Sale: DINAN ECU Tunes for 135i --> 50% off

[Cmoney135i]

Originally Posted by Cmoney135i

I want to schedule this asap... anyone have experience stage 1 vs stage 2??? I have the oil cooler already so I'm eligible for stage 2.

What I'm wondering is will I be happy with the power / tq from s1? I don't want to stress the motor with s2.

Actually after googling reviews (they almost all say Dinan is a hot pile of Sh*t) Anyone care to chime in that has a Dinan tune right now?

[doublevanosrc]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

I stopped by an indie Dinan dealer to ask some questions. Didn't expect to be sitting here having the S2 tune flashed into my car as we speak.

Can you provide how it feels? Does the linear powerband remain?

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by doublevanosrc

Can you provide how it feels? Does the linear powerband remain?

I was just telling Esteban offline about what my impressions are so far.

So far....I have nothing to report. LOL. I finished the tune and ended up having the car put in to my dealer for maintenance. My plugs are due and I forgot about getting my car in to get them done. The indie shop pointed it out to me. Plus it was snowing in my area so I couldn't really play if I wanted to even though I have winter tires on my car now.

I pick up my car tomorrow so I should have something to report about initial impressions then.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by MGM135is

I am going to the same exact place tomorrow.

The shop in Rockville?

[c1pher]

No, Fairfax.

[bluebeemer]

Walnut blast and new plugs last week, get my Dinan stage 2 tune this Friday in St Louis....OH YAH!!

[Dthltm]

Originally Posted by Esteban

Cmoney135i is talking N54 which is different than our N55s and I think it requires hardware for stage 2. N55 does not require hardware to flash stage 2.

Thanks. I just got PPK and love the new sound of burbles and pops and read that this tune, while it overrides PPK, still produces those sounds, right? I think PE and 313 rims and I'd be good to go since this is my only car, but the price price of this is now making me think it over.

[Katkarot]

So tempting...
But looks like warranty is only for cars that still have factory 4 year warranty.. hence for most of us, warranty do not apply anymore

[Cavpilot2k]

NOtice to you guys getting the Dinan S2 tune.
When I drove away with it from the dealer I wasn't initially impressed.
I had read though that you need to do a few WOT pulls up through at least 3rd gear, and 4th if you can, in order for it to "learn" that it needs to go full balls.

After having the tune for about 3 days, I got the opportunity and did this (on a closed track, of course), and immediately, it was a different animal. 3-4 WOT pulls through the gears (be careful though, 3rd gear tops out around 110 MPH and 4th will get you up around 140+) and the tune came alive. I have not been disappointed since (and I paid like $1600).

If you don't have a closed track, I have "read" that the safest way is to get on a nice straight stretch of highway late at night, like after midnight when traffic volume is low, and run it at normal speeds from one exit to the next, get off, and run it in the other direction, looking for your town's finest. If they aren't there, when you get back to the starting point, hit the onramp (which you have already cleared) and get your pulls until you hit the offramp, then do the same back the other way.
***WARNING:*** I do not condine this behavior, reckless driving, or excessive speeds - just telling you what I've read.

Than enjoy your Dinan Stage 2 tune in all its glory.

[Cavpilot2k]

Originally Posted by Katkarot

So tempting...
But looks like warranty is only for cars that still have factory 4 year warranty.. hence for most of us, warranty do not apply anymore

I don't know- talk to the dealer. Since a 2-year Dinan warranty would span the end of my factory warranty into my CPO time, I asked which warranty they would be duplicating and my dealer said it didn't matter, that they would warranty the tune for 2 years from install regardless of which BMW warranty I was under.

It's worth asking the question.

[c1pher]

Got my S2 tune this morning. I can immediately tell a difference and haven't done any WOT pulls yet. Another thing I've noticed is the idle surge seems to be gone so far and the throttle delay that supposedly BMW fixed also appears to now be gone. I can definitely feel the push back. Not that stock was a slouch by any stretch, but it definitely more pronounced in the acceleration department.

Other thing the tech said is that I could possibly go to S3 with my 135is due to it coming with the recommended upgrades. He is contacting Dinan to find out and will let me know. Would be nice to not have to upgrade anything and go to S3.

Even if there were no power changes, the idle surge and throttle response correction makes it worth it to me. But there is moar powa according to my butt dyno.

