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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 F10 Technical Topics Engine, Transmission, Exhaust, Drivetrain, ECU Software Modifications Dinan Stage 2 removal?
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      07-18-2016, 10:45 PM   #1
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Dinan Stage 2 removal?

Hey guys/gals,

I'm looking at purchasing a used 550i that has a Dinan Stage 2 installed. From my understanding, this is a reflash of the ECU. Here's the problem...

From reading Dinan's site, they are not really interested in any warranty past the manufacturer's 4/50. And that's fine. But I plan on purchasing the Route 66 extended warranty thru my credit union and don't want their (Dinan)modification showing up if I need some warranty work done.

My questions are....1) can the tune be removed and 2) if it can be removed, are there any traces left in the ECU that can show the prior modification that may void my extended warranty? I would much rather get the JB piggyback which gives me the option of removal before I take it in for any repairs.

Thanx for any and all responses...
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      07-19-2016, 02:49 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MavRick View Post
Hey guys/gals,

I'm looking at purchasing a used 550i that has a Dinan Stage 2 installed. From my understanding, this is a reflash of the ECU. Here's the problem...

From reading Dinan's site, they are not really interested in any warranty past the manufacturer's 4/50. And that's fine. But I plan on purchasing the Route 66 extended warranty thru my credit union and don't want their (Dinan)modification showing up if I need some warranty work done.

My questions are....1) can the tune be removed and 2) if it can be removed, are there any traces left in the ECU that can show the prior modification that may void my extended warranty? I would much rather get the JB piggyback which gives me the option of removal before I take it in for any repairs.

Thanx for any and all responses...
Does the Route 66 guarantee that your car will be fixed at a BMW service center? If not I would leave the Dinan software in there because no one would know except for the dealer. Also you have to pay the BMW service center to re-flash your ECU and that can take over a day if they are not that good and that is going to be expensive. I have done this to return Dinan software on my E60 535 and it took them 2 days to complete the re-flash.

Last edited by NV GUNS; 07-19-2016 at 02:56 AM..
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      07-19-2016, 12:00 PM   #3
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Can't you just take the car to any shop that will honor that warranty? Even with my extended warranty I go to Indy shops and avoid the dealer.
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      07-19-2016, 07:39 PM   #4
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I am picking up a 550i Dinan stage 5 tomorrow and planned to get the Route 66 extended warranty (had for my e60 as well). Just take the car to a BMW independent dealer and you should have no issues. They want to get paid so they are not going to mention something that would turn away work I would assume...

Did you get a quote for your extended warranty yet? If so, which plan and how much?
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      07-20-2016, 12:04 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FaintReality View Post
I am picking up a 550i Dinan stage 5 tomorrow and planned to get the Route 66 extended warranty (had for my e60 as well). Just take the car to a BMW independent dealer and you should have no issues. They want to get paid so they are not going to mention something that would turn away work I would assume...

Did you get a quote for your extended warranty yet? If so, which plan and how much?
i spoke to someone at Dinan that allayed my concerns. doesnt look like there is a need to take it off, at all.

as far as the warranty...the car qualified for the 'Easy Street' plan. I'm getting it thru my credit union (DCU) and the 5yr/100k mile plan is going for $2546.
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      07-20-2016, 02:10 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FaintReality View Post
I am picking up a 550i Dinan stage 5 tomorrow and planned to get the Route 66 extended warranty (had for my e60 as well). Just take the car to a BMW independent dealer and you should have no issues. They want to get paid so they are not going to mention something that would turn away work I would assume...

Did you get a quote for your extended warranty yet? If so, which plan and how much?
Nice find! Jealous, all the ones I have seen have none of the options I want :/

As far as the programming, isn't it a piggy back system? My understanding is the F chassis no longer is just a flash, its the Dinantronics system and can be removed and sold unlike previous system.
Here is an example on the 6er, in the middle between intakes.


Matt
P.S. If you do take it off I might be interested if I get a 550i I am looking at...
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      07-20-2016, 06:04 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SchillerM View Post
Nice find! Jealous, all the ones I have seen have none of the options I want :/

As far as the programming, isn't it a piggy back system? My understanding is the F chassis no longer is just a flash, its the Dinantronics system and can be removed and sold unlike previous system.
Here is an example on the 6er, in the middle between intakes.


