turbotuner20v

I'm probably going to convert my car to a '10 ECU to get launch control and figured I may as well tune that ECU and keep my '09 ECU as a back up incase I need warranty work and don't want to be hassled.

This leaves me with a question though... I've heard that either way a well trained tech can figured out if an ECU was tuned then set back to stock, as well as if the ECU was swapped out w/ the original untuned one for that particular visit.

Which is easier to figure out though? Is it easier to see that the car used to be tuned or that the original ECU was just swapped in?

If the original ECU was just swapped in and that is detected, are they as firm about denying the warranty, or is it less harsh since there is no real proof that it was tuned, just that the original ECU was disconnected for a period of time?

BearZ06

Oh no, hope you've got your flame suit on . . . but good question!!

turbotuner20v

haha, yea... I'm braced for the responses... I see alot of info that says it really depends on the knowledge of the tech if they can dig deep enough to find if something has been changed... I'm just curious which of the two is more difficult to notice/figure out.

turbotuner20v

wow, nobody? It'd be nice to hear first hand from someone who's a tech or a service advisor, but any tuners or people familiar with the ECU inspection process would be nice also

Even just an explaination of each would work and I could draw my own conclusions on which would be least likely to draw attention.

turbotuner20v

wow... didn't expect this to fizzle so bad... not a single comment

0ian@thetuningschool

When you do the swap with the 2010 computer and then go back to your 2009 computer. They wont know its been swaped back.

Ian

turbotuner20v

There's no 'mileage driven' or 'time in car' stamp that's unnaturally fresh? Readiness codes or anything?

I plan on doing track days and have seen vettes have oil starvation issues, and if a motor lets go for that reason, I really don't want to be sitting there having a raging warranty debate because my ECU appears to have been swapped after the incident.

RLSebring

All I can say is personal resposibility. That's what's missing with today's people. You go blow an engine on the track and want GM to fix it. Are you going to feel lucky and go try it again.

I really hope the dealers can spot any modification that causes the damage rather than having to fix some dumbazzes mistake resulting in thousands of dollars in damage.

turbotuner20v

All I can say is reading comprehension... I specifically state that I'm worried about a legit oil starvation engine failure being passed off to a tuned ECU. A local owner had the same situation happen in his Z06 and left his tuned ECU in and they battled back and forth for months.

Thanks for the speech tho

So are you saying that if an oil starvation issue happens under high G driving, that GM shouldn't cover that under warranty?

It would be nice if my car had a dry sump system like the Grand Sport or Z06, but it doesn't... does that mean I can't have the same driving experience as the owners of one of those cars?

RLSebring

Yeah Comprehension is everything... You want to modify a car that's not built for that type driving, tear it up and have the General pay for it. There's a reason the Z06 and the GS have dry sump systems.

Maybe you should read your own post and the many other post where drivers don't want to be responsible for their actions then want to scam GM for it.

Typical.

I have no love lost for GM but I resent my repairs costing more because of people like you expecting to play hard for free.

turbotuner20v

What the hell are you talking about?

A 2009 Corvette 6MT w/ the Z51 package isn't intended for performance driving?

I'm not asking for new brake pads or rotors or irregular tire wear replaced under warranty, I just want to drive my car knowing that if it suffers a mechanical failure, it will be backed up by the manufacture warranty.

Have fun cruising around in your auto convertible...

PUNISHERC6

I am also worried about issues with my ecu since I am thinking of getting a second ecu to replace my tuned one on my 09' Z51 optioned c6 which is now puting down 410 hp at the wheels so some solid info would be nice. also, is it true that an 10' ecu will alow my car to have launch control as well?

turbotuner20v

The '10 PCM combined w/ the '10 EBCM and some tweaking via Tech II to set it up for your car. (EBCM is like $750 though... PCM is 'only' $250ish)

redzone

There's a big fat difference between autcrossing(what the Z51 was designed for) and a full blown road course race. No way you get oil starvation in the former and very possible in the latter.

If you take the car to a real track any/all repairs from said adventure are your responsibility. GM did not sign up to sponsor race cars for us.

turbotuner20v

My buddy blew up his Z06 motor at an auto-x... I'd almost say that in my experience, the auto-x would have more wear and tear on the car than a track day (it's not an actual race). You're working on a much more technical course w/ the car usually in a single gear hitting very high and sustained RPM's, occasionally off the limiter if it's quicker to leave it in gear vs. a quick upshift/downshift.

The only component that I feel I stress more on a road course track day than very spirited street driving is the brakes and tires. Both of these are wear items that I have no problem covering.

I think there's even a thread floating around in tech about 'how many G's have you pulled' that were measured on the street and people were seeing ~1.09 g's. If an oil starvation issue happens under this high g load, I'd expect it to be be covered by the warranty. The manufacture is providing a package w/ stiffer suspension and sway bars w/ stickier tires to allow the car to corner better... if the g's pulled by this equipment can damage the motor, there's no question that it should be covered.

How about everyone gets back on track and answers my question vs. debating if oil starvation issues during spirited driving should be covered by the warranty.

jksvet

I would be curious to see the answer to this as well. Anybody?

cranky

there will be readiness monitors that will not be in the ready state unless you drive it through drive cycles. i forgot how many, but they will not set until you do the cycles. there is also an engine run time cell that can be accessed also.

seevi

Swapping out the ECU seems like an easy way to work around the warranty issue, but, if you have a real hard part powertrain failure, Chevy may request that the PCM and the ECU be shipped back to the GM software guys in Pontiac or Milford. There will be history files with gaps in them that will certainly arouse some suspicions. Also, OBDII keeps track of things like "miles since last code clear" that can be a telltale too.

It is my opinion that any tuning will leave a footprint of some kind, whether large or very small. Most tuners make it pretty clear to people that they’re not in the business of hiding a tune from the manufacturer to enable someone to try and collect on a bogus warranty claim. You need to understand that modifying the PCM voids the factory powertrain warranty. Don’t get too greedy in your quest for more power, since breaking things is a very real possibility.

garytucker