Am I F@5&$ed? ********UPDATED!!!

[Canadian GP]

I changed the speedo and DRL settings with my Superchip Flashcal ,backup camera stopped working, dealership says because I used a tuner I no longer have any electrical warranty.

Thoughts?

Sponsored

 

[Jeeperjamie]

Sounds about right. The Superchips leaves a trace and if they see it they can refuse or deny warranty work. Some times they will over look it and sometimes they want depending on the dealership. It will be a tough fight for you, had a few buddies run into the same issue with on their Jeep's.

You should of reset it back to stock, there is a setting for it before taking it into the dealership

 

[Tech Tim]

Ask them how the Flashcal voids the warranty.

 

[cgflyer]

I had this issue using the Superchips Traildash 2 but luckily it was with the unlocked PCM they sent me, no modification to the stock PCM...I had a Pulsar with quirks and wanted to see if the TD2 would be better, it WAS NOT but Superchips has amazing customer service in my opinion. They have worked with me along the way, refunded $ when necessary and replaced products. I am going back to a Pulsar, but a new one. They are building it on a new mother board different the originals and I am hoping for fewer bugs. The tunes are nice and it gives me what I need for tire calibration...

 

[GoVR46]

I changed the speedo and DRL settings with my Superchip Flashcal ,backup camera stopped working, dealership says because I used a tuner I no longer have any electrical warranty.

Thoughts?

Rule of thumb, whenever you have a tune or piggyback device return to stock, (flash back to stock) or remove piggyback. Otherwise all bets are off with warranty.
Doing so before you bring to dealer will also troubleshoot if the device or tune was the problem.

 

[Renegade]

I changed the speedo and DRL settings with my Superchip Flashcal ,backup camera stopped working, dealership says because I used a tuner I no longer have any electrical warranty.

Thoughts?

That sucks. Can the Flashcal reset your computer modules or ecus? Maybe resetting your radio would fix your issue.

 

[desertfox73]

Dealers seem to be getting much more happy about walking away from a warranty if the car has been modified (especially tuned or the computer coded in any particular way). I am on a number of car/truck forums and I'm seeing this way more frequently than I used to. To some extent I understand it, but in cases like this it's taken to an extreme level of "screw you".

Can they legally walk away from the entire electrical warranty? Probably not, according to Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. But - and I've had this experience very recently - it will be VERY hard and expensive to fight them on this. I recently had an issue with my BMW that they pinned on me, and was clearly not correct. So I reached out to probably a dozen attorneys, none of which was even slightly interested in the case because it's not worth their while. If you are prepared to fight it, it'll get expensive, fast. And car companies are invested in fighting these arguments, so be prepared to go up against FCA, not just the dealer.

I wish I had better news, but I don't think you'll win this, even though you're likely legally "right" that they can't deny all future coverage. Technically, they would have to prove that any electrical issue is undeniably and demonstrably the fault of the tune/coding...which would be very hard if not impossible. But as I mentioned above, they really don't have to unless you're willing to fight this in court. And they're betting you won't.

Also, be prepared for your car to be "flagged" in FCA system, which means wherever you go the warranty denial will follow the car. Just going to a different dealer won't solve the problem. And if/when you sell the car, the flag will follow it and any subsequent owner will have the same denial of warranty. Maybe your dealer hasn't taken this step.

Again, I hate to be the Debbie Downer here, but you asked...

 

[Deadeye]

I'd try to get to another dealer ASAP, to beat the flag. Also desertfox is right in that the OEM often has a vested interest in fighting these claims, BUT its just like any other customer service thing- politely escalate, and you will likely get what you want.

@Tech Tim nailed it: don't just blindly accept the denial, make them explain. Be polite and firm. You're likely dealing with a poorly trained and undereducated tech that is parroting someone else, without understanding the nuisance. If you demonstrate some backbone and knowledge, they may think its easier to just help fix it.

Also- next time reset the damn flash.

 

[DreamedofaJeepSomeday]

Dealers seem to be getting much more happy about walking away from a warranty if the car has been modified (especially tuned or the computer coded in any particular way). I am on a number of car/truck forums and I'm seeing this way more frequently than I used to. To some extent I understand it, but in cases like this it's taken to an extreme level of "screw you".

Can they legally walk away from the entire electrical warranty? Probably not, according to Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. But - and I've had this experience very recently - it will be VERY hard and expensive to fight them on this. I recently had an issue with my BMW that they pinned on me, and was clearly not correct. So I reached out to probably a dozen attorneys, none of which was even slightly interested in the case because it's not worth their while. If you are prepared to fight it, it'll get expensive, fast. And car companies are invested in fighting these arguments, so be prepared to go up against FCA, not just the dealer.

