[5.0j916]

i recently installed sct tuner from american muscle...2 weeks after install i took car to dealer for first oil change.. for some reason they reflashed over my tune..now my tuner wont pair back to my car..sct wants 150 dollars to unlock..I think that is bs, there was no warning of this happening at all..does anyone know of a fix, or a way around this.. I am about to return tuner to american muscle for refund, minus the 150 to unlock..I dont think it is fair that they dont warn/ tell you of these issues.. i will end up paying 150 plus shiiping for tuner i no longer have.. dont buy from american muscle or sct. I wont be anymore..other tuners dont have nearly as many problems

 

[Radioguy]

i recently installed sct tuner from american muscle...2 weeks after install i took car to dealer for first oil change.. for some reason they reflashed over my tune..now my tuner wont pair back to my car..sct wants 150 dollars to unlock..I think that is bs, there was no warning of this happening at all..does anyone know of a fix, or a way around this.. I am about to return tuner to american muscle for refund, minus the 150 to unlock..I dont think it is fair that they dont warn/ tell you of these issues.. i will end up paying 150 plus shiiping for tuner i no longer have.. dont buy from american muscle or sct. I wont be anymore..other tuners dont have nearly as many problems

Interesting that they "reflashed" the ECU without telling you? Did they tell you why they reflashed it when you picked up the car? Was there a notation on the service documents? I would call customer service at American Muscle. I bet they can help with that issue - particularly since you were not aware that the "reflash of the ECU" was going to happen. I would also PM the AM Rep on this site.

 

[5POINTO]

Steeda Billet OBD II Port Cover - Made in USA 555-1260

 

[jchristena]

Yea, this isn't AMs or SCTs fault. Its the dealers for restoring the calibration in your PCM without warning. Maybe they had a reason to do so and just assumed you were stock.

 

[5.0j916]

i took it for first oil change.. didnt think they would flash..i have the little plaque from bama tune under the hood..im sure they knew it was tuned.. sct rep said dealers will reflash for updates periodically.. when i got tuner it had no warning at all of this... they also didnt tell me this would void my warranty after tuning..im going to return it and eat the 150.. just a expensive lesson learned.. was hoping there was a cheaper/free way to fix tuner..

 

[jasinedward]

If it's locked, it's locked to the same vin# he's going to reflash anyway, so it doesn't make sense as to why they wouldn't unlock it.

I just don't know how the SCT works to verify. With the Intune, I can hook up to the car and computer at the same time. This would allow Diablo to see I am using it on the same vin# it is already locked to.

I could see if he left it locked to the car after he sold it, but this isn't the case (or so we're told). It is locked to the car he has in his possession.

I would also let the dealer know what is going on. Asked them why they performed work on your car prior to discussing it with you. The dealer should be the one held liable here, unless they informed you orally or in writing first.

 

[frankp]

i recently installed sct tuner from american muscle...2 weeks after install i took car to dealer for first oil change.. for some reason they reflashed over my tune..now my tuner wont pair back to my car..sct wants 150 dollars to unlock..I think that is bs, there was no warning of this happening at all..does anyone know of a fix, or a way around this.. I am about to return tuner to american muscle for refund, minus the 150 to unlock..I dont think it is fair that they dont warn/ tell you of these issues.. i will end up paying 150 plus shiiping for tuner i no longer have.. dont buy from american muscle or sct. I wont be anymore..other tuners dont have nearly as many problems

Your ECU probably needed an update due to a ford issued update. I would make it a rule of thumb to assume your dealer is going to reflash your ECU, and to return your tune back to stock before you turn your car in for any work. Remember, these mechanics are not going to look for a bama tuner plaque on your mustang. They don't have time. Consider this part a lesson learned.

As for SCT, get ahold of them and explain the situation. There are several AM reps who will help. I would assume they will help you, without charging you the $150.00 especially since your car is the same one previously flashed. I do not know if they can unlock over the internet, but probably not. That is why they are charging you. You need to pay for that service. I wouldn't get rid of the tuner. Just convince Bama to not charge you. Any tuner hardware would do the same thing. You'd be locked out after a Ford ECU update if you had not previously returned your ECU back to the stock tune before the update.

 

[5.0j916]

i have called both of them.. no help either side..am said i could return, but have to pay 150 to unlock..dealer said i shouldnt be tuning car and they arent liable for aftermarket parts.. Mainly i think am should warn you of this along with warranty issues.. came with no instructions at all just a pice of paper with tune specs..

 

[5.0j916]

no one here is a moron except you..didnt need your 2 cents .why reply when you have nothing of use to say?.none of my aftermarket parts void my warranty except the stupid tune.. and obviously i would never want them to warranty my aftermarket parts..if my clutch went out it has nothing to do with tuner..it should still be covered..

 

[5POINTO]

I am sorry but what kind of moron do you have to be to not realize that making engine modifications (tune) would void the warranty...

My thoughts exactly...nearly all aftermarket parts will void the warranty on what you are modifying, especially a tune.

 

[jasinedward]

i have called both of them.. no help either side..am said i could return, but have to pay 150 to unlock..dealer said i shouldnt be tuning car and they arent liable for aftermarket parts.. Mainly i think am should warn you of this along with warranty issues.. came with no instructions at all just a pice of paper with tune specs..

The dealer is wrong.... They ARE responsible if they performed the work without your permission. Something about this whole situation is not adding up.....:headscratch:

If you took your car in to the dealer, and they ripped out your aftermarket stereo because it wasn't stock, there would be a problem. I have never been to a dealer where they have performed any kind of work without telling me first. In fact, they ALWAYS make me sign off on the work prior.

