Dinan S55 Flash Issues

[DriverDaily]

My Dinan flashed car has a rough and surging cold start. Dinan maintains that my vehicle is the only known case. So, I am posting in the hopes someone else can chime in with a similar problem or experience that can help speed up diagnosis and to warn to warn other potential buyers that this could be a problem.

Comparison
Surging happens at at 0:05s, 0:18s, and 0:49s.

The surging is worse the colder the ambient temperature is. For example, the most severe stumbling and surging happened in Quebec while it was -25C outside. The car ran like it had an untuned cammed LS motor.

We have tried the stock file, tuned file, with and without my aftermarket intakes. The problem always happens with the Dinan file never with the stock file. We even tried a stock M3 file (even though I have an M2C) and the car started perfectly.

Dinan has been working on the problem since the beginning of March. I have tried to be patient, waiting three months for them to figure out the problem. But my patience has been met with indifference. It’s now June and they are no closer to a solution. What's more, Dinan accidentally locked my DME twice by instructing Turner to flash a locked test file. This has caused weeks long delays as my DME is uninstalled and shipped cross country. While I’ve been able to talk to them a few times, they never return my missed calls, and don’t seem apologetic in the least.

I would ask for a refund, but I would no longer be able to retain my warranty through BMW or by going with a company such as Carbahn/Noelle because my car has already been flashed.

[M4Viper]

Sorry to hear OP.
Get your refund and ditch Dinan. I started off with Dinan's stage 3 that did NOT add any power gains, actually lost power running their stage 3 piggyback. Dinan said my car was the 1st to show power lost , offered me to use my car as their flash tune test car which will take 3-5 months. DECLINED!!!

Took Dinan 1 month to refund me.

[TR930]

Originally Posted by DriverDaily

My Dinan flashed car has a rough and surging cold start. Dinan maintains that my vehicle is the only known case. So, I am posting in the hopes someone else can chime in with a similar problem or experience that can help speed up diagnosis and to warn to warn other potential buyers that this could be a problem.

Comparison
Surging happens at at 0:05s, 0:18s, and 0:49s.

The surging is worse the colder the ambient temperature is. For example, the most severe stumbling and surging happened in Quebec while it was -25C outside. The car ran like it had an untuned cammed LS motor.

We have tried the stock file, tuned file, with and without my aftermarket intakes. The problem always happens with the Dinan file never with the stock file. We even tried a stock M3 file (even though I have an M2C) and the car started perfectly.

Dinan has been working on the problem since the beginning of March. I have tried to be patient, waiting three months for them to figure out the problem. But my patience has been met with indifference. It’s now June and they are no closer to a solution. What's more, Dinan accidentally locked my DME twice by instructing Turner to flash a locked test file. This has caused weeks long delays as my DME is uninstalled and shipped cross country. While I’ve been able to talk to them a few times, they never return my missed calls, and don’t seem apologetic in the least.

I would ask for a refund, but I would no longer be able to retain my warranty through BMW or by going with a company such as Carbahn/Noelle because my car has already been flashed.

Check your MAF sensors.

[DriverDaily]

Originally Posted by TR930

Check your MAF sensors.

We have smoke tested the car and checked the MAF. Also, if the MAF was the issue I don't know why the symptoms would occur on the Dinan tune but not the stock tune.

[TopJimmy]

I know it would be a lot of work but you could ask that they exchange the Dinan flash tune for a Dinantronic box. Hopefully you could get Dinan to comp you for the BMW service to have the tronic box installed. This would keep you in Dinan coverage.

Or get a refund. If there's no fault codes on the stock flash then you're chasing your tail fixing sensors.

[chriskeefe]

sub'd…

[DriverDaily]

Originally Posted by TopJimmy

I know it would be a lot of work but you could ask that they exchange the Dinan flash tune for a Dinantronic box. Hopefully you could get Dinan to comp you for the BMW service to have the tronic box installed. This would keep you in Dinan coverage.

Or get a refund. If there's no fault codes on the stock flash then you're chasing your tail fixing sensors.

I don't think it's a sensor issue. If the BMW tune results in perfect cold starts then what's the Dinan tune doing different that is causing the rough cold start?

I don't think the outdated Dinatronics piggyback is a solution. I paid triple the price of a BM3 flash for Dinan's warranty and support. If Dinan doesn't have a way to diagnose problems with thier software then they are selling an incomplete product. Had I known that I would have investigated other warrantied tunes like Carbahn or Noelle instead.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by DriverDaily

I don't think it's a sensor issue. If the BMW tune results in perfect cold starts then what's the Dinan tune doing different that is causing the rough cold start?

I don't think the outdated Dinatronics piggyback is a solution. I paid triple the price of a BM3 flash for Dinan's warranty and support. If Dinan doesn't have a way to diagnose problems with thier software then they are selling an incomplete product. Had I known that I would have investigated other warrantied tunes like Carbahn or Noelle instead.

Completely agreed. If it works fine with the oem tune then there's a real problem with theirs.

