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Unread 09-12-2010, 07:09 AM   #411
ironhorse
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob K View Post
I tune my car and have been doing so since it was new. I have never been denied warranty at any dealership. About a week ago my car was in for repairs and GM installed a new PCM. Then they (GM) had the mechanic call me and ask me to come in and set the lockup to 50 MPH for the torque converter, which I did. That setting is in the tune. Again, GM requested I make the change.

If you have friends that have been denied repairs because they tuned their car there's something wrong and they need to appeal. It was probably the dealers decision and the burden of proof is GM's responsibility. They have to prove beyond a doubt that your actions or parts that you installed caused the failure. They need to read their warranty.

Rich, I have told you this before. I have had two transmissions and two torque converters replaced. So far this year warranty repairs have exceeded $13,000 (thousand) and GM paid every dime.

If your friends need assistance PM me and I'll give you my phone number and I'm more than willing to give them any info or help they need.
Hey Bob, do you have an LS7?...If so, you are luckey...In alot of other states dealers are checking to see if the car has a tune, if so, the zone reps deny warranty...Your dealer is not checking it or he doesn't care about your mods...
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Unread 09-12-2010, 07:23 AM   #412
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The warranty issues have been coming uo alot...especialy broken valve springs, oil starvation in LS7 motors. Guys running the car on road courses, there has been cases of oil starvation not so much on 2009-11 Z06, but 06-08 before they increased the oil from 8 quarts to 10 quarts...Down here is S Florida most dealers will check for a tune, if the motor has dropped a valve, or other internal motor problems...Or if the zone rep gets involved because of internal motor issues or a blown up motor...
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Unread 09-12-2010, 07:41 AM   #413
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This is going back some time ago, worth reading...Long, but worth the reading...I got this information from another site...Also, some of my friends have warranty issues...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A GM bulletin will be distributed to Dealers shortly.


This post is for those who have 100% bone stock Corvettes and want clarity on the tuning issue.

GM's New Software:

GM is rolling out a new procedure that can identify when a non-GM calibration has been installed in a vehicle. The new process checks a log to see what calibrations have been added. If the calibration does not have an official GM part number it, it is instantly identified as a tune or other calibration not supported by GM. If the log contains a GM part number the process digs a little deeper to find a series of numbers buried in other modules. This confirms that the part number is not a mask for a non-GM calibration. If the calibration is found to be a NON-GM calibration, as from a tune, GM is advising dealers that the warranty repair on the powertrain will not be honored. The dealership will need to provide proof if a powertrain failure has occurred that the calibrations are GMs before any repair is performed.

Furthermore, since GM can not determine what the impact of a non-GM calibration effect will have on the entire powertrain. GM will void the remaining powertrain warranty. This means engine, trans, drive shafts and differential will no longer be covered. This process has been tested on different Corvettes and other GM vehicles including Diesel's. The process correctly identifies cars with non-GM calibrations.

This also addresses those that think re-flashing the ECU before taking it back to the dealer is not detectable…..it is.


Owners, if you have not installed a tune or engine modification, don’t do it if you value your warranty. The consequences are giving up the 5 yr 100,000 mile powertrain protection. If you have a tune already installed then be upfront if you encounter a problem.

NOTE: If anybody has had a true problem with a 100% bone stock car under normal driving conditions and needs further assistance feel free to PM me.


It goes back to the old saying; if you want to play you have to pay......or be willing to at some later date.



Let's address some essential issues:

1) Understanding Tunes and GM Validation.

Before anyone can understand what the tune does one needs to understand how GM validates a part.

GM tests their product so there is margin for error. For most folks they never get that close to the limit. GM builds their product so if there is a failure it should be discovered during the warranty period and it will be covered if a repair is necessary. A tune, 'safe or whatever else you want to call it' changes all of that, It puts stresses on components that GM does not test for. Some tuners will tell you the their tune is safe and will not cause any harm. This may be true for 95% of their customers, but...the problem occurs when your car that has the tune which is one of the 5% that fall out side the normal limits. The component may operate perfectly for years at normal levels but when additional RPM is added, or a richer mixture is added, or the spark changes, all of that can put pressure on a piston, a rod or a set of bearings that was never intended. When that pressure is exerted, the component may fail immediately or it may develop a slight crack and will continue to grow until it fails perhaps at 30 miles per hour when driving your kids to school.

