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      10-07-2014, 06:08 PM   #1
purdyawesome
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Quick newb questions

Can someone explain what the difference is between the tuners that are offered by companies like Dinan, Turner, Burger vs. an actual software flash?? Is the difference "piggyback" vs "ECU reprogramming"? Does a piggyback tune just trick the ECU? Wouldn't an ECU flash always be preferred? I just traded my 2013 GL450 and I know Dinan offered a service where you could mail them the ECU, they flash it, mail it back to you and suddenly you have the GL63 engine... Is this possible with the F80's? Are the JB4 type tuners temporary solutions until an ECU flash is released? Lastly, what's all this business of "STAGE 1, 2, 3"?? Lots of newb questions- would appreciate a quick course on what all this stuff means. Thanks!!
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      10-07-2014, 07:09 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by purdyawesome View Post
Can someone explain what the difference is between the tuners that are offered by companies like Dinan, Turner, Burger vs. an actual software flash?? Is the difference "piggyback" vs "ECU reprogramming"? Does a piggyback tune just trick the ECU? Wouldn't an ECU flash always be preferred? I just traded my 2013 GL450 and I know Dinan offered a service where you could mail them the ECU, they flash it, mail it back to you and suddenly you have the GL63 engine... Is this possible with the F80's? Are the JB4 type tuners temporary solutions until an ECU flash is released? Lastly, what's all this business of "STAGE 1, 2, 3"?? Lots of newb questions- would appreciate a quick course on what all this stuff means. Thanks!!
Check the forums, NO one has been able to crack the car. Your best bet is a piddyback system, as the only people that are able to do an ECU Flash is BMW. An Yes, it tricks the ECU into adjusting systems to make more power, but the goal is to get a well known system that does it within a level of safety to the powertrain Dinan and JB4 have good records and both have pros and cons, price vs warranty and power ( I am sure there are other options as well). A Flash would be better, its a modifications from top to bottom taking in many systems into account as a complete picture vs tricking systems to make more power. But, at this point BMW isn't offering it.

Stage 1, 2, 3. Normally as additional parts come out, more adjustments can be made to make more power. IE: Upgrade Turbo, Cooling, Exhaust, Plumping. Most tuning can take this into account and make more adjustments for again more power as you upgrade things.

Last edited by DocWeatherington; 10-07-2014 at 07:26 PM..
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      10-07-2014, 07:14 PM   #3
///M ARMY
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No Flash at the moment.

Tunes:
Alpha N
Dinan
JB4

Best bang for the your buck....

JB4

None does have a warranty with BMW

Dinan has a warranty but only with Dinan. So its a "Dinan Warranty"

I have been in many cars that have JB4 and (1)alpha N and I would choose JB4. Haven't been with Dinan or will ever choose to but there is a review regarding its tune. I believe the majority have JB4 over any other. Tested the Alpha N and the power isn't there.

So far JB4 has the highest WHP out of all the tunes so far. After putting over 4k miles on a the JB4 and 1k on the alpha N (another M3 sedan) I would say that it offers the best performance wise IMO. Other peoples reviews are welcomed.
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      10-08-2014, 11:34 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ///M ARMY
No Flash at the moment.

Tunes:
Alpha N
Dinan
JB4

Best bang for the your buck....

JB4

None does have a warranty with BMW

Dinan has a warranty but only with Dinan. So its a "Dinan Warranty"

I have been in many cars that have JB4 and (1)alpha N and I would choose JB4. Haven't been with Dinan or will ever choose to but there is a review regarding its tune. I believe the majority have JB4 over any other. Tested the Alpha N and the power isn't there.

So far JB4 has the highest WHP out of all the tunes so far. After putting over 4k miles on a the JB4 and 1k on the alpha N (another M3 sedan) I would say that it offers the best performance wise IMO. Other peoples reviews are welcomed.
So I have noticed the JB4 is a "beta" release... Is there any reason for this? I get that it's new- but could something change with the tune that would make it worth waiting for the official release?

How does a JB4 tune affect BMW's handling of the warranty?

Knowing that Dinan is a company that works so closely with BMW and Mercedes- and having read on Dinan's website that they have been developing the M3/M4 tune for two years, it strikes me as odd that BMW wouldn't just grant them exclusive access to the software code to offer a proper ECU flash.
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      10-08-2014, 03:26 PM   #5
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if BMW knows about the JB4 they can void your warranty, same can be said with most any modification including Dinan. The difference with Dinan is that Dinan should step in and pay for the repair.
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      10-08-2014, 04:40 PM   #6
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Many Dinan distributors are also BMW dealers.
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      10-08-2014, 10:12 PM   #7
purdyawesome
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Quote:
Originally Posted by apexit View Post
if BMW knows about the JB4 they can void your warranty, same can be said with most any modification including Dinan. The difference with Dinan is that Dinan should step in and pay for the repair.
Well this certainly turns me off to the idea of a JB4 tune! I know when I looked into the Dinan flash for my 2013 GL450, the claim was that there was no impact on MB warranty...
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      10-08-2014, 10:16 PM   #8
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Skip the tune for now. Check the forum after 2-3 years and there will be a lot more options available. I wouldn't want to beta test new tunes on my first model year car.
Car already has plenty of power in stock form.
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      10-08-2014, 10:37 PM   #9
///M ARMY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by purdyawesome
Quote:
Originally Posted by ///M ARMY
No Flash at the moment.

Tunes:
Alpha N
Dinan
JB4

Best bang for the your buck....

JB4

None does have a warranty with BMW

Dinan has a warranty but only with Dinan. So its a "Dinan Warranty"

I have been in many cars that have JB4 and (1)alpha N and I would choose JB4. Haven't been with Dinan or will ever choose to but there is a review regarding its tune. I believe the majority have JB4 over any other. Tested the Alpha N and the power isn't there.

So far JB4 has the highest WHP out of all the tunes so far. After putting over 4k miles on a the JB4 and 1k on the alpha N (another M3 sedan) I would say that it offers the best performance wise IMO. Other peoples reviews are welcomed.
So I have noticed the JB4 is a "beta" release... Is there any reason for this? I get that it's new- but could something change with the tune that would make it worth waiting for the official release?

How does a JB4 tune affect BMW's handling of the warranty?

Knowing that Dinan is a company that works so closely with BMW and Mercedes- and having read on Dinan's website that they have been developing the M3/M4 tune for two years, it strikes me as odd that BMW wouldn't just grant them exclusive access to the software code to offer a proper ECU flash.
The software can easily be updated with the jb4. Most people take it the dealership with the jb4 and have no issues.I personally haven't seen or heard a car with jb4 warranty been voided when the car is taken to the dealership.

Dinan tune is warrantied through dinan but only last two years from the purchase date. Dinan will take the car back and fix the issue.

Personally I would have gone for the flash but who knows when that will happen. There's always gonna be a faster car but driving stick isn't fun lol
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