Remapped Cars

Remapped Cars

Author
Discussion

skeeterm5

Original Poster:

3,361 posts

189 months

Monday 25th August 2008
quotequote all
Hi

have read a lot about remapped bmws - how does this impact your warranty? Are they detectable and if i then have a software update as part of a service does the remap get overwritten?

S

Welshbeef

49,633 posts

199 months

Monday 25th August 2008
quotequote all
Totally invalidates the warranty.

enioldjoe

1,062 posts

212 months

Monday 25th August 2008
quotequote all
I'm not convinced that it does. A dealer will of course tell you that it invalidates the warranty but I understand that this is not the case. Anyone else heard similar??

carlovers

424 posts

194 months

Monday 25th August 2008
quotequote all
drivetrain engine and gearbox invalidated confirmed by a BMW service manager, and yes tuning boxes taken off before service can be detected as well

roofer

5,136 posts

212 months

Monday 25th August 2008
quotequote all
enioldjoe said:
I'm not convinced that it does. A dealer will of course tell you that it invalidates the warranty but I understand that this is not the case. Anyone else heard similar??
Of course it does.

pgilc1

35,848 posts

198 months

Monday 25th August 2008
quotequote all
If your turbo(s) or gearbox were to blow whilst the car was under warranty i'd imagine BMW would take a dim view if the car had been remapped.

But everything else would be covered. Things i've had sorted under warranty on my last three cars have been - sat nav screen, various rattles, parking sensors, problem with stereo, alloy wheel corrosion (Schnitzers), all of which arent impacted by remapping.

I guess if you were really worried, DMS cover items invalidated because of a remap with their own warranty though.

pgilc1

35,848 posts

198 months

Monday 25th August 2008
quotequote all
Welshbeef said:
Totally invalidates the warranty.
Only on turbo(s) and drivetrain i suspect.

roofer

5,136 posts

212 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
quotequote all
pgilc1 said:
I guess if you were really worried, DMS cover items invalidated because of a remap with their own warranty though.
Has it been tested?

gizlaroc

17,251 posts

225 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
quotequote all
I believe Mike at DMS said they have never had anyone with a problem so far, these tuners keep it well within spec so they don't get grief.

I know Ant from ant and pete were running a 330d E46 with around 100bhp increase and ran it for about a year on the standard gearbox and clutch with no problems, when they sold it they put a more docile map on for the new owner and he has run it for another couple of years with no problems.

noneedtolift

847 posts

224 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
quotequote all
carlovers said:
drivetrain engine and gearbox invalidated confirmed by a BMW service manager, and yes tuning boxes taken off before service can be detected as well
Don't believe that this is true for all kind of piggybacks. Had mine in for the 20 tkm service and it hasen't been detected(box left on). The only thing they see is that the battery has been disconnected and a fault code from the active power steering.

Welshbeef

49,633 posts

199 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
quotequote all
noneedtolift said:
carlovers said:
drivetrain engine and gearbox invalidated confirmed by a BMW service manager, and yes tuning boxes taken off before service can be detected as well
Don't believe that this is true for all kind of piggybacks. Had mine in for the 20 tkm service and it hasen't been detected(box left on). The only thing they see is that the battery has been disconnected and a fault code from the active power steering.
Im sorry but BMW or any other car maker is a business they state that any modification or infact using non geniune OEM parts invalidates your warranty. Its plain and simple.

Given that and you want to chip your new 330d worth £33k why not take your car to Kwikfit for them to service it? I mean youve ruined the warranty so what does it really matter - provided they adhere to the BMW service schedule then your fine.


+ any comments about wouldnt let those touch my car Ive seen young kids at BMW so no difference, one Merc mechanic stated that the engine was ruined on a Citroen AX after a 45min fiddle with it - turned out to be an air lock took a few mins to resolve. The brother of the Merc mechanic felt so much shame that he paid the girl back for his charges out of his own pocket , oh and the excuse... I work on the cylinder heads ... oh my Im not a qualified mechanic but I can sure as hell tell you if a car has an air lock or not..

noneedtolift

847 posts

224 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
quotequote all
Welshbeef said:
noneedtolift said:
carlovers said:
drivetrain engine and gearbox invalidated confirmed by a BMW service manager, and yes tuning boxes taken off before service can be detected as well
Don't believe that this is true for all kind of piggybacks. Had mine in for the 20 tkm service and it hasen't been detected(box left on). The only thing they see is that the battery has been disconnected and a fault code from the active power steering.
Im sorry but BMW or any other car maker is a business they state that any modification or infact using non geniune OEM parts invalidates your warranty. Its plain and simple.

