW NA and the manager that I spoke to basically just said "well, if the rep told you the warranty is voided, then its voided. There's nothing we can do to change that." Also anyone running a piggy back tune, the DME can record occurrences that do not normally occur in a motor that's not been tampered with and if those occurrences exist and you have an engine failure, your warranty is void as well. BMW has yet to tell me exactly what happened and why my rod bearing failed. That's pretty crappy in my book. I've babied this car from day one, changed the oil every 7,500, never been to the drag strip or track. Just a daily driver never abused. One last question, is detonation possible in these cars? the dealership told me there is no way that detonation or a cylinder running lean can occur. Thanks in advance for your replies.

[zobr]

So you tune your car, stage 2 Dinan nonetheless, toast engine and still expect BMW to cover the cost of a new engine? ROFL!

Talk to Dinan

[Tuner1984]

Yeah Dinan should warranty your car. They also warranty the car for 4 years and 50000 miles I believe. Either way your car still should be under warranty from Dinan. Another question would be if BMW is an authorized Dinan dealer and they are flashing the cars, why isn't your car still under warranty from them? I'd threaten to file a lawsuit of some sort.

[marv85]

I thought the whole idea of having a Dinan tune is to get the extra power while keeping the warranty. Am I missing anything?

[UFhypzM3]

Dinan tune only keeps your warranty if it is installed by a Dinan certified BMW dealership

[bmwti]

Originally Posted by marv85

I thought the whole idea of having a Dinan tune is to get the extra power while keeping the warranty. Am I missing anything?

yes.

keeping your warranty is a big misconception people have about dinan. When having a dinan part in your car, Dinan has its own warranty that covers in the same way as bmw's original warranty.

if something goes wrong with your car, that was caused by the dinan part it is NOT bmws warranty which is being used rather it is dinan's own warranty.

some may feel that its the same difference, but its anything but...

there have been occurences where something goes wrong and bmw says the cause is dinan, and dinan claims its not their part which caused the problem- and while it usually gets resolved in some way- this has been a major headache for some people.

as long as the dinan parts where installed by an authorized dinan dealer, in this particular example its dinan which should be assisting here.

[skalberti]

Originally Posted by UFhypz335

Dinan tune only keeps your warranty if it is installed by a Dinan certified BMW dealership

Yes, the car was flashed at a Dinan BMW dealership in Texas. I live in Arkansas and the BMW dealership here doesn't deal with Dinan. When I called the dealership in Texas they told me that the only thing they can void the warranty on is the ECU since that's all that was physically modified. I've already talked to Dinan and basically it'll be a shoot out between Dinan and BMW as to who is gonna pay. I just expected more out of BMW NA as to being involved with what went wrong in the motor. I also talked to a BMW certified mechanic that told me cylinder 6 is a weak cylinder cause it's the hottest running cylinder because the back half of the motor doesn't get as much coolant as the front. He know dozens of people that are running way more boost in there tunes than Dinan. The worst problem he's seen is a failed turbo. He definitely believes it's a mechanical issue not caused by the Dinan tune.

[bmwti]

Originally Posted by skalberti

I have a 2008 335i with 40,000 miles on it. The only mods on the car is a CAI and Dinan stage 2 tune. I've already been through 2 fuel pumps and sets of injectors due to thrown codes in the car. There were several weeks that i could hardly drive the car due to the constant limit mode waiting on an appt to get it into the dealer. I started noticing a metallic rattling noise when the cars RPM was held around 3000. Car runs great, just an odd noise. BMW dismantled the lower motor to find metal shavings in my oil and a worn rod bearing on piston #6. Bearings 5-1 are in perfect condition. My car is at the dealership for over a week now. A BMW engineer came in two days ago to look at the car. I took the day off so I would be available to speak to him. He came, took pics, pulled data from my computer and then left without calling me as he was supposed to. Then tells the shop manager that the warranty is void leaving me with $12,000 charge to put a used motor in the car or $18,000 for a brand new complete motor! BMW didn't even take the time to pull the crank and look at the oil galleries to see why that bearing wasn't getting the oil it was supposed to! They just simply said you've altered the motor, warranty voided. It's my understanding that due to the magnuson-moss warranty law, BMW has to show me how the Dinan damaged the motor. Does anyone have any info to help me proceed with this? I called customer service at BMW NA and the manager that I spoke to basically just said "well, if the rep told you the warranty is voided, then its voided. There's nothing we can do to change that." Also anyone running a piggy back tune, the DME can record occurrences that do not normally occur in a motor that's not been tampered with and if those occurrences exist and you have an engine failure, your warranty is void as well. BMW has yet to tell me exactly what happened and why my rod bearing failed. That's pretty crappy in my book. I've babied this car from day one, changed the oil every 7,500, never been to the drag strip or track. Just a daily driver never abused. One last question, is detonation possible in these cars? the dealership told me there is no way that detonation or a cylinder running lean can occur. Thanks in advance for your replies.

is this the same dealership as where you purchased and got your dinan parts installed?