[tomcat0071]

I'm definitely interested in what Dinan says about S3 for the 135is

That'd be sick to have that as an option

[c1pher]

Originally Posted by tomcat0071

I'm definitely interested in what Dinan says about S3 for the 135is

That'd be sick to have that as an option

I am not holding my breath but we'll see.

[tock172]

Got my appointment scheduled for tomorrow morning. Can't wait!

[c1pher]

Talked to a very nice Dinan rep this afternoon. He said maybe you could run S3 software but it wouldn't be warrantied. I would still need the oil cooler and intercooler. So something around $2800 for S3. I kinda think it's not worth it since it's not like you're getting another 30-40hp or tq.

[zx10guy]

So I got my car back earlier this evening. I got to drive the car through the great traffic we have here in the DC metro area through the Nation's Capital Parking Lot called I495. What I noticed is better throttle response which was also very linear. At low speeds, I still experience a slight lag before the engine responds but not as bad as before and certainly a lot smoother with the linear response of throttle application. Before to navigate through thick traffic/changing lanes, I had to hit the Sport button and push the shifter over to the left. Even though there is a bit of lag leaving the shifter in normal drive mode with the Sport button off, I didn't feel the need to do the aforementioned to get enough throttle response to safely negotiate traffic.

I also found that I didn't need to go WOT through the gears to "break in" the tune. After driving my car for a few minutes, the benefits of the tune were readily apparent. There were times I floored the gas with the trans in normal drive mode with the Sport button off. Before with the PPK, the engine would wind up make a lot of noise but the power application didn't come on proportionate with the engine revs. Now I floor it in normal drive mode, the RPMs spin up but the power comes on like I had the shifter pushed over to the left and the Sport button activated.

I did get a chance to floor it on a long stretch of highway with the shifter pushed to the left and the Sport button activated. I was very pleased with the power delivery. I was cruising at 80 when I stomped the gas, trans downshifted I think a gear and before I knew it I was doing about 120. Very pleased.

People say the 135s should have come from the factory with the PPK as standard. I feel the S2 tune should have come from the factory as standard. Ignoring the power gains, the smoothness in throttle application has so far made me feel the extra money I spent on yet another tune was worth it. Driveability to me is more important than ultimate power. The weird thing I was doing as I was driving my car tonight was how I was making comparisons of how the throttle application felt to my 2004 Ninja ZX-10R. The throttle characteristics to me are very similar now with the tune which is actually a good thing. Dare I say the throttle feel and power application is almost the same as the S1000RR which I have had extensive seat time on the track. This is really high praise.

The ultimate question is this. Was it money well spent? To me, yes. Especially with the sale price. With the knowledge I have now about what the tune does to my car and paying the regular full price, would I still do it? It's hard to say. I might have waited to see if MHD can figure out what is needed to unlock my DME. But I can say this, if you're one of the "lucky" ones with the latest DME that prevents easy flash upgrades and with the Dinan sale in progress, it's a no brainer to get this done.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by Katkarot

So tempting...
But looks like warranty is only for cars that still have factory 4 year warranty.. hence for most of us, warranty do not apply anymore

Originally Posted by Cavpilot2k

I don't know- talk to the dealer. Since a 2-year Dinan warranty would span the end of my factory warranty into my CPO time, I asked which warranty they would be duplicating and my dealer said it didn't matter, that they would warranty the tune for 2 years from install regardless of which BMW warranty I was under.

It's worth asking the question.

Here's the link to their warranty terms:

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

Reading through the text, reveals that there is a 2 year/unlimited mile warranty for parts purchased for a car which is not covered under the factory warranty. Reading the fine print reveals that Dinan won't cover any affected OEM parts if the failure was due to a Dinan part. The 2 year warranty only covers the Dinan part. But since we're talking about software, then this warranty essentially means nothing for cars out of the factory warranty.

Now I have a unique situation where I have an extension to my factory warranty. My car was punched as a dealer demo. But I bought it before it was actually put in service as a demo with 25 miles on the odometer. Because I bought a dealer demo, I got an extension to the factory warranty. I don't remember how many months more (3, 4, 5, or 6). But I do know I have an additional 5,000 miles of extra coverage. I wonder if Dinan honors the extension of the factory warranty by BMW as part of their warranty coverage. I'm also the small group of 135 owners that are still under the regular factory warranty.

