How can dealership tell if tune was loaded

[terry5357]

If after reloading stock tune and driving car required time to allow all systems reset how can the dealer tell if tune files were ever loaded. Car is 2014. I was told, and have no idea, that every time a tune is loaded there are files added. Don't know is that is true or complete BS

If there are any Ford Techs here could you please chime in. Saw in owners manual any mods to PCM programming would void warranty.

Car is new but last car was really quick and anxious to get back to feeling lol.

 

[JEWC_Motorsports]

They can see how many times the computer has been flashed.

 

[Blazer707@TBR]

We are taught to look at key cycles. Say a car has 20k miles on it and it shows that 50 key cycles and no history of a warranty PCM reprogramming then you can tell it has been flashed.

 

[Grabber Blue 5.0]

http://www.allfordmustangs.com/forums/2011-2014-mustang-talk/302215-tsb-tuning-mods.html

And this should be moved to chit chat.

 

[tjm73]

We are taught to look at key cycles. Say a car has 20k miles on it and it shows that 50 key cycles and no history of a warranty PCM reprogramming then you can tell it has been flashed.

What's the Ford definition of key cycles? In 20000 miles I'll start my truck at least 700-800 times.

Counting key cycles against miles driven sounds flawed.

 

[Department Of Boost]

There are a bunch of ways for them to tell. The dealer doesn't have all of the equipment needed though. If it comes down to a warranty claim the area service rep will bring in the right "tool" and he will be able to tell if it was ever re-flashed. There is absolutely zero way of loading a tune and Ford not knowing if they look hard enough.

 

[tjm73]

I suspect the new '15's will report a ton of info real time to Ford via the SYNC system for them to look at when they want to.

Look at all it can do and you can see how easy it will be to have corporate big brother watching your behaviour.

http://www.ford.com/technology/sync/

 

[terry5357]

 

[fdjizm]

Moral of the story, you break it you buy it. (twice)

 

[Grabber Blue 5.0]

Moral of the story, you break it you buy it. (twice)

Bingo!

 

[BruceH]

If after reloading stock tune and driving car required time to allow all systems reset how can the dealer tell if tune files were ever loaded. Car is 2014. I was told, and have no idea, that every time a tune is loaded there are files added. Don't know is that is true or complete BS

If there are any Ford Techs here could you please chime in. Saw in owners manual any mods to PCM programming would void warranty.

Car is new but last car was really quick and anxious to get back to feeling lol.

Moral of the story, you break it you buy it. (twice)

Bingo!

That's pretty much it. If you do something that causes failure expect to take responsibility for your actions.

I've found that once you lose the powertrain warranty the car is a whole lot more fun.

There are a few ways to get Fords blessing on a tune or mods. Check out www.fordracingparts.com for more info. I believe that Roush will also cover anything Ford won't with some of their packages.

 

[NUTCASE]

I know it sucks, but really, why should ford be responsible for you uploading a tune that broke the motor.

Be thankful that Ford is tuner friendly by any means. Subaru lost a ton of money off of warranty claims when kids were taking a basically stock STi and cranking the boost up to the sky with a boost controller. Most companies will give you problems on basic warrantee claims if the car has bolt ons.

 

[tjm73]

The warranty is built on and assumes that the part/assembly/car will be maintained in as designed condition. Once something is changed from as designed, why would anybody think that the OEM should eat the cost of a repair attributable to the changes the owner made? It's a miricale we even have warranties to begin with. I mean would you build sometign as complex as a car and then stand blindly behind it knowing full well what you've seen people here do with a car? And most people here have half a brain and think about what they are doing. Imagine warranteeing a car that billy bob moron just bought. You have no control over who it's maintained, driven, treated, the kind of oil used, the type of driving it sees, etc... but you have to warranty it to last a certain amount of time.

I wonder what adding the warranty to every car adds to the cost of a car. Warranties should be a line item you select at the time of purchase. Mustang guys are, for the most part, going to mod the car voiding the warranty anyway. Saving them some money would endure them to your company for future purchases. Hell you could turn around and offer factory engineered "after market" enhancements that would be dealer installed immediately upon to delivery. It would be a value added option for dealers and buyers alike.

 

[JimC]

Ford warranties the car that Ford built. They don't warranty the car that you build afterwards, or even the one that Roush or other aftermarket builders build. (Even though if you go to a Roush dealer you get a warranty, the drivetrain warranty is on Roush as the builder and not on Ford.)

Once you put a tune on the car it is no longer the car that Ford built. So if the tune is the cause of the issues, then it is not a Ford problem. When the engine went on my 2013 after putting the turbo on people kept asking why I just didn't take it and have Ford warranty it. Simple, the car that Ford built worked fine. It was the one that I built that failed.

 

[Sky Render]

The service manager at the local dealer told me whatever scan tool they use actually lists a history of all the reflashes done to the PCM. Apparently it's stored in non-volatile memory within the actual computer.

 

[terry5357]

I was talking about this to a guy I work with. He said we'll buy another ECU
Swap out the original one, do what you want, if you have issues put the original back in and go on about your business with a never flashed ECU. Have no idea how cost effect or prohibitive it would be

 

[BruceH]

I was talking about this to a guy I work with. He said we'll buy another ECU
Swap out the original one, do what you want, if you have issues put the original back in and go on about your business with a never flashed ECU. Have no idea how cost effect or prohibitive it would be

That's been thought of before. The thing is your replacement ecu will have to be flashed by Ford. I suppose you could get one from a junkyard and disable pats so it would still start.

Not sure how you would explain 20,000 miles with a handful of starts on the original ecu. Then there is the moral aspect of breaking the motor and expecting Ford to fix it based on your representation of the "non tuned" status of the car.

It's not like you would lose the entire warranty, just powertrain and then only if your aftermarket tune and/or parts caused damage.

 

[Riptide]

lol warranty

 

[terry5357]

Morals? I guess those went out the window with the $1500 recondition fee I was charged even thogh the car was listed the same day at nearly twice what they gave me on trade in!

 

[claudermilk]

That's the dealer being shady, not Ford. Dealers don't pay the bill for warranty work, Ford does.

I'm not one of the crowd here that breaks stuff all the time, but if I have a problem with any of the part I bolted on, I certainly won't expect Ford to fix it--it isn't their problem.