I am new to mods so hope you guys can bear with me just a few questions
does the x2 void factory warranty, also I use my truck for snow clearing would I have any trouble with the tunning,and what is datalogging
(sorry guys I know these are dum qustions)

 

i just ordered the xcal2 and am very excited about it. I don't see any possible way for it to void the warranty. you just plug it into the data port on your truck, flash the computer, and you're done. You can set it back to stock at anytime. mike can set you up with a tune for ANYTHING.

 

YES, it can void your warranty. If the dealer says NO warranty...it's no warranty. Other dealers won't void it...it all depends on the dealer.

Plowing snow with an Xcal is a question Mike Troyer can answer

Datalogging is also a question for Mike....give him a call.

 

Hi F-150snowplow,

To really learn just what your actual LEGAL rights are regarding the use of any aftermarket parts and retaining your new vehicle warranty, drop by this web site and read up: www.sema.org

By law, you have the right to do any modification you want to your vehicle, and as long as that modification does not actually cause DAMAGE to the vehicle, your warranty remains intact - by law. It's the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, and we can thank SEMA largely for our rights in this regard. Now this is pertaining to modifications within reason - strap on a nitrous oxide system & you can kiss some parts of your warranty goodbye, usually. You do need to exercise some common sense & fairness in what modifications you do to keep the warranty intact.

Yes, there are some dealers out there who will play warranty games, but it's primarily because they get paid much less to do the same work under warranty than when we have to pay out of pocket for that exact same work. But it's your rights under the LAW that actually govern what you can and cannot do - not what someone's hired help says (and not what we say, either). So learn your right under the law by dropping by the www.sema.org web site.

Could a performance tune possibly void a warranty? Sure it could, if a "tuner" does something stupid in the programming of the PCM, that certainly can cause damage to the vehicle! That is why it's important to work with someone who knows the platform in detail, as well as being a skilled tuner - we've specialized in F-150 performance for 14 years, and our customers do not sustain damage to their vehicles from our tuning. You can review many years of posts right here and clearly see that.

For example, for your snowplowing work, you need a different type of tune than a typical "performance" tune - the EGT's (exhaust gas temperatures) need to be kept under control, and the automatic transmission (if so equipped) fluid temperatures need to be kept down, etc. So yes, snowplowing is something that needs a specific type of tune when ordering a "performance" tuning product like the XCalibrator 2 - it's very much like what we would do in a "towing" type of tune, only with slow plowing that activity happens at much lower speeds, so you don't have the airflow from road speed that you would have in towing - thus in some ways it's even harder on the vehicle. We can easily handle that for you.

What is datalogging? That is really far too detailed to explain in proper detail here, but in a nutshell, it is simply the act of recording certain operating parameters the PCM (your powertrain's computer) uses - then sending them on to your tuner to evaluate them for the purposes of (in this case) any potential changes to custom tuning. This is something that is not required in stock to lightly modified vehicles, and is really something done primarily in "significantly" modified vehicles - superchargers, different MAF's, larger fuel injectors, etc., rather than your more typical bolt-ons like an intake kit, cat-back exhaust system, etc.

Every one of our custom tuning customers receives a thoroughly detailed 14-page set of instructions telling them all about datalogging, and exactly how to do it, step-by-step. So when you order the XCalibrator 2 from us, you will get clear & thorough instructions in datalogging, written so that anyone can quickly & easily understand & do it.

Please feel free to give us a call to go over our custom tuning in more detail, and how it should be set up for how you are using your vehicle, etc. Our number is listed below for your convenience.

Good luck!

 

Any modification done to a vehicle that does not meet the manufactures specifications COULD lead to a warranty claim denial and that includes reprogramming the computer (i.e Xcal2, or any other flash device and/or chip). There is NO state or federal law that states otherwise.

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, in very simple terms, protects the consumer from the vehicle manufacture “forcing” you to buy and only use their particular products, to maintain the warranty, for which an aftermarket manufacture makes AND meets the vehicle manufactures specifications (i.e oil, oil filters, belts, tires, brake pads etc.).

The catch to that is the vehicle manufacture can force you to use only their products, to maintain your warranty, IF they provide them to you for FREE.

As I stated, there is NO state of federal law that forces any manufacture to honor their warranty should a consumer go and modify a product from it’s “original design” and thank God for that or we would all be paying A LOT more money for products.

Bottom line is if you have any concerns with voiding any part of your warranty do not perform any modifications, not meeting Ford’s specifications, until after the warranty period is up.

The old saying is true, if your going to play you gotta pay…

Now, having said that, you can’t go wrong with a custom tune from Mike as he has a TON of experience with these trucks. It’s not the “device” that would and could void your warranty but rather the program from the device loaded into your vehicles computer and with Mike’s expertise you really have nothing to worry about since his tunes are safe and will not blow your motor up leaving you stranded and paying big money to fix it.

