Remember, the DEALERSHIP'S are your friend here, they will do whatever they can under a warranty claim for you, because that's how they get paid!! They aren't out to screw you over, go and call them and mention up front about your mods, sure if your engine pops they'll have to email GM the tune snapshot, but for just about anything else I can almost guarantee they'll work with you so they get paid, it's all about business!

 

If you really want to game the system, buy a spare ECM. Remove the original and store it. Tune the spare. If something happens - install the original and call for the tow.

 

That doesn't work. Check out one of the links at the beginning of this thread. There is a way for GM to figure out if a swapped computer was used at one point.

 

That's just stealing. Purposely de-modding a car just to get a repair or replacement made under warranty is fraud. If one is concerned about their warranty...don't performance modify the car. If one chooses to performance modify their car they should man-up and be responsible for their own actions! Illegality aside...people should have a little personal integrity.

 

Wayne You're asking way too much from some people...

 

Notice I said 'game the system' it is just a technical discussion.

 

Don't think so - Tell me how.

 

I didnt want to say that, but im glad someone did

 

Fraud to demod? That rhymes!
....the stealership is named that for a reason...just a little pay back.

I have friends that they purposefully lead along when they complained about something until the warranty ended and then all of a sudden it was a problem that needed to be fixed...is that ethical?
I wouldn't feel unethical demodding when the stealership employs a bunch of crooks ....not all just all the ones I have used...

 

That falls directly in line with "the dealership and your relationship with them".

If the dealer sucks...go elsewhere. At the first sign of trouble, cash out and move on. If one finds a good dealer and develops a good relationship, things go a lot smoother.
But I know finding an "honest" dealer can be a nearly impossible task. Trick is to find an independent/private dealer. They usually have more leeway in their policies than the corporate dealers.

I'm fortunate in that my local dealer was one of the original Chevrolet dealers in the US, established in the early 20's. They're still owned by the same family, and my service manager is also one of the owners. Corvette owners are treated like kings (well, relative to as much as a king would be in a dealer service dept. )
Shop tours, private waiting, white glove service...they even use lift pucks.

Anyway....point is, again, it's all in the dealer and your relationship with them.

 

I agree 100% I do have a good group over at dodge...but the VW guys for my wifes car are the worst...the chevy guys fall inbetween.

 

First off....YES, they can see if you have a tune by checking the CVNs with a TECH II.

NO, they can not tell if the pcm was switched with another identical unit.

If a dealer re-flashes over the tune then it is ERASED with NO TRACE!

Here's the deal.... IF your tune is put back to stock by your tuner or by the dealer...THERE IS NO WAY A DEALER WITH A TECH II CAN SEE IT! Case Closed.

NO DEALER IS GOING TO VOID A WARRANTY IF YOU HAVE A TUNE...

UNLESS you roll in there with a tune AND a catastrophic drivetrain failure.

If there is no drivetrain failure...Nobody is going to care if you have a tune or not....and your warranty remains in force.

Chuck CoW

 

Buy a replacement computer and tune the new one leaving the old one untouched from the factory. You can tune to your hearts desire without fear of 'changed things' in the read of your stocker. The cost is the cost of a replacement PCM which are around for 275-300. Just consider the additional cost as the cost f modding.

There is also the lie part of the equation but I doubt some will care that youre stealing from GM when you mod, and your mod causes a failure. In the case of tuning for benign mods such as headers and a new air cleaner assembly many will feel the deception is warranted if the mod didnt cause the failure and they feel GM is simply looking for ways out of repairing legit issues. Some can adjust their comfort level with this.

Personally, I voided my warranty 3 days after buying the car with the work I did out of the gate. My tuner honored repairs for heated seats even seeing it with H/C swapped and a nitrous bottle in plain view. Select your dealer wisely.

 

it is absolutely not stealing. ford sells mustangs and it is common knowledge at ford that people will performance modify their cars they accept it and warranty it. most of the mods people put on their cars is not the reason it broke, it is just an excuse for the dealership to not cover the warranty. your views are extremely warped....i really and truly think you are part crazy, living with you must be a horrible experience. If you were picked on as a child get some help...talk to somebody, dont belittle and talk down to people spreading what you perceive as good or right. don 't judge anybody stay quiet because usually when you speak or type it comes across as a judgemental little man who has a lot of physchological problems.

 

From Post #4, 2nd link:

4) Why not just swap the ECM/PCM?

Can the ECM/PCM be changed and no one will know? No! Each module has information stored in it. Some is transferred when it is reprogrammed and some starts all over again when a module is changed. Kind of like keeping score. The module knows the miles how long it has traveled since a emission test was completed and many more little bits and bites. When a new module is put in some of the data gets moved and some does not. When a suspected tune is discovered and a technician starts to look for clues, there are more than enough clues which will not be revealed here to confirm that this is not the PCM that has been running in the car.


So....is this just BS??

 

My personal opinion is knowing what GM has clearly outlined and taken a stance on....taking "someones" word here is just simply rediculous and a potential for a whole lot of headach that could and probably will end up costing the car owner a ton of money. Now, when the day comes that some of these guys step up and can give you a guarantee (in writing and $$$ to back it up) that such warranty terminations will never happen, that's the day someone else may pay attention to what they're saying. Until then if you mod you take your chances, good and bad.

 

Wow. You were able to depict all of that from his one little post, huh?

 

And you know where to get those spare computers programmed to your vin and tuned.......right???

Chuck CoW

 

Why can't you just save the factory tune and if something happens just reload it? Will their computers show that the file was changed?

Does Chevy care about little mods like exhaust upgrades? Personally, I don't feel an exhaust does anything more than change the sound of the car. You may experience a little more power too but it's barely noticeable.

I currently have an Evo8 and Mitsu is NOTORIOUS for screwing people out of their warranty.. My brother went in there to get his MAF sensor replaced under warranty and they voided it because he had an aftermarket blow-off valve lol.

IMO GM/Ford are WAY too leniant towards powertrain/drivetrain failures on a car that's modded.. even in the slightest. It's little things like this that GM and Ford could cut back on that would have probably saved them from needing our tax money to keep all of them employed. If they had tighter warranty policies they'd probably save hundreds of thousands if not millions in warranty claims every year. Would it keep any of us from purchasing a Corvette? I doubt it.. It would probably just keep a lot more people from doing anything to their car that would void it.

Basically, if you mod it, drive it hard, and it breaks, you deserve to pay for the damages. It's just part of the game.. Personally, I'm getting rid of my Evo and getting into a C6 just so I can have a nice car with a warranty! I'm sick of the "race-car" thing.. It's not worth the financial burden nor the time required to maintain a car that's making 2-3x's more horsepower than it came with from the factory.

 

My car has a CAI, that's it. When I talked to my dealer they said technically the CAI voids the warranty. In the same breath, the service manager also said he has never seen a CAI be the cause for a catastrophic failure. From how I understand it, the dealer needs to prove that the CAI was the cause for the failure. When I asked about an axle back exhaust, same thing. They never seen that be the cause of a failure, but they have seen some CEL's being tripped. On a Corvette, I do not see a CEL being tripped by a simple axle back exhaust when the GM parts counter offers their own performance exhaust systems.