So, before I bought the Dinan Sport Tuner, I asked Dinan a bunch of questions. They were very responsive. Their claim to me was that the newer DME's, like the ones in the latest Gen 3 MINIs, are very, very fast and responsive and will make fueling adjustments on the fly. I asked specifically about over-lean, and got the impression that there would be no worry.

I believe that it's a matter of "elegance," for lack of a better term. The more parameters that are adjusted, the greater the opportunities for smoother engine management by the add-on box.

One would have to plug an Elite in and drive around for awhile to see if, in fact, in regular daily driving, there is a noticeable difference in engine dynamics and overall performance.

We understand a lot of the additional cost of the Elite over the Sport is to cover the added warranty, which for some is a worthwhile value. I think the warranty is great, if one ever needs it and if one can, in fact, actually use it should something truly weird happen that MINI won't cover. Peace of mind, maybe. At what cost?

Warranty aside, no doubt the Elite brings a higher level of refinement to the plug in box offered by Dinan. If one feels the extra power at the wheels and the driving dynamics are even better than the Sport, then it might be worth writing the check.

I'm still quite satisfied with my Dinan Sport. And if it's a little rough around the edges, that's part of the fun!! But I would love to experience the Elite difference, just to see for myself.

 

I'm still shickled titless with my NM. The "Elite" is interesting, but at that price point I'm gonna let someone else be the guinea pig.

 

I got my Dinan Elite unit on Friday and spent all day today trying to get it to work. I have a 2016 Mini Cooper JCW (automatic) and it has the latest factory DME/ECU updates. Unfortunately, I'm getting the same issue that others have reported on this thread with the new updated Minis throwing codes and going into limp mode with the Dinan Sport. Same thing seems to be happening with the Elite.

I got the unit from ECS.

I double and triple checked all the connections (there are three sensors and the Dinan ECU connector). When I remove the Dinan ECU and replace it with the supplied bypass, the car starts up fine in stock mode. However, with the Dinan ECU the dash gives me drive train errors and says it is in reduced power mode and the car shuts off after a few seconds.

Dinan, any advice or should I just send back to ECS?

 

I'd contact DINAN directly, don't know how much they monitor this thread. Thanks for reporting, will cause lots of us to pause before jumping in. You might also PM the ECS rep on here, he is pretty responsive.

 

You can contact Dinan via face book and are quick to reply.

 

Whatever happened to a good ol phone call??
(800) 341-5480

 

 

Phone calls are almost a thing of the past. Modern generation deals best with text or in a pinch they will handle your email. Something to be said for written record over phone calls especially with troublesome merchandise.

Lets post up our phone numbers and call each other!

 

Call me old, old school. Email and social media are useful, especially in creating a documented paper trail. Off-the-record telephone conversations sometimes yield better results if one can get in contact with the person in the position to know the right answer and take the necessary steps to rectify things.

I like the phone in this situation.

And let's not post our phone numbers.

 

Yikes not good Dinan. They seem to be the only ones having this problem with their piggybacks. JB4 here with recently updated DME software on my 2016 S

 

Sometimes texts spanning over 5 or 6 days can be handled in a 2 minute call.
Recently happened trying to buy my Mini. Salesperson refused to answer phone only wanted to respond to texts, then those texts took hours if not a day to respond.
Time is money, get business done and move on. That person lost a sale.
Alexander Mini sold me a car in 2 calls within 15 minutes.

Here's my number
(202) 456-1111

Ask for Donnie

 

Short answer is contact tech support/warranty at 1-800-341-5480 x2101.

They will ask for codes to get a bearing on where to go --- DTMAL message tells us nothing other then something is not within accepted factory tolerances so plug in a an OBD2 reader or if you dont have one go to a local auto store and they will scan it for free. Alternatively if you are in an area where there is a Dinan independent shop or one of the Dinan MINI dealers you can take it there to be handled (it is an ELITE unit after all and holds the warranty, might as well take advantage of it).

Obviously, we want to know whats causing the issue if its tune related and firstly to get the unit working so you can enjoy it, and secondly, so that we can make sure we can address it for future sales.

 

I have a reader that can capture the data. Will call so I can talk through it with a tech when I'm in front with the car. I get back from my travels on tomorrow.

 

hopefully this will get worked thru rather quickly. I myself am excited this product is on the market, assuming its all good to go

 

What are your choices for the full fledged stage 1 ECU tune? Mine was $500 and it's great. No messages. And it makes the exhaust sound a lot better too.

 

Installed the dinan sports unit in my 2017 JCW Clubman, nice little increase in performance.