[bmwti]

Originally Posted by skalberti

Yes, the car was flashed at a Dinan BMW dealership in Texas. I live in Arkansas and the BMW dealership here doesn't deal with Dinan. When I called the dealership in Texas they told me that the only thing they can void the warranty on is the ECU since that's all that was physically modified. I've already talked to Dinan and basically it'll be a shoot out between Dinan and BMW as to who is gonna pay. I just expected more out of BMW NA as to being involved with what went wrong in the motor. I also talked to a BMW certified mechanic that told me cylinder 6 is a weak cylinder cause it's the hottest running cylinder because the back half of the motor doesn't get as much coolant as the front. He know dozens of people that are running way more boost in there tunes than Dinan. The worst problem he's seen is a failed turbo. He definitely believes it's a mechanical issue not caused by the Dinan tune.

so its exactly as I stated above, bmw and dinan going back and forth as to who caused the problem...

and the part about it "only" voiding the warranty on the BMW ecu is way off. If the part you installed has a direct effect on something else in your ride, that you can potentially void the warranty of that part. The ecu was altered which may haved caused stress on the BMW engine, in a way that was NEVER intended to be covered by the BMWNA's own warranty. It appears that DINAN may in fact be responsible here, nevertheless good luck with getting this resolved.

[Turkeybaster115]

Originally Posted by bmwti

yes.
keeping your warranty is a big misconception people have about dinan. When having a dinan part in your car, Dinan has its own warranty that covers in the same way as bmw's original warranty.

if something goes wrong with your car, that was caused by the dinan part it is NOT bmws warranty which is being used rather it is dinan's own warranty.
.

I think Dinan will warranty what they installed on the car, and that is the ECU alteration, not the engine itself. just my 3 cents.

[bmwti]

Originally Posted by Turkeybaster115

I think Dinan will warranty what they installed on the car, and that is the ECU alteration, not the engine itself. just my 3 cents.

http://www.dinancars.com/warranty.aspx

US and Canadian Specification Vehicles Only

If your vehicle is currently covered by the vehicle manufacturer’s new car limited warranty, Dinan products are warranted for the remaining term of the vehicle manufacturer’s new car limited warranty. The manufacturer’s new car warranty is limited to 4 years or 50,000 miles (80,000 kilometers in Canada), commencing on the date of first retail sale or the date the vehicle is first placed in-service as a demonstrator or company vehicle, whichever is earlier. Dinan’s warranties are transferable when ownership of the vehicle into which the Dinan products were originally installed is sold.

To obtain service under this warranty, the vehicle must be brought, upon discovery of a malfunction or defect in materials and/or workmanship, to the workshop of any Authorized Dinan Dealer, during normal business hours. Proof of purchase in the form of a lawful invoice is required. The Authorized Dinan Dealer will, without charge for parts or labor, repair or replace the defective Dinan component(s), as well as any original vehicle manufacturer’s component(s) that may have been directly affected by a Dinan component, using new or authorized remanufactured parts. The decision to repair or replace said parts is at the sole discretion of Dinan and/or the original vehicle manufacturer. Parts for which replacements are supplied under this limited warranty become the property of Dinan and/or the original vehicle manufacturer. In all cases, a reasonable period of time must be allowed for warranty repairs to be completed after the vehicle is delivered to the Authorized Dinan Dealer."

like highlighted above, dinan states it will cover the replacements of the parts that were directly affected by the dinan component. The issue however lies with the fact that BMW and Dinan may go back in forth with caused the issue.

the most important thing mentioned above however is that it needs to go back to the dinan dealership NOT the non-dinan authorized bmw dealership.

[skalberti]

Originally Posted by bmwti

is this the same dealership as where you purchased and got your dinan parts installed?

No, it's a different dealership.

[skalberti]

Originally Posted by bmwti

so its exactly as I stated above, bmw and dinan going back and forth as to who caused the problem...

and the part about it "only" voiding the warranty on the BMW ecu is way off. If the part you installed has a direct effect on something else in your ride, that you can potentially void the warranty of that part. The ecu was altered which may haved caused stress on the BMW engine, in a way that was NEVER intended to be covered by the BMWNA's own warranty. It appears that DINAN may in fact be responsible here, nevertheless good luck with getting this resolved.

