Guess I don't have to worry about buying the handheld unit since Mini cancelled my warranty. With no warranty, I guess there's no need to install the stock tune since I have nothing to hide anymore...


Mark

 

Because of the melted valve cover?

 

No, because of the tune... When the dealer discovered the tune, they refused to pay for the valvecover, refused to address the chain tensioner and voided my warranty for the engine and transmission for the rest of the miles left.

Oh well, all the more reason for you guys to get the handheld tuner if you're going to tune.

Mark

 

so how did they inform you that your warranty was void? and how did they find your tune? I only ask because I have had it noted on a service report that I had aftermarket suspension and exhaust, but it dint mention my warranty?

 

They informed me by saying they wouldn't cover my melted valve cover. They hooked up the computer and found the tune.

Nothing was noted per say on paper but I'm sure it is earmarked anywhere I go now.

They voided my warranty on the engine and trans, I still get free oil changes and other crap (but they wouldn't do the timing chain tensioner???)

I'm not sweating it. I've had the car 6 months roughly and have put 15K miles on it.

At that rate, my warranty will run out in just over a year anyways...

Mark

 

I don't see how they can tell there is a tune on the car with the software a dealer has. We had a 135i at the dealer this last week and they couldn't tell.
Somethings fishy here

 

Couldn't tell ya... I never said anything. They looked at the bigger intercooler and looked past it.

They looked at the exhaust and looked past it.

They said they hooked up their computers and saw I had a tune and bam... no warranty.

I don't know, I had it towed there and that was the end of that.

Mark

 

I would have made them show how they found out it had a tune. That type of software isn't available to some tech at a dealer

 

It wasn't just some tech... it was a field engineer sent in from Mini. The warranty rep said he had never seen anything like it and wanted to send in a field engineer.

It took a week for him to get there but he's the one that hooked it up to "his equipment" (according to the GM, he's the terminator guy)

He obviously had something to know it had a tune because this wasn't my local dealer, it was a dealer 4.5 hours away from me and though the GM knows me, no one knows the car or it's history.

Mark

 

he would need special software to compare files, even then he would need to know what to look at. You could see the heat shield you had on the car caused the problem......not a tune

I know they have been having fuel pump problems in the 135/335 cars and tore his ecu apart the same way.... didn't find a thing

just sounds fishy to me

 

Jan,

You're asking the wrong person... I couldn't tell you. Car got towed in, they denied it based on the fact that the programming was changed. Don't know enough about it to tell you how they can or can't tell it's been changed.

On a side note, I thought that was one of the main reasons why everyone wanted a remote tune... that is, the ability to put it back to a stock tune. If the dealership can't tell, then why would anyone in the right mind use a piggyback unit?

They may as well just use a tune and not worry about it if the dealer can't tell.


Mark

 

^^ Thats mainly the reason I want it. That way if anything happens I can still access the ECU with the remote tuner and flash it back to stock that way the dealer cant try and push the issue away (not as easily anyways).

Ive also had problems prior to with the window dipper on the drivers side and each time it seems they need to re-initialize everything or update the software on the ECU itself which would be another reason why this would be handy.

 

Jan


Some of us are always 10 hours plus one way to tuning party.
For some who may not want to wait how much blood are we talking?

 

8 hours here but I'll still be there....


Mark

 

LOL, Its one of them, when you get told how they find out, its real palm slap forehead moment .

 

" We read the forums at NorthAmericanMotoring.com "

 

DING DING DING

 

Add this guy to your buddy list. He's on almost every week and frequent's this thread.

 

Once they hook the ECU up to the diagnostic machine that Orangecrush mentioned...all the info goes directly to BMW. From that point, they can and will see everything in the ECU. Jan is correct though that the tech and dealership themselves can't see it...but BMW can.

However, in Orangecrush's case...its a little rediculous that they "voided" they entire powertrain warranty. Isn't that unlawful? And its even more rediculous that they won't fix the chain tensioner...which is a known problem and has absolutely nothing to do with the ECU being tuned. Sounds like violation of Magnusson-Moss Act...but what do I know....

 

Ya, thats why I am never going to MOD my car. I am just going to live with my car bone stock and just have my wish list like I do in my sig

 

I agree, I could push the issue but honestly, I don't care, the warranty would be almost over for me anyways so I'll take my chances.


As far as the dealer reading the forums, the manufacturer cannot void the warranty based on something read on a forum. No one could prove that I haven't been bs'ing and bragging about the stuff on my car.

In any case, it's done and it is what it is....

Mark

 

So they know about the warranty claim before the dealer has even seen the car

 

Wow you're definitely onto something.

We've got ourselves a spy.

Also, i know people also wanted the remote tune so that if the dealer reflashes the ECU for an update or something you can put the tune back without having to wait for another tune party

 

y'all really think if mini wanted to that they would even need an account to read the forum?

 

LOL, and i think its funny that some people assume that MINI's suppliers aren't clever enough to come up with some software to work out if an ecu has been tuned or not.

I cant wait to see yours on a forecourt Motormouth , with a one careful owner sign on it