[EuroKip]

How many have risked warranty to do a true ECU tune ( meaning sending unit out to be unlocked )
I’d prefer to go this route to maximize gains but factory warranty concerns haunt me. I know about the alternative of piggy back but data suggests a better result by going over to the dark side. Comments and your experience with this setup is appreciated

 

[Scubaregs]

Not sure what comments you are looking for, an ECU tune will invalidate your warranty.
Only you can decide if you are willing to do that.

 

[don]

I would have thought an ECU tune would not affect your warranty unless you had some sort of drive train or engine failure that could be argued as being as a result of the car operating beyond OEM specs. Although this is unlikely to happen there is always the risk and I'm reluctant to tune whilst under warranty.

In contrast, I'd imagine if your PCM failed or some sort of cooling fault or body rattle that would still be covered and they probably wouldn't even ask is it tuned.

Now we know there are some issues with manual transmissions but I don't believe there are a lot of issues with PDK transmissions as it is a very refined piece of kit having been introduced for racing in the 1980s and in 911s since 2008 and Caymans since 2009.

 

[Scubaregs]

Porsche can interrogate the car and find out if it has been operating outwith factory spec settings.

Good luck trying to get any sort of warranty claim on a tuned car.

 

[InTgr8r]

Not sure what comments you are looking for, an ECU tune will invalidate your warranty.
Only you can decide if you are willing to do that.

I would have thought an ECU tune would not affect your warranty unless you had some sort of drive train or engine failure

A tune will invalidate your powertrain warranty, not the whole vehicle.
Pfaff Tuning confirmed this to me when I was looking into a GIAC tune.

Apparently TechArt has some sort of replacement in house warranty for their piggyback tune..

 

[982CS]

Apparently TechArt has some sort of replacement in house warranty for their piggyback tune..

TechArt do offer an in-house warrenty that kicks in if you are unable to claim against the manufacturers warranty...i.e Porsche dismiss a claim. You’re basically buying a third party warranty.

 

[phroenips]

Also keep in mind that a warranty is only ever as good as the company offering/underwriting it. In the Audi world, there used to be a similar situation. STaSIS would offer tuning packages, and said they would cover any warranty issues if Audi of America denied it.

STaSIS went out of business in 2014

 

[RotorOver]

I've got a Dinan piggyback stage 1 tune on my BMW M240i, which comes with its own warranty that will cover claims denied by BMW due to a failure caused by the tune through the life of the original manufacturer's warranty. Been looking for something with a similar warranty for the CS. Of course the Tech Art tune is outrageously priced, so not a candidate. APR currently offers what they call a an APR Plus limited power train warranty like the Dinan tune (both owned by the same parent company) for other VAG cars. They are currently working on a Cayman S flash tune and may offer the APR Plus warranty for it, so something to look out for in the near future.

OBTW, if you are interested in going this route I'd encourage you to do some research on the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act, so you know what the manufacturer's obligations and your rights are related to warranty claims. Specifically, in the case we are talking about here, that the "...manufacturer or dealer must show that the aftermarket or recycled part caused the need for repairs before denying warranty coverage." Here is a place to start, but lots of info out there. FTC Consumer Info-Auto Warranties & Routine Maintenance

 

[SonicSid]

Keep in mind that other parts on the car that have not been designed for the increased power levels may eventually fail more rapidly due to an ECU tune. I installed a tune on my Mk7 GTI and 10k miles later (car had 30k miles on it) my clutch started slipping like crazy. Turns out there wasn't good info at the time I installed the tune as to the risks. I had to install an Audi TTRS clutch rather than an OEM clutch to handle the additional power and I'd be shocked if I'm not prematurely damaging my motor mounts too. At least my tuned GTI pulls as hard as the 981 BS I test drove (and also explains why there is a 718 BS instead sharing space in my garage).

 

[vhs]

Some Cobb tuners seem to offer a front door flash. Is this reversible and also detectable as sending the ECU for a flash?

 

[InTgr8r]

According to the Cobb website, there is no front door available for our cars yet. (assuming website is up to date)

Form my inquiries, I have been given to understand that front door or back door does not matter.
Both are detectable but not at the dealer level.
The ECU would have to be sent to Bosch for examination.

The only thing that front door does is save you pulling & shipping the ECU