In theory you sacrifice power but gain reliability when you go for these set it and forget it tunes. It's unaccceptable to be having these issues.

Are they willing to refund you for this?

[DriverDaily]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

In theory you sacrifice power but gain reliability when you go for these set it and forget it tunes. It's unaccceptable to be having these issues.

Are they willing to refund you for this?

Yes, and I don't want a refund. A refund leaves me with a 4000 mile car with a voided OEM warranty and the inability to get a warrantied tune from another tuner. Not to mention the costs of the Dinan Heat Exchanger and labor.

You hit the nail on the head: Dinan charges triple, makes you buy a heat exchanger, and restricts you to the 91 octane file in the name of warranty and reliability. But all I got was three months wasted diagnosing a problem they couldn't fix.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by DriverDaily

Yes, and I don't want a refund. A refund leaves me with a 4000 mile car with a voided OEM warranty and the inability to get a warrantied tune from another tuner. Not to mention the costs of the Dinan Heat Exchanger and labor.

You hit the nail on the head: Dinan charges triple, makes you buy a heat exchanger, and restricts you to the 91 octane file in the name of warranty and reliability. But all I got was three months wasted diagnosing a problem they couldn't fix.

I'm sorry you've gone through this. Dinan/Carbahn does have a history of not producing optimized tunes... their S65 stroker shootout showed that.

And I'm all for set it and forget it tunes. If I ever tune my CS it'll be through ESS which is a set it and forget it tune, torque limited to not produce a stupid torque hump that takes out the crank hub.

In my mind, a tune should work exactly like a stock car but with more power. Independently of weather conditions, regardless of whether I'm putting around at 1200rpm or at the track chasing tenths of a second... it has to just 'work'. End of story. This is probably the experience you were going after as well!

[ptper]

Originally Posted by DriverDaily

Yes, and I don't want a refund. A refund leaves me with a 4000 mile car with a voided OEM warranty and the inability to get a warrantied tune from another tuner. Not to mention the costs of the Dinan Heat Exchanger and labor.

You hit the nail on the head: Dinan charges triple, makes you buy a heat exchanger, and restricts you to the 91 octane file in the name of warranty and reliability. But all I got was three months wasted diagnosing a problem they couldn't fix.

Sorry you had this, OP.

Dinan_Engineering - wanna chime in here?

[Dinan_Engineering]

Originally Posted by ptper

Sorry you had this, OP.

Dinan_Engineering - wanna chime in here?

Honestly wasn't aware of this car until yesterday so my knowledge is pretty limited on specifics here. I have been added to numerous communication chains in the last 2 days though as I try to get a bit more up to speed. That said, there doesnt seem to be any shortfall of attempts to get things resolved from the conversations that I have seen internally the last 2 days at least.

Sounds like a breakthrough has occurred in the last 12 hours with remote logging via our proprietary logging/calibration tools that will make the troubleshooting process much quicker. The tech team has reached out to Turner to relay that development and see when we can attempt next steps and ultimately getting to a resolution.

Needless to say we are WELL invested in this car at this point in terms of both personnel resources and dollars so commitment to the warranty from where I sit is hard to question. Given, I may be a biased observer...

[DriverDaily]

Originally Posted by Dinan_Engineering

Honestly wasn't aware of this car until yesterday so my knowledge is pretty limited on specifics here. I have been added to numerous communication chains in the last 2 days though as I try to get a bit more up to speed. That said, there doesnt seem to be any shortfall of attempts to get things resolved from the conversations that I have seen internally the last 2 days at least.

Sounds like a breakthrough has occurred in the last 12 hours with remote logging via our proprietary logging/calibration tools that will make the troubleshooting process much quicker. The tech team has reached out to Turner to relay that development and see when we can attempt next steps and ultimately getting to a resolution.

Needless to say we are WELL invested in this car at this point in terms of both personnel resources and dollars so commitment to the warranty from where I sit is hard to question. Given, I may be a biased observer...

I am also biased. But from my point of view, Dinan had three months to fix the issue. Turner waited on Dinan for over a week just to deliver the current file the car is running. But now that I have posted publically there has been a breakthrough within a day.

[Fenerbahce]

This is concerning. I thought this was to way to go for a simple, trouble free tune with OEM level refinement and warranty. Now I’m not so sure. I recall you also had some issues when you first installed the Heat Exchanger. Any update?

[DriverDaily]

Originally Posted by Fenerbahce

This is concerning. I thought this was to way to go for a simple, trouble free tune with OEM level refinement and warranty. Now I’m not so sure. I recall you also had some issues when you first installed the Heat Exchanger. Any update?

This is the same problem from January. The problem was initially misdiagnosed as the intakes and then we had to flash it back to stock to prove the tune caused the issue. Thanks to a minor accident, the car was in a body shop in February getting a new rear bumper. That means Dinan only really started work in March.

I will be dropping my car back off in early July to have it worked on again. That is the earliest available date Dinan can ship their tool and Turner has someone to work on it. I'm moving at the end of July. So, if the problem can't be diagnosed quickly I will have to take it to a new Dinan dealer in my new state.