 

[Ltngdrvr]

All of this information has been all over the forums for like 15 years, it's no secret.

You really need to know and understand what you are doing before you just do some mod to your car.

The fault lies completely on your shoulders, not on A/M or SCT or anyone else.

And Ford dealers are routinely updating the pcm in your car anymore when you bring it in.

 

[Radioguy]

I am sorry but what kind of moron do you have to be to not realize that making engine modifications (tune) would void the warranty?

People amaze me, i was at dealer a week ago and pulled up behind a guy screaming and arguing over why they would not cover/work on his aftermarket flowmaster exhaust under warranty service...

All of this information has been all over the forums for like 15 years, it's no secret.

You really need to know and understand what you are doing before you just do some mod to your car.

The fault lies completely on your shoulders, not on A/M or SCT or anyone else.

And Ford dealers are routinely updating the pcm in your car anymore when you bring it in.

I don't know. I've only been around this board for about three years (Started with my 2011 Mustang V6 Vert) but I've never seen a warning or advisory or even statement by AM or other aftermarket suppliers that you should take all the mods off of your car before you take it in for service. I realize what TSB 11-07-07 says about warranty copverage, but that is a different issue from the dealer changing the ECU without consulting with the owner. If he had an aftermarket CAI, with a bigger MAF tube, a "stock tune" could cause a big problem with the A/F ratio due to mis-calibration of the MAF table. Might be an issue if you were on a "road trip." Actually, I don't care what the dealer finds, I think the owner deserves to hear what is going to be changed if it is outside of the initial owner request. Using aftermarket mods might become a much more painful experience if people need to reverse them all out before taking the car to a dealer. Actually, if I took my "Roush" supercharged GT in for an oil change, and the dealer loaded the "updated stock tune," I would actually be pretty upset!

 

[old_goat]

I am sorry but what kind of moron do you have to be to not realize that making engine modifications (tune) would void the warranty?

My thoughts exactly...

No, he's not a moron. Most likely he didn't consider his oil change would also turn into some sort of computer reflash.

I've dealt with modded cars since 2005 and I would've never related an oil change to a computer reflash, without at least telling me first.

I can't help but wonder how many here would reflash their car to the stock tune just for a simple oil change. Most likely not many.

Again, the moron comments were uncalled for (IMHO), because it would seem the service writer would pull his car up on the computer and see if he has any updates/recalls, then plan for it with the customer.

Simply, it was a lack of communications, but this lack of communications probably will cost the OP $150.

 

[ghi]

No, he's not a moron. Most likely he didn't consider his oil change would also turn into some sort of computer reflash.

.

comment had nothing to do with the oil change reflash but to his rant that AM is somehow at fault for not telling him that a tune would void his warranty....

that statement is just ridiculous imho.

 

[teedub21]

Updating car software is common these days. The dealer can't assume you have a tune and are in no way required to ask you for permission to perform a factory recommended update, especially when there is no charge for it. I think it is in the SCT directions that you should return to stock any time a dealer visit is scheduled because any reflash will render your tuner inoperable on your car.

 

[pdmustgt]

Looks like someone looking for escape goat to pay for tuner unlock. It's no ones fault except for person who put tune in the car. Why would SCT pay for unlock or AM there not responsible. Ford going to say you shouldn't be screwing with calibration especially when car still under warranty. As a guy who works for dealership we re-calibrate ECM's all the time.

I took my car in I could have sworn they updated the calibration because long engine crank time it would do time from time. But unhooking battery solved the problem

 

[draxxus131]

Just saw this thread, hopefully this makes it more clear. (EVERYONE) is responsible in their stay of residence to know what the laws are for automotives/ etc. in their city, county, state. In this case really it is no other persons fault then said consumer. If you lived in Florida I'm pretty sure you would have less of a problem for warranty issues considering no SMOG requirements out there.

But manufacturers do state in every owners manual of EVERY purchased vehicle that voiding of warranty can be justified due to reconfiguration, messing with the ECU/PCM, etc. If you don't believe check it out, actually the only things you are technically allowed to modify are parts not covered under warranty. Most bumper-bumper warranties don't necessarily cover everything between the front and rear bumper if you get my drift?! For example Hyundai never covered any rear windshield wiper motors on any Tiburon, all because it wasn't listed under anything in the warranty coverage. Sorry a little off topic my bad haha.

Sorry to burst your bubble if I may have.:nono:

 

[Strange Mud]

so, I have a ? I thought when you got a tune that it was tied into your ecm/ecu/pcm (whatver) and that there was a 4 digit # assigned to that, would the reflashing somehow change that? I'm assuming I'm wrong since the majority of you are not surprised it's now locked.

fwiw I do know that getting a tune very well may void most of your wtty.

OP, that stinks but the $150 is small compared to the loss of wtty...w/o insulting did you know that tuning may void wtty even on the clutch and the entire powertrain? "increased HP levels beyond the design parameters" or some other legal blah-blah

and for anyone who elects to bring up the Moss act it's not up to Ford to prove the tune messed up your car. Possesion is 9/10ths of the law and Ford has what you would seek (wtty service)

 

[jasinedward]

Everyone makes great points for either side. I'm in Florida where we have relaxed smog laws..... They don't do anything without asking you. With the amount of threads on reflashing to stock prior to going to the dealer, majority of the blame goes to the OP for letting it happen.