[TWO-BMW]

As the title says, I am considering a Dinan S1 Signature package for my 2015 M235iX. I love the car, but adding what the package brings should take it to another level. Have any of you considered that package, or gone ahead with implementing it?

And before people start telling me how overpriced Dinan is and what cheaper alternatives there are, first and foremost, I have five YEARS of warranty left, and I will not jeopardize that.

I have a local independent BMW operation nearby that is a Dinan dealer, and they have offered me a very fair price for the package and install.

The package includes:

DINANTRONICS Performance Tuner Stage 2 for BMW F22 M235i

Dinan Free Flow Stainless Exhaust for BMW F22 M235i

Dinan Carbon Fiber Cold Air Intake for BMW F22 M235i

Dinan Performance Spring Set for BMW F22 M235i (xDrive Only)

Dinan Supplemental Ride Quality & Handling Kit for BMW F22 M235i

What this would provide is:

Max HP Gain 56
Max Torque Gain 84 @ 3000 RPM
Peak Horsepower 382 @ 5500 RPM
Peak Torque 455 @ 3000 RPM
Peak HP Gain 56 @ 5500 RPM
Peak Torque Gain 84 @ 3000 RPM

[chattanooga240]

Who would choose cheaper crap out there when a kit like this is available that still keeps your warranty in tact?

I love your list, sign me up. Price including install?

[BentZero]

Sounds like a solid package. what's it cost?

[BMWZ4]

Agreed, nice setup. I would guess around $4500US maybe? In Canada it's around $6k.

Don't forget to download the app as well. Let's you go between stock, stage 1 and 2.

[BarryJI]

As you can see from my sig, I am all-in with Dinan and have never regretted it for a moment. The tune "woke up" my 228i and the suspension mods address body roll, dial out understeer and put much more power directly onto the road. Dinan sells fine products for a particular kind of customer and people should not be forced into a defensive posture on account of their prices.

Having said all that, my only caveat as far as your plan is concerned is that I have never seen all this work done at once, which makes it particularly important for you to be able to trust your installer. Personally I would always go to a very reputable indie tuner shop with a well-established Dinan license rather than trust a dealership service department where the individual technician has no personal accountability to the customer. In your unique circumstances I would not turn this deal down but my advice FWIW is to get as close as you can to a service advisor you can trust and is genuinely knowledgeable about tuning (not that many of them are). I would also ask to meet the tech who is going to do all this work. Being invisible to the tech is not a strong position for a customer when there is so much at stake.

Assuming you go forward, you will like what Dinan does to your car but where the S1 tune does really well for the 228i, with a 235 you are smart to go to Stage 2 at the outset. And re. suspension, make sure they install the springs the right way up (I'm not kidding!) and make VERY sure you get the bump stops you ordered.

Congrats, good luck and keep us posted.

[TWO-BMW]

Originally Posted by BentZero

Sounds like a solid package. what's it cost?

Right around $4,500.00. My local provider says they will install all for under $1,000.00, plus Dinan is running a 10% off special at the moment.

[drakensoul]

Just check on the warranty bit. It used to be that it didn't void your warranty; now, as far as I'm aware and according to Dinan's website, the aftermarket parts will void your warranty but Dinan offers a comparable warranty in its place.

But I don't know anyone who's actually had to use the Dinan warranty after an engine failure and not sure how easy (or not) it would be to get them to do the work.

[TWO-BMW]

Originally Posted by BarryJI

As you can see from my sig, I am all-in with Dinan and have never regretted it for a moment. The tune "woke up" my 228i and the suspension mods address body roll, dial out understeer and put much more power directly onto the road. Dinan sells fine products for a particular kind of customer and people should not be forced into a defensive posture on account of their prices.

Having said all that, my only caveat as far as your plan is concerned is that I have never seen all this work done at once, which makes it particularly important for you to be able to trust your installer. Personally I would always go to a very reputable indie tuner shop with a well-established Dinan license rather than trust a dealership service department where the individual technician has no personal accountability to the customer. In your unique circumstances I would not turn this deal down but my advice FWIW is to get as close as you can to a service advisor you can trust and is genuinely knowledgeable about tuning (not that many of them are). I would also ask to meet the tech who is going to do all this work. Being invisible to the tech is not a strong position for a customer when there is so much at stake.

Assuming you go forward, you will like what Dinan does to your car but where the S1 tune does really well for the 228i, with a 235 you are smart to go to Stage 2 at the outset. And re. suspension, make sure they install the springs the right way up (I'm not kidding…) and make VERY sure you get the bump stops you ordered.

Congrats, good luck and keep us posted.

Very good advice, thanks. I absolutely agree on the importance of who is doing the work. The shop I would have the work done at is a local indie BMW service shop, and a prominent Dinan dealer. They not only did first rate work on my M3, but also caught a mistake another shop made in a previous Dinan install, went to bat with Dinan for me, and got it fixed free of charge.

[TWO-BMW]

Originally Posted by drakensoul

Just check on the warranty bit. It used to be that it didn't void your warranty; now, as far as I'm aware and according to Dinan's website, the aftermarket parts will void your warranty but Dinan offers a comparable warranty in its place.

