Quote:
Originally Posted by OtisX7
If this is just a piggyback chip though, when you pull it off before bringing it in to the dealer, can they even tell you used it? If it’s not detectable, then the dealer should never know, right?
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Your comment is true in that the dealer would never know if you did this but if you end up having major component failure, bent rod, blown engine, etc. BMW will certainly investigate further and they can go back thru the ECU in detail and see what boost levels were at and analyze any variables outside of their normal specifications. My advisor, who is also the Dinan and performance specialist, has told me that most factory BMWs are tuned 30-40% lower than what their components are capable of handling at maximum horsepower levels
The real key is to either go with a reputable and more conservative tune such as Racechip, Dinan and a few others. While these are not achieving the maximum horsepower gains, they are still significant and noticeable. Dinan ever offers full warranty protection that matches the full BMW warranty if something fails as a result of their piggyback or tune. They are also generally a little more expensive than ones like Racechip. I have had good luck with both Dinan and Racechip. On my M5, the Racechip alone shaved off 3-4 1/10ths of a second off 0-60 time and was a very noticeable increase in mid-range torque and acceleration.
There are plenty of others that people that like such at JB4/Burger Tuning, etc. that give you more HP gains but you just need to be more careful as it relates to which tune maps you run and what type of gas you use.
After break-in, I’m going to probably start with my previous Racechip and send it in to be Re-Programned for M50i engine. Hope this helps explain a little better.
When it comes to tunes, nothing is perfectly safe or undetectable and you have to go into with those expectations. The key is getting a good service advisor and dealer that promotes Dinan or is tune friendly as it always makes things a little easier if something happens. I have always gone a little more conservative with the tunes and not chose the most aggressive ones and have had good luck on my last 4 BMWs.