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Like many others I was going to get a Programmer. I contacted my for dealership and I was surprised (very mad ) to hear that it would void the warrenty on my drivetrain.
(ME) (Ford warrenty guy)
Last edited by 1979FordF-250; Jul 17, 2006 at 06:41 PM.
No they DOnt. The only way they will void you warranty is if the dealer can actually prove that the use of the tuner was the exact reason for the particular part failure. And on top of that...That is why when you takey our vehicle back into the dealer for repair,,,you revert back to stock settings and remove your programmer. How will the dealer know?
I just called 3 different dearerships and even talked to a good friend of mine that is in service. They say that the computer shows if a tuner has ever been plugged into it. It is the same technology that tells the tech what is wrong when they plug it into the computer. Even if it has been returned to stock. All engine repairs will become void.
Call the guys at Discount Power Parts, or even the tuner manufacturer you are dealing with. Ask them directly. I bet you they will quote the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975.
YOUR RIGHTS
Point out to the dealer the provision of the Magnuson-Moss Act- Require that he explain to you how the aftermarket equipment caused the problem. If he can’t – or his explanation sounds questionable – it is your legal right to demand he comply with the warranty.
Fact: If you are still being unfairly denied warranty coverage, there is recourse. The Federal Trade Commission, which administers the Magnuson-Moss Act, monitors compliance with warranty issues. Direct complaints to the FCT at (202) 326-3128.
FEDERAL LAW
In order to improve the adequacy of information available to consumers, prevent deception, and improve competition in the marketing of consumer products, any warrantor warranting a consumer product to a consumer by means of a written warranty shall. . .fully and conspicuously disclose in simple and readily understood language the terms and conditions of such warranty. Such rules . . . require inclusion in the written warranty of any . . . exceptions and exclusions from the terms of the warranty.’ – Magnuson-Moss Warranty & Federal Trade Commission improvement Act, Section 2302
i am a ford tech and can tell you we can tell most of the time if there is a chip in it or if thay have been programed . chips are easy to spot thay sometimes show up funny on our scan tools weard stuff like mustangs showing up as windstars and such as far as programes go every time you reprogram it leaves dtc po1000 for a while so we can tell that someone has cleared the memory also when you reprogram it clears all dtcs set so if you have a ck engine light on and you go back to the stock programing we have no way to look back and find out what set the light untell the code is set again
I looked it up in the warrenty guide provide with the owners manual and in the Damage caused by alteration or modification section it says "it does not cover if the part fails or if it causes a ford product to fail." It is all listed along with lift kits and oversize tires. I sure am happy that the service people are wrong. That isn't as bad as the guy was implying that the engine no longer would be under warrenty. I'm going to call tomorrow and throw that back.
Its really very simple. If the vehicle is modified in any way, its dealer discretion if they want to cover the work under warranty. If you have a good relationship with the dealer they will probably try to slip it past ford auditors to get paid for the work. If they gotten busted by ford in the past and have eaten the cost of a few expensive warranty jobs, (ford refused payment), then you probably won't get it fixed under warranty. You can Moss act them all you want, the dealer will just turn it over to their lawyers and you the customer can two foot it to work for a long time waiting for the hearing date while your vehicle sits waiting to be fixed. I think the better argument is why does ford make a truck that NEEDS an aftermarket turner to run properly?
i am a ford tech and can tell you we can tell most of the time if there is a chip in it or if thay have been programed . chips are easy to spot thay sometimes show up funny on our scan tools weard stuff like mustangs showing up as windstars and such as far as programes go every time you reprogram it leaves dtc po1000 for a while so we can tell that someone has cleared the memory also when you reprogram it clears all dtcs set so if you have a ck engine light on and you go back to the stock programing we have no way to look back and find out what set the light untell the code is set again
as far as programes go every time you reprogram it leaves dtc po1000 for a while
This is informative but he does not go far enough. when he states awhile. he should say if you set it back to Stock and drive for about 100 miles (this is an estimate I had a emmisions tech tell to go drive my Mustang for about a 100 miles and bring it back after I cleared the code it was showing so I could Pass DEQ, it worked). it will have relearned all of its emissions checks. ie: dtcs set. the same thing happens when you disconnect the battery.
Last edited by yellow98cobra; Jul 18, 2006 at 10:00 AM.
I think the better argument is why does ford make a truck that NEEDS an aftermarket turner to run properly?
I don't think a tuner makes the truck run properly, a tuner allows me to customize the trucks running to my preferences. The truck runs properly from the factory, yeah there are sometimes issues but show me a product that is consistently perfect right out of the box that never fails. When I change my tire size or decide I want different shift points or shift pressure no auto manufacturer allows you to do that from some type of consol interface on your dash. In order to make that change you have to have a tuner
A tuner only changes the way the truck performs according to the way you program the settings. The truck has got to run properly for the tuner to be effective.
I just called 3 different dearerships and even talked to a good friend of mine that is in service. They say that the computer shows if a tuner has ever been plugged into it. It is the same technology that tells the tech what is wrong when they plug it into the computer. Even if it has been returned to stock. All engine repairs will become void.
What do you think they would says? "It's ok, make all the mods you want. We'll cover that 12" lift kit you installed the wrong way."
It's the same for tuners. Ford does not want you to do anything to the truck during the warranty period. Unless it is factory approved and they install it.
If you have a tuner and you're having a problem with your truck, tuner related or otherwise, you always remove the tune before you take it to the dealer. If it's in for an interior problem, say broken trim, they just might decide to do an update to the code that runs your truck.
Removing the neg battery cable does the same thing as reseting the computer with a scan tool. And who's to say you didn't use a scan too to reset it?
If your tuner is suspect in the trouble, you should re-install the stock tune to see if the tuner is causing the problem. If it still has the same problem, it's not the tuner. If the problem goes away, it's a problem with the way it was tuned or a problem with the tuner itself.
If you think a tuner will void your warranty, don't use one.
Its really very simple. If the vehicle is modified in any way, its dealer discretion if they want to cover the work under warranty. If you have a good relationship with the dealer they will probably try to slip it past ford auditors to get paid for the work. If they gotten busted by ford in the past and have eaten the cost of a few expensive warranty jobs, (ford refused payment), then you probably won't get it fixed under warranty. You can Moss act them all you want, the dealer will just turn it over to their lawyers and you the customer can two foot it to work for a long time waiting for the hearing date while your vehicle sits waiting to be fixed.
Is this also true if you change your own oil and don't use Motorcraft oil and filters and you have an internal engine problem? If they can determine you did not use motorcraft 5W20 can they void your warranty because you did not use the oil they specified?
The Moss act covers you changing your own oil, also.
Last edited by wildcard30; Jul 18, 2006 at 11:51 AM.
If you put a tuner on and you have lets say a head gasket problem, should ford cover the cost? They will say no I would guess and claim that the tuner caused the problem. Now you are going to say prove it and Ford will take one of their army of attorneys and technical experts and defend their decision. Hoping that you will come to the conclusion that fighting is more costly then not to fight. If the tuner people truly felt that they could stand behind the law with the Magnuson-Moss Warranty & Federal Trade Commission improvement Act, Section 2302 they would offer to fight for you. This law was mainly intended to allow you to put non OEM filters and oil and tires and stuff like that on your ride.
I wonder if anyone with a tuner has won a case of denied engine/tranny warrenty repair using Magnuson-Moss?
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