znod

Hi Friends:

After getting my 545i in June, I did some minimal modding--B&B Exhasut and Dinan Throttle Body. I thought that I could discern a small performance improvement from the mods. Over time my car became quite fast. For example, I had several 5.07 sec zero to sixties and three 1/8 times of 8.71 secs. Nevertheless, I could never measure the improvement, if any, provided by my mods since my Tesla Pro RR g-meter was not on hand before I did my mods.

After updating to 20.01.00, my car's performance decreased significantly. My dealer did an engine mangagement reset, but nothing, as of yet, has restored my lost performance. I decided to take my mods off to see if there is something about them that "20.01.00 doesn't like." Doing so provided a rare opportuninty to do some very carefully controlled mod tests. My tests were controlled in the sense that they all were done within the last 5 days, at the same location, with the same driver and amounts of fluids, at the same temperature, with all other weather characteristics essentially the same, and with the same meter using the same settings.

My tests reveal no discernable performance difference between my modded and unmodded car. The data resulting from my tests are below. If you click on the chart, then it should expand. If it doesn't, it still is legible.

Please note that I am not saying that minimal mods might not make a seat-of-the-pants or measurable difference on some cars some of the time. I am saying they make no difference on my car given its current circumstances. It remains to be seen if they were hurting my car's performance. This conclusion will depend on whether my car's performance continues to improve through learning.

Keep in mind that there are benefits to minimal mods other than performance--e.g., the sound of a muffler and the appearance of its tips. And, remember that minimal mods, when combined with others, such as programming and an intake may be necessary to reap the full benefits of the potentially more significant mods.

ipse dixit

Znod,

Don't take this the wrong way, because I know you are a pretty big fan of Dinan, but I've always been of the opinion that Dinan and his products are overpriced. The hp gains and performance numbers that he puts out are also a bit overhyped, if not sometimes outright misleading.

As to Dinan's claims of tracking the OEM BMW warranty, pity on the customer who actually tries to invoke this. If you've never seen a game of "hot potato" get ready for a championship match ...

znod

Yes, I know your feelings about Dinan. Everyone, that is, Dinan and my dealer, says that Dinan has never left a customer holding the bag. But, for now, I am glad that this will never be an issue for me. I never considered the Dinan parts to be overpriced--assuming that a good part of the price is the warranty. I have a bit more to say about the mods, but we are leaving the house now and won't be back for a while. Thanks for your thoughts, my friend. Also, I thought that you, for one, would find the data interesting given our prior discussions about mods, etc. Bottom line: I thought they made an SOP difference originally, but now they make neither a SOP or a measurable difference--and might have been hurting performance.Oh, and remember that the muffler is B&B; B&B claims more HP without being specific.

jet190rs

I always assumed Dinan's high prices were justified by their warranty. Have customers been declined repair work under warranty?

znod

Me too. See above, and as far as I know Dinan has always come through.

ipse dixit

Yes.

Ask some (many?) of the folks with E46 M3s, E39 M5s and Z8s. The Z8 issue is especially troublesome because, IIRC, Dinan actually inadvertantly "modified" the body structure of the Z8, but my memory could be failing me ...

I don't want to bash Dinan OR his company, because Dinan (for all of his faults) has spent a good time in R&D with respect to the BMW engines and mods, but when it comes to the warranty issue it's a little less clear.

UPENN545

Thanks Donv for all the testing, you've saved me money, I was strongly considering purchasing the dinan mods this weekend.

wow. :thumbsdown:

stream

You'll never know until it happens to your car. Sure, Dinan, and dealers who sell their parts, will tell you--don't worry, you'll be OK, but if you carefully read Dinan's warranty, they've certainly covered themselves. Caveat Emptor!

The installation of Dinan Performance Products and systems may affect the vehicle manufacturer?s new car limited warranty. The vehicle manufacturer?s new car limited warranty may not apply to modifications to a vehicle or the installation of any performance accessories or components attached to the vehicle which substantially alter the original engineering and/or operating specifications or which result in damage to other original vehicle manufacturer?s components.

ipse dixit

Or consider this tidbit from Dinan's warranty:

The decision to repair or replace said parts is at the sole discretion of Dinan and/or the original vehicle manufacturer.

Not exactly all-encompassing, is it? That to me, my friends, is a loophole large enough to squeeze a Mack truck through.

Full warranty found here.

znod

You are very welcome, but, as mentioned, the result may be just my car at this point in time.