But I don't know anyone who's actually had to use the Dinan warranty after an engine failure and not sure how easy (or not) it would be to get them to do the work.

Wasn't aware that the relationship between Dinan and BMW, insofar as warranty, had changed. I will certainly look into this.

[BarryJI]

Re. warranty, I think Dinan is very honorable about addressing issues for which it might be liable -- I have not read about any major claims, which speaks well of the quality of their products -- but, again, and this can come down to your relationship with the installers and their relationship with Dinan. My installer is an important west coast licensee for Dinan and in the event of a claim, I am confident that it would be seen as being in everyone's best interest to work it out. A little bit of leverage does no harm.

[BarryJI]

I am not sure that the nature of the Dinan warranty has changed; it was always a -- hopefully redundant -- overlay rather than a replacement for the OEM warranty.

Sounds like you are getting a fair deal. Doing all this at once enables you to benefit from economies of scale as far as labor costs are concerned (the suspension work is very labor-intensive). Quite a lot of this is pretty technical, too, which is why I am so attached to my high-end indie tuner techs. If you think you might want to run spacers or get a reflector delete, maybe you could shoehorn those into the package too; as is, you've got at least two days' work there.

[ChuckAWDM2]

I would do everything but the exhaust.

[Sportstick]

I have been interested in Stage 1 as well. I contacted Dinan to ask about how the warranty coverage works with BMW's own extended warranty, as I bought the extension to 7 years. They were very upfront and indicated their own coverage lasted only as long as the original warranty, and it would likely void powertrain coverage from BMW on the extended portion.

BTW, I'm also in Michigan. Mind sharing the name of your shop for future reference?

[Benandluna]

Do it! I love my Dinan stage two tune and Cai

[doccyber]

Sounds like a sweet upgrade. Do it and have fun.

[ai388]

$4500 seems like a fair price!

[Benandluna]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

I have been interested in Stage 1 as well. I contacted Dinan to ask about how the warranty coverage works with BMW's own extended warranty, as I bought the extension to 7 years. They were very upfront and indicated their own coverage lasted only as long as the original warranty, and it would likely void powertrain coverage from BMW on the extended portion.

BTW, I'm also in Michigan. Mind sharing the name of your shop for future reference?

Ideally you should be ok with the extended, but you need a bmw dealer that's also an authorized Dinan dealer.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Benandluna

Ideally you should be ok with the extended, but you need a bmw dealer that's also an authorized Dinan dealer.

That's what I had hoped going in, as I have a Dinan/BMW dealer, but the Dinan folks were very honest that as soon as the original BMW warranty ended, any issues involving powertrain were solely covered by my extended BMWNA warranty and the Stage 1 would likely void that coverage. I appreciated that they were truthful and courteous with this information.

[Benandluna]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

That's what I had hoped going in, as I have a Dinan/BMW dealer, but the Dinan folks were very honest that as soon as the original BMW warranty ended, any issues involving powertrain were solely covered by my extended BMWNA warranty and the Stage 1 would likely void that coverage. I appreciated that they were truthful and courteous with this information.

Ugh that makes me just want to hop into a new lease

[TWO-BMW]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

I have been interested in Stage 1 as well. I contacted Dinan to ask about how the warranty coverage works with BMW's own extended warranty, as I bought the extension to 7 years. They were very upfront and indicated their own coverage lasted only as long as the original warranty, and it would likely void powertrain coverage from BMW on the extended portion.

BTW, I'm also in Michigan. Mind sharing the name of your shop for future reference?

Sure, it's Nikolas Motorsport in Sylvan Lake.

[TWO-BMW]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

That's what I had hoped going in, as I have a Dinan/BMW dealer, but the Dinan folks were very honest that as soon as the original BMW warranty ended, any issues involving powertrain were solely covered by my extended BMWNA warranty and the Stage 1 would likely void that coverage. I appreciated that they were truthful and courteous with this information.

Good information, but with 5 years of BMW coverage on the line, I may have to rethink going forward with the upgrades.

[BarryJI]

Well a lot depends on how hard you drive it and how well you maintain it (with more frequent oil/filter changes than BMW will finance, for example). I am not sure that the S1 will invalidate an extended OEM warranty, especially if your dealership is a Dinan licensee. So much of this is discretionary, i.e. dependent on whether the service manager will play ball. The S1 is not an ultra-aggressive tune and involves no associated hardware. I would worry more about this if I got the S3 with the intercooler (although I might still do it) or the crazy S4 with the Big Turbo, as it's much easier to pin wear and tear on a big, gnarly piece of non-OEM hardware. And without doing any mods, the cost of maintaining a BMW multiplies after 4-5 years anyway; will something like a catalytic converter replacement be covered by a renewed OEM warranty? I say go ahead with the mods, it's a good deal, but be very attentive to all maintenance issues, do preventative maintenance even where not covered by BMW and don't drive the wheels off the car. Dinan is a great company; chances are you will be fine.