LedZepFoot,

What is a SPS switch and how does it work?

 

Read this

 

I seriously doubt that any chip tuner would warrant your engine from blowing up due to the reflash. The bottom line is, do your research on each of the chip tuners you are considering, read the fine print on the waiver you sign. As you are aware, there are risks; but as the owner of your vehicle, you will be assuming virtually all of the risk.

 

uh, in that case if the dealer really wants to get you, they can try to connect to your car with softwares from each of the major chip manufacturers and find your chip.......basically the chip is not detectable unless you use its maker's software? That's not convincing.

I can't seem to find enough people who chip their cars and then take the car into dealership not only for serving but also for repairing.

 

I find it hard to believe that a dealer would try extreamly hard to find out if your car was chipped. As ive heard, usually they drive the car and if they notice your chipped then your caught (not intentionally driving it to find out if your cars chipped) but if your chips off I highly doubt they will jump through hoops to figure out if your cars chipped. For the engine blowing up, its probably a risk your going to have to take. If your getting a well known and respected chip (apr, REVO, ect..) and the guy installing it knows what hes doing, then its probably a very rare chance that your engine will blow up and I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

Agreed, FusionX,

It's reasonable to assume that the dealer won't spend all that time trying to void people's warranties. Except maybe under extraordinary circumstances. Why should they care? They're getting paid one way or the other.

I was not trying to disuade you from REVo. Just pointing out a perceived difference compared with APR, which is what I went with. In the interest of full disclosure - I was flashed at about 5000mi (APR 91, Stock, Security lockout $700). I've gone about 3000mi flashed. I'm really luvin it.

For the OP, whatever chip company you go with, you might want to consider the proximity they are to your residence. Since my original flash, I've returned to the dealer once more to get reflashed with the latest DSG revision. I anticipate I will need to return again after my next service if the dealer reflashes me with the latest stock revision.

For me, this is no problem since they are nearby and I've found that they are an easy going bunch of people.

Good luck making your decision.

 

Honestly the "stealth" stuff is pointless. lying to the dealer is also pointless. Even if their tools can't detect the chip, all they have to do is look at the ECU logs and look at peak boost numbers. When they see 20+ as a peak boost spike, that right there says its chipped.

 

Im almost 100% ECU doesn't do that, theres no way a dealer can look at a whole log of stuff the car has done. Most of the chips I know of are stealth and if turned off are pretty much impossible to find. A dealer is not going to plug in a REVO module and see if theres a chip, a dealers not going to spend hours figuring out your APR code, a dealers not going to go through hoops to find your car chipped. The only time you get caught is if they trick you by asking you if your cars chipped because they are loading new software or if you leave it on so that they can tell when driving it.

 

I think dealers usually don't bother w/ it. However when an expensive repair is involved and/or insurance company's *** is on the line, either the dealer or ins. company would bother to use different softwares to find that chip.

 

Omni,

Are you chipped yet?

If not, it might not hurt to float the idea with your dealer. You could get a sense of their reaction to it. According to some people, some dealers are cool with chips, even to the point where they sell them. Others say no problem until there is a problem(the worst kind) and still others flatly say it voids your warranty.

Still another option is to go with ABT or MTM. In Taiwan, you can buy the A3 flashed by either of these companies and no warranty issues at all. Not sure what the arrangement is in the US. Also, goes without saying that neither are cheap. But when I get my A5 3.0 TDI I will go with
MTM for sure....heard a chipped 3.0 TDI in a Q7......SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!