 

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act DOES in fact provide for the installation of appearance, replacement/maintenance & performance parts the owner desires, and it is NOT just limited to replacement/maintenance parts.

MMWA provides for a scenario in which as long as the aftermarket parts installed do NOT actually cause *damage* to the vehicle, then by law the warranty remains intact. Period. That has been stated clearly by Ford Motor Company themselves in the letter they put out a couple of years ago that they sent to all their dealers in America, and which was circulated widely all over the Internet (and that some attempt to misrepresent every time it gets posted again). That letter WAS in fact in accord with Magnuson Moss, as it stated clearly that any aftermarket parts that caused *damage* to the vehicle could be the source of a denied warranty claim - Period. And that is just as it should be - if you do something to your vehicle that actually causes real damage to it, then by fair play the automaker should not be expected to pay for that - and we agree completely.

The exception to that is when an automaker provides FREE replacement parts and FREE installation labor for those parts - and here we're talking about *service maintenance parts* to meet the automaker's service schedule, meaning where once in a while you'll see an automaker give away "free maintenance" for the first 36/36 of the vehicle - like Audi pioneered way back when people were claiming stuck throttles on those cars (wrong) and darn near killed that company.

When was the last time you saw Ford give F-150 owners free maintenance? Virtually never - though a few DEALERSHIPS use that as a gimmick, that does not fall under MMWA, as it's the dealership doing that, not the *automaker*.

Now in *that* case, when the automaker is paying for the replacement service maintenance parts and labor (and here we're only talking about maintenance items anyway, such as oil changes, etc.), then yes, the automaker can say that using anything other than their service maintenance parts voids that area of the warranty - but ONLY when the automaker provides those parts & labor for installation FREE - and that happens about every 12th of never (certain Audi's & other slow-selling vehicles on rare occasion aside).

So let's be careful about proclaiming just what is and isn't covered under Magnuson-Moss, as few people are actually experts in that area, and even fewer still have actually had any direct hands-on experience with these situations in terms of negotiating that with an automaker.

One of the problems we have seen involves certain Lightning or Harley owners attempting to submit unfair warranty claims - for example, bolting on 6# pulleys and every other part known to man, go out and drag race the truck to death, then blow up the engine - and have the nerve to pull all the mods off, tow it into their dealer and insist that Ford pay for the new motor, claiming that they never did any modifications to it, never raced it, etc. Wrong answer, that scenario is outright fraud and theft, and anyone attempting any such thing should be dealt with accordingly, as that kind of nonsense raises vehicles prices for all of us. With my low-11 second Lightning running on it's stock engine, I'd NEVER think of asking Ford for a new motor (though my local dealer would have done it in a heartbeat), because I *know* I am deliberately pushing that motor to well beyond it's design limits. I've been doing it for 3 years with no problems, mainly because I treat the vehicle well - it might last another 10 years, or at it's 500+ HP at the wheels, it might shoot out a rod the next time I make a 1/4 mile pass - and it would be my own fault, given that I'm making that engine produce 700 HP internally.

What it all boils down to is that the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, with it's *many* specific provisions, provides basically a set of "fair ply" rules that protect both the automaker and the consumer from each other -

Various misunderstandings & alternate interpretations are precisely why we say to study up on it in depth if you really want to know, and that way you're not taking anyone's word or interpretation, but instead, are educating yourself.

Thanks to 01XLT Sport for his comments on this.

 

Just to insure my post was clear let me restate a few things. First, the most important thing to remember is WHO is doing the tuning. If you go with Mike you have nothing to worry about due to his numerous years of experience. You will get MORE then you pay for…

With that said, and to be fair, editing the original program from the factory is a modification and it “could” cause serious damage to a motor, just like a pulley, and just like Nitrous Oxide. There is no real difference in any of those three seniors as they are all paths to get more performance out of a motor with no internal upgrades to a motor.

A tune can be just as if not more dangerous then a pulley or Nitrous Oxide because if you have the WRONG person tune it and they run it to lean BOOM goes the motor and you can basically kiss your warranty good bye as there is no state or federal law protecting you from modifying your vehicle and causing damage in any of those scenarios.

Neither a dealer nor Ford necessarily has to prove that a tune, Nitrous Oxide, or pulley caused the damage. Just the presence of them is cause enough for Ford and/or the dealer to deny a warranty claim. Their engineers, their data, and their lawyers will be no match for the ordinary Ford owner. That is reality, it is life, it is the real world and there is no law to protect the consumer from accepting responsibility for their actions.

As Mike stated you should never take as fact anything anybody or any of us tell you. However, you can get the information you want and get a straight answer. Simply stop by your dealer or dealers and ask them first hand if a performance tune to your computer will put your warranty at risk. They will either tell you yes or no and if you want to be a step ahead, should a problem happen, get it in writing from the dealer that tells you yes they will honor the warranty should you damage a motor regardless if it is due to a tune or not.

If you want to reduce your risk very close to zero when it comes to your warranty then do NOT go with anyone else other then Mike for your tunes…