Thread:

performance tuners

The companys that make them say it wont void your warranty, the mechanic at the chevy dealer said anything electrical you install that effects gas mileage will void your warranty. anybody know the REAL answer here? I know i can just load my stock setting if i ever have to take it to the dealer, but it still brings a sense of uncomfort to me that my brand new truck might lose its warranty with the tuner installed...

I posted a thread on this site about this exact issue a while back. One thing that I have found in my research is with the superchips tuner. With the superchips tuner, you don't loose your warranty because they back your factory warranty.

Example: I blow the turbo in my 08 Duramax and CHEVY voids my warranty because they see something going on in the computer other then stock (tuner). Superchips will buy me a new turbo with the two year powertrain warranty they offer.

http://www.performanceboats.com//showthread.php?t=18351

Hope this helps,
James

you guys are kidding yourself if you think gm won't void the warranty if they find out, why do you think you've recieved the recall letter recently for the updated software? its there to detect programmers among other things


if that tech downloaded your pcm to dealerworld in order to do the recall, he just sent your aftermarket software to gm and they now know for sure, don't be surpised when gm voids your powetrain warranty if you have a turbo meltdown. ontop of that, he you really did leave your tuner software in the truck and he performed the recall ontop of it, your tuner software went out into cyberspace, cause its not in the truck of tuner anymore the tuners i've seen remove and install software, and i've never ran into 1 that has the performance software backed up on it. if it did , an tom/dick/or harry could tune their truck, then sell the tuner. it don't work that way

The other thing about this that is really supprising to me is how there are some really solid chip companies out there. You have Edge,Hypertech, Bullydog, RBP, Superchips, PPE, etc... If the warranty companies were so hard on people and voiding their warranty, how do all of the companies that make chip's/tuners stay in business.

Originally Posted by HPBoats83

The other thing about this that is really supprising to me is how there are some really solid chip companies out there. You have Edge,Hypertech, Bullydog, RBP, Superchips, PPE, etc... If the warranty companies were so hard on people and voiding their warranty, how do all of the companies that make chip's/tuners stay in business.

thats an easy one. they stay in buisness because they tell you that it doesnt void your factory warranty, so you by it. but when it actually does void your warranty your left with the bill and have to see if the tuner company will pick up that bill. not all of them will though. so be carfull if you are running a programmer on you d-max. gm is tired of paying the bill thats caused by the programmers. so they are trying to put there foot down now.

Originally Posted by Beer:30

And I agree with all of that. Some guys are running +150 and up HP tunes and causing some serious damage. Then they want GM to fix it. I fully support GMs stance about it - as long as it is fair. I am running a +70hp tune around town. OCCASIONALLY I will run the +90, because the truck gets the best mileage on that tune. I have put it on the +110 tune once. I never full throttled it. It smoked like crazy with just normal acceleration. I hate that crap, so I turned it back down. I run the +50 tune when towing / or the stock tune with DPF taken out. That is one thing nice about the Quadzilla tuner; they have seven settings. Either with or without DPF you can run:

ECONOMY
STOCK
+50
+70
+90
+110
+135

The fuel mileage I get with the truck set up the way it is, I am willing to gamble with the warranty. I have already saved enough in fuel to pay for the mods - and if I had to pay $550 for the ECM, I was already ahead that much.

see thats the kind of attitude i wish most people had. a lot of people will put there programmers on the highest settings and then when there truck does blow up and they get caught, they get mad and say there truck is a lemon or something to that effect. like you said, you put it on a low setting that gets the best milage. i as a tech have not generally seen many big part failures do to a low programmer setting. so its not to big of an issue as long as you dont get caught by gm.

I was under the impression that the Edge, Bully Dog, Banks 6pack and a few other adjustable programers don't flash the ecm. They work by changing the signal inputs to and from the ecm to get the desired results. If this is true there should be no way for GM to tell it was there IF you remove it prior to taking the truck in for the warranty work. The reflash the stock ecm tuners would violate the terms of the warranty and if caught could void the warranty as re-engineering the truck is different than a bolt on that doesn't alter factory equipment. I run the edge on my F350 and have only tuned it up past level 3 a handful of times. It goes to the dealer all the time and I've only had one make a negative comment about the tuner so it doesn't go back there anymore. When my buddy bought his new one he went there and found one he liked, asked about adding the tuner and they said they'd void his warranty so he went elsewhere. The place he bought from said as long as it wasn't the flash the ecm type he was ok.

Originally Posted by snoc653

I was under the impression that the Edge, Bully Dog, Banks 6pack and a few other adjustable programers don't flash the ecm. They work by changing the signal inputs to and from the ecm to get the desired results. If this is true there should be no way for GM to tell it was there IF you remove it prior to taking the truck in for the warranty work. The reflash the stock ecm tuners would violate the terms of the warranty and if caught could void the warranty as re-engineering the truck is different than a bolt on that doesn't alter factory equipment. I run the edge on my F350 and have only tuned it up past level 3 a handful of times. It goes to the dealer all the time and I've only had one make a negative comment about the tuner so it doesn't go back there anymore. When my buddy bought his new one he went there and found one he liked, asked about adding the tuner and they said they'd void his warranty so he went elsewhere. The place he bought from said as long as it wasn't the flash the ecm type he was ok.

i've been told by my district manager for gm and several engineers at the gm training center that the new software in 07-08 trucks CAN detect , store and report ANYTHING plugged into or downloaded into the truck pcm. you guys have to realize, there's not much difference anymore between the pc your reading this on and the pcm in new vehicles. only difference is your pcm on the truck has no monitor. we do all our software downloading to the gm vehicles straight off the internet. i'm not trying to sway anyone away from tuners, i like that shit too(hp junkie), but just wait till warranty is up.

well my chip adds about 20hp so voiding my warranty doesnt seem like it would be legit, i guess you just have to find a dealership that has some super chill mechanics. The main purpose of mine was to turn off the DOD(4 cylinder mode) because it sounds like shizzle with aftermarket exhaust.

Originally Posted by IMPATIENT 1

i've been told by my district manager for gm and several engineers at the gm training center that the new software in 07-08 trucks CAN detect , store and report ANYTHING plugged into or downloaded into the truck pcm. you guys have to realize, there's not much difference anymore between the pc your reading this on and the pcm in new vehicles. only difference is your pcm on the truck has no monitor. we do all our software downloading to the gm vehicles straight off the internet. i'm not trying to sway anyone away from tuners, i like that shit too(hp junkie), but just wait till warranty is up.

I dont doubt this, i do get an email every month that tells me my tire preasure...among other things.

now i need to figure out if changing the front shocks will void my suspension warranty, it raises the front 2'' but technically its just a shock. why do they make these new trucks with the ass so much higher then the front anyways? theres a 4'' difference! this just seems pointless...