Matt
P.S. If you do take it off I might be interested if I get a 550i I am looking at...
I was under the impression that it was a reflash. The rep that I spoke to kept mentioning 'DME' and the fact that if it was ever wiped back to factory, I can get it restored because the package follows the VIN and not the owner (which I thought was pretty cool).
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      07-20-2016, 09:49 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SchillerM View Post
Nice find! Jealous, all the ones I have seen have none of the options I want :/

As far as the programming, isn't it a piggy back system? My understanding is the F chassis no longer is just a flash, its the Dinantronics system and can be removed and sold unlike previous system.
Here is an example on the 6er, in the middle between intakes.


Matt
P.S. If you do take it off I might be interested if I get a 550i I am looking at...

Yea, mine is fully loaded with every option except the parking assist and adaptive cruise control.

Like mentioned, I was under the impression it's an ECU flash, not a piggy back. I could be wrong though...
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      07-20-2016, 10:52 PM   #9
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I just checked their site, it is a flash for the pre-LCI and Dinantronics piggy back for LCI.
Good to know.
Sorry for causing confusion...

Faintreality, very nice, I imagine that was out of my budget anyways, nice buy though. Enjoy
Matt
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      07-24-2016, 02:35 AM   #10
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I am very intimate with Dinan and several of their engineers. Yes, this IS a FLASH and furthermore, it is tied to the VIN number of the car so it is NOT transferable to another car. You could, In theory, have a person who codes cars, Copy your existing ECU config, flash it to BMW stock settings, get your warranty, then flash back to Dinan. But it isn't necessary as very few people will even know what a Dinan tune is on a car. The dinan Intake might be of concern to someone looking at the car, but again, 99 percent of the time, no one will ever know.

Besides, Dinan does EXTENSIVE EXTENSIVE testing on these cars with their mods, and they do it to CALIFORNIA standards, which are the strictest in the nation. So the odds of the Dinan items causing a catastrophic failure are minimal. Further more than that, if someone was to deny a warranty claim, they would have to PROVE it relates back to any mod on the car, and THAT is very difficult to prove. Another words, if one of your turbos fails, they would have to prove that slightly higher boost from an Authorized BMW mod company caused the problem over just a OEM seal going bad for example.

I would not worry about it. Play dumb to the warranty company and don't suggest any information to them. I doubt they will even visually inspect the car since it is under warranty currently.

Then, BECOME FRIENDS with your local BMW dealer or independent mechanic. Bring donuts, bring coffee. Chat with them. It goes a long way for repairs that are questionable.

Finally, CHECK the fine print of your extended warranty. Many warranties will only include repairs that TOTAL the CURRENT value of the car, and as that gets older, it becomes worth less money.

So, If you have a 2011 BMW F10 and Kelly Blue Book says it is worth 20 grand, then you have a turbo, need engine seals, new transmission and some suspension parts at different times over the warranty period, the second you get a total that exceeds the Kelly Blue Book value, YOUR WARRANTY IS OVER! I found this out the hard way with my old Cadillac STS. Pretty standard on a lot of warranty companies.

But look, these motors are built rock solid. Change the oil every 5k miles. The dealer does it at 10k miles under their maintenance program, but if you constantly shop for synthetic oil at Advance Auto, auto zone, etc, you can get the oil with rebate for 2-4 dollars a quart, and these babies take 8 quarts if I remember at this late hour. Also, change your plugs every 30-40 thousand miles, They are quite easy on the 550 and even easier on the 6 cylinder, at at 10 dollars pop from www.rockauto.com, not too expensive. The Bosch plugs ARE IDENTICAL to BMW plugs, trust me, I bought a set of both to dismiss this myth.

Other than that, make sure you run premium only, run some ChevronTechron fuel injector cleaner once in a while, and I doubt you will every have any mechanical failure on the car.

Also keep in mind, many after market warranties will cover an engine replacement for example, but not a door unlock servo. Just something to keep in mind.

Again, I would not worry about the Dinan software, very few people even have a clue what it is or how to detect it.
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      07-25-2016, 09:08 AM   #11
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Thank you to everyone for their responses. I went ahead and purchased the vehicle. I couldnt be happier.

I will say that the power is deceptive. My wife's M4 is much more theatrical and acceleration is much more of an 'event'. In the 550...acceleration seems more like a rush. No sledgehammer pounding you back into the seat. More of a surge. I was almost disappointed until I looked at the speedo.

I plan on using the OBD scan tool to make sure I'm getting the full complement of boost and that the Dinan software is installed/working.

Again, thanx for all yall's help. I'm sure this wont be the last question I have...
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      07-25-2016, 11:20 PM   #12
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I have the Route 66 extended warranty and they are pretty good to deal with so far.