We have had a few posts claiming just this....I'm not suggesting any of these cases here where due to this, I plain and simply do not know. Just a heads-up of how it could happen at what would seem to be ridiculous conditions.

2) When will a failure occur?

There is no way you can tell if and when a failure will occur. GM builds in a safety margin so that does not normally occur. When a tune is installed that margin is lost and stress starts to build in the component until something breaks. Expand that thought to the rest of the powertrain,

For instance, GM knows that the half shaft will perform fine at 505 horse power, there is a margin of safety build into it. Now, add 20 more HP to the half shafts and the safety margin is gone. Add a set of drag radials that provides much better grip. Now you have more HP and a tire that does not slip when it should. What do you think is going to break? Probably the half shaft. EXCEPT if the half shaft is a stronger product that the average, say it is a really good one.

Now that additional HP and the higher slip resistance from the changed tires and the additional stress is transferred to something else. Add to that a driver that lets the wheels hop until they catch traction and the differential case is now split in half. This shouldn't be a mystery. All the HP and the force has to go somewhere. If the tires can’t spin because of the increased traction the ring gear and pinion gear start to push away from each other, the case that holds them together is only been tested for stock HP and stock tires. The force between the ring and pinions gears can actually break a differential case in half. Same thing with the transmissions.

The input and output shafts are rated for so much HP and so much tire slip. Alter the safety margin and shafts get twisted off. Not because they are defective but because higher stress loads are being applied than the part was designed to take. It is a very balanced package to a specific HP and a specific amount of tire slip. Changing either one beyond the test limits and things start to break.

3) Why not build the car stronger?

Some ask they why doesn’t GM build them to withstand 600 HP to be safe? The answer is you can’t and keep the car affordable. GM can build the components to withstand 650 HP but they would have to charge the same price as a ZR1. It ends up pushing the car out of the price level that most drivers are willing to spend.

4) Why not just swap the ECM/PCM?

Can the ECM/PCM be changed and no one will know? No! Each module has information stored in it. Some is transferred when it is reprogrammed and some starts all over again when a module is changed. Kind of like keeping score. The module knows the miles how long it has traveled since a emission test was completed and many more little bits and bites. When a new module is put in some of the data gets moved and some does not. When a suspected tune is discovered and a technician starts to look for clues, there are more than enough clues which will not be revealed here to confirm that this is not the PCM that has been running in the car.

5) How is the used car market segment to be addressed?

What about used cars? As soon as the bulletin is published it is public information. I will be glad to post the bulletin number and you can ask your dealership for a copy of it. If I was going to purchase a used Corvette or a Diesel Truck I wouldn’t buy it with out checking it for a modified calibration. Using the bulletin will take less than 5 minutes to determine. If it has a non-GM calibration just be aware that it may have already been discovered by GM and there may be a warranty block on it that the owner or used car dealership may not be aware of. It is worth having a Chevrolet dealership take a look at it just to make sure.

6) Will this be able to be used on C5 cars too?

Yes!


7) Will the Service Manager at my dealership be able to get around this?

It's not so simple. If a major failure has occurred and the dealership is required to attach both print outs of the calibration numbers which include the VIN to the repair order, there may not be much room for the dealership. If they do the repair and they are audited, the dealership will loose the cost of the parts and the labor. It is actually charged back to the dealership. Also remember many of the engines are now being returned for analysis. If during the inspection the engine plant detects evidence of a tune they will call the dealership for the records. If the dealership can not supply it then the warranty claim can be charged back to the dealership.

8) If the calibration is overwritten for example 10 times, will a dealership still be able top tell a calibration has been added?

Yes.

If you think someone will not question 5 of the same calibrations entered of a period then you don’t understand how serious GM is about this.

Why is GM doing this now?

