ECU Flash Counter?

[khislop007]

Originally Posted by BlackinBlack

I started this post and for me wanting to "hide" a tune is for warranty of things not related to the tune. My car "might" have a bad output shaft on the transmission. On stock cars they are breaking with stock HP so a tune will not change that. If I tune then now I pay for a factory defect that should be covered. Same goes with the CV joints in the rear. Many are breaking on stock cars.

I assume that most people are like me and not looking to cheat GM but to be covered on factory defects even after modding their cars. If I tuned my motor and I grenade the motor due to a lean condition... my fault and I would be looking to buy a new LSX motor. That is not the issue. With the track record of issues in the driveline many are gun shy to tune and then pay for a breakage that would have occurred without a tune.

In addition some unscrupulous dealers have been known to void the car's whole warranty. Again getting a tune should not effect the warranty of the radio or the power seat. It would just be easier to deal with this things if they are not even called to be an issue from a tune.

As for a tuner paying for repairs. They are as liable as they make themselves. As someone that has owned a business were we were modifying products. (Overclocking computers) The tuner needs to "spell out" their responsibility if things go wrong and make that very clear. (I would recommend a lawyer to look at it to insure it is correct and legal.) That way the buyer understands what the guarantee is by the tuner and who is responsible for repairs if something does go wrong.

With this tuner he sounds very reputable and tons of knowledge. It also sounds like he does not have the capital to transfer the responsibility of the warranty to his company if GM was to void a warranty. For him I would make that clear. Then the consumer can make the choice.

[2Tightwads]

Anytime you get a professional tune you sign a waiver, period. Nothing is covered. I mean nothing. They don't need a GM Warranty proof statement. Literal off-road vehicle use only is clearly stated even in the instructions with the handhelds. heck its up to the shop to even cover something that breaks after they install it. Read the fine print on estimates/contracts folks its all there.

[OBSSEST]

I'm paranoid too, and don't want to risk my warranty.... but

dealerships don't seem to have any knowledge of why we have weights stuck on our brake calipers, or why we have had to pull fuses #5 and #20. Do they really have any idea if somebody got a tune? Has anyone had a dealership recognize they had a tune without divulging that information beforehand?

[chevy454]

Originally Posted by TanandGreen

I'm paranoid too, and don't want to risk my warranty.... but

dealerships don't seem to have any knowledge of why we have weights stuck on our brake calipers, or why we have had to pull fuses #5 and #20. Do they really have any idea if somebody got a tune? Has anyone had a dealership recognize they had a tune without divulging that information beforehand?

As I said before, GM now requires a snapshot from the tech 2 on the diesels before any drivetrain related warranty work...on the Camaro (any '10+ stuff?) they use a "global diagnostic system" which is online (with GM I believe), so they've basically taken the *call* out of the dealers hands. I believe there's a bulletin out there covering all this...

Again, I don't work at a dealership, but a buddy of mine is the service manager at a dealer, so I get to hear/see a lot of this second hand. I'm not bashing tuning/tuners (ours is being tuned this very minute!) but don't think for a second GM doesn't know/care if guys are modding their cars for more power, thus increasing the risk for more warranty related payouts...

[Dr Jkel]

Remeber, NOTHING is undetectable, even Stealth Bombers are detectable, boils down to a real simple thing. If you change/mod/tune/edit or whatever you want to call it this vehicle and GM can find a legit reason to deny your warranty they will. TO me it's not worth 20 or 30 hp. Isn't this car fast enough?

One other question I have about these mods/tunes etc .... is this, I have a 2500HD 4x4 with oversized wheels and tires, 33x12.5x17, not factory, but were on the vehicle when I bought it ( wheels are from Southern Comfort) brand new. The front hubs were wore out after 45000 miles, GM/Dealership tried to decline the warranty saying the oversized wheels and added weight caused the failure. After they realized that they sold me the vehicle that way, they had to warranty it, hoever after that this dealership and many around refuse to put aftermarket wheels and tires on the vehicle unless they are comprable to wheels and tires GM sells i.e. 20's on a truck.

So I say all that to sat this, if you change you car then you will pay, if someone makes a claim then they should back up their claims. If someone questions your claims then that is part of doing business and should be expected, the days of taking someones word is OVER, Remember " Yes I will sell it to you at MSRP" JMHO

[axis]

Originally Posted by chevy454

As I said before, GM now requires a snapshot from the tech 2 on the diesels before any drivetrain related warranty work...on the Camaro (any '10+ stuff?) they use a "global diagnostic system" which is online (with GM I believe), so they've basically taken the *call* out of the dealers hands. I believe there's a bulletin out there covering all this....

If the tech bulletin in post #15 is what you're referring to, it's full of IFs. To me that doesn't say that it's required to send a copy of the ECU report to get the warranty work done. That doesn't constitute taking it out of the dealers hands. It gives them a recourse of action should they choose to deny your warranty claim.

