[hz101]

I'm leasing a 2017 230i, and wanting to get the Dinantronics performance tuner stage 1 to get some more thrills out of this thing. Does anyone know if at the end of the lease I can return the car after going back to the factory tune and not have any issues with BMW?

[USA-RET]

I'd ask your dealer. Especially if they are going to do the install. If you remove the tune or turn it w/ the tune installed may make a difference. W/ the tune in place, @ the end of a 3 year, the car would still have a full 1 year remainder of the Factory/Dinan warranty. Additionally, a Dinan car sometimes makes an easier sell for the dealer when they take the car in.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by USA-RET

I'd ask your dealer. Especially if they are going to do the install. If you remove the tune or turn it w/ the tune installed may make a difference. W/ the tune in place, @ the end of a 3 year, the car would still have a full 1 year remainder of the Factory/Dinan warranty. Additionally, a Dinan car sometimes makes an easier sell for the dealer when they take the car in.

All true but the tune has to be removed to CPO the car if someone wants to do that, then reinstall.

[hz101]

Just checked with my dealer and he said Dinan is no problem, but other companies may be an issue on a leased car. Anyway thanks for all your input!

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by hz101

Just checked with my dealer and he said Dinan is no problem, but other companies may be an issue on a leased car. Anyway thanks for all your input!

Not sure who your dealer is or the closest Dinan authorized BMW dealer close to you, but if you're at all worried just get the thing installed at a BMW dealer then turn the car in there at lease end. I have all my work done by Thomson specifically for single throat to choke. Car goes boom - is it a Dinan problem? Matt sold me that and installed it. Is it a BMW problem? Matt works for the BMW dealership.

I look at it like Lifelock for the car, no matter what happens I have one person who will make it right.

[hz101]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

Not sure who your dealer is or the closest Dinan authorized BMW dealer close to you, but if you're at all worried just get the thing installed at a BMW dealer then turn the car in there at lease end. I have all my work done by Thomson specifically for single throat to choke. Car goes boom - is it a Dinan problem? Matt sold me that and installed it. Is it a BMW problem? Matt works for the BMW dealership.

I look at it like Lifelock for the car, no matter what happens I have one person who will make it right.

Agreed. I'm a little north of Baltimore and BMW of Belair is the closest Dinan authorized dealer to me. They will charge me around $200 to install it. I could do it myself, but I'd rather have them do it.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by hz101

Agreed. I'm a little north of Baltimore and BMW of Belair is the closest Dinan authorized dealer to me. They will charge me around $200 to install it. I could do it myself, but I'd rather have them do it.

Smart man. For passive parts I DIY to save $, active parts no way in hell. That $200 will seem like very short money compared to a $50k paperweight.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by hz101

Just checked with my dealer and he said Dinan is no problem, but other companies may be an issue on a leased car. Anyway thanks for all your input!

Awesome, we offer special forum members prices

[CE750Jockey]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

Not sure who your dealer is or the closest Dinan authorized BMW dealer close to you, but if you're at all worried just get the thing installed at a BMW dealer then turn the car in there at lease end. I have all my work done by Thomson specifically for single throat to choke. Car goes boom - is it a Dinan problem? Matt sold me that and installed it. Is it a BMW problem? Matt works for the BMW dealership.

I look at it like Lifelock for the car, no matter what happens I have one person who will make it right.

Good advice. I'm thinking about a Dinan tune in the future, but I've heard that Dinan isn't the same company now that Steve Dinan has left. That is, that the attention to detail isn't the same, and their product isn't as "bullet proof" as it used to be. I dunno. Makes me wonder when the namesake is no longer there.

[USA-RET]

Originally Posted by CE750Jockey

Good advice. I'm thinking about a Dinan tune in the future, but I've heard that Dinan isn't the same company now that Steve Dinan has left. That is, that the attention to detail isn't the same, and their product isn't as "bullet proof" as it used to be. I dunno. Makes me wonder when the namesake is no longer there.

Much the same has been said about every company where the founder leaves or retires. Fact is, their product still works well and is covered by warranty. Most who denigrate Dinan cite other companies products as producing more power rather than Dinan as a poorly engineered or assembled product.

If you really have doubts about the product since the owner left, best to leave your car stock.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by USA-RET

Much the same has been said about every company where the founder leaves or retires. Fact is, their product still works well and is covered by warranty. Most who denigrate Dinan cite other companies products as producing more power rather than Dinan as a poorly engineered or assembled product.

If you really have doubts about the product since the owner left, best to leave your car stock.

The products also fall into a few categories. Software is one category, and the car is much harder to tune than it used to be - so from an engineering perspective it's much more challenging. Then you've got products like the CAI which is designed in house. But it's perfect for a coupe and then can be used on a vert or M2 with some modification to a brace. So they take their good products and save $ by doing some shortcuts to work with other cars. Finally they slap a Dinan logo on some things that they used to do in house (ie turbos) so who knows what you're really getting there.

All that is to say the quality is not universally good or bad across the product range, but varies product to product.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by USA-RET

Much the same has been said about every company where the founder leaves or retires. Fact is, their product still works well and is covered by warranty. Most who denigrate Dinan cite other companies products as producing more power rather than Dinan as a poorly engineered or assembled product.

If you really have doubts about the product since the owner left, best to leave your car stock.