As many have pointed out repeatedly, some of the information has been available for some time. But it has been tied to the calibration part number. The part number is good information but it is not fool proof. The second part of the equations, the hidden files, have just been established and validated 100%. GM wanted to make sure it was valid and the information was dependable before they took it to the dealerships.

9) Legal Issues:

Is this legal?

Can GM block my warranty?

Yes.

It has been run through the legal beagles and it is legal. In the warranty booklet there are 4 separate notations that modifying the vehicle from the original production will void the warranty and repairs will not be covered.

There were some comments on taking this to court.

Who is going to spend the dollars to try a case when the repair is going to be in the $15,000 area. I image GM has enough lawyers sitting around that they can tie this up for some time all the while the car is not running. The bottom line is when a calibration is changed the car is altered and GM has stated it does not warrant repairs once the vehicle has been altered. I'm not sure why this is such a hard concept to grasp.

10)What about Magnuson Moss?

You're kidding right?


11) Where does the information come from?

Many of you know I have attended many of the NCM HPDEs that include many of the GM engineers. I have built an honest relationship with many of them. I was one of the first lucky one's out on the track with my Z06 on a regular basis. I continually provided real customer information to them and they provide honest feedback to me. It’s a relationship built on trust. This information is coming straight from GM. They trust me not to ask questions I realize they can not and will not answer, and they trust me not to provide their names and positions which would result in bombardment of Internet questions. Those of you who have met me have seen this first hand. Please do not get hung up on which individuals and departments it came from. There are enough forum members here who can verify my integrity and my contacts. Let's keep this about our beloved Corvettes!
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Unread 09-12-2010, 09:51 AM   #414
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ironhorse View Post
Hey Bob, do you have an LS7?...If so, you are luckey...In alot of other states dealers are checking to see if the car has a tune, if so, the zone reps deny warranty...Your dealer is not checking it or he doesn't care about your mods...
LS1

Quote:
Originally Posted by ironhorse View Post
The warranty issues have been coming uo alot...especialy broken valve springs, oil starvation in LS7 motors. Guys running the car on road courses, there has been cases of oil starvation not so much on 2009-11 Z06, but 06-08 before they increased the oil from 8 quarts to 10 quarts...Down here is S Florida most dealers will check for a tune, if the motor has dropped a valve, or other internal motor problems...Or if the zone rep gets involved because of internal motor issues or a blown up motor...
My car is repaired this time at a shop that is an authorized GM warranty service center. He is not allowed to make any repairs until the zone rep comes in and verifies they need to be done. He did not deny claims on the tranny or torque converter or anything else.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ironhorse View Post
This is going back some time ago, worth reading...Long, but worth the reading...I got this information from another site...Also, some of my friends have warranty issues...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A GM bulletin will be distributed to Dealers shortly.


This post is for those who have 100% bone stock Corvettes and want clarity on the tuning issue.

GM's New Software:

GM is rolling out a new procedure that can identify when a non-GM calibration has been installed in a vehicle. The new process checks a log to see what calibrations have been added. If the calibration does not have an official GM part number it, it is instantly identified as a tune or other calibration not supported by GM. If the log contains a GM part number the process digs a little deeper to find a series of numbers buried in other modules. This confirms that the part number is not a mask for a non-GM calibration. If the calibration is found to be a NON-GM calibration, as from a tune, GM is advising dealers that the warranty repair on the powertrain will not be honored. The dealership will need to provide proof if a powertrain failure has occurred that the calibrations are GMs before any repair is performed.

Furthermore, since GM can not determine what the impact of a non-GM calibration effect will have on the entire powertrain. GM will void the remaining powertrain warranty. This means engine, trans, drive shafts and differential will no longer be covered. This process has been tested on different Corvettes and other GM vehicles including Diesel's. The process correctly identifies cars with non-GM calibrations.

This also addresses those that think re-flashing the ECU before taking it back to the dealer is not detectable…..it is.


Owners, if you have not installed a tune or engine modification, don’t do it if you value your warranty. The consequences are giving up the 5 yr 100,000 mile powertrain protection. If you have a tune already installed then be upfront if you encounter a problem.

NOTE: If anybody has had a true problem with a 100% bone stock car under normal driving conditions and needs further assistance feel free to PM me.


