Second time I take my Mini to Dinan and once again they did their best to accommodate my schedule and provided me with the exact service I needed. Engine light was on and I needed to get a diagnosis and quote quickly as I was contemplating selling the car (vs. repairing it - Mini is 5 years old). Dinan fit me in their schedule very conveniently, let me bring the car late in the morning, drove me back to work for free and had the car ready by 3pm as I had requested. Mechanic took time to explain what he found and shared his recommendations. I got a quote for the repairs (which by the way was 33% cheaper than what Mini of SF quoted for the same service). I ended up trading in the Mini (too many problems with the 2009 S model since day 1) but if I had a BMW or Mini in the future, I would definitely go to Dinan for all services. Clean place, very knowledgeable people and no rush or crowd. read more

I found Dinan through Yelp and mentioned to be good at forums. My E90 M3 had just started intermittently (sometimes after 1min, sometimes after 2 hours) throw itself into limp home mode and complain at DCS (and a few other things). I saw that Dinan offered free fault code reading, so I went there. The guy helping me was nice and fun, but the first thing he said was that maybe I should renovate my engine for several $thousand as he said the early s65 engines had too small tolerances in their rod bearings. He took me through a tour and showed me some bad bearings and informed me that it will be more expensive later and asked if I wanted this renovation. I don't think he tried to fool me, but they should have much more on their feet before trying so hard to sell something so expensive: verified statistics with high %age of engines that had malfunction due to this, or a BMW recall. It felt really bad, like my car was a piece of crap. Reading on the web (as he suggested) conveyed a very different story with very few confirmed such issues. Maybe 0 if one does not count modified cars (turbos etc) Next thing he told me they would charge $155 to check what was wrong with my car. I expected a fault code read at $0. I would really like to see that they offer that code check as mentioned at their website. I felt cheated, but did not want to argue. On top of that, they did not guarantee that they will find the fault, they only say they will look for errors one hour. This I really don't like. I expect to get a diagnose at a fixed price. After an hour the mechanic came back. He said they could not find the reason for the DSC error, after performing some related checks. Partly due to plenty of fault codes. He made it sound as if I had plenty to fix, which made me feel bad again. At least some of those codes did not make sense since the car had run perfectly except the last week. I suggested that it maybe was due to that I had emptied my battery which made the computers do a bunch of strange things including reprogram/reset itself (verified). He said it is possible. They reset the fault codes in order to more easily find what was really wrong. It was unclear how much the rest of the diagnosis was going to cost me, which felt very bad. He agreed to read fault codes for free after coming back wen the DCS light came on again. I took the car on a full day drive. Several times I got various issues but always the DSC light. Coming back and after reading the fault codes, it was clear that the only fault codes where related to the throttle actuator in bank 2 (out of 2). He said that I should change both, gave me a price at about 3000USD including 6.5 hours of labor for the repair and asked if he should schedule it. I said I have to think about it. He gave another proposal at about 2000USD where we only change the one that was broken. I said I have to think about it. Reading on the web showed that this is a very common problem with the S65 and S85 engines around 60k miles, and the culprit is wear of the teeth of a plastic cogwheels (that cost probably 5 USD). So he is right on one thing: you should change both once one is failing, because the wear is almost the same, and the work to change one or two is almost the same. What annoyed me was that a plastic piece at a few dollars would cost me 3000USD ! That day I did not like BMW engineers. Reading on the web it is clear that Dinan and other workshops over charge. The time for an amateur to change the actuators the first time he does it is much less than what Dinan is quoting! Especially since Dinan sais they change these all the time, I expect them to be much faster than an amateur ! And most disappointing regarding the Dinan experience is that they did not tell me that this is actually under warranty!!! I was LUCKY that I studied the web enough hours on this problem to see that this is covered by the BMW Californian Emission warranty mentioned in the service booklet, which explicitly states that it includes throttle actuators. To have a service shop in California and not be aware of this is unforgivable! All their exchanged throttle actuators should have been replaced for free! Anyway, I took my car to the badly reputed BMW dealer and got nothing but good service. 0USD including a new diagnosis, shuttle service, no up sales, repaired car washed and vacuumed. Finally, I must recommend to go to the dealer for unknown issues since you will blow 155USD on diagnosis for warranty issues since Dinan can't do such warranty jobs. And even worse: they might not tell you it is a warranty issue and you can blow 3000USD as I would have done ! If you are outside the mandatory 7years70kMiles warranty, study the web. There are instructions on how to do this yourself at about 3 hours of work with refurbished parts from ebay at a cost of 600USD for both. Or if you can make a cogwheel, My car has since behaved as always before: perfectly with german precision, not even ever a single misfire read more

