Will a aftermarket chip/ECU mod invalidate my warranty?
Will a aftermarket chip/ECU mod invalidate my warranty?
Author
Discussion

newbie01

Original Poster:

97 posts

245 months

Thursday 27th April 2006
quotequote all
Im in the market for a 996TT. Ive driven the standard one and the X50 one and think i need the extra HP over the standard 420. I cant really afford an X50 996 so am wondering if an aftermarket chip will invalidate my OPC warranty (which i plan to have on the prospective car).

If a chip does invalidate the warranty, what could i do to up the bhp without being prohibitively expensive or invalidating my OPC warranty.

Thanks

PS: If any1 has a Manual 996TT in a dark colour with a dark interior and low miles for up to £55k, please contact me as i am having trouble finding a good one at a fair price. I dont want to go older than 02 either.

Thanks again.

>> Edited by newbie01 on Thursday 27th April 13:28

Vesuvius 996

35,829 posts

299 months

Thursday 27th April 2006
quotequote all
In relation to anything to do with the engine, gearbox, drivetrain, electrics, brakes, yes. If you get found out.




>> Edited by Vesuvius 996 on Thursday 27th April 13:31

wrn

432 posts

257 months

Thursday 27th April 2006
quotequote all
The value of used cars with/out the X50 upgrade does not differ much (ie. the full cost of the upgrade when new depreciates almost down to zero).

X50 cars are more desirable and therefore more saleable - so you don't tend to see them sitting in ads for months on end - but if you hunt hard enough I would expect that you can find a nice X50d car for around £55k? That's definitely a better option than buying then chipping.

Will

Newbie01

Original Poster:

97 posts

245 months

Thursday 27th April 2006
quotequote all
If i get found out??

Wont the ecu amendments be logged?

glenn mcmenamin

2,305 posts

266 months

Thursday 27th April 2006
quotequote all
newbie01 said:
Im in the market for a 996TT. Ive driven the standard one and the X50 one and think i need the extra HP over the standard 420. I cant really afford an X50 996 so am wondering if an aftermarket chip will invalidate my OPC warranty (which i plan to have on the prospective car).

If a chip does invalidate the warranty, what could i do to up the bhp without being prohibitively expensive or invalidating my OPC warranty.

Thanks

PS: If any1 has a Manual 996TT in a dark colour with a dark interior and low miles for up to £55k, please contact me as i am having trouble finding a good one at a fair price. I dont want to go older than 02 either.

Thanks again.

>> Edited by newbie01 on Thursday 27th April 13:28




Will deffo invalidate warranty, although some tuners are offering some upgrades that are meant to be undetectable by the OPC's, but
if there was a big bang, most believe they would find you out eventually, then it's big £££

Having said this, i haven't heard of any tuned TT's letting go, so you could well be safe to do so, it's quite a commen dilema
for owners of warrantied car's, otherwise we'd all be doing it i reckon


G.

Newbie01

Original Poster:

97 posts

245 months

Thursday 27th April 2006
quotequote all
wrn said:
The value of used cars with/out the X50 upgrade does not differ much (ie. the full cost of the upgrade when new depreciates almost down to zero).

X50 cars are more desirable and therefore more saleable - so you don't tend to see them sitting in ads for months on end - but if you hunt hard enough I would expect that you can find a nice X50d car for around £55k? That's definitely a better option than buying then chipping.

Will


I would love to get an X50 but from what ive seen in the various car sales media they r up for at least a £5k premium to the standard 996tt's.

It will also limit the cars avaliable to me to around 10% of the already limited stock for sale currently.

Steve_M

598 posts

263 months

Thursday 27th April 2006
quotequote all
Carrying on the Mod/warranty theme, I see Scuderia are advertising the 996TT Tubi sports exhaust in Porsche Post.
Does this mean it is warranty compliant?
I didn't think Porsche Post allowed aftermarket products in the magazine for cars that are still eligable for extended warranty.

