Its been a few weeks since I got the upgrade. The engine runs flawlessly; never a hiccup, stutter or anything. Gas mileage about the same at 17-18 mpg. I am finally used to the speed that it now revs through each gear (very fast) and if I was racing I would definitely leave it in auto mode (sport button on of course). It is a different car now and I'm so glad I did my research last April when I ordered my car and chose the 535i over the 550 that I was originally going to get. I did take a big chance that the software was not going to be out for quite a while, as it was I waited 6 months.
When I put on all-season tires I'm glad I got the "W" speed rating as I will try to see how fast I can go now that the speed limiter is gone.
There is loads of torque everywhere. The part that is really tough to get used to is the six cylinder engine is so smooth, much smoother than my V8 545, and quiet so it's hard to accuratley tell how fast you are accelerating because the only sense is the push back in the seat. You wind up driving more agressively than you think you are.
I would recommend this software to anyone that really wants more power, there are cheaper alternatives to the Dinan software but its worth the extra money for the warranty.

 

did the dealer recommend not buying this upgrade because of what it could do to the engine? did the say anything to you about it? Did they send out your computer or did they do it in house? I want to do it but scared it might ruin my engine, im buying not leasing so im looking for the long haul. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

 

The dealer recommended the Dinan software (they are a Dinan dealer) and the owner actually had the Vishnu software on a 535, before the Dinan product became available, and had an unresolvable problem with driveability with the Vishnu (not a mechanical failure, just a software problem). They affirmed the amount of testing that Dinan does and discussed Dinan's 4yr/50k mile warranty.
I was their first e60 SMG customer, first SA customer and now first 535 Dinan software customer.
They had to send the ECU to Dinan because the 2008 connectors were changed, but today they can do it in house because the Dinan harnesses have been distributed.
Dinan does extensive testing, they programmed an increase capacity into the now electric driven water pump, etc. It is my opinion that if you put less than 100,000 miles on your cars you should not see any increase in component failure. Intuition says that at some point a part will fail sooner if it is subject to more stress, but I think this is within reasonable design parameters,

 

Thanks for posting the update.

 

How drasticly has the general daily drivability, comfort and smoothness of the car been compromised?
Has the car become too single purpose? (were those your words?)
Thanks for the update, I'm very interested.

 

Thanks for the update. This mod is on my list...after suspension. I must admit though, that i'm a bit nervous about tweaking an engine that's known for it's reliability - and I do understand about the Dinan warranty.

Glad you did it first!

 

The car is very drivable, comfortable and smooth. If you recall from my original post on this subject my Active Steering was never working correctly since delivery and I got that fixed at the same visit to the dealer that I got the Dinan software installed. So I had kind of a slight "fast forward" effect, the steering was quicker and the car accelerated quicker so everything was exaggerated. It goes through the Rev range in the lower gears in a blink. Remember I had been driving this car for 6 months and then I essentially got Active Steering and 100 more ft/lbs, so this is really not an unexpected sensation.
I love getting it and when my lease is over, if the 550 still has the old v8 instead of the new TT V8, I would get another 535 with the Dinan software in an instant.

 

Dinan is the way to go. I'm also leasing and thinking what you're thinking of upgrading to the next 5 series if it had TTV8. This is why i wanted to keep an open mind for other piggy backs so that i can later resell it when the time comes. Don't you have to reflash it back to stock software when your lease is up and possibly pay to get it done?

 

One of my big concerns is that the suspension in my 535xiT is not up to the task.
My E61 isn't available with sport suspension. (Neither is the 535Xi sedan I think)
Has anyone heard of anyone doing the Dinan upgrade on either of these vehicles?