And please note the sad face :-(

It is a bummer. I know these tuners can do a lot of cool things for a vehicle.

Correct for speedo / odo readings + shifting points, when your using larger, aftermarket wheels.....

Give me a couple more MPG's when and where I need it.

Give me a few extra HP's when and where I need that {most important to most others..... but least important to me}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But the first strike is, "if the dealer finds out about your tuner" it can (or should I say, "IT WILL") void your warranty in the event of a major engine or drivetrain failure..... and I don't know about you guys, but a warranty is one of the big reasons I'd buy a brand new vehicle, instead of a good condition used one.

Oh sure, their has been so much talk about how to "hide the fact" that you have been using an aftermarket tuner..... But ya' know what ? I don't want to have to "hide any freaking thing". Guess I'm just not very good at lying.

So, for a while I thought, "Well, I'll just give it a really good solid break-in... like a year or so, to make sure the truck was perfect, from the factory. No problems. No glitches. Then I would be a lot more comfortable adding the tuner at that point.

Next, I find out these tuners "void" CA vehicle smog emmisions ! This means, that a few years after I put the tuner on the truck, and get it dialed in to just what I like, I have to take it back off, and set everything back to stock, to get it to pass a CA smog, (required here for registration) then put it back on..... and do this every two years thereafter, for the lifetime of the truck.
And let me fill you in on something here.....
If your motor dies, and Ford finds out you were using a tuner, it might cost you what $5K or $7K for a new motor.....
But if the state of California finds out your were doing something to cheat on smog, that could cost you $25K and jail time !
Now, what are the odds of this actually happening ? Probably somewhere between slim, and none.... but again, I'm just not a very good liar.
Plus the fact that when I add something to a vehicle, and get it all straight, I don't want to have to EVER screw with it again. For me, most things... like wheels... bedcover, etc, I'm expecting / hoping, that they will be good for the lifetime of the vehicle. I wish it could be the same way with a tuner :-(

Hopefully you will never have to take your trucks to a stealership in the first place, and therefor never have to mess with your tuner.
Then, if you live in a state that doesn't require a smog test, that's great for you.

I'm just hoping I can find somebody with half a clue, to reflash my stock PC for speedo / odo calibration, + shift points......

Enjoy your tuners,
Fish

 

Fish, come visit me and drive my truck sometime. You will surely get a tuner.

 

that would be the last thing I'd want to do ! Then I'd really be pissed about how much I was missing out on

It's kind of like; You can use a dial up connection for years, and its not that bad.... until you try high speed for a week, then you just can't go back.

I'm definately best off, never having experienced a tuner.

Fish

 

Someone should sneak over to his house and put one in, then take it off a week later.

 

Fish, you sound like the type of person that doesn't use public restrooms as well.

 

thats funnyhe does but puts paper down

 

Why not tune your truck then simply reflash it back to stock before taking it for your smog cert? Xcal 3 stores your stock tune + 3 tunes of your choice. It takes all of 3 minutes.

 

X2 if your only doing a tuner you can reflash back to stock in the parking lot of the dealership

 

now I have to admit..... a thought did just cross my mind......

I'm going to have to guess, that its NOT illegal to have a tuner on your vehicle..... Only to use it on public roadways.... Is this true ?

So the smog people see you have a tuner, and you just tell them, "Oh yea', I only use that when I go offroading :-) ......then I just switch it right back before I drive it on public roadways" :-) How funny is that ? One of those deals where they know your lying, but no way to prove it, and they probably don't much give a $#!+ in the first place, anyway.

Maybe I'll still look into a tuner in a year or so....

Fish

 

Just leave the tuner at home.

 

Honestly, I agree. It sounds like you're better off just leaving the vehicle stock ...

 

move out of CA. ALL ur problems solved.

 

Nothing personal...... But I've lived 40 of my 43 years right here in this part of Northern California. I spent the other 3 years 93' to 96' in a little 'hole-in-the-wall' place up near Schreveport Louisiana, and that was absolutely the worst 3 years of my life ! Hated the weather (humidity) and those people were so small minded.... If you didn't hunt squirrels, drink coors, and drive a 4wd truck, with 3 different color fenders, they didn't want anything to do with you ! I had relatives that wouldn't hardly talk to me ! {which really bothered me, as I'm a people-person, who gets along with darn near everybody !}
I guess it might have been a little bit better in a bigger place like Schreveport, or Batonrouge {people with a bigger perspective of the world}..... But forget those little hole-in-the-wall places.
Tons of racisim down there too, and I'm just not down with that. I'd sooner be best friends with a green guy, with orange stripes, than a white freaking skinhead.

But anyway, here in Cali, you can just totally be yourself. In fact, that's what's expected.

Yes, Cali is expensive, and buried in red tape, and that part sucks, {of course if this were not the case, nobody would live anywhere else ;-) LOL}but we do have the best weather, the best fishing, and the greatest cultural diversity :-)
Put it this way, I "liked" Cali before I moved to LA. I "LOVE" Cali now that I'm back :-) No question they will bury me here.

Peace,
Fish

 

I just love public forums, they're really good for a laugh or 2

 

That's cool. I wasn't really trying to be funny..... nor an ****-hole. I was just presenting my personal experiences between living in both Cali, and Louisiana.

And I should add, their are always exceptions. You will find good people where ever you go..... I suspect, even outside of the US.

Peace,
Fish