Given that and you want to chip your new 330d worth £33k why not take your car to Kwikfit for them to service it? I mean youve ruined the warranty so what does it really matter - provided they adhere to the BMW service schedule then your fine.

Absolutely agree with you! My comment was simly refering to the statement regarding the detectability of piggyback ecu's!

+ any comments about wouldnt let those touch my car Ive seen young kids at BMW so no difference, one Merc mechanic stated that the engine was ruined on a Citroen AX after a 45min fiddle with it - turned out to be an air lock took a few mins to resolve. The brother of the Merc mechanic felt so much shame that he paid the girl back for his charges out of his own pocket , oh and the excuse... I work on the cylinder heads ... oh my Im not a qualified mechanic but I can sure as hell tell you if a car has an air lock or not..

sniff diesel

13,107 posts

213 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
quotequote all
skeeterm5 said:
I have read a lot about remapped bmws
I think we all have lately.

Vixpy1

42,625 posts

265 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
quotequote all
sniff diesel said:
skeeterm5 said:
I have read a lot about remapped bmws
I think we all have lately.
hehe

pgilc1

35,848 posts

198 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
quotequote all
roofer said:
pgilc1 said:
I guess if you were really worried, DMS cover items invalidated because of a remap with their own warranty though.
Has it been tested?
No because no x35ds have blown turbos or boxes with remaps that have been done by DMS.

But if thats their warranty, i'd have no doubt they would honour it.

roofer

5,136 posts

212 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
quotequote all
pgilc1 said:
roofer said:
pgilc1 said:
I guess if you were really worried, DMS cover items invalidated because of a remap with their own warranty though.
Has it been tested?
No because no x35ds have blown turbos or boxes with remaps that have been done by DMS.

But if thats their warranty, i'd have no doubt they would honour it.
Time will tell.

carl_w

9,196 posts

259 months

Wednesday 27th August 2008
quotequote all
Welshbeef said:
Im sorry but BMW or any other car maker is a business they state that any modification or infact using non geniune OEM parts invalidates your warranty. Its plain and simple.

Given that and you want to chip your new 330d worth £33k why not take your car to Kwikfit for them to service it? I mean youve ruined the warranty so what does it really matter - provided they adhere to the BMW service schedule then your fine.
Actually as long as you have your car serviced at a VAT-registered garage, using parts of 'equivalent form, fit and function' to BMW parts, the EU dictates that BMW cannot invalidate the warranty.

pgilc1

35,848 posts

198 months

Wednesday 27th August 2008
quotequote all
roofer said:
pgilc1 said:
roofer said:
pgilc1 said:
I guess if you were really worried, DMS cover items invalidated because of a remap with their own warranty though.
Has it been tested?
No because no x35ds have blown turbos or boxes with remaps that have been done by DMS.

But if thats their warranty, i'd have no doubt they would honour it.
Time will tell.
It has. DMS have been remapping 535d's since 05 and no doubt other cars since long before that.

StuB

6,695 posts

240 months

Wednesday 27th August 2008
quotequote all
I've had warranty work completed f.o.c. by a BMW dealer on a re-mapped car, they changed injectors first to cure the 'missing' fault, then the ECU itself, which sorted the issue.

I took the car straight back to the mapper (Superchips agent) for a f.o.c. map to be put back on the new ECU as it felt so painfully slow!

blank

3,462 posts

189 months

Wednesday 27th August 2008
quotequote all
It invalidates your warranty.

However, the dealer does not pay for the warranty, so they're unlikely to refuse work seeing as it gets them money from BMW.


If BMW found out they would reject the claim. They could probably even reject a claim on your door handle, as modification probably invalidates the warranty full stop rather than just on "affected parts".

I'm not sure how BMW might find out though. For the poster above whose ECU was changed, then it is possible the ECU went back to the manufacturer/supplier for testing, in which case they'd almost certainly know it had been toyed with.

Data from the ECU is also automatically stored when the car is plugged in, and anyone can look at it, so they may be able to tell from that too.