Can you "sell" a Dinan tune?

ezatnova · 12-11-2007, 01:22 PM

One of the obvious benefits to going the piggyback route is the ability to spend a few minutes unplugging it and sell it to someone else for 75-100% of what you paid for it. This can come in handy if one is strapped for cash, doesn't like the car that way anymore, or most obviously when selling the car (since selling a car with mods usually resaults in a huge loss vs parting-out).

So, anyway, my question is, can the Dinan tune be sold, or "uninstalled" from one car and put on another?

I'm thinking of my WRX with its Cobb Tuning ECU flash. It wasn't a piggy back...it was the ECU itself being re-flashed. Once installed, the flashing unit could not be used to install reflashes on any other cars, since it was "married" to my car. I could easily plug it in and "revert to stock" and then the unit is "unmarried" and could be sold to another customer for them to use the flash.

Since it sounds like BMW has to do the install of the Dinan tune themselves, there is no flash hardware for the buyer to own and then resell if he chooses to uninstall it and revert to stock. IF that's the case, that is a huge price-point disadvantage (on top of the already higher cost).

e90AW335i · 12-11-2007, 01:25 PM

Nope....that is why some people don't like it. One thing that is disagreed on is whether or not it has any value when you trade your car in or sell it. I personally don't think it will get you an extra money....

jpsimon · 12-11-2007, 02:12 PM

I would pay less for a car that had it, because you know the person drove it hard. Like any other modded car, it loses value.

purplewidow · 12-11-2007, 02:13 PM

well in the new bimmer mag there is an article how dinan cars are actually worth more on the market than the same non dinan model esp for them being known for reliability and a great warranty and there relationship with bmw na...so people aren't as afraid as the other tuners outh there but a dina ac schintzer or alpina car will always be worth more...i have never heard it disagreed upon in the real world when actually going to buy a car but maybe people talk crap on forums but that is how it goes i guess...one of the bad things about forums and certain media is you have to look through the BS...dinan gets the pass from bmw on tuning the car...they worked with bmw of na on it in a similar way alpina got the ok from bmw ag....you are not dealing with tuners who have no relationship with bmw like AA or vishnu....hence a reason why the car doesn't depreciate quite as fast go look up adds for dinan cars for sale they are all more expensive than the the non if you don't believe me esp in all the mags

e90AW335i · 12-11-2007, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by purplewidow

well in the new bimmer mag there is an article how dinan cars are actually worth more on the market than the same non dinan model esp for them being known for reliability and a great warranty and there relationship with bmw na...so people aren't as afraid as the other tuners outh there but a dina ac schintzer or alpina car will always be worth more...i have never heard it disagreed upon in the real world when actually going to buy a car but maybe people talk crap on forums but that is how it goes i guess...one of the bad things about forums and certain media is you have to look through the BS

Take everything you read in magazines with a grain of salt, much like you would with the information on here. There is plenty of BS in those publications as well, such as the information you just shared. IMO

jpsimon · 12-11-2007, 02:18 PM

trust no one

radgator1 · 12-11-2007, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpsimon

I would pay less for a car that had it, because you know the person drove it hard. Like any other modded car, it loses value.

This is not always the case. Certain mods definitely add value particularly if they come along with the removed oem parts such as Big Brake Kits, Coil-over kits and Expensive wheels since it is a simple process to remove the parts and sell them for cash. It is also possible that having the Dinan flash would add value to a 335i if you were selling it to a enthusiast and the car had low milage with warranty remaining.

astris · 12-11-2007, 02:48 PM

Semantics aside...

NO, YOU CANNOT SELL A DINAN FLASH. It is locked to the VIN. It is a sunk cost.

ezatnova · 12-11-2007, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astris

Semantics aside...

NO, YOU CANNOT SELL A DINAN FLASH. It is locked to the VIN. It is a sunk cost.

