Tunes and Warranties

[Maverick]

I'm looking at getting the Bama SF4/X4 Power Flash Tuner for my s550 in the near future and, this being my first car I'm going to get a tune for, I'm curious if tuning the car will void any or all of it's warranty.

Any one have any experience with this?

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[POOPonYOU]

I thought I read that it would void your warranty if it can be proven that the tune caused the damage to your vehicle. Someone also mentioned that the computer keeps count of how many times your car has been tuned.

I would PM 'RisingForce' this question since he works for Ford.

 

[Maverick]

Will do. Thanks!

 

[dcrypter]

Nothing will automatically void your warranty and no one thing can void your entire warranty.

They first have to prove that the mod in question caused the problem and then at that point they can void that particular part of the warranty

ex: Bad tune causes misfires and you destroy your piston = voided powertrain warranty

They cannot however void the other warranties with your vehicle

ex: Interior plastic trim is falling off after powertrain warranty is voided = they have to fix the trim(assuming you are still in your 3/36)

There is a counter that shows how many times the car has been flashed so if you do use a bad tune and mess something up don't count on reflashing it back to stock and just taking it in for them to fix it.

 

[SVTFreak]

While dcrypter is technically and lawfully correct, remember that you may have to spend many many thousands to fight that in court against many many loyal engineers with lots of schooling and technical knowledge. Even though it may legally be right, fighting Ford may not be worth it in the end.

My simple advice is:
If you are not prepared to repair it yourself or pay to have it repairs, do not do anything that could lead to a warranty issue. Retuning is one that could possibly do that. Or, stick with preapproved items that can be installed before delivery that ford honors your warranty. And read the fine print on those.

 

[dcrypter]

While dcrypter is technically and lawfully correct, remember that you may have to spend many many thousands to fight that in court against many many loyal engineers with lots of schooling and technical knowledge. Even though it may legally be right, fighting Ford may not be worth it in the end.

My simple advice is:
If you are not prepared to repair it yourself or pay to have it repairs, do not do anything that could lead to a warranty issue. Retuning is one that could possibly do that. Or, stick with preapproved items that can be installed before delivery that ford honors your warranty. And read the fine print on those.

I agree, as always the best thing to do is don't mod what you can't afford to replace.

 

[B.eating.U]

I asked the dealership about this upon delivery. They basically told me that the warranty is not automatically voided; however, they will have to make sure its not the tune or headers that caused the issue. Like it has been said before its best to be prepared to pay for repairs.

 

[SVTFreak]

I asked the dealership about this upon delivery. They basically told me that the warranty is not automatically voided; however, they will have to make sure its not the tune or headers that caused the issue. Like it has been said before its best to be prepared to pay for repairs.

Especially with new vehicles, they don't get the say so. Ford gets the final say so.

 

[TechnoBabble28]

It was only a matter of time before one of these thread popped up, lol.

SVTFreak and dcrypter take the win for the correct answer on this one.

As an aside, the actual "law" related to this is the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. It is a long read but worth familiarizing yourself with, especially if you are going to be doing any modifications to your vehicle.

 

[Barrel]

There's the world we want to live in and the world we actually live in. Technically and lawfully those who've quoted Magnuson-Moss are correct (the best kind of correct). BUT, the reality is that the onus will be on you to prove that your modification didn't destroy the part in question. If you get a tune and your motor drops a cylinder...highly unlikely you're going to convince Ford it wasn't the tune. If you lose a strut and you have LT headers, Ford will very likely replace the strut with no fuss.

 

[Gen_Nick3.8]

Everyone brings up the Law, Yes it might be the law, But you have to pay to fight for it. Time off from work, Traveling expenses, Not having a operational car that you still have to pay for etc.. At the end of the day you're fighting an expensive, exhausting losing battle..

 

[Kongman]

how bout if ford does the tune? do they do tunes?

 

[SVTFreak]

I'll tell you, I mod mine. I know if that tvs is on it and it drops a cylinder, I'm gonna have to fix it. I'm not even going to try the dealer.

But, I have the time and tools and knowledge to do it myself. So that 2500$ to rebuild it is a lot cheaper than fighting for in a battle where they have more resources than I do.

 

[SVTFreak]

how bout if ford does the tune? do they do tunes?

Ford procal. If not already available, it will be. There is fine print. Must be installed by dealer prior to delivery and your warranty drops from 5 to 3/36. And, you don't get as much function with changing things you don't like about the car (that can be tuned). You get what they give you.

 

[Major League Infidel]

Ford has a TSB that states you will void your warranty if the vehicle is found tuned. however if you treat your service writers with respect, most of them are actually pretty cool and will help out when and how they can.

and as stated dont mod the car and expect Ford to fix what you possibly screwed up.

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