Having started with my car at low miles and bmw cpo, I wanted a no worries tune and exhaust which is part of the rationalization for the higher cost Dinan. It's been flawless and I don't get any flack at the dealer - why go to the dealer, partly because all of my service is covered up to 100k but also they take care of me well and my special requests

I wanted a tune that would give me maximum output but while also not loosing my highway cruising fuel economy and Dinan stage 2 has been perfect in that so far.

I don't know what real WHP numbers are on it but Dinan states 382 hp / 420 lb-ft which I can feel more than noticeably from stock, it's night and day difference and I was used to a v8 audi s4 with downpipes/full exhaust.

Dinan literature states: "adding 78 hp and 116 lb-ft of torque", "producing maximum output of 378 horsepower at 5700 rpm and 415 lb-ft torque at 4300 rpm."

The Cobb would have been my 2nd choice though. If the question were one of pinching $, it would have been contradictory to buy this car in the first place.

 

While Dinan provides a warranty where BMW voids yours, that's ONLY during the original manufacturer warranty of the first four years, not during CPO years. So during the first 4 years, if one has warranty concerns, and wants a flash, that's the only way to go.

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

If you wanted a flash a few years ago, Dinan was the only game in town. Of the other big name flashes, GIAC came out next a couple of years or so ago but you'd have to go to their dealer or mail them your ECU, and Cobb came out about 1.5 years ago, which was a game changer, as they let you flash the car yourself, with their handheld flasher. They're constantly upgrading their maps and fine tuning them, and it's fairly easy to update the flash then yourself. They've got maps that change the throttle feel, so that's really nice. GIAC's handheld only lets you change maps.

 

Actually Dinan also extends their warranty longer if your car was out of oem warranty, or something like that - what they told me anyway. Regardless, I also felt like if it is so well backed to begin with, it's unlikely to cause any issues which negates the need for warranty.

I like the Cobb kit though didn't know anything about it when I got mine done.

 

Their warranty according to their site (and what I've read over the years in the other forum) is only limited to 4 years max AND it has to be during the new car warranty period only. They say in that link that once you're out of that "new car warranty" period, then it's just a 2 year warranty on the item itself that Dinan provides. During the new car warranty phase, if anything breaks (like your turbo goes, transmission, engine, etc.), Dinan will cover it if BMW doesn't.

BMW most likely won't if it's mildly related to the tune, because Dinan flashes are done at the dealer, so BMW knows about it, and they flag the car in their system (similar to if they discovered another tune in your car) that certain portions of its warranty are now void. So the idea is that Dinan then says to BMW they'll cover the cost, you get your car still fixed at the dealer, and it's seamless to you. Though sometimes I've read of finger pointing b/w Dinan and BMW, like when fuel pumps failed - which are known to be a problem with these cars - and BMW didn't cover it b/c they blamed the tune since it's obviously pushing more fuel through with the increased power, but Dinan said it's a known weakness in these cars, and many non-tuned cars are having their pumps fail, so BMW should cover it, not their warranty.

But once you're out of the new car warranty phase, Dinan won't cover it, and the CPO may not if they can say it's related to the increased power, as your car's been flagged in their system.

Hopefully you'll never need to use it of course!

 

That's a really good point that if cost were the main factor, it would have been contradictory to purchase this BMW. The thing that really gets me now is after installing the DINAN exhaust I was really impressed with their craftsmanship, fitment, and even instructions for installation. I am extremely pleased with the sound and performance of the product as well. So that pushes me back in the direction of DINAN for the software tune.

Though on the Cobb side, I do like the point that I can custom tune it. For example if I'm going on a long road trip, I can tune the car to get the best gas mileage possible. Well actually I guess that should be a question. Is that possible?

My car is currently under CPO Warranty with about 18 months remaining.

 

my fuel economy with the Dinan tune has not been reduced as far as my calculations say. I was very concerned because I take long road trips and am obsessed with the mpg now.

Also, the output you get from Dinan is at least or higher than the other ones but yet designed to not cause trouble long term either. My thinking was to get best overall reliability but also full power.

With no cargo box or bike rack, I can still get 27 mpg on the highway at 65-70 mph on I5 out and back 80 mile trip. With cargo box and bike rack on the hitch, traveling through mtns, etc, over 3000 miles, hitting 90 or better and sitting at 10 over any posted speed, I still can get 22.

But when I need it, that 420 lb-ft is ready to pull.

 

Ya I'd be interested. When are you thinking of making the purchase? I'm ready as soon as Monday.

 

Awesome. VERY good to know.

I'm going to see what the best deal I can get on the Cobb. If it's not less than $800, I'm going to go with the DINAN. My reasoning is that I can sell the Cobb if I don't like it and then just go with the Dinan. If nothing else, I'm just curious to play with the Cobb tuner at this point...

 

Guess what came in yesterday...

 

As promised, here's the pix of the Dinan Install. Overall it was very easy, with cutting off the stock exhaust taking the most time and effort. Everything else was simple, as Dinan had clear instructions and supplied everything needed.

Here's the stock exhaust





Side By Side Comparison



I'm breaking this post up in to a few as you can only include so many photos in one post...