Dinan Stage 1 & X5M Reliability

cms22 · 08-07-2014, 03:55 PM

Gents,

I'm looking at a 2011 X5M with Dinan Stage 1 engine software and about 45k miles on it. The Stage 1 was installed when the car was basically new. It has about a year left on the warranty (and I don't put a lot of miles on my cars). Ideally, I'd love to get an extended warranty, but I understand that I can't get a BMW warranty given the Dinan mod.

My questions for the board -

1. How worried should I be about the impact of the Dinan Stage 1 on the longevity of the engine? My understanding is that Dinan is pretty conservative with the Stage 1, so would you be concerned about being able to get 100k+ miles out of the engine?

2. I know that everyone has their opinions about extended warranties, and I've heard a fair number of horror stories about 3rd party warranties (including United Auto Care). That said, our local dealer (BMW of Austin) is a Penske dealer that has a pretty solid service department, and given the Penske affiliation (UAC is also a Penske company) I was thinking that UAC may be less likely to give me the standard warranty co. runaround and limits on rates / reimbursement. Does anyone have experience with UAC warranties where you're actually planning on having service performed at a Penske dealer?

Thanks in advance for any insight that you guys have.

mitch808 · 08-07-2014, 04:42 PM

Dinan supports the factory BMW warranty (Not extended gold/platinum plans) That says a lot about their reliability.

I would not hesitate any factory remap/tune for more power. Generally speaking if thats all you do, your engine will still last just as long as without.

However once you start playing with other power adders, forcing to use higher octane, E85, etc; you start to loose a bit of reliability, let alone some of the features that make BMW a luxury car brand. That said, a Dinan stage 1 tune will not adversely affect the reliability that you will be able to tell.

As for extended warranties, I have a 100k gold warranty added to my car from BMW. I too have heard horror stories, but have also heard good stories too (Carmax warranty) Just do your research on the company

cms22 · 08-07-2014, 05:04 PM

Thanks, Mitch. That's helpful feedback.

I'd love to be able to get a BMW extended warranty, just for piece of mind, but the Dinan mod makes that a no-go. I'm pricing the United Auto Care Platinum coverage. Given that its an exclusionary policy, I figure that there's a bit less room for them to try to screw me.

Anyone have experience with United Auto Care platinum coverage, especially when getting the car serviced at a Penske-affiliated BMW dealer?

08-07-2014, 03:55 PM	#1
cms22 New Member 0 Rep 12 Posts Drives: '11 E90 M3 DCT ZCP Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Austin, TX iTrader: (0)	Dinan Stage 1 & X5M Reliability Gents, I'm looking at a 2011 X5M with Dinan Stage 1 engine software and about 45k miles on it. The Stage 1 was installed when the car was basically new. It has about a year left on the warranty (and I don't put a lot of miles on my cars). Ideally, I'd love to get an extended warranty, but I understand that I can't get a BMW warranty given the Dinan mod. My questions for the board - 1. How worried should I be about the impact of the Dinan Stage 1 on the longevity of the engine? My understanding is that Dinan is pretty conservative with the Stage 1, so would you be concerned about being able to get 100k+ miles out of the engine? 2. I know that everyone has their opinions about extended warranties, and I've heard a fair number of horror stories about 3rd party warranties (including United Auto Care). That said, our local dealer (BMW of Austin) is a Penske dealer that has a pretty solid service department, and given the Penske affiliation (UAC is also a Penske company) I was thinking that UAC may be less likely to give me the standard warranty co. runaround and limits on rates / reimbursement. Does anyone have experience with UAC warranties where you're actually planning on having service performed at a Penske dealer? Thanks in advance for any insight that you guys have.
	Appreciate 0 Tweet Quote

08-07-2014, 04:42 PM	#2
mitch808 Captain 107 Rep 994 Posts Drives: 2012 X5 35i Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Seattle iTrader: (0)	Dinan supports the factory BMW warranty (Not extended gold/platinum plans) That says a lot about their reliability. I would not hesitate any factory remap/tune for more power. Generally speaking if thats all you do, your engine will still last just as long as without. However once you start playing with other power adders, forcing to use higher octane, E85, etc; you start to loose a bit of reliability, let alone some of the features that make BMW a luxury car brand. That said, a Dinan stage 1 tune will not adversely affect the reliability that you will be able to tell. As for extended warranties, I have a 100k gold warranty added to my car from BMW. I too have heard horror stories, but have also heard good stories too (Carmax warranty) Just do your research on the company __________________ 2012 X5 xDrive35i Sport Activity - Alpine White - M Sport Package
	Appreciate 0 Quote

08-07-2014, 05:04 PM	#3
cms22 New Member 0 Rep 12 Posts Drives: '11 E90 M3 DCT ZCP Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Austin, TX iTrader: (0)	Thanks, Mitch. That's helpful feedback. I'd love to be able to get a BMW extended warranty, just for piece of mind, but the Dinan mod makes that a no-go. I'm pricing the United Auto Care Platinum coverage. Given that its an exclusionary policy, I figure that there's a bit less room for them to try to screw me. Anyone have experience with United Auto Care platinum coverage, especially when getting the car serviced at a Penske-affiliated BMW dealer?
	Appreciate 0 Quote