Actually, I heard this from a BMW dealer who used to be a Dinan dealer and gave it up due to repeating quality/reliability problems and did feel the company has changed. This came up when I asked about having Stage I installed in my car. He walked me over to a car which he said has been down for more than a month with issues related to the Dinan install of components which are failing to communicate and he said Dinan support to him as a dealer has deteriorated to the point where they don't want to do any more. He had nothing else to sell/suggest, so if we are thinking this is a money-only issue, he simply gave up a sale to me. This dealer/service advisor has been upfront and outstanding with me in the past, so I do believe him. I am concerned enough to leave it stock, as you suggest. Also don't want to waste the additional warranty I have up to 7 years from BMW, as Dinan's goes away after standard time.

[hz101]

I'm hooked to this mods game now. Any recommendations for cold air intakes and exhausts for my 230i? Will that be a problem on a lease?

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by hz101

I'm hooked to this mods game now. Any recommendations for cold air intakes and exhausts for my 230i? Will that be a problem on a lease?

You just need to return to stock for turn in. For OEM BMW gear, you could if you want turn car in with MPE although not sure why you'd do that.

The rule is basically BMW OEM, what came on the car / equivalent / or better. So if you swap your interior trim as long as it's BMW not aftermarket no one cares. MPE since it's better that's fine - although you'd be better off selling it and putting the stock one back.

[hz101]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

You just need to return to stock for turn in. For OEM BMW gear, you could if you want turn car in with MPE although not sure why you'd do that.

The rule is basically BMW OEM, what came on the car / equivalent / or better. So if you swap your interior trim as long as it's BMW not aftermarket no one cares. MPE since it's better that's fine - although you'd be better off selling it and putting the stock one back.

Got it.

Any thoughts on the aFe Power Momentum GT intake?
https://www.x-ph.com/afe-power-momen...m-230-330-430/

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by hz101

Got it.

Any thoughts on the aFe Power Momentum GT intake?
https://www.x-ph.com/afe-power-momen...m-230-330-430/

This is just my opinion based on lots of research and talking with my trusted expert at the dealer, but anything filter on a stick provides sound benefit but not much in terms of performance. May actually hurt. Worth checking to see if Dinan is coming out with anything. Dinan or if you've got money to burn Eventuri are the best IMO.

Keep in mind I have spent zero time researching options for your engine. But for the N20 which we have 2, nobody had a good intake solution that had any sort of performance benefit. I literally just ordered and AFE drop in filter for my wagon but any aftermarket Intake was worse for everything but sound. Again your engine may be different but from an engineering perspective it was impossible to get true sealed CAI on the N20

If your 230 is like a 228 in that regard I'd start with the MPE and go from there. That one especially is nice if you take calls for work in the car because it's pretty tame when not pushing the car so you can still be on the phone and not sound like a total jackass. Then when you get on it the sound is there.

[RoundelM3]

Steve Dinan is back - check out car bahn auto works dot com (remove spaces). He carries Dinan tunes at a slightly lower price than those shown on the original Dinan website.

Regarding these add-on tuners - they don't actually alter anything in the DME, so removing them before selling or trading will return the car to stock.

As far as intakes go, using an AFE or K&N filter element in the stock housing is the best way to go. The intakes are already cold-air type on our cars, so a less-restrictive filter will provide a very small advantage.

An MPE will also provide a small amount of increased airflow and will benefit turbo spooling by reducing backpressure more so than anything else. A complete cat-back exhaust wold be the next step up. The greatest benefit would come from a catalytic converter with a less-dense core so it (theoretically) stays legal and will pass emissions readiness testing while providing increased flow.

[USA-RET]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

Actually, I heard this from a BMW dealer who used to be a Dinan dealer and gave it up due to repeating quality/reliability problems and did feel the company has changed. This came up when I asked about having Stage I installed in my car. He walked me over to a car which he said has been down for more than a month with issues related to the Dinan install of components which are failing to communicate and he said Dinan support to him as a dealer has deteriorated to the point where they don't want to do any more. He had nothing else to sell/suggest, so if we are thinking this is a money-only issue, he simply gave up a sale to me. This dealer/service advisor has been upfront and outstanding with me in the past, so I do believe him. I am concerned enough to leave it stock, as you suggest. Also don't want to waste the additional warranty I have up to 7 years from BMW, as Dinan's goes away after standard time.

My BMW dealer has the exact opposite take. They have installed them on new unsold cars. Aside for the BMW MPPSK, I know of no other tuner that offers a piggyback warranty to cover the car. Again, the vast majority of Dinan owners are very happy.

W/O knowing the particulars regarding the car w/ the problems to which you refer, I can't specifically comment.

I do however know that there can be the odd case where one car will not work properly w/ any modifications (perhaps due to the components installed during manufacture are functioning properly but just barely within designed specifications (rather than well within specification-if that makes sense). So changing anything will cause malfunctions in the car's operation.

Also there are cars that never work properly w/o any modifications coming stock out of the factory - ("lemons"). Rare, but these car do exist.

If you were to talk to an owner of one of those cars, you'd likely be steered away from BMW all together. Just ask me about Hondas. But Hondas sell like hotcakes and get sterling reviews in car mags.

Not my intention to steer you in any direction. Just to add some perspective to what you've been told. If the BMW dealer you referred to is "your" BMW dealer, then it wold be prudent to not modify you car at all. Additionally, if you have a 7 year warranty and plan to keep the car that long, I would not modify the car either. Mine will be traded at the end of the 4 year warranty, so a Dinan made/makes perfect sense for me.