[BMWZ4]

Stage 1 installed on Friday at the dealer and by Saturday afternoon I got a Drive-train Malfunction notification. Shut the car off, message didn't return (yet!). I'll be swinging by the dealer tomorrow or Tuesday.

Fault log was as follows:

Current Fault Log
------------------
ECU reports no current faults

Pending Fault Log
------------------
P1284: Switching Solenoid for Air Assisted Injection Valves Bank 1 Control Circuit Signal Low
----------------------------------------------------
ECU reports no other fault codes logged
End of report.

[Luminous]

Honestly this is the best advice I can give you: call them first thing tomorrow, tell them you're not satisfied and want to return it. You have a three day satisfaction guarantee, after that you're shit out if luck. Take it from someone who's been through this, the dinan stage 1 is absolute shit, not worth a quarter of the cost. I too had drive train malfunctions and the dinan team tried to blame it on my car. No issues since removing the dinan, there are so many better options for tunes out they at a much lower price. Good luck, just my .02

[Luminous]

Btw I had the exact same fault code come up and dinan blamed it on my car. Get out while you can.

Also check my Manhart review thread, I dynoed the dinan and gains were 21hp over stock, less than half they advertise. Better options for piggyback are racechip, Manhart stage 1, but honestly I recommend an ecu tune. Best bang for your buck.

[BMWZ4]

Thanks Luminous, I appreciate the input. I emailed the tech earlier this morning and got a reply (he'd given me his personal email address), so going to go by the shop tomorrow.

Still gives me 1 business day to decide to keep or return the tune.

[Luminous]

Originally Posted by BMWZ4

Thanks Luminous, I appreciate the input. I emailed the tech earlier this morning and got a reply (he'd given me his personal email address), so going to go by the shop tomorrow.

Still gives me 1 business day to decide to keep or return the tune.

no problem, just trying to help out a fellow 2 addict

keep in mind the techs don't work for dinan, they represent the stealership and obviously don't want you returning a $2k product. again, as someone who's been through this process, heres my prediction for your visit to the shop: they will check the car, not find anything, offer to update software on the dinan box and send you on your way, only for the malfunction to return once you're past the 3 days. I'm telling you, don't mess around with this, as soon as the three days are over you're screwed, plus I've had horrible experiences with dinans customer service. first they never called me back, then just blamed the issue on my car.

what makes me doubt that this is in installation error rather than a fundamental issue with the tune is that i literally had the exact same recurring fault code P1284. dealership was not able to diagnose or fix it, didn't even consider it was related to the tune. since i removed the dinan it has never come back.

if you're concerned about warranty, get a simple stage 1 piggyback like the race chip which can be installed and removed in 2 minutes. if you ever have an issue with the car, take it off and bring it in, they can't trace it.

I'm just saying, save yourself the $2k and spend it on something worth it. the power increase from dinans stage 1 is almost unnoticeable.

Good luck!

[Kzang]

OP, two other X5 owners had similar issue with Dinan. You can read about it here

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=851837

Good luck.

[horsepower_and_hounds]

FYI...When I installed my BMS Stage 1 and headed up the street and gave it some gas I got the "Drive-train Malfunction notification". It has never come back again in a year. I have heard this can happen after you remove/re-install the battery cable with the box install and get on the gas the first time or giving it too much gas before adaption after install of the box. Either way I have never seen it after that one time

[s1uma1]

also had BMS stage and received that message... went away on its own. installed dinan stage 1, same thing. not sure if it's the same message as OPs though...

[ocN55]

Originally Posted by s1uma1

also had BMS stage and received that message... went away on its own. installed dinan stage 1, same thing. not sure if it's the same message as OPs though...

Sometimes those drivetrain malfunctions will come up after reconnecting the battery. As long as it goes away, it's not a big deal.

[Dinan_Engineering]

We will work with Budds' BMW (I assume thats the dealer in question) and the OP to get whatever the issue is resolved. Last thing we want obviously is a dissatisfied customer, hence the satisfaction guarantee.

[s1uma1]

Originally Posted by ocN55

Sometimes those drivetrain malfunctions will come up after reconnecting the battery. As long as it goes away, it's not a big deal.

Not an issue in my case as the light never came back

[BMWZ4]

Originally Posted by Dinan_Engineering

We will work with Budd's BMW (I assume that's the dealer in question) and the OP to get whatever the issue is resolved. Last thing we want obviously is a dissatisfied customer, hence the satisfaction guarantee.

Correct, it was Budd's. I'm not worried as the senior tech that did the installation was very customer focused. As I mentioned in an earlier post, he even provided me with his personal email. In any event, I'm sure we'll get it sorted out. Car's been fine since the message appeared Sat. morning by the way.

IMO, it's not in the dealership or Dinan's best interest to have a sub-par product out there, otherwise they wouldn't be in business for very long. Maybe that's naive, but we'll see how both parties address the issue (assuming there is an issue, as someone pointed out it could be from simply having disconnected the battery, etc). I'm not ready to pull the plug just yet. In terms of other less expensive and more responsive tunes, no question they exist, but at this stage, I'm not prepared to have to disconnect the tune anytime the car needs to be serviced. Yes I know the Dinan tune probably has less bang for the $, but for me, the warranty piece holds some value.