Man, that's a tough nut to crack. As nice as the product sounds, you really are throwing the $2000 away when you're done with the car (personally, I highly doubt a dealer would throw you more cash for a trade with the Dinan tune). With the piggies, you basically get to enjoy them for free since the demand will likely be there when it gets sold, and the latest maps can simply be dloaded by the new owner.

astris · 12-11-2007, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ezatnova

Man, that's a tough nut to crack. As nice as the product sounds, you really are throwing the $2000 away when you're done with the car (personally, I highly doubt a dealer would throw you more cash for a trade with the Dinan tune). With the piggies, you basically get to enjoy them for free since the demand will likely be there when it gets sold, and the latest maps can simply be dloaded by the new owner.

You are correct... except for one thing. You forgot to add in "labor" charges for the flash. So, technically you are throwing away like $2400

In any other tuning community, if someone was charging/was charged labor for a flash, they would be ridiculed mercilessly. And rightfully so.

scooby9 · 12-11-2007, 03:08 PM

That is one of the issues with getting an ECU flash. I got a map flashed to my ECU on my WRX however, once it's on there, unless you sell the ECU entirely with the map on it, there is no commodity value. But on the other hand, you may very well be getting one of the most solid go-fast solutions for the N54 today...

grkm3 · 12-11-2007, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyleh4852

Take everything you read in magazines with a grain of salt, much like you would with the information on here. There is plenty of BS in those publications as well, such as the information you just shared. IMO

so they guy who spent 20,000 on the dinan supercharger for his M3 (and kept his warenty intack)has no added resale value when trying to sell his car?

e90AW335i · 12-11-2007, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grkm3

so they guy who spent 20,000 on the dinan supercharger for his M3 (and kept his warenty intack)has no added resale value when trying to sell his car?

Most of these people selling their 335's will not have a warranty any longer(after 50k). If there is still a warranty, then yes, there would be some residual value.

No matter what you say, it is going to be an opinionated discussion....

BzzzBom · 12-11-2007, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astris

You are correct... except for one thing. You forgot to add in "labor" charges for the flash. So, technically you are throwing away like $2400

In any other tuning community, if someone was charging/was charged labor for a flash, they would be ridiculed mercilessly. And rightfully so.

I have a 2007 335i coupe and a 2005 MINI Cooper S. I just had the MINI reflashed with DimSport software and dyno tuned for about two hours. The total cost including dyno time was about $650.00. $2400 for a canned reflash is crazy but if Dinan sells a bunch they priced it right (BMW Economics 101).

BzzzBom · 12-11-2007, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astris

You are correct... except for one thing. You forgot to add in "labor" charges for the flash. So, technically you are throwing away like $2400

In any other tuning community, if someone was charging/was charged labor for a flash, they would be ridiculed mercilessly. And rightfully so.

If the Dinan flash is like the other ones I have seen, the total labor time is about 60 seconds. You plug the software into the OBD port, hit a few bottons and walk away. You unplug it when it is finished.

Ruff Rider · 12-11-2007, 08:49 PM

Sorry you can resale the Dinan Flash. Here is the ad for the sale:

For sell used Dinan Flash for a BMW 335i. Price $45,780 and the BMW 335i is free.

e90AW335i · 12-11-2007, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ruff Rider

Sorry you can resale the Dinan Flash. Here is the ad for the sale:

For sell used Dinan Flash for a BMW 335i. Price $45,780 and the BMW 335i is free.

jchristena · 12-11-2007, 11:18 PM

Was talking to my usual salesman yesterday. He said the dealership will actually give you LESS on a trade in because they can't CPO the car. But, if you getting ready to buy another car, who knows. It would seem you could argue that Mercedes would be happy to give you full trade in value...

sambonator · 12-12-2007, 12:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jchristena

Was talking to my usual salesman yesterday. He said the dealership will actually give you LESS on a trade in because they can't CPO the car. But, if you getting ready to buy another car, who knows. It would seem you could argue that Mercedes would be happy to give you full trade in value...

+1. Dinan flash on a lease = forced purchase of car at end of lease.

