Practical Diesel Tuning: Factory Warranties
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Factory Warranties
02.05
| 00:00 | - It's important to know from the outset that modifying the tuning parameters in your factory ECU can void any manufacturer's warranty. |
| 00:06 | And this may leave you out of pocket if you suffer a catastrophic engine failure as the result of your tuning changes. |
| 00:12 | Many tuner mistakenly believe that if you're reflashing the factory calibration in the ECU, that reverting this back to stock before delivering the vehicle to the dealer for work is all that's required to protect your factory warranty. |
| 00:23 | In some instances this may work however if the dealer is suspicious that the vehicle may have been modified then they're able to tell if the ECU's been reflashed. |
| 00:31 | The ECU contains what's referred to as a flash counter which increments each time the ECU is reflashed. |
| 00:37 | From this data, subtracting any dealer software updates, it's pretty easy to tell if the ECU's been tampered with. |
| 00:42 | Modifying your engine and increasing power is also going to put more load on the drivetrain components of the vehicle and these too can be subject to failure. |
| 00:50 | As with the engine, if the dealer is suspicious that the engine has been modified and is producing more power and torque than stock, they are well within their rights to decline a warranty claim. |
| 00:59 | This might sound a little extremist and if you follow the steps in this course and apply your tuning changes with a common sense approach, and a little care, you should end up with a reliable engine that offers improved power, torque and fuel economy for years to come. |
| 01:12 | But it's important that you understand the practical implications of what could happen. |
| 01:15 | The other concern here while we're discussing warranty is that a component in the engine or drive train could fail due to a genuine manufacturing issue that's completely unrelated to the fact that the engine's been tuned. |
| 01:26 | In this instance, you could be denied a legitimate warranty claim due to your tuning changes. |
| 01:32 | While this is a possible outcome, in most vehicles there will be common failures that result in warranty claims and these will be well known by the dealerships. |
| 01:39 | It really comes down to your dealership. |
| 01:42 | Often even with a tuned engine, these known failures will still be warrantied by the dealer. |
| 01:46 | But it's worth understanding that it does come down to the dealer's discretion. |
| 01:50 | For this reason, you decision to tune an engine while still under warranty is not one to be taken lightly. |
| 01:56 | Ultimately, it's a decision only you can make after weighing the pros and potential cons. |
