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Tuning a 5.3

slickman

By slickman
in Engines & Drivetrain

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KARNUT Senior Enthusiast

KARNUT

Posted
Posted

In my GM career, I bounced over 600 drive train warranties for modifications, most of them with lawyers backing these bull chit artists up.

 

If you know what to look for, how to deliver the facts, ...and have knowledge of consumer law, ...it's a "cake walk". Never lost a case (with the support of GM Legal), ...and only one tie with one that was willing to bring everything back to stock configuration.

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KARNUT Senior Enthusiast

KARNUT

Posted
Posted

If your talking other than a tune thats not too hard. I only had one warranty claim on a vehicle with a tune. A fried transmission on a trailblazer ss. They fix it no problem. Ever since their were tunes advalible iv used them. Never a problem.

 

 

In my GM career, I bounced over 600 drive train warranties for modifications, most of them with lawyers backing these bull chit artists up.

 

If you know what to look for, how to deliver the facts, ...and have knowledge of consumer law, ...it's a "cake walk". Never lost a case (with the support of GM Legal), ...and only one tie with one that was willing to bring everything back to stock configuration.

Motor City Rick Enthusiast

Motor City Rick

Posted
Posted

I get involved when the dealership can't fix the vehicle or it's on the verge of a lemon care issue. Majority of the time, it's the previous repairs of ill trained technicians or customer tampering / abuse that creates the problem. People blame the car coming off the line, ...well every car gets inspected and tested as it leaves the factory. Can't pass, ...it goes into "line repair" until fixed.

 

When I get involved, I look at certain data points for specific problems / issues. Every 4 to 6 weeks GM gives me the data I need on any particular item that I'm diagnosing.

 

I even look to see if any fastener has ever been touched / over torqued / out of place / surface dirt disturbed / left behind or "data marks" left behind. I even get down to file histories as compared to customer statements.

 

Part of the overall evaluation, I consider the "age factor" and "mindset" of the driver / owner in the equation if it's a customer tampering or a legit warranty repair. Most of the time customers play stupid to specific should be known questions.

 

On persistent repeat repairs I've used a UV spray on particular connections and fasteners to see if anybody has touched the repair since my last correction. On rare occasions I leave a dollar bill (with my name on the bill) taped to the page of the owners manual to see if the customer has read the section that is giving them problems. In 36 years, when a customer returns, for the same problem, I have the customer stand in front of me as I remove my dollar bill from the owners manual in front of them and show them my name on the bill. Never had those people ever read the owners manual. It's funny when you catch these people at their own bull chit.

 

What everybody forgets, when you get into the ECM software, it looks like Microsoft Excel. Certain cells have certain reference points of data that direct engine / trans performance in a new direction. Those cells can be printed out to do a 3D representation and compared to a factor performance map. It's looking at 2 pictures which should be the same.

 

Some of us out in the automotive field can catch the crap if they look at the stuff day in, ...and day out. It's like looking at your children on a daily basis.

KARNUT Senior Enthusiast

KARNUT

Posted
Posted

I can understand GM being more diligent in checking for tunes. The horsepower these trucks generate these days I would have killed for in the seventies in my ( performance cars). The only reason I used a hand held tuner was to get a little more bump out of the transmission, more top end 100 mph cut off is BS down south and west and recently the V4 nonsense. The only truck I drive now I’m retired I a 92 stroked blown Chevy. I feel the HP, theres no computer turning every thing down before it shifts. The only reason I wanted a warranty was t make sure there wasn’t a flaw from the factory, otherwise let her rip I’ll pay to play.

 

 

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