was all set to have dinan chip-oil cooler-exhaust and suspension put on my 335i and my bmw dealer warned me they may discontinue their relationship with dinan an therefore not honor my warranty if it a non bmw part.has anyone else heard of this happening.if so is the because bmw is going to make its own aftermarket parts...
I've been hearing this "rumor" for quite a while now and have not been able to find any basis in fact on it. I think it is "internet scuttlebutt" and wouldn't worry one bit about it. Perhaps someone with more knowledge could weigh in?
Keep in mind that BMW dealers are independent businesses and not part of BMW NA. BMW Dealerships that are also Dinan dealerships are in effect agents for two products, two warranties - BMW and Dinan. They are separate warranties. So if a BMW dealership ends its relationship with Dinan, it may not be in a position to honor a Dinan agreement, but another Dinan dealer would be.
thanx john-my concern is really if something breaks dinan will blaim bmw and bmw will blaim dinan and i would be left in the middle. there is no bmw dealer in my area that has an on going relationship with dinan.
I was told by somone in the parts department at Hassle BMW in Freeport, NY that the relationship may end soon, the person was not able to tell me what happins to Dinan cars on the road.
I was told to wait on the upgrade because BMW was going to offer their own version soon. BMW wants all the cheese.
I talked to a former BMW Engineer and was told that since BMW is moving toward Turbo Technology across their lineup, BMW wants all the Kool-Aid. Sounds like they will follow Mopar's example by doing Dealer installs for performance and offer various stages of tuning. There is a huge market there and if you are talking about turbo's, the performance gains are simple - More Boost. So BMW will put out a car to meet 80% of their customer's needs and emissions requirements, but for the 20% who want a little more, they will offer their performance packages. This will be both good and bad. As for Dinan, my friend is pretty sure they will "grandfather" in folks who have Dinan products before a support cut off date, if there is one.
i spoke to the parts manager at my dealership and the relationship with dinan is all but dead.for people who have dinan installations already the dealer will "work with them " however bmwna does have the right to void there 5 year 60,000 mile warranty at anytime, as for bmw performance parts-plans are to continue enhancing the program.not specific about a chip for the 335i as of yet.
also, don't forget that all that really happened when you got a Dinan product was Dinan's warranty would cover it, not your standard BMW warranty.
I've got a new 330ci and I've been debating for a month about whether I should go the Dinan way. I've done a lot of research on this and as far as I can tell, there was never a true "relationship" between Dinan and BMW. Dinan either bought BMWs or got loaners from the public, did their tinkering, made their products, and offered their aftermarket warranty, as discussed above. None of this will change. BMW always had, and continues to have, the "right" to not honor the BMW warranty if an aftermarket product has been installed- Dinan or otherwise. BMW must prove, however, that the product failure is a direct result of the aftermarket product- extreme case in point, but let's say you bought a Dinan intake and your brake calipers seized- BMW would not be able to void the warranty because one is obviously not connected to the other. There is a law regarding this but I've forgotten the name. As noted above, the "relationship" was, and is, between Dinan and the BMW dealer that chooses to sell their products, never between BMW corporate and Dinan. BMW has already started to roll out their own aftermarket products, hence BMW getting the word out that the "relationship" is ending. There never really was one to begin with, however. And the math makes the decision pretty simple for me- a cold air intake from Dinan = $300 while one from BMW = $800.
Were a relationship such as this to end, BMW couldn't ex post facto withdraw previously agreed-to warranty coverage for cars or parts already sold during the relationship.
who will be doing your installation-where i live it will de difficult to find someone in my area to do an installation that i would trust. GOOD LUCK WITH WHAT EVER YOU DECIDE.
I'm bringing the car in tomorrow to get the air intake and ECU flashed. I'm going to a local BMW dealer who has been recommended by a friend of mine who has a stage 3 5 series. He said this dealer has done all of his work and he's been very pleased. Hopefully I have good luck too.