I have put a lot of thought into this review, mainly because I am a BMW enthusiast that appreciates everything Steve Dinan has done for the BMW community. I have had various upgrades and services done by Dinan over the last few years. Some of the experiences have been better than others. One of my biggest complaints is that the prices are just so steep, especially for aftermarket equipment. For example the software tunes are a relatively good value. On the other hand, they charge you much more for labor than it actually takes them to do the work. I have heard from other shops that are certified to install Dinan products that Dinan itself is notorious for over-estimating the cost of labor. Another thing is that they refuse to make any type of deal with you, even when you are having $10k worth of work done! This was really upsetting as I think if you are going to put down that amount of cash they should be willing to at least honor their last sale price to cut you a small break. Recently they had to remove my bumper to do some work and when they put it back on the headlight washer cut-out did not line up with where it was supposed to be, little things like this are frustrating when you are paying out the nose for them to do top quality work. All in all I don't want to dwell on the negatives too much because these guys know BMWs better than just about anybody and their products are consistently high quality. However in the future I plan to take my business elsewhere to a shop that is more honest in their labor estimates and willing to honor warranties on their products. I have had some Dinan parts fail in the past and while Dinan claims they have these really great warranties, when it comes down to it they will most likely claim that if anything breaks its your fault (even when no evidence exists that their part failed as a result of driver error). A note for Steve: Sir, you have done an incredible job tuning, promoting, and sharing your love for BMWs with the community. But please don't forget to put your customers first and make sure that they get a fair deal in your shops. As it stands now, it seems like making money has overshadowed fair business practices. read more

Quality work and great customer service. I have used SD AutoTech (formerly Dinan) for years. This is the best location.

Dinan services my 1999 M3. I took the car there after repeatedly terrible service from Steven's Creek BMW and have been going ever since. The people at Dinan do a fantastic job - for a fair price - every time. The are incredibly knowledgeable about the cars, on-time, clean and very honorable about what service needs to be performed. I have and will continue to recommend them to all of my BWM-driving friends. read more

Have been to Dinan on and off with last few cars. They do good work at dealership prices. The old location is more convenient(close to VTA light rail) than the new one. They tend to push for the top-of-the-line services, which are tailored for those who drive their bimmers like race cars. Also, I have heard enough spirited discussions among customers not happy with their aftermarket parts and their SAs that prevents me from being too dependable on these folks. read more

Nailed it. A quick look at the previous poor reviews shows spotty English, weak complaints, and people complaining about the cost of an oil change. These people are quite clearly NOT what you should refer to when discussing the west coast's most recognizable BMW service and performance brand. I brought my M5 here because the name speaks for itself. An organization that builds powerplants for some of the most sophisticated vehicles in the world is what I was looking for. I happened to need, what I thought would be, significant maintenance. Chris and his colleagues were quick to point out that my diagnosis was incorrect and honorably, they saved me thousands of dollars. Faced with a few unexpected extra dollars, I requested a couple mild engine upgrades. They replaced a failed power steering pump and installed some fantastic DInan performance upgrades, backed by an industry-leading warranty. I'M HAPPY and the drive back to Monterey was exceptional! Thank you! read more

Updating my previous review- continue to receive 5-Star service from Dinan of Mt. View! I've been taking my car here for service for over 3 years now, and never had a negative experience. Owning a BMW, especially a 540i manual transmission, is costly. But I know that when I take my car to Dinan for service, the troubleshooting is expert and thorough, the warranty on parts & labor is excellent, the repairs are top-notch, and they are always looking out for ways to help me reduce my bill, not tack on unecessary charges. Erin is fantastic, and I always leave feeling like their most important customer. I think in the world of auto-repair, it's hard to find a mechanic you can trust. I absolutely trust my car and my wallet with Dinan. Thanks you guys! read more

The best. I've been using Dinan since 1990. I can't remember the last time they got something wrong where I had to return. They consistently try to minimize the cost of the repair and are very cautious about making sure they recommend the right repair. This is important because I don't want to pay for guesswork. My cars are always ready on time and I have never had so much as a scratch on my cars. I have had them care for 87 and 95 325is, 97 m3, and 01 m5. Thank you Dinan for all these years of great service!!! read more

Dinan makes great performance products. The quality and attention to detail is top notch. Make sure you ask for Shaun Witherell he will take care of you when servicing your BMW. Great guy and great service! read more

They are the best!! Total peace of mind the work is done right. What else is there to expect from Steve Dinan?