12-11-2007, 01:22 PM	#1
ezatnova Colonel 97 Rep 2,188 Posts Drives: C63 AMG Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: West Chester, PA iTrader: (5)	Can you "sell" a Dinan tune? One of the obvious benefits to going the piggyback route is the ability to spend a few minutes unplugging it and sell it to someone else for 75-100% of what you paid for it. This can come in handy if one is strapped for cash, doesn't like the car that way anymore, or most obviously when selling the car (since selling a car with mods usually resaults in a huge loss vs parting-out). So, anyway, my question is, can the Dinan tune be sold, or "uninstalled" from one car and put on another? I'm thinking of my WRX with its Cobb Tuning ECU flash. It wasn't a piggy back...it was the ECU itself being re-flashed. Once installed, the flashing unit could not be used to install reflashes on any other cars, since it was "married" to my car. I could easily plug it in and "revert to stock" and then the unit is "unmarried" and could be sold to another customer for them to use the flash. Since it sounds like BMW has to do the install of the Dinan tune themselves, there is no flash hardware for the buyer to own and then resell if he chooses to uninstall it and revert to stock. IF that's the case, that is a huge price-point disadvantage (on top of the already higher cost).
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12-11-2007, 01:25 PM	#2
e90AW335i Major General 137 Rep 6,608 Posts Drives: e90 335i Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: ...... iTrader: (4)	Nope....that is why some people don't like it. One thing that is disagreed on is whether or not it has any value when you trade your car in or sell it. I personally don't think it will get you an extra money....
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12-11-2007, 02:12 PM	#3
jpsimon Team Zissou 3065 Rep 10,197 Posts Drives: 2022 AWD M3 Comp - SMB Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: CT iTrader: (7)	I would pay less for a car that had it, because you know the person drove it hard. Like any other modded car, it loses value.
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12-11-2007, 02:13 PM	#4
purplewidow Lieutenant Colonel 51 Rep 1,928 Posts Drives: e92 335 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Chicago iTrader: (2)	well in the new bimmer mag there is an article how dinan cars are actually worth more on the market than the same non dinan model esp for them being known for reliability and a great warranty and there relationship with bmw na...so people aren't as afraid as the other tuners outh there but a dina ac schintzer or alpina car will always be worth more...i have never heard it disagreed upon in the real world when actually going to buy a car but maybe people talk crap on forums but that is how it goes i guess...one of the bad things about forums and certain media is you have to look through the BS...dinan gets the pass from bmw on tuning the car...they worked with bmw of na on it in a similar way alpina got the ok from bmw ag....you are not dealing with tuners who have no relationship with bmw like AA or vishnu....hence a reason why the car doesn't depreciate quite as fast go look up adds for dinan cars for sale they are all more expensive than the the non if you don't believe me esp in all the mags
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12-11-2007, 02:18 PM	#6
jpsimon Team Zissou 3065 Rep 10,197 Posts Drives: 2022 AWD M3 Comp - SMB Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: CT iTrader: (7)	trust no one
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12-11-2007, 02:48 PM	#8
astris Major 615 Rep 1,154 Posts Drives: M4 ZCP Individual Mintgruen Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Seattle iTrader: (8)	Semantics aside... NO, YOU CANNOT SELL A DINAN FLASH. It is locked to the VIN. It is a sunk cost.
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12-11-2007, 03:08 PM	#11
scooby9 Major 61 Rep 1,120 Posts Drives: 2007 E90 BMW 335xi Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada iTrader: (6)	That is one of the issues with getting an ECU flash. I got a map flashed to my ECU on my WRX however, once it's on there, unless you sell the ECU entirely with the map on it, there is no commodity value. But on the other hand, you may very well be getting one of the most solid go-fast solutions for the N54 today... __________________ *2007 BMW 335xi 6MT TiAg*
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12-11-2007, 08:49 PM	#16
Ruff Rider "posting from my recliner" 102 Rep 7,241 Posts Drives: twin turbo Prius Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Where the air is thin iTrader: (0)	Sorry you can resale the Dinan Flash. Here is the ad for the sale: For sell used Dinan Flash for a BMW 335i. Price $45,780 and the BMW 335i is free. __________________ Ping Golf Club demo tech
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12-11-2007, 11:18 PM	#18
jchristena Enlisted Member 1 Rep 41 Posts Drives: Sparkling Graphite 2008 335Ci Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Austin, TX iTrader: (0)	Dunno if its true or not... Was talking to my usual salesman yesterday. He said the dealership will actually give you LESS on a trade in because they can't CPO the car. But, if you getting ready to buy another car, who knows. It would seem you could argue that Mercedes would be happy to give you full trade in value...
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