An interesting tidbit about the Dinan sale. Someone on their Facebook page asked if the sale would be extended to the F series cars. A Dinan rep said that wouldn't be possible because of the economics of the factory matching warranty on these newer cars offered by Dinan. The rep said the sale of the tunes for specific cars was due to most or all of them being out of the factory warranty coverage.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by MGM135is

Talked to a very nice Dinan rep this afternoon. He said maybe you could run S3 software but it wouldn't be warrantied. I would still need the oil cooler and intercooler. So something around $2800 for S3. I kinda think it's not worth it since it's not like you're getting another 30-40hp or tq.

I made the same conclusion about the S3 tune. Not worth the extra expense for the minor gains (18HP and 7 lb ft over the S2 tune).

[c1pher]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

I made the same conclusion about the S3 tune. Not worth the extra expense for the minor gains (18HP and 7 lb ft over the S2 tune).

It all depends on your goals for the car. I spent like $12k on mods for my former Mustang. Sometimes, it's just something of a hobby, you want to create the biggest monster you can or have something no one else has.

For me, I want a nicely massaged upgrade which you wouldn't know from simply looking at the car. I got exactly that.

[Cmoney135i]

Originally Posted by Cmoney135i

Actually after googling reviews (they almost all say Dinan is a hot pile of Sh*t) Anyone care to chime in that has a Dinan tune right now?

bump

[c1pher]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

So I got my car back earlier this evening. I got to drive the car through the great traffic we have here in the DC metro area through the Nation's Capital Parking Lot called I495. What I noticed is better throttle response which was also very linear. At low speeds, I still experience a slight lag before the engine responds but not as bad as before and certainly a lot smoother with the linear response of throttle application. Before to navigate through thick traffic/changing lanes, I had to hit the Sport button and push the shifter over to the left. Even though there is a bit of lag leaving the shifter in normal drive mode with the Sport button off, I didn't feel the need to do the aforementioned to get enough throttle response to safely negotiate traffic.

I also found that I didn't need to go WOT through the gears to "break in" the tune. After driving my car for a few minutes, the benefits of the tune were readily apparent. There were times I floored the gas with the trans in normal drive mode with the Sport button off. Before with the PPK, the engine would wind up make a lot of noise but the power application didn't come on proportionate with the engine revs. Now I floor it in normal drive mode, the RPMs spin up but the power comes on like I had the shifter pushed over to the left and the Sport button activated.

I did get a chance to floor it on a long stretch of highway with the shifter pushed to the left and the Sport button activated. I was very pleased with the power delivery. I was cruising at 80 when I stomped the gas, trans downshifted I think a gear and before I knew it I was doing about 120. Very pleased.

People say the 135s should have come from the factory with the PPK as standard. I feel the S2 tune should have come from the factory as standard. Ignoring the power gains, the smoothness in throttle application has so far made me feel the extra money I spent on yet another tune was worth it. Driveability to me is more important than ultimate power. The weird thing I was doing as I was driving my car tonight was how I was making comparisons of how the throttle application felt to my 2004 Ninja ZX-10R. The throttle characteristics to me are very similar now with the tune which is actually a good thing. Dare I say the throttle feel and power application is almost the same as the S1000RR which I have had extensive seat time on the track. This is really high praise.

The ultimate question is this. Was it money well spent? To me, yes. Especially with the sale price. With the knowledge I have now about what the tune does to my car and paying the regular full price, would I still do it? It's hard to say. I might have waited to see if MHD can figure out what is needed to unlock my DME. But I can say this, if you're one of the "lucky" ones with the latest DME that prevents easy flash upgrades and with the Dinan sale in progress, it's a no brainer to get this done.

So it sounds like your experience echoes mine. Glad to hear you're happy too. I paid $699 for an APR tune (doesn't have warranty) for a previous GTI, so $669 for this tune is a pretty good deal IMO.

I am not really noticing any delay in throttle. And I agree, the response is so smooth and it fixed the issues I had.....this is the what the stock tune should be.

[c1pher]

Originally Posted by Cmoney135i

bump

Are you not reading our posts? Doesn't seem like a pile of poop to me unless you're just trolling us.