Tune and Warranty - answers from my local dealer
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Tune and Warranty - answers from my local dealer
This may be very common knowledge to some/most, but I just spoke with my local MB, who is a Renntech dealer, and they definitively told me that if I bought the tune and had them install it that ANY issue that COULD be tied to the tune, even if the tune did not actually cause it, would not be covered (engine, trans, axles explicitly mentioned). This is based on a call from them to MB directly.
I only state the obvious because I have only seen these cloudy, veiled answers by members when newbies like myself asked if an MB dealer selling a tune would not void your warranty.
Basically, if your dealer is telling you their vendor sponsored tune is covered by warranty it's either one of two things:
1) they are covering it out of their pockets (or defrauding MB if there's an issue and getting it covered)
2) if there's an issue you will be up sh*ts creak and they are full of said sh*t
Anyways, real life experience straight from the horses mouth.....I have it all in email from a service tech.
Hope this helps any other newbies like me debating a tune while under warranty........like I stated in the title, it may be obvious to some, but I see enough of these posts that it isn't to everyone. Not trying to start a sh*tstorm argument or anything, just sharing my experience.
Brian
I only state the obvious because I have only seen these cloudy, veiled answers by members when newbies like myself asked if an MB dealer selling a tune would not void your warranty.
Basically, if your dealer is telling you their vendor sponsored tune is covered by warranty it's either one of two things:
1) they are covering it out of their pockets (or defrauding MB if there's an issue and getting it covered)
2) if there's an issue you will be up sh*ts creak and they are full of said sh*t
Anyways, real life experience straight from the horses mouth.....I have it all in email from a service tech.
Hope this helps any other newbies like me debating a tune while under warranty........like I stated in the title, it may be obvious to some, but I see enough of these posts that it isn't to everyone. Not trying to start a sh*tstorm argument or anything, just sharing my experience.
Brian
#4
Senior Member
Thread Starter
According to one Renntech dealer in MA (there's only one), yes, as the fisch said, swim at your own risk. The big if being IF they can find the tune.
#5
Super Member
There is no such thing as invisible or undetectable software. Take it from someone in the software business. The dealer may not have the tools to detect it locally, but MB corporate certainly does. If MB is looking at a potentially big ticket warranty issue where they suspect vehicle modification, the ECU will likely get pulled by the dealer and then shipped to corporate for analysis.
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#9
Junior Member
Aftermarket warranty
Yep my warranty just expired on my 2014 but I have an aftermarket one. If something did happen how would the warranty company find the tune? Would the shop I take the car to send it over or what? I'm thinking of getting Renntechs or AMS's tune. Might be a stupid question but it seems like the warranty question would just be with the factory. Thanks
#10
Super Member
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Vancouver B.C. Canada
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2014 E550 4MATIC TUNED - Turbo Upgraded Stage 3
i still don't get why people think their car is covered under warranty if its tuned.
Why would manufacturer cover something that you physically mod the hardware/software of a product to go beyond its capability ??
Lets say,
you are selling a product that can only resist 100c temp, but your client modded the product and causing a melt down.
Would you warranty for him ???
Cars are way more complicated than that...Dealers will relate issue to any possibility of the mod, in order for them not to cost $$$ I think...
for example, My car is heavily modded. Exhaust and engine rev is totally different than stock. Dealer would notice right the way for sure.
Why would manufacturer cover something that you physically mod the hardware/software of a product to go beyond its capability ??
Lets say,
you are selling a product that can only resist 100c temp, but your client modded the product and causing a melt down.
Would you warranty for him ???
Cars are way more complicated than that...Dealers will relate issue to any possibility of the mod, in order for them not to cost $$$ I think...
for example, My car is heavily modded. Exhaust and engine rev is totally different than stock. Dealer would notice right the way for sure.
Last edited by cocobeex; 01-17-2017 at 04:00 AM.
#11
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Join Date: May 2014
Location: Vancouver B.C. Canada
Posts: 818
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2014 E550 4MATIC TUNED - Turbo Upgraded Stage 3
Yep my warranty just expired on my 2014 but I have an aftermarket one. If something did happen how would the warranty company find the tune? Would the shop I take the car to send it over or what? I'm thinking of getting Renntechs or AMS's tune. Might be a stupid question but it seems like the warranty question would just be with the factory. Thanks
If you are warranty company, Would you do a full record check up ?
Just to save cost from any possible mod from your client ?
But of course, there are some lazy companies might not go that route.
#12
Senior Member
Thread Starter
There is no such thing as invisible or undetectable software. Take it from someone in the software business. The dealer may not have the tools to detect it locally, but MB corporate certainly does. If MB is looking at a potentially big ticket warranty issue where they suspect vehicle modification, the ECU will likely get pulled by the dealer and then shipped to corporate for analysis.
This is the other myth - that a dealer can't see your tune. While factually correct (i.e. there is no flag or warning that it has been modified) you are also correct that if there's a massive claim coming they may physically look at the code to see what parameters are different then stock. Whether they take this step or not may be a crapshoot, but they can certainly see the tune in the programming.
Now, there are certainly ways around it (keep a stock ECM/reflash to stock) but I would bet they could detect that reflash anyways.
#13
Super Member
Yep my warranty just expired on my 2014 but I have an aftermarket one. If something did happen how would the warranty company find the tune? Would the shop I take the car to send it over or what? I'm thinking of getting Renntechs or AMS's tune. Might be a stupid question but it seems like the warranty question would just be with the factory. Thanks
As Cocobeex laid out in his analogy, your vehicle was designed to function using a certain set of operating parameters. By tuning your vehicle, you are changing the operational parameters and inducing increased stress / load on various vehicle components beyond what the manufacturer intended. So if you want to tune your vehicle, you should be prepared to pay for any substantial vehicle repairs yourself should anything major fail. It's called pay to play.
#14
Super Member
This is the other myth - that a dealer can't see your tune. While factually correct (i.e. there is no flag or warning that it has been modified) you are also correct that if there's a massive claim coming they may physically look at the code to see what parameters are different then stock. Whether they take this step or not may be a crapshoot, but they can certainly see the tune in the programming.
Now, there are certainly ways around it (keep a stock ECM/reflash to stock) but I would bet they could detect that reflash anyways.
Now, there are certainly ways around it (keep a stock ECM/reflash to stock) but I would bet they could detect that reflash anyways.
Obviously if your original ECU ever failed and MB replaced it, they would note that in their service system, so they would know the calculated offset between the counters in the ECU and the vehicle's odometer for future warranty / service work.
#15
MBWorld Fanatic!
I would agree they can tell. I have a tuned 550 and flash back to stock any time the car heads to the dealer...I'm sure they tell if they needed to. I think MB not covering a warr applies to items beyond a tune to...lowering, exhaust mods etc...if those in fact are related to whatever the problem might be
This is the other myth - that a dealer can't see your tune. While factually correct (i.e. there is no flag or warning that it has been modified) you are also correct that if there's a massive claim coming they may physically look at the code to see what parameters are different then stock. Whether they take this step or not may be a crapshoot, but they can certainly see the tune in the programming.
Now, there are certainly ways around it (keep a stock ECM/reflash to stock) but I would bet they could detect that reflash anyways.
Now, there are certainly ways around it (keep a stock ECM/reflash to stock) but I would bet they could detect that reflash anyways.