[Tylorshields]

Let me know if anyone has tuned there car yet. Looking at three options here.

https://carbahn.com/product/cbprc-00...-m440i-xdrive/

https://www.dinancars.com/products/s...arts/D440-0153

https://burgertuning.com/products/b58-jb4

[mike@x-ph.com]

Carbahn is a flash tune, won't work on your car as your DME is locked.

the Dinan is piggyback is similar to the BMS stage 1 in how it functions and offers power. It's easier to install than a Jb4 but will lack features in comparison

the JB4 is the most advanced piggyback on the market, it comes with different off-the-shelf maps and the ability to create your custom map if you wish. You also have a safety failsafe that will automatically switch to power if needed, code reading and deleting, datalogging, boost by RPM and boost by gear to improve traction, etc...

In terms of power on a stock car, the Jb4 and Dinan will offer very similar power increases.

[Rdurty2]

Another thing to keep in mind since there seem to be lots of people new to BMWs with this car; BMW can easily detect any kind of ecu tuning. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a flash tune or a piggyback. Even if you remove it BMW will know.

When you take your car in for service and they hook it up to their computer it automatically checks for any kind of tuning and will flag your car as such. Goodbye drivetrain warranty.

Pay to play

[jbazz]

Originally Posted by Rdurty2

Another thing to keep in mind since there seem to be lots of people new to BMWs with this car; BMW can easily detect any kind of ecu tuning. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a flash tune or a piggyback. Even if you remove it BMW will know.

When you take your car in for service and they hook it up to their computer it automatically checks for any kind of tuning and will flag your car as such. Goodbye drivetrain warranty.

Pay to play

Check with your dealer. Some dealers install, support and warranty Dinan power upgrades. Long history there with BMW and Dinan. That being said, I am more of a JB4 guy

[Rdurty2]

Originally Posted by jbazz

Check with your dealer. Some dealers install, support and warranty Dinan power upgrades. Long history there with BMW and Dinan. That being said, I am more of a JB4 guy

I’m aware but it’s not like it used to be.

[burkhacs]

Are there any confirmed reports of the JB4 voiding a warranty? I saw in another thread they could look up historical logs on the engine and see that it was beyond mfr spec. Just wondering how likely that is in actuality.

[Rdurty2]

Originally Posted by burkhacs

Are there any confirmed reports of the JB4 voiding a warranty? I saw in another thread they could look up historical logs on the engine and see that it was beyond mfr spec. Just wondering how likely that is in actuality.

My understanding is that whenever BMW hooks up their computer to your car it automatically pulls those logs and then automatically flags. The entire process is completely automatic and not something the tech can stop.

I’ve seen people with f30s that have lost their warranty over the jb4 due to the above happening.

[burkhacs]

Originally Posted by Rdurty2

My understanding is that whenever BMW hooks up their computer to your car it automatically pulls those logs and then automatically flags. The entire process is completely automatic and not something the tech can stop.

I’ve seen people with f30s that have lost their warranty over the jb4 due to the above happening.

Thanks very much for the reply, something to consider for sure...

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by burkhacs

Are there any confirmed reports of the JB4 voiding a warranty? I saw in another thread they could look up historical logs on the engine and see that it was beyond mfr spec. Just wondering how likely that is in actuality.

The Jb4 does not void your warranty. No modification voids your warranty. The dealership can decide not to do a specific repair for free if it can prove your modification caused the damage, but they still have to honor warranty work unrelated to your mods.

My car is leased and fully built, I still get all my warranty done without any issues. If I had a blown engine, I would not take my car with all its mods to the dealership, asking them to fix it for free. I would remove the mods

Originally Posted by Rdurty2

My understanding is that whenever BMW hooks up their computer to your car it automatically pulls those logs and then automatically flags. The entire process is completely automatic and not something the tech can stop.

I’ve seen people with f30s that have lost their warranty over the jb4 due to the above happening.

That's not how it works, or else all tuned cars would be flagged. The piggyback tricks the ECU into thinking the car is stock, so your logs look normal. You'd need to deep dive and check different things to catch it, and even then, you don't have any proof of foul play.

[Rdurty2]

Originally Posted by mike@x-ph.com

The Jb4 does not void your warranty. No modification voids your warranty. The dealership can decide not to do a specific repair for free if it can prove your modification caused the damage, but they still have to honor warranty work unrelated to your mods.

My car is leased and fully built, I still get all my warranty done without any issues. If I had a blown engine, I would not take my car with all its mods to the dealership, asking them to fix it for free. I would remove the mods





That's not how it works, or else all tuned cars would be flagged. The piggyback tricks the ECU into thinking the car is stock, so your logs look normal. You'd need to deep dive and check different things to catch it, and even then, you don't have any proof of foul play.

So then I guess the BMW tech procedures showing how it detects piggybacks is all made up?