Newbie01

Original Poster:

97 posts

245 months

Thursday 27th April 2006
quotequote all
So if i was to chip the car, the warranty would be invalid. Would that just be for engine matters or the whole car?

What about if i chipped it, then removed the chip and set it back to manufacturer standards without anything going wrong. If something went wrong after the chip was removed, would it be logged on the ecu that a modification had taken place and would they use it as a get-out clause to not fix any problems that occured?

Does any1 know of any replutable pork chips/firms?

Ive had a look at superchips, and they claim a 45bhp increase on a 996tt for £511 inc vat + fitting. I would'nt have thought that they were the most reputable of firms tho and i dont want to break my car.

Is that a realistic power gain for a chip?

Thanks

Steve_M

598 posts

263 months

Thursday 27th April 2006
quotequote all
If you want reliable proven Horsepower and Torque from your 996TT speak to Allan at Weltmeister I've heard nothing but good things about them and I beleive they can do an invisible ECU upgrade, but don't quote me on that

radron

237 posts

289 months

Thursday 27th April 2006
quotequote all
Hi mate

I had an aftermarket ecu on my S2000 when the engine blew (little end stress failure nothing to do with the ecu but they absolutely refused to pay for anything.

R1_JON

859 posts

271 months

Thursday 27th April 2006
quotequote all
Newbie01 - try looking at the indies rather than OPC. You will find an X50 for within your budget. Joel at RSJ has two at the moment, one for £54k and one for £58k. You can still get your OPC warranty even if you don't buy from an OPC.

Jon

R1_JON

859 posts

271 months

Thursday 27th April 2006
quotequote all
radron said:
Hi mate

I had an aftermarket ecu on my S2000 when the engine blew (little end stress failure nothing to do with the ecu but they absolutely refused to pay for anything.


Just out of interest, did they 'detect' the ecu change or did you openly admit it?

Cheers

MOD500

2,687 posts

278 months

Thursday 27th April 2006
quotequote all
Careful re chipping, if the engine goes pop big time the ecu can / will get sent to Porsche Germany for analysis. I assume they look for higher than standard fuelling and boost 'numbers' and if they are more aggressive than stock, then they will reject your claim, which is understandable considering a new engine is £20k odd. Have heard they can also detect 'ghost' standard maps that have been reflashed to make the ecu appear stock.

I am no expert BTW.

Thanks


Martyn.

newbie01

Original Poster:

97 posts

245 months

Friday 28th April 2006
quotequote all
R1_JON said:
Newbie01 - try looking at the indies rather than OPC. You will find an X50 for within your budget. Joel at RSJ has two at the moment, one for £54k and one for £58k. You can still get your OPC warranty even if you don't buy from an OPC.

Jon


I tested the 54k one already. Thats what got me hooked. Its an older one on a 51 plate. The miles are high, the interior is tan, it has pcm1 satnav and the exterior is a bit tatty compared to other tt's ive seen so it put me off. The £58k one is silver and that is a colour i want to avoid.

Thanks for the advice tho, if any1 see's anymore, pls let me know.

RSJ

579 posts

286 months

Friday 28th April 2006
quotequote all
newbie01 said:
R1_JON said:
Newbie01 - try looking at the indies rather than OPC. You will find an X50 for within your budget. Joel at RSJ has two at the moment, one for £54k and one for £58k. You can still get your OPC warranty even if you don't buy from an OPC.

Jon


I tested the 54k one already. Thats what got me hooked. Its an older one on a 51 plate. The miles are high, the interior is tan, it has pcm1 satnav and the exterior is a bit tatty compared to other tt's ive seen so it put me off. The £58k one is silver and that is a colour i want to avoid.

Thanks for the advice tho, if any1 see's anymore, pls let me know.


