[Bostonboy22]

Hey guys,

I have been thinking about doing the Dinan stage 1 on my car. Yesterday I called my guy at BMW in Shrewsbury MA, someone my family has been working with for 20 years. He runs the service center there, and he used to own and run his own Porsche racing team. I told him that I was thinking about Dinan and he couldn't have shot me down quicker.

His response was go with the Turner Motorsport Mod and dont look back, he said its way more reliable and better quality then the Dinan.

Has anyone ever had any experience with Turner?? Im new to engine tuning... I usually buy stock and leave it that way, but it sounds like there are some great engine tunes out there that can get the 228i up over 300hp for under $1K which is worth it in my mind.

Any feedback on Dinan or Turner Motorsport would be great!

also recommended the Scorcher mod for the 2015 228xi

[Luminous]

Originally Posted by toph4242

Hey guys,

I have been thinking about doing the Dinan stage 1 on my car. Yesterday I called my guy at BMW in Shrewsbury MA, someone my family has been working with for 20 years. He runs the service center there, and he used to own and run his own Porsche racing team. I told him that I was thinking about Dinan and he couldn't have shot me down quicker.

His response was go with the Turner Motorsport Mod and dont look back, he said its way more reliable and better quality then the Dinan.

Has anyone ever had any experience with Turner?? Im new to engine tuning... I usually buy stock and leave it that way, but it sounds like there are some great engine tunes out there that can get the 228i up over 300hp for under $1K which is worth it in my mind.

Any feedback on Dinan or Turner Motorsport would be great!

also recommended the Scorcher mod for the 2015 228xi

I don't know about the turner tune but I can definitely advise against the dinan, it's simply a waste of money. If you're looking for a simple, inexpensive yet reliable tune I would consider the racechip ultimate. If you're looking for maximum power, smoothness and reliability I would recommend an ecu tune.

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by Luminous

I can definitely advise against the dinan, it's simply a waste of money.

For those of us contemplating retaining warranty coverage and who are less concerned with having the fastest/mostest/awesomest/whatever-est, the Dinan is hardly a waste of money. Actually it'd be money well spent if anything goes/blows/flows wrong ...

(Hopefully the OP's relationship with the BMW dealership is tight ... you know ... just in case ... )

[Luminous]

Originally Posted by Viffermike

For those of us contemplating retaining warranty coverage and who are less concerned with having the fastest/mostest/awesomest/whatever-est, the Dinan is hardly a waste of money. Actually it'd be money well spent if anything goes/blows/flows wrong ...

(Hopefully the OP's relationship with the BMW dealership is tight ... you know ... just in case ... )

It's a waste of money in that you're spending over 2k for a tune you'll barely notice with occasional drive train malfunctions. What good is paying for a warranty when there's basically no increased performance? To each his own I guess.

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by Luminous

It's a waste of money in that you're spending over 2k for a tune you'll barely notice with occasional drive train malfunctions. What good is paying for a warranty when there's basically no increased performance? To each his own I guess.

I wouldn't call (quoting from Dinan's website) 311 HP & 328 ft-lbs "basically no increased performance". Even if you hacked off 10 from either number for aftermarket manufacturer bias it's still @ 40-50 of each measure over stock -- and as we all know, the drive-ability of the tune is just as important as the peak numbers.

Look: if YOU want the the fastest/mostest/awesomest/whatever-est, do what you recommended and take the risk. Maybe the OP doesn't since he has a car under warranty? Maybe the OP doesn't because Turner's far, far more proven a tuner than either of the alternatives you mentioned (I say this assuming an ecu flash would be done by someone such as GSR)?

Have a conversation with the question. Don't play God.

[Luminous]

Originally Posted by Viffermike

I wouldn't call (quoting from Dinan's website) 311 HP & 328 ft-lbs "basically no increased performance". Even if you hacked off 10 from either number for aftermarket manufacturer bias it's still @ 40-50 of each measure over stock -- and as we all know, the drive-ability of the tune is just as important as the peak numbers.

Look: if YOU want the the fastest/mostest/awesomest/whatever-est, do what you recommended and take the risk. Maybe the OP doesn't since he has a car under warranty? Maybe the OP doesn't because Turner's far, far more proven a tuner than either of the alternatives you mentioned (I say this assuming an ecu flash would be done by someone such as GSR)?

Have a conversation with the question. Don't play God.

Look I don't care, I have no skin in the game. I had bought the dinan stage 1 and it dynoed at less than half the advertised gains. Plus dealing with dinan was a nightmare, and the dinan retains basically no resale value. The OP asked a sincere question so I gave my opinion based on my experience.