According to the BMW mechanic that found the bad rod bearing, he said it looked like the bearing wasn't getting any oil. In his exact words were "it looks like it was starved of oil" the Dinan tune can't keep a bearing from being oiled. Sure it can create stress on the bearing, but if that were the case all the bearings would have some sort of wear. They didnt though, only bearing on piston 6. The other 5 looked like new. It's just a mechanical failure of the motor. I'm wondering if there isn't some cast in one o the oil galleries?

[Litos]

looks like you have a $20K, 3400lb piece of German metal sitting in your driveway.

burn it to the ground or sell it for parts.

fuck paying $12K for a used engine.

[Litos]

p.s.
why in the worldly fuck would anyone leave ANY mod on their car and then take it to the dealer !?!?

[bmwti]

Originally Posted by skalberti

According to the BMW mechanic that found the bad rod bearing, he said it looked like the bearing wasn't getting any oil. In his exact words were "it looks like it was starved of oil" the Dinan tune can't keep a bearing from being oiled. Sure it can create stress on the bearing, but if that were the case all the bearings would have some sort of wear. They didnt though, only bearing on piston 6. The other 5 looked like new. It's just a mechanical failure of the motor. I'm wondering if there isn't some cast in one o the oil galleries?

are you able to bring your car back to the original dealer?

either dinan will cover it or bmwna, but at least if you go back to the original source you'll have more luck getting this resolved, as it was the bmw techs there that installed the part. may seem like a hassle, but a lot cheaper than paying an arm and leg for a new engine.

good luck with this and make sure to give an update when its all resolved.

[skalberti]

Originally Posted by bmwti

are you able to bring your car back to the original dealer?

either dinan will cover it or bmwna, but at least if you go back to the original source you'll have more luck getting this resolved, as it was the bmw techs there that installed the part. may seem like a hassle, but a lot cheaper than paying an arm and leg for a new engine.

good luck with this and make sure to give an update when its all resolved.

BMWTI right now it's on a lift at a dealership in Arkansas. I'd have to put it on a truck and ship it 5hrs to the Dinan dealership. I talked to Dinan last week and they said it would get taken care of at the dealership it was at. There's just gonna be some finger pointing first until it gets fixed. I'm calling Dinan on Monday. I'll update on what happens.

[skalberti]

Originally Posted by Litos

p.s.
why in the worldly fuck would anyone leave ANY mod on their car and then take it to the dealer !?!?

Because Dinan isn't a piggy back plastic box you can unplug from the car before you drive into the dealership. That's why....

[M3_WC]

Your beef should be with Dinan, if they don't cover it. Not BMW.

[Litos]

Originally Posted by skalberti

Because Dinan isn't a piggy back plastic box you can unplug from the car before you drive into the dealership. That's why....

and that's the price you pay for choosing Dinan.

where's your God now !?!?!?

[jdbretz]

Originally Posted by Litos

and that's the price you pay for choosing Dinan.

where's your God now !?!?!?

Are you serious? What if this happened to you running Cobb? Guess what, they would dig into the DME, see you were running higher boost, void your warranty (if you had one) and you would be left with the bill and a broke car. At least in this case, Dinan is probably going to step up and pay for the repairs. THAT is the price he paid for choosing Dinan. I don't think Dinan is a great tune for the money, but at least they stand by their product when something breaks.

[skalberti]

Originally Posted by jdbretz

Are you serious? What if this happened to you running Cobb? Guess what, they would dig into the DME, see you were running higher boost, void your warranty (if you had one) and you would be left with the bill and a broke car. At least in this case, Dinan is probably going to step up and pay for the repairs. THAT is the price he paid for choosing Dinan. I don't think Dinan is a great tune for the money, but at least they stand by their product when something breaks.

Well put jdbretz! That's what my point is on the piggy back tunes. BMW will still know the car has been tampered with, they just won't know what was used to tamper with the car. The guy at Dinan told me not to worry about it cause it will be taken care of. My beef with BMW is they never took the time to investigate the problem. They merely just took the easy way out and blamed it on something else. Like I've said in previous posts. The rod bearing wasn't getting oil. No tune can keep one bearing from getting oil while the other 5 are well oiled. Even though Dinan will take care of this. I have no doubt it's a mechanical failure of a BMW product. I just think they should at least have the courtesy to investigate it. Problem is, if they do they might realize it's their fault an have to pay. However they've shown their true colors and took the easy way.....