This is my go-to place for my X5 diesel. Usually supported by either Chris and Wayne, both extremely honest and easy to work with. Brought my car in last week due to a check-engine light and oil change, for which Chris pointed out that the diagnostic for the check-engine light would be covered under my car's CPO warranty if I brought it to a dealer (so Dinan only performed the oil change). Embarrassed but grateful for these guys not trying to make an extra few dollars at my expense. Thanks, gents! read more

Want the best? Go to the best. These are your guys. Period. The most professional shop I've ever been to. They have the highest quality parts with outstanding service. I have no problem making the 2 hour drive (each way) to get my car worked on. Love 'em! read more

Had a very good experience so far. Discovered Dinan when my dealership refused to replace transmission fluid (claiming lifetime warranty). Oil changes are $80 with a coupon, as compared to more than $130 at the dealer. Service was fast and did not push any "extra" on me. They did mention a leaking oil housing (and showed it to me), but suggested keeping an eye on it to see if it gets worse. read more

Brought my M3 in for a oil change and inspection, Matt Overman took care of me, great guy, friendly and honest. Shop is very clean, you can look right in to the shop floor in the waiting room and technicians look competant and professional. Matt knows almost all there is to know about BMW's. And it's refreshing to know that they dont treat you like you were born yesterday like most of the BMW "stealerships" in the south bay. I would be back. read more

I took my Z3 to these guys knowing that I had an error code reading that was there for the past 3 years and my other auto repair shop could never fix. I spoke to Chris and told him that they were my last hope and I've come to you because you are the best in the Bay Area for diagnosing complex electrical BMW problems. Well the car was with them for 2 weeks and we changed a few parts but eventually they investigated the problem to a failed electrical wire in the harness and fixed it. I would recommend these guys without hesitation and they went above and beyond for me. read more

This happened some time ago. We, my son and I, took my 6 series in because it kept fouling plugs and left us stranded on many occasions unless we did an on the spot changing of plugs (we always had to keep cleaned spares on board). Luckily plug location were easily accessible in this model. After taking it to dinan multiple times for multiple days of diagnostic and dyno tests and a few thousands of dollars in cost, dinan could not find the problem. This went on for over a year. Frustrated we decided as a last ditch effort to change the plug wires on our own. What do you know? It worked! Obviously we confronted dinan about this. They didn't have much to say and no offer of compensation. How do you chase them down for over a years worth of incompetence? These guys are suppose to be experts w racing experience? I'm not a mechanic, just a regular guy w basic auto knowledge and I fixed my own car for the price of new plug wires. I had been a customer with these guys from the early 80's and had them repair and customize 2 of my BMW's. Needless to say we've never been back since. read more

If you have a fascination with burning money, this is your place. If you want the straight scoop on what is wrong with your car, and a reasonable price run in the other direction. I went in for an oil change on my BMW, and was handed an estimate which totaled ~$4K. The car was just in for a major service 5K prior, and everything checked out fine. Dinan was correct that the car needed a new themostat, which they quoted at $430. I had it replaced by another highly qualified mechanic specializing in BMW and Mercedes for half that amount. Additionally, Dinan recommended a new radiator for $600 plus labor. The other mechanic put in a new drain plug for $8 (no labor). Dinan recommended new front and rear brakes for ~$1200, although the warning lights were not on (they illuminate when you have 20% of the pads left). the second opinion was that I had 25% front and 60% rear brakes, which could last quite a while with no impairment to safety. They also recommended a "special" alignment for $200, and dissed the tire store equivalents. I've come to learn that alignments are done by calibrated laser machines, and either the car is in spec or it isn't. No magic. The list keeps on going, but I think you get the idea. read more

Recently had a very poor experience with this Dinan center, very similar to Stefan's experience from 7/11/14. I took my E60 in after I was having some challenges with starting my car. Didn't think my car would make it on a further drive to my mechanic in the East Bay, so I opted to stay local. My ignition button was faltering, I figured it was something with my starter or the battery and decided to take it to Dinan instead of the dealer to see if they could run a check. I was aware of the $155 charge and while I found it steep, I figured as BMW experts they would at least tell me what my problem was since clearly there was something going on with my car. Left it there overnight only for them to tell me it was my battery not charging to capacity and car was returned to me. To my surprise, my car did not start the very next day. I called the tech who helped me the previous day and he was not in the office. The person I spoke with at Dinan said I'd need to bring car back in so they could take another look at it, at another charge of $155. Needless to say, I opted not to do that. Had to get my car towed to mechanic (my reputable BMW guy) only for him to tell me I needed to replace my starter at a cost of $1200 (plus towing fees). I will definitely not be returning for any services at this center given this experience. You need to be able to rely on your mechanic for diagnostic expertise and I did not find at this Dinan shop. read more