[BarryJI]

You posted this question here, too right? Here's what I wrote in that thread, which I am pasting in this one because I am very happy with the Stage 1 tune on my 228i and can report nothing but positive experiences in all my dealings with both Dinan and the great indie Dinan shop that did all the installation:

FWIW, I do not agree with the Dinan-detractor. It's not the most pants-on-fire tune out there and I understand why you might want something crazy-aggressive for tracking or racing the car but this will invalidate your warranty and possibly over-stress your engine, leading to issues which no warranty will cover. You will also find people who object to Dinan-style piggyback tunes in principle. However, I am a little sceptical regarding how thoroughly this engine's ECU has been cracked and find that Dinan's piggyback tune, combined with its warranty, represents by far the best compromise between performance enhancement and value for those looking for a good, civilised but aggressive street tune vs. a race tune.

Only a Stage 1 tune is currently available from Dinan for the 228i but I really like this tune. It has woken the car up; it revs more freely, pulls like crazy and my butt tells me (sorry I do not yet have numbers) that it turns the stock 0 - 60 time of 5.1 sec into about 4.5, which is not shabby. It is a very refined tune; no error messages, no non-linear throttle or turbo performance, in fact I think it sharpens turbo boost response very significantly. I do not have the dyno numbers to hand but they are available on the Dinan product page; note that if you have the 228i there are actually two engines for this car, the N20 and the N26, which give very slightly different output numbers. Either way, the tune makes an already very torque-happy car torquier still.

In my opinion, the cost compared to other tuning products is the only legitimate reason not to give very serious consideration to Dinan if, like me, you do not want to track or race the car and want to preserve warranty coverage.

[Luftwaffe1O1]

Originally Posted by Luminous

It's a waste of money in that you're spending over 2k for a tune you'll barely notice with occasional drive train malfunctions. What good is paying for a warranty when there's basically no increased performance? To each his own I guess.

You sure seem to like to spout out a lot of anecdotal evidence, and then claim you have no skin in the game when at every corner you are bashing on Dinan. Its clear that you do have some issues.

You also fail to understand that some people are worried about being left to pay for repairs on their car on their own when they get flagged by the dealer. Depending on where in the country you are, and how close to a Dinan dealer you are, they are definitely a viable option. So just flat out telling people don't do it, go get a racechip instead, is not only unnecessary, but also just plain misleading.

You are not going to be getting any crazy increase differences from any tune to the point the car will be a monster with one tune, vs a dog with another. For West Coast drivers for instance, Dinan makes a lot of difference, as there are plenty of BMW dealers that are also Dinan dealers. Which makes dealing with things quite easy.

If someone wants a Dinan tune, you can tell your piece, but your posts are pretty aggressive in ways in which you are attacking Dinan. I think the whole forum gets it, you got butthurt about it, maybe let it go now before you pop a blood vessel next time someone mentions Dinan in a thread.

[Luminous]

Originally Posted by Luftwaffe1O1

You sure seem to like to spout out a lot of anecdotal evidence, and then claim you have no skin in the game when at every corner you are bashing on Dinan. Its clear that you do have some issues.

You also fail to understand that some people are worried about being left to pay for repairs on their car on their own when they get flagged by the dealer. Depending on where in the country you are, and how close to a Dinan dealer you are, they are definitely a viable option. So just flat out telling people don't do it, go get a racechip instead, is not only unnecessary, but also just plain misleading.

You are not going to be getting any crazy increase differences from any tune to the point the car will be a monster with one tune, vs a dog with another. For West Coast drivers for instance, Dinan makes a lot of difference, as there are plenty of BMW dealers that are also Dinan dealers. Which makes dealing with things quite easy.

If someone wants a Dinan tune, you can tell your piece, but your posts are pretty aggressive in ways in which you are attacking Dinan. I think the whole forum gets it, you got butthurt about it, maybe let it go now before you pop a blood vessel next time someone mentions Dinan in a thread.

Wow my intention was only to give an honest opinion based on my experience. I disagree with your comment that the difference between tunes is negligible. I know that I'm in the minority as someone who has personally tested four different tunes on this car so I figured people would appreciate hearing about my experiences. I do feel that dinan's product and customer service leaves much to be desired and I feel it's fair to share my experience on a thread asking for feedback on dinan.

[BarryJI]

…and it's nowhere near "over $2k", incidentally.

[Luminous]

Originally Posted by BarryJI

…and it's nowhere near "over $2k", incidentally.

Sorry, that's how much I paid for the N55 tune

[BarryJI]

Originally Posted by Luminous

Sorry, that's how much I paid for the N55 tune

My Dinan shop did a Stage 2 tune on an M235i; it tested 0 - 60 in 4 sec flat with the tune. That is not my definition of a "waste of money".