Although the part numbers will be the same for each, it's the CVN that will determine if the calibration is GM issued. If ALL of the CVN's are EXACTLY the same, the calibration is GM issued.

If the part numbers match and ANY CVN's DO NOT match the printout, it is likely that a non-GM certified calibration has been installed.

If the CVN information is displayed as "N/A", it will be necessary to contact the TCSC to obtain the CVN information.

If a non-GM calibration is found to be in the ECM (CVN's on the Tech 2 do not match TIS printout) - In order to document the case — a CLEAR digital picture should be taken of the Tech 2® screen showing the VIN and the CVN's that do not match the TIS2WEB printout. The picture, VIN and reason the vehicle is currently in for service should be emailed to JAY.DANKOVICH@GM.COM and STEVEN.R. BRIDSON@GM.COM for verification. Please copy your GM District Service Manager (DVM) on the e-mail. GM will verify if the CVN's are not GM issued and respond via e-mail within 72 hours.

Axis

[427 Fred]

I had a Chevy dealer replace my L99 engine with a LS7 (dealer option ). The engine would not run with the L99 tune. The mechanic tried to down load from GM a tune for the LS7 crate engine and was told by Chevy that they did not support engine swaps.
I then called customer service at Chevrolet and got the same answer. My position was the dealer sold me the car with the LS7 option and they also sold me the crate engine and there fore was obligated to provide the tune. The problem was they down load the tune based on the cars VN# and they can't change what the car came from the factory with. They then refered me to a problem specialist at GM who said I should have a aftermarket tune done on the car as they could not do it.
I was also told that the engine swap was covered under warranty as the motor was a GM crate engine.

[camaro1]

Originally Posted by 427 Fred

I had a Chevy dealer replace my L99 engine with a LS7 (dealer option ). The engine would not run with the L99 tune. The mechanic tried to down load from GM a tune for the LS7 crate engine and was told by Chevy that they did not support engine swaps.
I then called customer service at Chevrolet and got the same answer. My position was the dealer sold me the car with the LS7 option and they also sold me the crate engine and there fore was obligated to provide the tune. The problem was they down load the tune based on the cars VN# and they can't change what the car came from the factory with. They then refered me to a problem specialist at GM who said I should have a aftermarket tune done on the car as they could not do it.
I was also told that the engine swap was covered under warranty as the motor was a GM crate engine.

gm does not sell the camaro with the LS7 option(lol), your car has no gm powertrain warranty anymore, truth!, you will get the engine warranty for buying a gm crate engine.

[axis]

Originally Posted by camaro1

gm does not sell the camaro with the LS7 option(lol), your car has no gm powertrain warranty anymore, truth!, you will get the engine warranty for buying a gm crate engine.

BUT, if you go by several in this thread, his warranty will be immediately voided since he HAS to get a aftermarket tune to get it to run, truth?

[HaveBlue]

Originally Posted by axis

If the tech bulletin in post #15 is what you're referring to, it's full of IFs. To me that doesn't say that it's required to send a copy of the ECU report to get the warranty work done. That doesn't constitute taking it out of the dealers hands. It gives them a recourse of action should they choose to deny your warranty claim.

Axis

What he's saying is that bulletin applies to pre-2010 model year vehicles. The new system is an internet based system. A PC connects to the ALDL (ODBII) port via a cable or wireless transmitter and is live to the internet. Data recieved, related to your VIN is stored by GM, not the dealership.

http://www.sandyblogs.com/techlink/2...em-update.html

[axis]

Originally Posted by HaveBlue

What he's saying is that bulletin applies to pre-2010 model year vehicles. The new system is an internet based system. A PC connects to the ALDL (ODBII) port via a cable or wireless transmitter and is live to the internet. Data recieved, related to your VIN is stored by GM, not the dealership.

http://www.sandyblogs.com/techlink/2...em-update.html

I was wondering if they would come out with something better since that bulletin mentioned up to 09 vehicles. Since nothing else had come out, that was all we had to go on. That should make for a MUCH better diagnostic tool. It doesn't change anything in regards to this thread though. If the CVL codes match and there is no counter, how can they tell anything? I'm not telling everyone to get a tune and swap back and forth to get warranty work, but it is a possibility until someone gets denied after doing it. I have heard of one person having warranty work done without a problem, but haven't heard of anyone being denied. I see both sides of this discussion but nothing has been 100% confirmed one way or the other. In the end, it's do it at your own risk.

[mtcwby]

You guys have to remember one thing. SEMA got a law passed that says that the car manufacturer cannot void a warranty just because you installed aftermarket parts. The burden of proof is on the manufacturer to prove that the aftermarket part caused the failure. It's the law. Contact SEMA for more details if you have a problem with warranty coverage.