ZL1Killa

iTrader: (17)

Guys/Gals, I know that the manufacturers have implemented a device with the computer or in the computer that tells the dealer or ??inspection station?? if it has been modified from stock on the newer computers.

would my 2006 malibu maxx 3.5L V6 be affected if I tuned it? would i get rejected from the dealers warranty? or does it not matter.


Also wondering about this little detail on my buddies 2006-07 cobalt NON-SS

foff667

iTrader: (2)

Any modification that affects something that breaks on your vehicle could ultimately present a voided warranty situation...If you install an aftermarket camshaft and your engine takes a dump and GM notices youve replaced the cam more than likely they will have a very good argument to void your warranty, on that same note if you tune your pcm & pop a head gasket because you were running more timing than stock & GM notices you've tuned your pcm they have a very good argument to void your warranty.

Tuning is like any other modification you want to do on your vehicle, if it hurts something you can void your warranty. Will GM not fix that broken cup holder because you have a tune in your pcm, probably not, nor would they probably take a second look at your vehicles computer.

In the end you need to be willing to take responsibility for problems that can be caused by tuning.

ZL1Killa

iTrader: (17)

thank you for the book. I didn' t need all that but thanks.

Is what people are talking about simply a fact of going to the dealer and IF they look at the PCM and its tuned they say oh hey your voided

...well crap. Yeh I just came to realize...
Obviously if they look at your computer and see its different than stock I reckon you right there have a voided warranty.... does that void the warranty instantly or not?

Where it all started, my well respected and knowledgeable friend came to me and said that a bunch of new cars have this chip in them that if it gets programmed/tuned that the dealer or INSPECTION station can see that its tuned and it voids the warranty and/or you cannot get PASS INSPECTION??

does anyone know anything about this?

moehorsepower

iTrader: (3)

Not sure about the inspection aspect but a few of my customers has my street tunes, they ended up going to the dealer for some type of warranty work, the dealership did do the work and just flashed the pcm back to stock, they never said anything to the customers about a modified pcm, I am not sure if they really look at the parameters, I believe they just flash them thinking this might be the source of the malfunction....

Frost

iTrader: (45)

I am working on a SC'd GORGEOUS C5 this week that went to the dealership for a minor misfire. They were told it had custom programming and to keep their filthy TechII away from it. They first said the MAF was bad, and charged him for a new one, then when misfires persisted, wiped out the guys tune and realized they had no way to run the 42s in it then, so they put new OEM injectors back in it and charged him an arm and a leg. When he got it back, it *still* had a light misfire and whenever you get anywhere near boost it (thankfully) jumps right into limp mode...

Nice.

slow

iTrader: (7)

wow, that is a good reason why you need hardware when you tune a car, so the customer can recover the tune after a dealer is an idiot (or general customers can flash their stock cars back to stock before going to a dealer for warranty )

Ryan

moehorsepower

iTrader: (3)

Man that sucks, I guess these guys got lucky over here, they just noticed that when they picked up the car from the dealership that it did not seem to run as good, when I checked the PCM sure enough it was back to stock..

ZL1Killa

iTrader: (17)

ok so from what I'm guessing it is as it has been, you can tune it and possibly void your warranty by flashing the pcm, and inspection wise it doesn't matter still...

not unless they actually started caring if 02s and such were cut off at the OBDII reader during getting inspected? BUT with it cutoff, unless they read the tune they will never know, so as long as they are just reading data, it says ready

DrkPhx

iTrader: (15)

GM has recently started to crack down on aftermarket calibrations and will void the warranty if they know the vehicle calibration has been altered or modified. It seems they are more concerned with newer vehicles, including the new ZR1. BMW is doing the same.

2002_Z28_Six_Speed

iTrader: (19)

Should of locked the PCM.

Frost

iTrader: (45)

No way. There is a well-known tuner who still does this, and it infuriates every owner that I have ever met and had to tell "sorry, gonna have to replace the PCM or call the guy up so that we can get your car tuned". One customer said that he called the tuner and that he wanted more money to unlock it (and would only put it back to stock) than the cost of replacement.

No honest tuner has any reason to lock a PCM unless the car owner requests it.

Engine_HP

iTrader: (1)

its not because the tune is different from stock.

actually they see the last time the pcm has been flashed

ZL1Killa

iTrader: (17)

ok thanks guys, what year did they implement this? my malibu is 2006 and I would LIKE to tune it, but maybe I won't be able to...at least until my warranty runs out

Frost

iTrader: (45)

my understanding is that it is a rudimentary counter, so if it was flashed at a stealership, there will be a service records that would indicate it had been flashed previously by one of their own...

TAQuickness

iTrader: (28)

Here's a blurb on the topic. Seems to be the real deal, but I'm not sure your '06 would be affected. Worst case, take it to the deal, don't mention the flash, and see what they say.

Ryne @ CMS

iTrader: (10)

when i see a locked tune, i think he doesnt want anyone to see the messed up crap he has done to the tables, hacks!

kbracing96

iTrader: (25)

There is case law saying they CAN"T void your warranty unless they can show that what you did could have caused the part failure. The only reason I would lock a tune is if it was a heavily modified tune that would not run or cause engine damage if a dealer tried to "update" the the pcm, and if the customer requested, I would unlock it for free. It would only be locked to protect it from morons.

I think most of what GM is doing with the reflash counters and such revolves around the diesels where it is so easy to tune them up and make enough power to brake stuff.

slow

iTrader: (7)

What do you mean last time it was flashed? There is no time/date stamp in any pcm that I am aware of. The LMM has some functionality, to log the last 10 cvn numbers and such.

On the LS1 pcms getting around the locked pcm takes only a few minutes with an eprom reader, and a smd rework station.

Ryan

Aaron91RS

iTrader: (8)

To answer the original question to which I guess you people who replied aren't aware of.
Dodge now started to make it so they can tell if a PCM has been played with
EVEN IF IT'S FLASHED BACK TO STOCK!
That's the part to note. Before if you took a modded PCM car in of course they could tell if they really wanted to. So people just flashed it back to stock and dealer couldn't prove it was done.
Now even going back to stock shows it previously was played with, so dodge can void the warrenty.
This was done because of the pocket diesal programmers that can do a 150HP tune with a 1 button push. Customer blows up tranny, then flashes back to stock.


An 06 malibu is too old as for as I know. Not even sure GM is doing this yet.

Ryne @ CMS

iTrader: (10)

gm can tell if the tune has been flashed and been flashed back to stock, the calibration number comes up in there computer, and if its not a "gm calibration" then its obviously aftermarket