It explains the procedure I posted above.

Also yes you can lose your drivetrain warranty by modifying performance of the engine via flash or piggyback. It has happened to people with BMWs, VW and Audi are doing it as well. Your car gets flagged and if you have any issues with the engine good luck getting them covered.

People need to know there is a risk to these mods. You painting a picture that no bad can come of these mods when under a bmw warranty is not good for anyone.

Just because you have a cool dealer does not mean everyone will. In fact from my experience the majority of dealers are the exact opposite of yours when it comes to mods.

There are many reports over the last couple years just on the B58 Facebook group about cars being flagged and drivetrain warranty no longer being covered.

[Brett_C_F30_G42]

Alright, I'll clear this up since there are lots of opinions here

1) Flash Tunes are the easiest to detect; If they detect it when you go to get your service at BMW, it is noted down in their system and any free mechanical related services (oil, coolant, etc.) that are under the warranty could be voided at their discretion. It does not matter if the tune did not cause a problem. This was a deal you signed with BMW when you bought/leased the car.

2) Chip Tunes can technically be removed before going to the dealership; however when they plug in your ECU, they can detect abnormal changes in boost pressure, oil pressure, fuel consumption, and more. They can deduct from that that you must have tuned your vehicle even though the tune is not physically there. And so, they can void your mechanical warranty at their discretion.

3) There are some modifications, however, that can be done without voiding your warranty. Some include lowering springs, wheel spacers, wheels, trim pieces, and miscellaneous accessories -- but no engine mods! That is an automatic red flag for BMW. Once you do any type of engine mod (downpipes, tunes, intakes, etc.), they have the power to void your mechanical warranty.

I hope that helps a bit. If you need me to cover anything else let me know!!

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by Rdurty2

So then I guess the BMW tech procedures showing how it detects piggybacks is all made up?

It explains the procedure I posted above.

Also yes you can lose your drivetrain warranty by modifying performance of the engine via flash or piggyback. It has happened to people with BMWs, VW and Audi are doing it as well. Your car gets flagged and if you have any issues with the engine good luck getting them covered.

People need to know there is a risk to these mods. You painting a picture that no bad can come of these mods when under a bmw warranty is not good for anyone.

Just because you have a cool dealer does not mean everyone will. In fact from my experience the majority of dealers are the exact opposite of yours when it comes to mods.

There are many reports over the last couple years just on the B58 Facebook group about cars being flagged and drivetrain warranty no longer being covered.

I did not say nothing bad could come from it; I said the dealership decides on what to do based on each case. per Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, "a manufacturer can only deny warranty coverage if it can demonstrate that a non-original equipment part or related service caused a defect in the original product."


You are the one that made it seem it's all automatic; the dealership hooks up the car, and it's automatically flagged.

Hundreds of thousands of tuned cars, many of them on these forums. If cars were flagged automatically, as you say, this forum would be filled with cases, and most tuning companies would be bankrupt by now.

A few vehicles were flagged as you say, but they are the vast majority compared to those not flagged. Im pretty sure if you look up each of the flagged cases, there is a reason why they did not get away with it.
It's not the dealership's choice; it's the US law.


Everything has risks, including driving your car. There is a risk you get into an accident, but that's the minority of the cases, and driving, in general, is considered safe.

[square]

Originally Posted by mike@x-ph.com

I did not say nothing bad could come from it; I said the dealership decides on what to do based on each case. per Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, "a manufacturer can only deny warranty coverage if it can demonstrate that a non-original equipment part or related service caused a defect in the original product."


You are the one that made it seem it's all automatic; the dealership hooks up the car, and it's automatically flagged.

Hundreds of thousands of tuned cars, many of them on these forums. If cars were flagged automatically, as you say, this forum would be filled with cases, and most tuning companies would be bankrupt by now.

A few vehicles were flagged as you say, but they are the vast majority compared to those not flagged. Im pretty sure if you look up each of the flagged cases, there is a reason why they did not get away with it.
It's not the dealership's choice; it's the US law.


Everything has risks, including driving your car. There is a risk you get into an accident, but that's the minority of the cases, and driving, in general, is considered safe.

So just to be clear, you’re saying Mission Performance has been spreading misinformation?

https://g20.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1834548&highlight=Tune+warranty

[Hendo741]

Originally Posted by square

So just to be clear, you’re saying Mission Performance has been spreading misinformation?

https://g20.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...=Tune+warranty

In this same thread they state they can modify locked ECUs.... Haven't seen anyone tuned by them yet.

The onus of proof would be on the dealership to PROVE you modified your vehicle in some way and it caused a failure if they deny a warranty claim. Piggyback tuners trick the vehicle into raising boost, then the ECU compensates by adding fuel. Whos to say there your car didnt have some type of EWG issue that caused mechanical overboost?

