Dealer screwed up my car...need advice!
 

So, I took my 2016 GTS which is modded with upgraded turbos, downpipes, and eurocharged tune to the local MB dealer for an oil change. First time there. I told service adviser all i want is an oil change, NOTHING ELSE. 3 hrs later i pick up my car and turns out they did a reflash of the computer due to a recall. Adviser said the tech told him the car may be modified, but they did it anyway. Now the car runs like crap and I have a check engine light. I went back and they seemed to understand my situation and a willingness to take care of it. Unfortunately, that involves sending the computer to eurocharged who will charge $1599 to restore the tune. Today, I've tried to contact the dealer multiple times and they don't reply. Sorry for the rant. Thoughts?

EC will not charge you 1500$. Ref lash is minimal $if they even do so.

A retune isn't 1599 if you bought it from them yourself, it should just be the charge for the hand held tuner, which is like $350 or something.

I explained my situation to them, but that's what they are charging. Feel like i'm buying the tune all over again. Granted it wasn't their fault.

The car was this way when i bought it. The work was done in november and i have the receipt where the tune was $2499 at that time.

1-Eurocharged normally has a very minimal “reflash fee”, so I’d investigate that further......ASSUMING you are the original purchaser, if not, well than all bets are off.

2-In my opinion, nothing the dealer is really “responsible” for, if you did not state you have a tuned ECU, and don’t ever want them to write over the file with software updates. Some updates may be necessary for certain things, and in those cases, unfortunately you have to pay up and get re-tuned.

I understand it is just more work/effort/money, but that’s the world with which we live when modifying expensive cars.

Duhh, this is why you have a bone stock ECU and a tuned ECU...

I can't see that being beneficial in the OPs case, considering how modified his car is currently. He'd end up taking it in for service running like garbage, throwing a code, etc, when he hands it off the to techs.

Depending on OPs location, I think that finding a solid and reputable Indy shop for service work like oil changes would be ideal from here on out.

How was he supposed to run a bone stock ECU to a dealer with upgraded turbos Ronin?? Bonehead comes to mind...

I specify every time I drop my car off for service to not do a software update. The printed work order even says "customer states car has a tune. do not perform any software updates."

Since you didn't buy the tune from Eurocharged, they will probably charge you. Just pay it and move on.

If it was tuned last year, that was before handheld tuners were available for the GT and done via sending in ECU

Any flash tune to the ECU will leave a reflash count...[warrantee void] A bone stock ECU when going to the dealer is the only way you won't get flagged

The dealership most likely are never gonna know about an internal turbo upgrade unless you have a turbo failure and they are inspected.
The bone stock ECU will work just fine with the turbo upgrade when driving normally to the dealership... Bonehead comes to mind especially when it takes a whole 2 minuets to swap them and you don't..

The ignorance if laughable

Since the ECU is married to your VIN number, won’t they know you have two ECUs ?

I had my dealer install the stock ECU a while back and kept the tuned ECU... I brought it in for service, had the new reflash installed and swapped it as soon as I got home..

Hell it's your car, you can buy whatever or how many parts you want for it from the dealer as long as they are stock..

Yeah that’s what you do, limp into a Benz dealer with a stock ECU running car rough. Let them run the car for another 1/2 hour while getting oil up to temperature, so you don’t disclose that you’ve changed turbos. Why would do that ?

In this case, makes zero sense Ronin as any engine failure will reveal a modded car and void warranty. No need to play ECU games.

Having a stock flashed ECU is what's causing the OPs engine issues and CEL, so how would taking the vehicle into the dealership with those issues benefit them? If anything, that would just cause more problems when the techs run the car during service. Sure, if you are running a very lightly modified car, i.e. tune only/etc, then having two ECUs and playing the swap game would be fine, but on a heavily modified car, it sounds futile.

I can see you base your opinion on ignorance without basic knowledge of engine tuning and experience ... Enjoy

Sorry about your issue, but you modify at your own risk. This is one of those risks. Modified cars are under a microscope and are only getting worse. Two options—pay for re-tune and move on or put car back to stock and have no further issues/worries.

2 scenarios with same result.

So OP originally left dealer throwing codes and flags with his oil change. All of this would be noted in service logs.

Let’s say OP sent his car in with a stock ECU throwing codes and engine lights and running rough as you suggested lord Ronin. All of this would be noted in the service logs again correct? This would be a major flag and would probably have resulted in service being declined.

Why would a dealer service a car in this state or in the future? Boneheads believing they have all the solutions are just that.

Maybe the answer is don’t get an oil change at the dealership when you’re modded heavily

^^^^ .....this and maybe don’t go whimpering to a dealership when you’re tuned, modded and have issues...

In any regards I hope you get the issue resolved...

Jackoffs that don't know how things work make boneheads look brilliant.... Lets just say let professionals work on your car and STFU

There is no "issue." He's just trying to save the $1600. Maybe check with the dealer if they want to split the fee with you or something. Not a big enough amount to fuss over.

Doesn’t help the OP, but makes me feel good about electing to go with RennTech mods through an authorized Mercedes dealership.

I asked my SA whom I’ve known for years what exactly is covered by Mercedes if I were to get a Renntech tune in my GT R installed at his dealership. His answer: nothing. MB are under ZERO obligation to repair a drivetrain that is not OEM even if a tune such as Renntech is sold/installed by a MB dealer. And Renntech also have no obligation to cover a catastrophic repair, such as an engine rebuild/replacement, in a vehicle that is running with one of their tunes.

Bottom line: Caveat Emptor!