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That is true and if you continue in that line of thinking it would only be logical to state that modifying will increase the risk of warranty claim denial.

 

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Of course, that means you'll have to pay for everything up front - legal fees, court costs, research, expert witnesses, etc. - or the case comes to a grinding halt. And don't think you'll find an attorney willing to accept such a weak case on consignment. Anyone with $15-30,000 cash to gamble on this please call me for a good deal on many items for sale.

 

Does it void the warranty.......yes....no....maybe......ahh who cares. I can't leave my truck alone...obssevive/compulsive... and I'm not going to dwell on my warranty or lack of. If you want to play you sometimes have to pay

 

I think we all now know that it is possible to void at least part of the warranty, but the bigger question remains.

If I add a XCAL2 tuner and change the tune and then return it back to the factory tune before having any work done will anybody know? Another words will the computer send a code to the person that checks to let them know that things may have changed or been modified even though?

 

This has really been done to death - the XCal 2 does NOT automatically void anyone's warranty - period. Nor do we have any customers who have had that happen to them.

Anyone that wants to know their legal rights on this can drop by www.sema.org and easily find out that by law, you can do any modification you like and still maintain your warranty, as long as the modification you do does not actually DAMAGE the vehicle - that is the bottom line. The types of mods that really have potential for voiding the warranty are things like nitrous oxide, a supercharger, etc - very major modifications. Minor things like a well done tune, an intake kit, a cat-back exhaust system, electric fans, underdrive pulleys, etc., are not generally going to cause problems.

To answer the last gentleman's specific question -

Once the XCalibrator has been used to return the vehicle back to it's stock factory program, nobody at a dealership can tell the PCM has been flashed, etc. The stock program has been restored and that's it - there is nothing else left behind in the PCM, it is just as it came from the factory.

 

Thanks Mike for being patient with us newbies. I'm sure you've answered these questions a hundred times before, but it's always reassuring to have THE MAN speak of it again. I guess it's all coming up again with so many new owners coming on line and wanting your products.

But don't you have to go through a drive cycle too?

 

Hi KR,

Nope. And I am assuming you are referring to a P1000 code.

Having a P1000 code does NOT automatically tell any technician that you have flashed the PCM - not by a long shot. The simple act of just disconnecting the battery does the exact same thing - cause a P1000 code to appear.

A P1000 code simply means that the vehicle has not completed what FORD calls a "drive cycle"/OBD-II readiness test since the last time power was interrupted to the PCM - it is NOT any kind of "proof" that the PCM has been altered.

And of course, in a vehicle that is properly functioning, a P1000 code should go away on it's own with a simple drive to the dealership - all it takes is one completely drive cycle unless someone has been monkeying around with the chronometrics inside th PCM (dumb thing to do on any street-driven vehicle), which can cause it to take weeks to months for the PCM to clear a P1000 code on it's own. Anyone playing those shenanigans needs to own a device capable of clearing the P1000 code.

So as I said before, once you return your vehicle back to stock, no, there is no automatic tell-tale left behind that is going to reveal that you have altered the PCM's program.

 

Thanks for the info, Mike! I'm always learnin'... Now I'm just waiting on the XCal... Time hasn't gone so slow since I was a kid at Christmas time!

 

Well, in truth I really should have been more clear and fair, as you actually *did* make a very valid point - so I want to go ahead and acknowledge that and explain a bit better...............

Meaning, let's say you need to go to a dealer right away and you have your performance tuning loaded - so you go reflash the PCM back to stock. Well, the XCal does that just fine, and doesn't leave any "tell-tale" behind, but you *do* usually get the P1000 code - but you also get that P1000 code is you just disconnect the battery, as all that codes means is that power has been interrupted to the PCM - nothing more. Now getting rid of that P1000 code can be done a couple of ways, one of which is what you alluded to - giving it a full "drive cycle" as Ford calls it, that is *supposed* to make it go away, and usually does unless someone has changed something in chronometrics. The other way is simply a good code scanner that can clear P1000's (some of them can't!).

So to be fair, you absolutely had a valid point that should not be overlooked!

It's just handy to remember that a simple disconnect of the battery, which is done in many different instances for any number of purposes besides just changing a dead battery.

I hope that's a bit more clear & takes into consideration your original point!

 

Won't the XCal2 clear a p1000 code?

 

Considering that both SEMA and aftermarket distributors such as yourself have a vested interest in pursuading potential buyers to this view, I hope you'll excuse my skepticism. Just for the sake of argument, where at the SEMA site can one find the legal citations supporting this conclusion? I don't think the relevant areas of civil and criminal law are nearly as cut and dried as you've described, but I am open to legitimate evidence.

 

Just so people know, I installed the supercharger in '02 and have had warranty work since. The things repaired under warranty weren't related to the supercharger so there wasn't an issue.

You are taking a risk when modding. That's not just performance mods either. Installing an aftermarket stereo is modifying the vehicle and is as likely to cause a warranty issue as a tuner. It is important that we know our rights, and our responsabilities. Don't let the dealer walk all over you, and don't expect the dealer to pay if it's not a Ford caused issue.

I feel fortunate to have a good dealership to work with. I also let them know what I wanted to do before I did it and asked them for their take on the situation. They have been real good to me.

 

It all comes down to the dealer evaluating the vehicle for repair. I myself have had NO problems with warranty repair...with a heavily modified F250 PSD. Like you said nothing modified had anything to do with the repairs needed.