It goes back to the old saying; if you want to play you have to pay......or be willing to at some later date.



Let's address some essential issues:

1) Understanding Tunes and GM Validation.

Before anyone can understand what the tune does one needs to understand how GM validates a part.

GM tests their product so there is margin for error. For most folks they never get that close to the limit. GM builds their product so if there is a failure it should be discovered during the warranty period and it will be covered if a repair is necessary. A tune, 'safe or whatever else you want to call it' changes all of that, It puts stresses on components that GM does not test for. Some tuners will tell you the their tune is safe and will not cause any harm. This may be true for 95% of their customers, but...the problem occurs when your car that has the tune which is one of the 5% that fall out side the normal limits. The component may operate perfectly for years at normal levels but when additional RPM is added, or a richer mixture is added, or the spark changes, all of that can put pressure on a piston, a rod or a set of bearings that was never intended. When that pressure is exerted, the component may fail immediately or it may develop a slight crack and will continue to grow until it fails perhaps at 30 miles per hour when driving your kids to school.

We have had a few posts claiming just this....I'm not suggesting any of these cases here where due to this, I plain and simply do not know. Just a heads-up of how it could happen at what would seem to be ridiculous conditions.

2) When will a failure occur?

There is no way you can tell if and when a failure will occur. GM builds in a safety margin so that does not normally occur. When a tune is installed that margin is lost and stress starts to build in the component until something breaks. Expand that thought to the rest of the powertrain,

For instance, GM knows that the half shaft will perform fine at 505 horse power, there is a margin of safety build into it. Now, add 20 more HP to the half shafts and the safety margin is gone. Add a set of drag radials that provides much better grip. Now you have more HP and a tire that does not slip when it should. What do you think is going to break? Probably the half shaft. EXCEPT if the half shaft is a stronger product that the average, say it is a really good one.

Now that additional HP and the higher slip resistance from the changed tires and the additional stress is transferred to something else. Add to that a driver that lets the wheels hop until they catch traction and the differential case is now split in half. This shouldn't be a mystery. All the HP and the force has to go somewhere. If the tires can’t spin because of the increased traction the ring gear and pinion gear start to push away from each other, the case that holds them together is only been tested for stock HP and stock tires. The force between the ring and pinions gears can actually break a differential case in half. Same thing with the transmissions.

The input and output shafts are rated for so much HP and so much tire slip. Alter the safety margin and shafts get twisted off. Not because they are defective but because higher stress loads are being applied than the part was designed to take. It is a very balanced package to a specific HP and a specific amount of tire slip. Changing either one beyond the test limits and things start to break.

3) Why not build the car stronger?

Some ask they why doesn’t GM build them to withstand 600 HP to be safe? The answer is you can’t and keep the car affordable. GM can build the components to withstand 650 HP but they would have to charge the same price as a ZR1. It ends up pushing the car out of the price level that most drivers are willing to spend.

4) Why not just swap the ECM/PCM?

Can the ECM/PCM be changed and no one will know? No! Each module has information stored in it. Some is transferred when it is reprogrammed and some starts all over again when a module is changed. Kind of like keeping score. The module knows the miles how long it has traveled since a emission test was completed and many more little bits and bites. When a new module is put in some of the data gets moved and some does not. When a suspected tune is discovered and a technician starts to look for clues, there are more than enough clues which will not be revealed here to confirm that this is not the PCM that has been running in the car.

5) How is the used car market segment to be addressed?

What about used cars? As soon as the bulletin is published it is public information. I will be glad to post the bulletin number and you can ask your dealership for a copy of it. If I was going to purchase a used Corvette or a Diesel Truck I wouldn’t buy it with out checking it for a modified calibration. Using the bulletin will take less than 5 minutes to determine. If it has a non-GM calibration just be aware that it may have already been discovered by GM and there may be a warranty block on it that the owner or used car dealership may not be aware of. It is worth having a Chevrolet dealership take a look at it just to make sure.

6) Will this be able to be used on C5 cars too?

Yes!


7) Will the Service Manager at my dealership be able to get around this?