However... I lost the grey locking tab / clip during install, does anyone know what the part number is for a new one, it would probably be obvious to the dealer if I had to bring the car back for any work that the T-map has been tampered with.

and the app is not working on a pixel with android O

 

Will be sending them the freeze frame data form my 2016 JCW to Dinan when I installed the Elite, but here it is if anyone is curious on the CEL and engine shutoff on startup. The fuel pressure levels are just way off and when I install the bypass it's back to normal.

DTC: P15DF

Fuel Sys 1: CL
Fuel Sys 2: NA
Calc Load %: 47.1
ECT (F): 160
STFT B1 (%): -14.1
MAP (inHg): 27.2
Eng RPM: 1007
Veh Speed (mph): 0
Spark Adv (deg): -13.0
IAT (F): 99
MAF(lb/min): 1.1
TPS (%): 18.4
Run Time (sec): 10
Fuel Pres (psi): 1141.4
Command EVAP (%): 0
Fuel Level (%): 97.6
BARO (InHg): 29.5
ECU Volt (V): 14.860
Load Value (%): 40.8
EQ Ratio: 0.999
Rel TPS (%): 7.8
Ambient (F): 75
TPS B (%): 18.4
ACC Pedal D (%): 14.5
Command TAC (%) 9.8

 

Woah! I've missed a lot. Had my Dinantronic for about a year maybe. No issues with the unit or the power. Need to look into the "Elite" version.

 

Heads Up! There's a post on another thread in the F54 forum claiming that there's an email from BMWNA to dealers saying if an aftermarket tune box is on a car it voids the powertrain warranty.

I have NO verification if this is true and I haven't seen the email that is described in the post.

I sent a PM to Dinan asking for the latest.

Anybody know anything about this?

And, Dinan, if you're monitoring this thread, please update us.

Thanks.

 

The TSB being referred to is below and it came out a little over 2 months ago. Its nothing new at all and is basically re-iterating the position BMW/MINI has taken and its stance on modifying cars in general while also re-stating the Magnussen Moss Act.

Please understand this is a very similar notification to what BMW of North America sent out to its dealership network over 10 years ago. We at Dinan fully understand and respect the position BMW of North America / MINI USA has taken in this regard. The modern MINI is so sophisticated from an engineering and technical standpoint that very few companies outside of BMW/MINI have the technical capability to tune these vehicles safely, effectively and reliably. There are a lot of tuning companies in the aftermarket world now; some good, some not so good. Dinan scrutinizes many competitors' products to see how they go to market, what they do and the affects their products have on BMW's/MINI's. We have seen it all!

Dinan has spent over 35 years working on BMW's and 16 years off and on MINI's, embracing every opportunity to work with BMW/MINI and the dealerships, and our warranty is second to none. Our level of confidence in product development and engineering for the BMW/MINI automobile is so strong we offer a warranty package to cover the consumer and the dealership for any consequential damages that may be incurred for (4) years or 50,000 miles on a new vehicle! While this is nothing new to you, it's important to illustrate the level of dedication we have to this platform and our willingness to stand behind our products. Beyond this we continue to validate our products through the appropriate emission certification process (EPA/CARB) to ensure Dinan remains compliant in all aspects of our business.

Our mission at Dinan is simple; to continue to provide the finest products for the BMW/MINI vehicles as well as provide the highest level of customer service and technical support so that the dealer can continue to sell, support, install and service any Dinan product with the utmost confidence and know that Dinan has their back!

We have been fortunate enough to enjoy a relationship with the BMW/MINI organization for 25+ years, it is our intent to continue to cherish that relationship and bring the absolute best performance products to market for BMW/MINI and beyond!

 

I will also note that there are a some dealerships that will install the SPORT but that unit still does not offer a factory matching warranty so if something were to happen it would be treated just like any other brands piggyback that holds no warranty.

The ELITE unit is the one that is fully backed by Dinan and if warranty is denied by MINI USA as a result of the Dinan modification we would step in and pay for the claim. The same as we do in the BMW realm.

 

TL;DR - This could screw with your car, so take 15 minutes and remove the piggyback from your car before bringing it in.

Saying that, no issues for me in 10k miles, and I know cars with 40-50k miles that are fine... but if 15 minutes saves me some potential heartache down the road, it's well worth it.

 

Basically, although 15 minutes is being very generous. =)

Again, with ELITE that carries the factory matching warranty there really is no reason to remove but to each their own.

 

This is Florida - I only say 15 minutes, because 10 of them are spent wiping sweat off of my brow and fighting off alligators, rattlesnakes, and Floridians on the walk between my house and my garage.

 

Touche.