[fubarian]

So...uh ...yea like the title says, are Dinan badges still cool? I haven't seen one in for-EVER and I hit the 10 point mark, applied, got approved, and it's on the way. I'm really excited since it's truly a car I put back together (blown motor, some stupid mods, etc) and figured it would be a way to really put a ! on it.

But I want to know what do you all think? Good, bad, indifferent, is it a so what? ... hit me!

[BeautyInMotionF22]

I'm with you on this in that im on the fence. I'm also at the 10 points but haven't applied for it yet.
On the one hand im happy with the modifications and i like that i kept the theme of Dinan mods enough to get there and i always had the feeling of being impressed when i was younger seeing DINAN on the back of a BMW. On the other hand, im not too keen on having to spend a specific amount of money with a company for the privelage of advertising for them on my car.
At the end of the day you will have the badge and you can put it on and if you like it, keep it. If not, it's not permanent.

[TheMrB]

I think so. Also, who am I? Congrats gents, did what you wanted to do!

[CJ421]

The Dinan badge is a status symbol, but it's not like the BMW itself isn't.

Dinan makes great parts and is a classic name in BMW modding. I love seeing E36s and E39s with the Dinan badge, so why not a newer model. Go for it.

Charles

[tbuck]

I have had a couple Dinan mods over the years, all on older M3 (E36 and E46), never enough to add up to a badge however. I can say all the parts I have used and seen used by others are of high quality, though lately I have heard of changes in that quality standard. The problem as I see it these days is they are not the only high-end mod company any more, but back in the day they pretty much were the only one at the top of the game. So do they really hold as much interest now, enough to covet the Dinan moniker on the trunk? Personally I think not, but I am also loath to put any stickers or badges on my own cars. It certainly does not entice me to purchase x number of points worth of stuff these days.

[chris719]

They were never cool, IMO.

[T-Dubbs]

Originally Posted by chris719

They were never cool, IMO.

+1

[VisualEcho]

I'd say yes, but tiny.

[Chihuahua]

You mean the DINAN badges you can get on ebay for 49 bucks?

[chenry]

My subjective opinion - back in the day (80's , 90's) I saw those badges and respected them and coveted them (as a teenager they were out of reach) hell I visited Steve Dinan with my Dad back in the mid 80's for a chip intall on my dads 1985 528E. When in my 20's I could afford to buy a used E30 M3 I bought many Dinan parts - but never hit the points total for a badge (I sold that car for a Bronco )

That said now I think if you have a vintage BMW they are cool - but anything after the 80's/90's might be a pass just my IMHO. I think now that Dinan is a small part of the Holley machine a little bit of the sparkle has faded

ps- Love my Dinan springs and bumpstops on my M340 - so still a fan just not feeling the specialness

[Vivek.]

A Dinan badge is absolutely cool as hell, a great talking point and a certainly a status symbol of sorts.

They were a local company here in the bay area and I've met many people who know/knew Steve Dinan personally; a guy who does some side work on my cars owns one of Steve's personal e39's.

The disappointment I felt when I went to their Campbell location to find out they'd sold it to some other company was immense.

Originally Posted by Chihuahua

You mean the DINAN badges you can get on ebay for 49 bucks?

Not sure why this is relevant tbh. We have a 'fake badges' thread for that.

[GregInNewMexico]

Nope.

[CalAcacian]

I used to like Dinan cars a lot. So much so, that when I bought my M2 I planned to use many Dinan parts. My original plans actually included enough components to "earn" the Dinan badge.

But shortly after getting my Dinan intake, I ordered the res delete and exhaust. The exhaust took more than 8 months to be delivered, through countless promises and bullshit.

It really soured my opinion of the company. Since then I have gotten suspension, intercooler, and cosmetic components from other suppliers. Funny enough, I ordered a custom plate with Dinan in it months ago. I still plan to run it, but without a Dinan badge.

[fubarian]

Originally Posted by Vivek.

A Dinan badge is absolutely cool as hell, a great talking point and a certainly a status symbol of sorts.

They were a local company here in the bay area and I've met many people who know/knew Steve Dinan personally; a guy who does some side work on my cars owns one of Steve's personal e39's.

I had read they sold to Holley - which coming from a lot of the fords before I ended up in bmw's ... it's not a bad play.

That said, I recently missed out on a "me spec" (everything triple black) E24 M6 which really bummed me out and has put me on this stupidity string of upgrades, and this is AFTER I swapped a new motor into the damn thing. Today, I just finished putting on M4 rotors, pads, brake calipers on my e92 (thanks SeemsLegit, damn nice kit), plus a M3 brake booster (hey, the fluid was already drained so...) and this is immediately after I put in some koni yellows, dinan springs with the supplement stuff yesterday evening. Tada, easy insta-Dinan badge level. Ok, I had to buy the pedals to make 10. Sue me.