I've used it twice so far. A total of around $3000.
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      08-17-2016, 12:13 AM   #13
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Are you going to get it dynoed? Also do you have a P3 gauge timer for the left air vent to see what your zero to 60 times are?
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      08-29-2016, 05:01 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MavRick View Post
Thank you to everyone for their responses. I went ahead and purchased the vehicle. I couldnt be happier.

I will say that the power is deceptive. My wife's M4 is much more theatrical and acceleration is much more of an 'event'. In the 550...acceleration seems more like a rush. No sledgehammer pounding you back into the seat. More of a surge. I was almost disappointed until I looked at the speedo.

I plan on using the OBD scan tool to make sure I'm getting the full complement of boost and that the Dinan software is installed/working.

Again, thanx for all yall's help. I'm sure this wont be the last question I have...
ok....lets forget the word 'deceptive' and replace it with 'isnt there'.

the car goes in the shop, tomorrow, to find my missing boost. i am registering about 4 psi using the OBD scanner tool and the Torque app. to confirm that it was working properly, i checked my wife's M4 (registered 18+ psi) and a friend's M5 (showed 17+). so yeah...something is amiss with my car.

the car still feels strong. but it doesnt feel Dinan Stage 2 strong. or even 400 hp strong. and that 'rush' turns out to be what amounts to a high compression V8.

after i get the boost problem fixed, i will then take it to my SA and have them make sure the flash is still on the car. if not...it will be re-installed.

pissed that the car has to be down for repairs....happy that i should have a whole new beast when its working properly.
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      08-29-2016, 05:39 PM   #15
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How would I go about testing for the PSI on my Dinan stage 5? It feels fast, very fast, but my comparison is my old e60 550i which was stock.
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      08-29-2016, 06:13 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FaintReality View Post
How would I go about testing for the PSI on my Dinan stage 5? It feels fast, very fast, but my comparison is my old e60 550i which was stock.
i use a plain jane obd bluetooth scanner that i got off amazon for like $10-15. they look like this....



and then i use the Torque app on my android tablet. its the one from Ian Hawkins. once you get them synced...via bluetooth...you can monitor all kinda things.

hope that helps...
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      08-29-2016, 06:40 PM   #17
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I have both the elm 327 and the BMWwhat scanner as well as torque but it won't recognize either scanner :-/
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      08-29-2016, 06:57 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HR F10
I have the Route 66 extended warranty and they are pretty good to deal with so far.

I've used it twice so far. A total of around $3000.
What have you used the Route 66 warranty for ? And what are your mods? Looking to get one soon.
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      08-29-2016, 07:48 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FaintReality View Post
I have both the elm 327 and the BMWwhat scanner as well as torque but it won't recognize either scanner :-/
What kind of tablet are you using? It took me having to uninstall every Bluetooth device that I had on my Samsung before I could pair it with the ELM. But afterwards, it picks it up right away. Maybe try doing that...

Edit...there are also a couple of things that I had to change in the Settings on the Torque. The tablet is at the office but I will let you know what those were, tomorrow.
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      08-29-2016, 08:35 PM   #20
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I tried with my previous iPhone 5S and my current Samsung Galaxy S7. Any turturials that you know of?
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      08-29-2016, 08:55 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FaintReality View Post
I tried with my previous iPhone 5S and my current Samsung Galaxy S7. Any turturials that you know of?
This may help...

http://www.totalcardiagnostics.com/s...327-obd2-setup
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      10-14-2016, 09:09 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MavRick View Post
ok....lets forget the word 'deceptive' and replace it with 'isnt there'.

the car goes in the shop, tomorrow, to find my missing boost. i am registering about 4 psi using the OBD scanner tool and the Torque app. to confirm that it was working properly, i checked my wife's M4 (registered 18+ psi) and a friend's M5 (showed 17+). so yeah...something is amiss with my car.

the car still feels strong. but it doesnt feel Dinan Stage 2 strong. or even 400 hp strong. and that 'rush' turns out to be what amounts to a high compression V8.

after i get the boost problem fixed, i will then take it to my SA and have them make sure the flash is still on the car. if not...it will be re-installed.

pissed that the car has to be down for repairs....happy that i should have a whole new beast when its working properly.

So I finally got around to installing the ELM and only register 4.1 psi of boost, yet the car kicks my head back with authority. I am thinking it's the elm & torque app, yet you said you registered 4 psi as well.

Did you ever get car checked out? What was the issue?

Wondering if it's my pandora app? Couldn't figure out how to disable bluetooth streaming of pandora like torque suggest.
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