It's not so simple. If a major failure has occurred and the dealership is required to attach both print outs of the calibration numbers which include the VIN to the repair order, there may not be much room for the dealership. If they do the repair and they are audited, the dealership will loose the cost of the parts and the labor. It is actually charged back to the dealership. Also remember many of the engines are now being returned for analysis. If during the inspection the engine plant detects evidence of a tune they will call the dealership for the records. If the dealership can not supply it then the warranty claim can be charged back to the dealership.

8) If the calibration is overwritten for example 10 times, will a dealership still be able top tell a calibration has been added?

Yes.

If you think someone will not question 5 of the same calibrations entered of a period then you don’t understand how serious GM is about this.

Why is GM doing this now?

As many have pointed out repeatedly, some of the information has been available for some time. But it has been tied to the calibration part number. The part number is good information but it is not fool proof. The second part of the equations, the hidden files, have just been established and validated 100%. GM wanted to make sure it was valid and the information was dependable before they took it to the dealerships.

9) Legal Issues:

Is this legal?

Can GM block my warranty?

Yes.

It has been run through the legal beagles and it is legal. In the warranty booklet there are 4 separate notations that modifying the vehicle from the original production will void the warranty and repairs will not be covered.

There were some comments on taking this to court.

Who is going to spend the dollars to try a case when the repair is going to be in the $15,000 area. I image GM has enough lawyers sitting around that they can tie this up for some time all the while the car is not running. The bottom line is when a calibration is changed the car is altered and GM has stated it does not warrant repairs once the vehicle has been altered. I'm not sure why this is such a hard concept to grasp.

10)What about Magnuson Moss?

You're kidding right?


11) Where does the information come from?

Many of you know I have attended many of the NCM HPDEs that include many of the GM engineers. I have built an honest relationship with many of them. I was one of the first lucky one's out on the track with my Z06 on a regular basis. I continually provided real customer information to them and they provide honest feedback to me. It’s a relationship built on trust. This information is coming straight from GM. They trust me not to ask questions I realize they can not and will not answer, and they trust me not to provide their names and positions which would result in bombardment of Internet questions. Those of you who have met me have seen this first hand. Please do not get hung up on which individuals and departments it came from. There are enough forum members here who can verify my integrity and my contacts. Let's keep this about our beloved Corvettes!
These are not entirely true statements. I can modify a stock GM tune that came with the car and the numbers do not change. They only change if I put a completely different tune in the car. For many years these files (tunes) have a history log and it's very simple to go into that file and see what changes have been made.

I don't want to write a book here and I will send anyone my phone number if they wish to discuss it. I have stated in a previous post that GM has to prove your tune resulted in the failure. My tune actually lowers the shift points, fixed the generic timing errors and corrected the fuel trims. There were many more changes but these are the main ones.


Last but not least we have an appeal process that does not involve lawyers. The burden of proof is with GM.
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Unread 09-12-2010, 11:05 AM   #415
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So, what are the odds that my car will be finished this upcoming week?

I should have run some sort of lottery when I first took it in. Some sort of 50/50 based on the date the car would finally be driven out of the shop, completed. Heck, I could have kept ALL the money, because certainly NO one would have hit the date exactly. The money would have come in handy to pay my Excedrin bills......

Seriously, what else is left to go wrong with this build? When it finally is finished, I'm going to be on pins and needles for MONTHS thinking that something is going to go real wrong while I am driving it. Just been way too many problems while it is only sitting in the shop for me to be naive enough to believe that the problems will all be behind me when I drive it out of the shop. So I'm certainly not going to trust it enough for long trips for quite a while, even assuming I decide to keep it after all this...

Heck, I'm starting to get another headache NOW, just thinking about this damned thing.... NOT a good sign....
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Unread 09-12-2010, 12:37 PM   #416
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich Z View Post
So, what are the odds that my car will be finished this upcoming week?

I should have run some sort of lottery when I first took it in. Some sort of 50/50 based on the date the car would finally be driven out of the shop, completed. Heck, I could have kept ALL the money, because certainly NO one would have hit the date exactly. The money would have come in handy to pay my Excedrin bills......