Thanks for chiming in Dinan.

[Luminous]

Originally Posted by ocN55

Sometimes those drivetrain malfunctions will come up after reconnecting the battery. As long as it goes away, it's not a big deal.

This would be a chassis stabilization code, not the P1284 code in question.

[alexc93]

Originally Posted by BMWZ4

Correct, it was Budd's. I'm not worried as the senior tech that did the installation was very customer focused. As I mentioned in an earlier post, he even provided me with his personal email. In any event, I'm sure we'll get it sorted out. Car's been fine since the message appeared Sat. morning by the way.

IMO, it's not in the dealership or Dinan's best interest to have a sub-par product out there, otherwise they wouldn't be in business for very long. Maybe that's naive, but we'll see how both parties address the issue (assuming there is an issue, as someone pointed out it could be from simply having disconnected the battery, etc). I'm not ready to pull the plug just yet. In terms of other less expensive and more responsive tunes, no question they exist, but at this stage, I'm not prepared to have to disconnect the tune anytime the car needs to be serviced. Yes I know the Dinan tune probably has less bang for the $, but for me, the warranty piece holds some value.

Thanks for chiming in Dinan.

Indeed it is naive...

[Luminous]

Originally Posted by alexc93

Indeed it is naive...

+1

Lol, very.

I'm telling you guys I've been through exactly this issue and it was a major headache with no resolution. The malfunction would come back periodically, every few weeks or so, I found it very annoying and unacceptable for a $2k product that delivered half the advertised gains. Once you're past your three days Dinan won't lift a finger for you.

Anyway, good luck and please keep us posted.

[BMWZ4]

Ok then, I guess I'm being naive. Time will tell.

FYI I've reached out to Dinan earlier and the 3 day return policy will be lifted until it's resolved to my satisfaction; if not, I can return it.

So far, I have no reason to believe I'll be stuck with this tune if the issue cannot be resolved.

Thanks for the added insight.

[Luminous]

Nice, glad to hear Dinan is finally standing behind their product and taking care of you. Too bad it takes posting on a public forum for them to take their customers seriously.

If they said they would lift the 3 day guarantee I would certainly want that in writing. Also, how will you know the issue is fully resolved? Mine would come on every few weeks or so, not something easily tested, plus I've already been through this process with them. They reinstalled the box and reupdated the software yet the codes kept appearing.

Again, good luck and please keep us posted!

[BMWZ4]

Hi Luminous,

Sure, I'll keep everyone posted. I can't answer your question about how will I know it's resolved if the message can possibly come up 5 months or even 12 months down the road.

First things first is for both parties to review the logs. I'll take it from there.

EDIT: FWIW again me being naive apparently, but I want to give both parties the opportunity to address. While this tune may not deliver the 50+whp etc results like other tunes, that's not quite what I was looking for. So far what I like about this tune is the smooth delivery (and some addt'l turbo spool noise!) and as I've said, the warranty aspect. I have no intention of tracking either. Also, I did look at the manhart and found that the price was only about $400 less than the dinan (U.S. to CAD exchange).

[Luminous]

Originally Posted by BMWZ4

Hi Luminous,

Sure, I'll keep everyone posted. I can't answer your question about how will I know it's resolved if the message can possibly come up 5 months or even 12 months down the road.

First things first is for both parties to review the logs. I'll take it from there.

EDIT: FWIW again me being naive apparently, but I want to give both parties the opportunity to address. While this tune may not deliver the 50+whp etc results like other tunes, that's not quite what I was looking for. So far what I like about this tune is the smooth delivery (and some addt'l turbo spool noise!) and as I've said, the warranty aspect. I have no intention of tracking either. Also, I did look at the manhart and found that the price was only about $400 less than the dinan (U.S. to CAD exchange).

Great, looking forward to hearing how it goes!

From what I understood from your post was that you already cleared the fault code? if thats the case there won't be any logs for either party to inspect. Pretty sure they will tell you to drive around until it comes on again, then leave it on and bring it in.

Yes the Manhart is only a bit cheaper but I can tell you the performance and reliability it delivers is incredible. I dynoed it at 56hp over stock vs the 21hp Dinan. The downside is the installation for the Manhart is a bit more involved. Of all the boxes I've tried I'd say for someone like you the RaceChip would be the best bet. Extremely reliable, we have several members on here who've been running it with zero malfunctions. Its adjustable so you can dial the power up and down, its manufactured in Germany, plus it has only two plugs so you literally can install it and remove it in less than 2 minutes, no tools necessary. Plus its only $600.

Looking forward to hearing what the techs say!

[BMWZ4]

Will do. By the way, I'd already saved the log(s) and had forwarded to the tech over the weekend.
Dave

EDIT: by the time you factor in the Euro exchange to CAD, the racechip is ~$775CAD, plus 13% sales tax, plus potential duty charges which could be up to another 10%...so final price could be closer to $1k in reality.

[isthar]

links? to this racechip and the other option?

[alz0rz]

How are you performing and recording these logs?