Newbie 01 - i'm amazed you can say the interior is tatty as the car has not one single mark or graze or scrape or anything on the interior and the mileage is 33000 miles on a 5 year old car ,thats hardly high.I'm really staggered to read your comment about the interior.Maybe you saw it when it had just come in and before it had been valeted.Anyway its back from Porsche a few days ago after a full service and valet.

ballcock

3,855 posts

247 months

Friday 28th April 2006
quotequote all
RSJ said:
newbie01 said:
R1_JON said:
Newbie01 - try looking at the indies rather than OPC. You will find an X50 for within your budget. Joel at RSJ has two at the moment, one for £54k and one for £58k. You can still get your OPC warranty even if you don't buy from an OPC.

Jon


I tested the 54k one already. Thats what got me hooked. Its an older one on a 51 plate. The miles are high, the interior is tan, it has pcm1 satnav and the exterior is a bit tatty compared to other tt's ive seen so it put me off. The £58k one is silver and that is a colour i want to avoid.

Thanks for the advice tho, if any1 see's anymore, pls let me know.


Newbie 01 - i'm amazed you can say the interior is tatty as the car has not one single mark or graze or scrape or anything on the interior and the mileage is 33000 miles on a 5 year old car ,thats hardly high.I'm really staggered to read your comment about the interior.Maybe you saw it when it had just come in and before it had been valeted.Anyway its back from Porsche a few days ago after a full service and valet.


Just looking at your web site Joel , do you not deal in 993's any more? ... I see it's excluded from the into page line-up.

newbie01

Original Poster:

97 posts

245 months

Friday 28th April 2006
quotequote all
RSJ said:
Newbie 01 - i'm amazed you can say the interior is tatty as the car has not one single mark or graze or scrape or anything on the interior and the mileage is 33000 miles on a 5 year old car ,thats hardly high.I'm really staggered to read your comment about the interior.Maybe you saw it when it had just come in and before it had been valeted.Anyway its back from Porsche a few days ago after a full service and valet.



Sorry, dont mean to upset any1. I said the exterior was tatty by the way. It may be fine now but when i saw the car it had a badly repaired crack on the offside rear duct and some badly touched up stone chips and scratches on the bonnet. I wasnt told it was an x50 when i saw it but thought it was a bit quick. It had a ruf exhaust on it too which is what i though was causing the power increase. Dont know if its still on.

Its a nice car but the PCM1, tan interior and touch-ups put me off it. Very quick car tho.

Maybe im expecting too much for my £55k.

Raven Flyer

1,645 posts

252 months

Friday 28th April 2006
quotequote all
Anyone having a remap done, should do so with their eyes wide open. The only way to get more power is to reduce the safety margins that Porsche built in.

To have this work done and then still expect Porsche to warranty the engine and gearbox is stupid.

Make your own mind up if you want to take the risk (however large or small your intended work may make that risk) and then decide accordingly.

RSJ

579 posts

286 months

Friday 28th April 2006
quotequote all
ballcock said:

Just looking at your web site Joel , do you not deal in 993's any more? ... I see it's excluded from the into page line-up.


We stopped selling them about a year or 2 ago to be honest although its my favourite Porsche like most other peoples who have actually owned them.
I remember the first one i ever bought from Dusseldorf about 7 years ago.
170 mph on the way back on the stretch from Aachen to Brussels.
In those days they were in excellent condition.
I'd love to still sell them but when people turn up in them now,they all need about £3000 of work to put them into the required condition to sell from a showroom with the new stuff we have.
So basically we cant really buy them anymore in a condition thats saleable or a price that we can do the kind of work we would want to do to it.
Had one offered a month ago.Offered him X amount for it and told him that any spend required would come off that when i see it.When i saw it it needed £3000 of work which i pointed out.He bregrudgingly agreed and took £3000 less.We did a full front end repaint,4 wheel refurbs,full service,new brakes,discs,new cd player:took 2/3 days to clean the thing properly.Got it back to great condition and it sold to a chap in Athens who bought it over the phone after being told of the work we did to it.

But thats the exception to the rule.
We cant buy them at the right price anymore to spend the money on them.

RSJ

579 posts

286 months

Friday 28th April 2006
quotequote all
Newbie,

Did u see the car at our place or while the previous owner still had it ?