Seriously, what else is left to go wrong with this build? When it finally is finished, I'm going to be on pins and needles for MONTHS thinking that something is going to go real wrong while I am driving it. Just been way too many problems while it is only sitting in the shop for me to be naive enough to believe that the problems will all be behind me when I drive it out of the shop. So I'm certainly not going to trust it enough for long trips for quite a while, even assuming I decide to keep it after all this...

Heck, I'm starting to get another headache NOW, just thinking about this damned thing.... NOT a good sign....
I'm not going to ruin your day so no guess from me. If it were my car and when I left the shop with it I would head to someplace else to have it thoroughly gone through. Not saying Chris does poor work but with so many new parts and problems I would want another set of eyes looking at it.
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Unread 09-12-2010, 02:09 PM   #417
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich Z View Post
Well, if that happened to me, that's what God made lawyers for....
This approach can be as costly as having the part rebuilt or replaced.
GM knows this and they rely upon this to keep the "common" person in check.
For those who choose this route, let me suggest that you have your attorney include "fees and costs" in thier demand
Then all you have to do is win the battle and convince the judge/jury that you should be awarded said fees and that each party should not be responsible for thier own legal fees.

Quote:
Yeah, their advertising copy promotes the thought that this IS a race car, and that sells cars for them. Well, if someone uses it in that manner, then they are only using the car in the manner it was sold to them advertised as being capable of. You can't sell a fishing rod and deny the warranty because fish pulled on it.
Adervtising is designed to sell cars, period.
To appeal to the A.J. Foyt, the weekend warrior, in all of us.
And to that end, it does a fine job.

As a result, most incorrectly percieve these cars as "factory race cars" when in fact, they're not.
They are however, Corporate, or "Factory" high performance production vehicles (the ZR! to a lesser degree) along the lines of the Z28, Z06's of old, ZL1's and a host of other "factory" built corporately sponsored speciatiy vehicles.
Many of these limited production vehicles were built soley to allow thier true corporate RACE CARS to be allowed to compete in such events as SCCA road courses and the like.

They are however, a cut above the off the line, mass produced brothers and sisters that bear the same base name. An attribute we pay for at purchase time.

If they were in fact true "Race cars", they would have the necessary safety components such as caging, fire retardant systems, belts, etc, built in, and a lot of the "creature comforts" left out

As well, depending on which "race" it was prepped for, the HP would be fixed (in some cases REDUCED OR LIMITED) and certain exterior attributes would be added or removed.

Much the same as thier historical brethren, the Superbees, Z28's 'Cudas, and such, they are street terminators. The weekend racers weapon.

While the true race versions of the historical counterparts were ruling tracks, thier street level counterparts were dominating street and bracket battles across the country

Again, if these were true "race cars", the vast majority wouldn't buy them. They'd be too tempermental, too uncomfortable, and too difficult, to operate daily upon the streets.

So.....advertising and implications aside, READ THE WARRANTY.

If it's not expressly specified in writing, then it's either non-existent, or it's "implied."
Both leave themselve wide open for costly legal battles.


Quote:
Originally Posted by ironhorse View Post
GM has denied Warranties of a few guys who have run there cars at the track...GM in fact has denied some warrianties because of it...The problem with lawyers, they cost money...Alot of money...I am not saying this happened alot, it hasn't, but it has happened...Most people do not have a lawyer on retainer 24 hours a day, GM does...people have argued the fact that they did sell this as a race on the track, then drive it home...I agree
GM should have lawyers...you, I and the rest of the taxpaying public have PAID for them with the bailout $$$ givenh them in the past!

That ranting aside, GM as well as other manufacturers, have in the past had "people" at various tracks and HPDE's throught the country, videotaping and photographing vehicles been crashed and thrashed, raced and worked on.
They can then become more "proactive" in thier approach to warranty work.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob K View Post
I tune my car and have been doing so since it was new. I have never been denied warranty at any dealership. About a week ago my car was in for repairs and GM installed a new PCM. Then they (GM) had the mechanic call me and ask me to come in and set the lockup to 50 MPH for the torque converter, which I did. That setting is in the tune. Again, GM requested I make the change.

