So i am thinking about doing one of these packages...

My BMW dealership is a Dinan Authorized Dealer so I have the choice of either going with the JCW or Dinan... what would you all recommend and why?

 

Both are very spendy.

 

If money was no option I'd go with the JCW...

Not for any real concrete reason other than it has the JCW name and the history that JCW has with MINI and Minis.

Yes, Dinan has tons of experience but doesn't have the roots that JCW has with MINI...

 

JCW, for warranty purposes as well as exclusive service form the Mini service, instead of dealing with too many different sources, or spending hours in the garage.

 

JCW because it is, without a doubt, the real deal.


Dinan is wanabee junk.

JCW is original John Cooper Works stuff.

See that C word on the back of your car? That C and the C in JCW is the same C.

JC has been in the Mini business over 50 years.

Dinan is just some guy that hotrods BMW's.

 

Big Dinan fan, I see.

 

I had the privilege of having Steve Dinan speak at a convention I put on. I can guarantee that he sells more than wannabee junk and is more than a guy that hot rods BMW's. Listening ot him speak about the way his business is run and how they go about building new products was amazing. He is a very knowledgeable man. Yes his parts are expensive, but he offers something no other manufacture can. That is dealer and BMWNA support in modding your car.

That being said the JCW is a great product that you can take to any dealer and have any warranty issue fixed. With the Dinan you MUST take your car to a Dinan authorized dealer to have your car fixed under warranty. Non Dinan BMW/MINI dealerships will not touch the claim. So if you are always going to go to your Dinan dealer for any major work the big thing I see is that for about the same money as a JCW kit you can get the S2 MINI which will net you almost the same engine performance but you will also get the Stage 3 suspension with it.

 

I don't know of any full Dinan kits out there. Can you guys speak up?

 

 

Amen to that.

 

In the relationship equation I think Dinan is to BMW a lot more that JCW is to MINI

 

I've noticed that you have quite a few modifications to your car. What has that combination made on the dyno?

 

Money no object? JCW all the way!

Economical way to increase hp? Skip both JCW and Dinan, go the Alta route. As much (or more) hp at less than half the price (spend that additional $$ on suspension upgrades).

 

http://dinancars.com/Mini.asp?Series...is=40&Model=91

 

Really?

Then why doesnt BMW have a car called the BMW Dinan?

Do you guys even have any idea who John Cooper is? Most of you probably don't, but thats ok, up until the release of the MINI, 95% of the population here had never even heard of a Mini, let alone a Cooper S.

John Cooper, like the Cooper S, is a British icon.

1. John Cooper was involved in the testing and engineering of the MINI Coopers.
2. BMW could not properly create the brand without his involvment and permission.

Who the hell is Steve Dinan?

Judging from the package he created for the MINI, it doesnt look like he took the car seriously. Does he? And for that, it's hard to take his stuff seriously. I'm sure he is an extremely skilled and talented guy. But he should stick to BMW's.

 

Sounds like I might be going the JCW route... I guess in the long term, teh JCW added to my ride will have a higher re-sale value... since it is one in the same.

 

I absolutely know who John Cooper is and what his contribution to the racing legacy of the Mini is........I like to buy and read books.

My comments are more based on my experience around Atlanta where there is a very heavey concentration of Dinan equiped BMWs and Global seems to be very supportive of Dinan.

In England where there is a JCW racing series and much more John Coopers (deceased) and his son's presence is much more apparent.

I also agree that the MIni offereing from Dinan is a little underwhelming. It is just not their focus.

 

Wow... JCW sounds like ///M in BMW rather than Dinan

 

have another , they are free today...

all I'm saying is that it appears, to me at least, that Steve Dinan knows is stuff. I have none of his products but his upgrades appear to be well thought out & documented and very thoroughly tested on the Dyno, and he knows his Dyno better than most. I think he takes the MINI as serious as the BMW and his products appear to support that transfer of knowledge. And the funny thing is, his products appear to follow the same mind-set as John Cooper's - of proven and reliable upgrades.

I guess it's all black & white for you - only the British Icon known as John Cooper can make the MINI better...

 

Actually no. There are quiet a few tuners in the USA that can make the MINI faster than JCW can, maybe even with the same reliability.

Steve Dinan definitely knows his stuff. But his stuff is BMW's. His package is obviously a case of "Ahh might as well get something for this little car real quick, since BMW owns them".

This guy Steve Dinan, has got nothing (MINIwise) on people like Randy Webb, Madness, Alta, M7 to name a few. These guys are dedicated to the MINI. Just like JCW is dedicated to the MINI. Dinan is not in it for the love of the MINI. He is in it solely for business. Thats what makes the others different. They mix business with love. And the results show.

Clear?

 

That's not completely accurate. The JCW package and all of it's related parts also come with dealer and BMWNA/MINIUSA support in modding your car. Is every MINI dealer an authorized Dinan dealer as well? By their very nature though every MINI dealer in the US is an authorized JCW dealer. If they put JCW parts on your car it won't affect your warranty and your warranty would still be honored at any MINI dealership in the US.

Will a non-Dinan MINI dealership be willing to honor the warranty on a Dinan modified car? Especially considering how non-mod friendly some dealerships are....

Some people are running into issues with MINI Madness parts installed by their dealer. Some dealerships that don't carry Madness parts (or that do, but didn't do the installation) aren't willing to honor the MINI warranty when Madness parts are installed... Now there are long debates on the legality of this, especially when the installed parts aren't related to the failure... But is that a hassle you really want to deal with?

I'd consider Dinan if the JCW stuff didn't exist or wasn't available in the US, but since you can get JCW stuff why deal with the Dinan bits?

 

This is 2005, and although the legacy of John Cooper was impressive and fundamental in the development of today's MINI, that was then and this is now. Your agument is valid, but this is a new/different car and there are several good options. JCW is no longer the only guy on the block, and there are great products out there that are arguably a better value.

 

yes, your position has been very clear from the moment you called Dinan wannabee junk without actually having zero experience with his products...

So he knows his stuff, but apparently now the lack of "love" makes his products junk?

ha ha. you are funny.

 

Thanks.

I should have been more specific. His MINI products. I see his MINI products as junk. Maybe that term is too harsh. How about I rephrase it to expensive ripoff wannabe merchandise?

It is clear to me that the Dinan MINI merchandise targets people like you who assume it's good just because it's good on Bimmers. Makes it easy to sell to suckers. Is that what you are cooldaddy? A sucker? :smile:

 

apparently yes, since I bought the JCW intake