[BLK235iNJ]

I have Dinan Stage 2 and I'm very happy with both the performance and the sense of security that if something goes wrong my car is under a warranty. I would be a tad hesitant to take advice from your source going forward. If you put that tune on your car and something breaks and say its a costly fix, your source at the service department would then have to submit the case to PUMA and if any tampering was found on your car you would be stuck paying. I also have a friend in the service department and he told me to stay away from the other brands (I wont name any). My SA at my BMW dealer also told me not to put the "other" brands on my car. They already ran into the case where a customer caused an issue due to an aftermarket piggyback and after investigation ended up having to pay for the costs. If I owned a lower cost brand I may take the cheap route. Unfortunately with BMW if you want to play safely you end up paying. Thats my .02 good luck.

[BLK235iNJ]

I think we've discussed this in the past but did you baseline your car before you put the tune on to see how much you gained?

Originally Posted by Luminous

Sorry, that's how much I paid for the N55 tune

[BLK235iNJ]

My car feels amazing right now. I can't wait for stage 3 and whatever else they come out with.

Originally Posted by BarryJI

My Dinan shop did a Stage 2 tune on an M235i; it tested 0 - 60 in 4 sec flat with the tune. That is not my definition of a "waste of money".

[Luminous]

Originally Posted by BLK235iNJ

I think we've discussed this in the past but did you baseline your car before you put the tune on to see how much you gained?

I did do a baseline. Stage 1 delivered a whopping 21hp gain. I'm glad to hear the stage 2 seems to be doing better.

[BLK235iNJ]

I can see how that would irritate you but at the same time we were very early adopters of this product. There was an update and now the stage 2 has been rolled out and its an obvious increase. My main goal was to protect my purchase and IMO I feel that putting products on the car that are not backed by the manufacturer is risky. It's like putting a piece of software on your computer to overclock the crap out of it and one tells you overclock it and if you break it we'll fix it and the other is use at your own risk. I wouldn't do that with a $2500 machine now think of a $50,000 car (its just too risky imo).

I would hate to be the dude that blows up and ends up having to pay for it.

Originally Posted by Luminous

I did do a baseline. Stage 1 delivered a whopping 21hp gain. I'm glad to hear the stage 2 seems to be doing better.

[Bostonboy22]

Thank you so much for the feedback everyone! I really appreciate everyones opinion. I spoke with the Turner people a little just because I want to get a better sense of everything I am considering before I decide, and the way they describe their product is that it can be taken on and off VERY easily and leaves no trace behind, and they said I could do this before eevery dealer appointment myself. Does this sound legit, or are they just selling me on the product?

I have been doing a lot of research on Turner, and they seem to have an amazing track record with engines, so I dont feel like this is a "second rate" brand or one of those "other guys" that was mentioned... plus they have their headquarters just north of Boston, so I like the idea of having the company in my back yard if I need help or have questions on it...

Having said that, I still don't know about the warranty issue, its important to me...

I guess the real question is, how many people have problems directly associated with these Mods?? should I just forget the whole thing?
Is this something that is even worth the headache? What are peoples feelings on that?

[BarryJI]

A good tune is definitely not a headache if you want to bring out the full potential of this engine.

[BMWZ4]

I based my decision on the warranty piece. I had an issue the day after installation of my Dinan Stage 1, but the issue hasn't returned (in fact I posted the feedback from BMW Canada on another thread), so totally happy now with my tune (and of course warranty). I have no doubt there are tunes on the market that deliver more, but as was noted in previous threads, if you want to be the fastest/bestest/etc guy on the block, the Dinan maybe isn't for you.

I'm very happy with mine, in fact I'm going to move up to Stage 2 in October (my entire car was recalled (see here: http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1163398) and I'm getting a new one so I'll make the tune change then).

[BLK235iNJ]

Is Dinan going to let you transfer the warranty? I recall reading its only good for the original car.

In regards to your car getting crushed I thought this was the case prior to you receiving the car. That must of been a weird call "hey we need to crush your car"

Originally Posted by BMWZ4

I based my decision on the warranty piece. I had an issue the day after installation of my Dinan Stage 1, but the issue hasn't returned (in fact I posted the feedback from BMW Canada on another thread), so totally happy now with my tune (and of course warranty). I have no doubt there are tunes on the market that deliver more, but as was noted in previous threads, if you want to be the fastest/bestest/etc guy on the block, the Dinan maybe isn't for you.

I'm very happy with mine, in fact I'm going to move up to Stage 2 in October (my entire car was recalled (see here: http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1163398) and I'm getting a new one so I'll make the tune change then).

[BMWZ4]

Super weird call to be sure. It's going to be a PITA to get all my mods organized for my dealer to re-install, but hey, in the end I get a '16 and zero miles on the clock! So no complaints TBH.

Yes, discussed with the dealer and everything that was installed either at the port, dealer or even by me (CF mirror caps, my dashcam etc) will be ported over by them, on their dime (or via this HUGE insurance claim they've filed).

My only fear is that I might get a lemon in trade.... unlikely though I suppose.