...there's another M6 that's a Dinan E24 (turbo) that I still might peruse. I have this crackhead idea of having all 3 M6s and I have ZERO interest in a museum piece, I want a car I can drive every so often and just enjoy.

[fubarian]

Originally Posted by chenry

My subjective opinion - back in the day (80's , 90's) I saw those badges and respected them and coveted them (as a teenager they were out of reach) hell I visited Steve Dinan with my Dad back in the mid 80's for a chip intall on my dads 1985 528E. When in my 20's I could afford to buy a used E30 M3 I bought many Dinan parts - but never hit the points total for a badge (I sold that car for a Bronco )

That said now I think if you have a vintage BMW they are cool - but anything after the 80's/90's might be a pass just my IMHO. I think now that Dinan is a small part of the Holley machine a little bit of the sparkle has faded

ps- Love my Dinan springs and bumpstops on my M340 - so still a fan just not feeling the specialness

I'm kinda on the same lines which is why I asked - I just ...haven't seen them pretty much at all since I was a kid. Every once in a great while I'll see one at a BIG car show but ...eeeh? Did everyone throw 'em away, wreck them, hiding them in their 500 car warehouse? I mean, I help out on a race team and see cool cars (an e30 that's probably a 100k+ car at this point) but ...never a Dinan.

ps I have those bumpstops, just installed, but the car isn't done so that makes me feel like I made a good choice!

[c1pher]

Unfortunately Dinan no longer means what it once did since Steve Dinan was bought out and doesn’t have anything to do with the company. Dinan now belongs to a group of tuning companies under Driven Performance Brands (which also owns Hurst Performance, Flowmaster, and APR).

[Housekeeping]

I own a Dinan badge after installing their tune, coil overs, sway bars, mono balls and exhaust but I’ve never put it on. Seems too big.

[Vivek.]

Originally Posted by fubarian

I had read they sold to Holley - which coming from a lot of the fords before I ended up in bmw's ... it's not a bad play.

That said, I recently missed out on a "me spec" (everything triple black) E24 M6 which really bummed me out and has put me on this stupidity string of upgrades, and this is AFTER I swapped a new motor into the damn thing. Today, I just finished putting on M4 rotors, pads, brake calipers on my e92 (thanks SeemsLegit, damn nice kit), plus a M3 brake booster (hey, the fluid was already drained so...) and this is immediately after I put in some koni yellows, dinan springs with the supplement stuff yesterday evening. Tada, easy insta-Dinan badge level. Ok, I had to buy the pedals to make 10. Sue me.

...there's another M6 that's a Dinan E24 (turbo) that I still might peruse. I have this crackhead idea of having all 3 M6s and I have ZERO interest in a museum piece, I want a car I can drive every so often and just enjoy.

So what all dinan parts on your e92 got you to 10 points? All I see in this post are the springs and pedals. Curious how easy it would be on this platform--I tried on my e39 540i/6 but it would've been 10k in parts or so, I got 3 or 4 points

[VisualEcho]

Originally Posted by c1pher

Unfortunately Dinan no longer means what it once did since Steve Dinan was bought out and doesn’t have anything to do with the company. Dinan now belongs to a group of tuning companies under Driven Performance Brands (which also owns Hurst Performance, Flowmaster, and APR).

I don't think it matters who owns the company as long as they produce great parts. I don't know anything about tuning on this car, but I can tell you that the wheel/tire combo they chose for the M2 is pretty much the best that can be had. The specs are flawless, as is the fitment, and the performance. To top that off, they added $0 to the MSRP of the wheels or tires, and if you get them in a package you save quite a bit of money. I'll take that from DPB all day long.

[Torgus]

Never was.

Dinan is and seemly always has been overpriced for what you get.

All I see when I see a Dinan badge is a slow car that someone got fleeced of their $$$.

[VisualEcho]

Originally Posted by Torgus

All I see when I see a Dinan badge is a slow car that someone got fleeced of their $$$.

Says the man that uses meth.

[Vivek.]

Originally Posted by Torgus

Never was.

Dinan is and seemly always has been overpriced for what you get.

All I see when I see a Dinan badge is a slow car that someone got fleeced of their $$$.

Dinan has always been the source for OEM-quality aftermarket parts: CARB compliant supercharger systems, intakes, tunes etc; matching factory warranty on everything they sell. None of those things are any small feat. They're catering to the crowd that buy brand new cars and want way more power with factory reliability.

This is why you see 20 year old Dinan cars running perfectly with no extra maintenance than their unmodified counterparts.