If you have a piggyback and blew up your engine would the dealership deny your claim? Maybe, maybe not. Would that denial hold up in court? I dont know. again, proof is on them. Would you be committing perjury if you said under oath you didnt mod the car? Yes lol.

My advice would be, if youre that worried about a warranty, dont mod anything ever, but lets be honest, these cars handle mods very well and THOUSANDS of people run them with no issues. If youre trying to break records and pushing it to the limit, its likely only a matter of time until it blows.

***BACK ON TOPIC***

I had a JB4 and AA catted DP on my G42 and it responded very well and was a blast. Ran a 3.18 0-60 and 11.35@120 1/4 mile on all seasons. Highly recommend. I liked the G42 so much I bought its big brother.

[square]

Originally Posted by Hendo741

In this same thread they state they can modify locked ECUs.... Haven't seen anyone tuned by them yet.

The onus of proof would be on the dealership to PROVE you modified your vehicle in some way and it caused a failure if they deny a warranty claim. Piggyback tuners trick the vehicle into raising boost, then the ECU compensates by adding fuel. Whos to say there your car didnt have some type of EWG issue that caused mechanical overboost?

If you have a piggyback and blew up your engine would the dealership deny your claim? Maybe, maybe not. Would that denial hold up in court? I dont know. again, proof is on them. Would you be committing perjury if you said under oath you didnt mod the car? Yes lol.

My advice would be, if youre that worried about a warranty, dont mod anything ever, but lets be honest, these cars handle mods very well and THOUSANDS of people run them with no issues. If youre trying to break records and pushing it to the limit, its likely only a matter of time until it blows.

***BACK ON TOPIC***

I had a JB4 and AA catted DP on my G42 and it responded very well and was a blast. Ran a 3.18 0-60 and 11.35@120 1/4 mile on all seasons. Highly recommend. I liked the G42 so much I bought its big brother.

Hence why I was asking. I’m not entirely sure I believe/agree with everything I’ve read from a few sources.

[burkhacs]

Originally Posted by Hendo741

***BACK ON TOPIC***

I had a JB4 and AA catted DP on my G42 and it responded very well and was a blast. Ran a 3.18 0-60 and 11.35@120 1/4 mile on all seasons. Highly recommend. I liked the G42 so much I bought its big brother.

3.18 thats amazing!

[Hendo741]

Originally Posted by burkhacs

3.18 thats amazing!

https://g42.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1890616

[burkhacs]

Originally Posted by Hendo741

https://g42.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1890616

Are you binarycars on TT by chance

[Hendo741]

Originally Posted by burkhacs

Are you binarycars on TT by chance

Nope, dont even know what TT is lol

[burkhacs]

TikTok, which I am way too old to eb on, but there's some great car content on there!

There's just a similar guy who has a similar car pedigree and mods - thought it could have been.

[Brumie33]

Just thought I'd chime in and give my two cents. Pryor vehicle was a 16 MK7 golf. R stage 1 APR tune drove the car for 2 years without any issues until the all-wheel drive failed. After doing some research figured out, there were other golf R's having the same problem that were untuned and VW was replacing the entire rear haldex system under warranty. Took my vehicle into Volkswagen for them to confirm the problem. They confirmed and said they would replace under warranty. But Volkswagen America asked the dealership to run a check for a tune. And once they realized it was tuned they denied the warranty claim. Cost me $4,600 out of pocket even after proving to them that they've already replaced these units for other non-tuned vehicles, they didn't care. It was a way for them to get out of incurring any warranty repairs. I realize we're talking about two different companies, but I'm pretty sure all dealerships are using this as an excuse to get out of paying for expensive repairs. So for me no tuning until after warranty expires.

[idontsave]

Just wanted to provide the information I have received firsthand regarding the possibility of getting flagged by the dealership.

For quite some time, it was up to the discretion of your SA and the dealership itself whether or not they would flag your vehicle for flash tunes, piggybacks, mods, etc. This made it somewhat uncommon to get flagged as long as you maintained a good relationship and were upfront about what you had on the car. They would have to make a conscious decision to screw you over in order to flag you.

A little less than 1 year ago, I had gotten word that the new ISTA version that dealerships were using would now automatically detect flash tunes and flag the vehicle as soon as it was plugged in. Since I was due for service soon, I made sure to bring this up with my SA and he confirmed that this was true and that it had happened to a few of his clients who did not let him know ahead of time that they had a tune on their cars. He told me he would make sure to do everything he could to not plug in my car, and I ultimately managed to avoid getting flagged, but it was much more stressful for both of us every time I had to bring the vehicle in.

Having a flagged vehicle does not necessarily mean that any and all warranty work will be denied, but it is more likely it will be if the issue can be attributed to the tune.

I can't confirm that the current ISTA does the same for piggybacks if altered parameters are detected, but I have seen others here state that this is the case.