Tuner and Warranty

[Big Blue Hemi]

I want to add a tuner but the thought of warranty issues is holding me back. I just got the truck which has some factory warranty left as well as an extended warranty that I purchased.

I know of the Magnusen-Moss Act but being a cynic I also know that dealers will do whatever they can to avoid paying up.

Any personal experiences out there? Thoughts? Suggestions?

 

[Pull Ya]

I hate it when someone does this to me but I think if you use the search function you will find enough reading material on this subject to last you a couple of daze.
Jay

 

[saintsreturn]

Quick note, my dealer doesn't care about my tuner and told me he won't hold it against me for any issues unless it's obvious. That was already proven on two notes but did tell me a crazy story about a charger and a tuner that they proved caused the issue and some 7000 later blah blah.

 

[Hemi450hp]

This varies by dealership, so there is no right or wrong answer. My local dealership could care less what you have done to the truck as long as they don't find deliberate abuse that caused a problem.

Other dealerships will throw a fit over something as simple as an intake or muffler swap. Its just impossible to give a right answer to this simply because every dealership has different policies on aftermarket parts.

 

[Big Blue Hemi]

Searching thru past threads the comments seem to indicate that a tuner is not a friend to the warranty and that BLOWS. I was counting on adding one and now it looks like its a "no go". F!

 

[RLJ10X]

There is a good reason dealerships, and Chrysler push extended warranties. They make a lot of money on them. Good for them. Bad for us. I bet I get something in the mail once a week about an extended warranty on the truck, jeep or Mustang. On top of that, they send e mails. Gee, I wonder why?

Take the money you would have spent on the warranty, and put it into savings, and leave it there. When was the last time you heard about a catastrophic failure in a Hemi? Never.

I did an intake, tuner, and gears. Woke the sleeping giant. Been grinning ever since.

 

[Grad12]

I don't have a tuner. But I'm almost 100% sure, you can put your tune back to stock. So I mean, really no worries when you take it in.

 

[BlownGP]

I don't have a tuner. But I'm almost 100% sure, you can put your tune back to stock. So I mean, really no worries when you take it in.

I've heard on here they can still see that it was tuned..
Now they would need a reason to do this, but it can be done.

 

[jwheeler]

I've heard on here they can still see that it was tuned..

Now they would need a reason to do this, but it can be done.

This is correct. You can see how many times the module has been flashed. Most technicians won't really care though unless you are an *******.

 

[saintsreturn]

Yup on all comments. I went in and the dealer flashed my computer. He said Damn you are behind on updates. Then he saw the tuner and explained that me flashing it back to factory is only a waste of time since he sees every flash and all it does is slow them down. Then he said he would not push the updates since I would flash right over it when I leave the lot. Asked me to make sure I clear it before any warranty or electrical work but for everything else to just leave it alone.

 

[BlownGP]

Just remembered this happened to a friend of friend.

A friend with a 12' had his transmission go out and the local dealership wouldn't warranty it because it had a tune.He removed the tune before bringing it but supposedly the Mileage on the PCM freezes whenever you tune the truck so it doesn't match what the odometer reads.He paid the tech on the side and the tech fixed the mileage on the PCM and he brought the truck to another dealer and they warranties it no questions asked!

 

[cableguy_hd]

I went to the dealer for an oil change yesterday and I asked them about a tuner. They said they don't go looking for it and have only had 1 denial of warranty on a diesel. She suggested going back to stock when bringing it in. I guess it depends on how hard they look. This was a big concern of mine as well

 

[jwheeler]

I went to the dealer for an oil change yesterday and I asked them about a tuner. They said they don't go looking for it and have only had 1 denial of warranty on a diesel. She suggested going back to stock when bringing it in. I guess it depends on how hard they look. This was a big concern of mine as well

Unless you let the magic out of the PCM somehow. Most won't care.

 

[BlownGP]

Unless you let the magic out of the PCM somehow. Most won't care.

Yup, now if you come in there with a blown motor or trans. Your screwed most likely.

 

[Big Blue Hemi]

Communicated with a Diablo tech today who said many US Ram dealers actually sell their programmers and that he has never heard of a warranty being denied despite thousands being in use.
I then called my local dealer who said they would refuse to warranty any repairs and when I mentioned the Magnuson-Moss Act he brought up a bogus acount of the Act whereby I gave him some specifics of the Act after which he backtracked but still said they would not cover a repair of any part that MAY have been affected.
This is confusing.

 

[cableguy_hd]

Unless you let the magic out of the PCM somehow. Most won't care.

I know this is a joke but why the reference?

 

[Etroze86]

Dealers can be troublesome with the fact that even if you bring up the Act and you are 100% right about it, if they don't want to deal with you they will just refuse you service.

 

[Pull Ya]

First I will proudly admit that I'm an old guy and I still believe in personal responsibility and personal integrity. If you buy a tuner, and as a result of the tuner, you break something related to the drivetrain I think you should bite the bullet and pay for the damage. Now if you install a tuner and the windows quit working then I believe that the dealership should fix them without question. If you feel comfortable lying to the dealership by removing the tune before you take your truck in for repair that was clearly caused by the tuner then that's your call. Most dealers I use and know are required to send the PCM ect. back to the factory for a forenic exam in the case of high dollar questionable warranty claims. If you had a tuner, believe me they will find the footprint.
Jay

 

[Jerseymike]

My dealer rebuilt my trans twice. They had to do a redo of their first rebuild. I was just honest with them about the tune. It is very obvious that I have a lot of work done to the truck. Including the hacked off cats that they had to drop to get to the trans. Im not really sure what killed the trans. Was it the tune, the high stall torque converter, the 1000 WOT holeshots, or a problem from the factory. At the end of the day no one can say for sure. Just be cool with the service writer and if he says no then try another dealer. I have at least 10 dealers within 50 miles. Im sure one of them can use the warranty work.

 

[Jmhm17]

man.. I disappear for 2 months and come back to a post on top i have seen a million times here.. I bet his next post will be "should I buy a catch can?".. Welcome to the fourms guy, im the village ******* .


PS: use the search button.