I wish I had better news, but I don't think you'll win this, even though you're likely legally "right" that they can't deny all future coverage. Technically, they would have to prove that any electrical issue is undeniably and demonstrably the fault of the tune/coding...which would be very hard if not impossible. But as I mentioned above, they really don't have to unless you're willing to fight this in court. And they're betting you won't.

Also, be prepared for your car to be "flagged" in FCA system, which means wherever you go the warranty denial will follow the car. Just going to a different dealer won't solve the problem. And if/when you sell the car, the flag will follow it and any subsequent owner will have the same denial of warranty. Maybe your dealer hasn't taken this step.

Again, I hate to be the Debbie Downer here, but you asked...

I thought about buying a Pulsar, because it is inline, doesn't mess with the factory PCM, but I think I'll just stay away completely from this kind of mod.

 

[rmerkushen]

I changed the speedo and DRL settings with my Superchip Flashcal ,backup camera stopped working, dealership says because I used a tuner I no longer have any electrical warranty.

Thoughts?

What most said is probably correct. First, reset it back to Stock and see if it works. If that doesn't fix, take it to the dealer and have them troubleshoot. Once the detect what the issue is, ask for explanation to how the flash tune caused the issue. They can't void warranty, but can deny a claim. Denial cannot be baseless, and the issue has to be caused by your modification. For example, if you break your axle because you have 40 inch tires on it, that's reasonable and expected. But if you broke your axle with stock tires and they say we won't cover it because you have aftermarket exhaust on it, well, you will win that argument.

 

[gerky18]

To add a little more info from what everyone else is saying. The dealership does not have the ability to void a warranty. Only corporate and the district manager can do that. The dealer will recommend a void and has to demonstrate why. It is uncommon but not impossible to get a voided warranty on the first instance. It sounds to me you need a new dealership as they are looking for reasons not to do work.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Some seem to believe you can do anything you want with mods and expect the company to fix it if it breaks.
Especially ELECTRICAL systems, which are the most fragile, can be zapped by spikes or STATIC charges and so on.
Warranty is for when things break due to factory defect, workmanship or materials problems. Not for when you blow away a setting or something breaks while you are modifying it.
Since it worked prior to you making changes - well - you have admitted it's likely connected.

I agree - should ALWAYS remove outside devices that connect to the bus, and put things back to stock.
As far as the WHOLE electrical warranty - I can't see how they can refuse fixing your tail lights if they stop working. If the cluster stops displaying - can't see how that can be related. But you were in making changes to settings - and the backup camera is among the settings easily changed.

Expect to pay if you want anything fixed that's related to anything you touched or changed or can change with any outside device.
If you are messing with something and the backup camera stops working - you should have to pay. If the dealership charges it's their right. If they don't, it's a good-will thing.

You should not lose the whole electric system warranty - but if you suddenly find the radio/nav system stops working or won't keep settings, expect to pay since you were modifying factory settings.

I know the hardcore "I have a right to do anything and nothing I do can possibly break anything" will argue - but electrical things are still fragile. And settings - you were messing with things. And devices plugged in can cause damage. Case-in-point, I had an iPod totally blow out a whole USB system. I had similar happen at work when people decided to bring items from home and plug them into the computers.

 

[Blade1668]

ShadowsPapa last paragraph is a dead on thing. A big reason for the fears of many and starter of many threads on forums. As he's said before thankfully it's not running on Microsoft as the O.S. think about all of the systems running on the Canbus "wiring"

 

[johnparjr]

Scary stuff but never should have went to the dealer without setting the system back

 

[Tech Tim]

Some seem to believe you can do anything you want with mods and expect the company to fix it if it breaks.

.... snip.....

I know the hardcore "I have a right to do anything and nothing I do can possibly break anything" will argue - but electrical things are still fragile. And settings - you were messing with things. And devices plugged in can cause damage. Case-in-point, I had an iPod totally blow out a whole USB system. I had similar happen at work when people decided to bring items from home and plug them into the computers.

There is a middle ground.

Don't go ballistic Karen on them. Keep it short sweet and simple with Why they would void or deny your warranty or claim??

If they say it's because you have a tuner, tell them you don't have a tuner, you have a programmer. The Flashcal by itself does not tune the engine, it only allows you to make changes to certain parameters, like tire size, gear ratio etc. Bring in your instruction manual, show them the list of things the Flashcal can change. Ask them how that would affect your back-up camera.

As with any negotiations, state the facts simply, then shut-up and let them explain. Leave those long awkward silences, let them fill in with their excuses.



All that said, if your backup camera went out when you installed the Flashcal, your first call should be to Superchips and have them help you troubleshoot it. They have a good crew there and are always willing to help out if they can.

Superchips: 888-227-2447

Sponsored