Programmer

[Mattsgig]

Will a programmer void a manufacturer warranty? If so, can you reset back to factory and would that be seen by the dealer? Thoughts anyone?

[muddkatt]

Are you referring to a tune or one of the range plug in afm modules? If gm finds a tune, they will void your warranty.

[2016 Sierra Owner]

Here we go again. This question has been asked so many times and you always have several different answers. I've yet to see a definitive 100% answer to this question.

[Oldbay]

Here we go again. This question has been asked so many times and you always have several different answers. I've yet to see a definitive 100% answer to this question.

 

 

I think the answer to this question once and for all is---it depends.

 

I've owned five Corvettes and tinkered around with all of them (even tunes). But it ultimately depends on what breaks and if someone either at GM or the dealership links the issue to a tune. For example, you slap a 1000 HP tune on a Corvette and then blow-out the clutch. If you take it into the dealership they are going to run diagnostics on the vehicle and know that your engine output is exceeding the capability of the transmission/clutch/pressure plates/flywheel. Likely in that case they would deny replacing the second clutch under warranty.

 

It really comes down to risk. For most issues a dealership is probably not going to immediately scan the vehicle and turn you away at the door because of a tune. But, you are at risk to some degree if something major does happen to the engine or transmission. By having a tune on there you are going to be giving them ammunition to deny a warranty fix. It might not always happen, but it could happen. There's no way to cover every possible scenario.

 

Bottom line---if you a tune or modify vehicle (any vehicle not just a GM truck) you do open yourself up to possible risk of the manufacturer denying a warranty fix. Some dealerships might overlook it, sure. There are some cool technicians out there who will look the other way, but then again there are some service managers who won't. It's kind of a gamble.

 

I would make the assumption that if you tune your GM truck and something MAJOR happens to the engine or transmission then you could possibly expect to pay out of pocket for the repair. Especially if they link it to a tune. There's a lot of moving parts and decision makers at dealerships, so the real answer is it depends. You have to weight the risk versus reward.

 

I'll be weighing the same thing down the line with the TM and AFM.

[Mattsgig]

I was thinking about installing one that you plug in. Download the changes and unplug. If I had to take it to the dealer for my free oil changes or something along those lines, I would change it back to stock prior to visit. Here is another problem though. The last time I took it in for that, they told me there was an update to the computer and had to fix it. If I would have done that, would they have seen that the system was tuned? And could they have been just checking for that reason only?

[Abearclaw]

 

 

I think the answer to this question once and for all is---it depends.

 

I've owned five Corvettes and tinkered around with all of them (even tunes). But it ultimately depends on what breaks and if someone either at GM or the dealership links the issue to a tune. For example, you slap a 1000 HP tune on a Corvette and then blow-out the clutch. If you take it into the dealership they are going to run diagnostics on the vehicle and know that your engine output is exceeding the capability of the transmission/clutch/pressure plates/flywheel. Likely in that case they would deny replacing the second clutch under warranty.

 

It really comes down to risk. For most issues a dealership is probably not going to immediately scan the vehicle and turn you away at the door because of a tune. But, you are at risk to some degree if something major does happen to the engine or transmission. By having a tune on there you are going to be giving them ammunition to deny a warranty fix. It might not always happen, but it could happen. There's no way to cover every possible scenario.

 

Bottom line---if you a tune or modify vehicle (any vehicle not just a GM truck) you do open yourself up to possible risk of the manufacturer denying a warranty fix. Some dealerships might overlook it, sure. There are some cool technicians out there who will look the other way, but then again there are some service managers who won't. It's kind of a gamble.

 

I would make the assumption that if you tune your GM truck and something MAJOR happens to the engine or transmission then you could possibly expect to pay out of pocket for the repair. Especially if they link it to a tune. There's a lot of moving parts and decision makers at dealerships, so the real answer is it depends. You have to weight the risk versus reward.

 

I'll be weighing the same thing down the line with the TM and AFM.

Outstanding reply. So true. I am planning on buying a canned tune from edge or Diablo in the near future but if there's one thing I know about dealerships it's that they are a profit industry and will do anything and everything to make a profit. They will dig hard to void your warranty 9 times out of 10. It's all what you're willing to risk. Also if it really comes down to it, they have to be able to prove that whatever went wrong was due to your modifications. It's a law that protects aftermarket manufacturers.

 

 

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[steveneddy]

Will a programmer void a manufacturer warranty? If so, can you reset back to factory and would that be seen by the dealer? Thoughts anyone?

 

The only thing worth using a handheld tuner for is to delete AFM/DOD. Otherwise - for a $100 more you can get a professional tune and it will actually perform better than a box tune.

 

Unless you have heavily modded your truck - you will not get any more performance gains than if you add a fresh air kit, headers and a free flowing exhaust.

 

Handheld tuning IMHO is a scam market. Trust me - your truck doesn't need a tune - just help it breathe better and you'll be much happier.

And you won't have to worry at the dealer.