If you have friends that have been denied repairs because they tuned their car there's something wrong and they need to appeal. It was probably the dealers decision and the burden of proof is GM's responsibility. They have to prove beyond a doubt that your actions or parts that you installed caused the failure. They need to read their warranty.

Rich, I have told you this before. I have had two transmissions and two torque converters replaced. So far this year warranty repairs have exceeded $13,000 (thousand) and GM paid every dime.

If your friends need assistance PM me and I'll give you my phone number and I'm more than willing to give them any info or help they need.
I don't doubt wehat Bob is saying one bit! He makes several very valid points

It is still up to GM to make the case against the repair; however, once a bulletin is made public and been so long enough to be reasonable considered to be public knowledge, it makes it more difficult to challenge the ruling.
That said, it's not impossible. And unless you had recent warranty work, spoken with (on record) someone at GM or you dealership that made this information available to you, acknowledged and email from GM or your dealer regarding this matter, or it can be shown that you knew via one of these sites, that the information existed, without the benefit of a certified mail reciept it's going to be more difficult to GM to "prove" that you had knowledge of this change.

There is going to be a lot more of this nickle and diming going on in the future among all the motor companies.

Between corporate trying to keep the cost down, and profits up, the government, EPA, and other concerns, creating rising costs, one sure way to keep cost down, is to deny warranty work.
The best way to deny warranty work (legitimately) is to enforce warranty exceptions such as we see here.
If the local dealer or GM authorized vendor, ignores it and get's caught, they lose money...not GM.

It's just business.

Good business?
Bad business?
I don't know?

I tend to side with those who agree that if you want to play you have to pay
It costs $$ to go fast. How fast do you want to go?

Gm and other motor companies, have built some cars that go much faster and handle more precisely, than many of the owners are capable of keeping up with.

Unless your a track competitor, then why would I need to go faster?

If you are, then have a track specific car built and race the hell out of it!

If it breaks, fix it!
Don't go whining to the manufacturer that they are responsible for the repair!

As for aftermarket parts as Rich was saying, as long as they meet Mfg. Specs. (See SEMA) there shouldn't be an issue.

Again, it's still going to be up to the dealership/GM to prove the modification caused the defect. Even then, it's unlikely they can void the remainder of the warranty on an "it might cause future issues" claim.

It'll have to be taken on a case by case basis.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ironhorse View Post
Hey Bob, do you have an LS7?...If so, you are luckey...In alot of other states dealers are checking to see if the car has a tune, if so, the zone reps deny warranty...Your dealer is not checking it or he doesn't care about your mods...
They're chacking in Floirida too. It's only going to get worse as the economy goes further into the dumps and the need to control expenses rises among the dealers and manufacturers.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob K View Post
LS1

My car is repaired this time at a shop that is an authorized GM warranty service center. He is not allowed to make any repairs until the zone rep comes in and verifies they need to be done. He did not deny claims on the tranny or torque converter or anything else.

These are not entirely true statements. I can modify a stock GM tune that came with the car and the numbers do not change. They only change if I put a completely different tune in the car. For many years these files (tunes) have a history log and it's very simple to go into that file and see what changes have been made.

I don't want to write a book here and I will send anyone my phone number if they wish to discuss it. I have stated in a previous post that GM has to prove your tune resulted in the failure. My tune actually lowers the shift points, fixed the generic timing errors and corrected the fuel trims. There were many more changes but these are the main ones.


Last but not least we have an appeal process that does not involve lawyers. The burden of proof is with GM.
I won't disagree and Bob may be right on the money here.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ironhorse View Post
The warranty issues have been coming uo alot...especialy broken valve springs, oil starvation in LS7 motors. Guys running the car on road courses, there has been cases of oil starvation not so much on 2009-11 Z06, but 06-08 before they increased the oil from 8 quarts to 10 quarts...Down here is S Florida most dealers will check for a tune, if the motor has dropped a valve, or other internal motor problems...Or if the zone rep gets involved because of internal motor issues or a blown up motor...
This is an interesting issue in itself.

What GM essentially is saying is, "We" (GM) failed in our previous attempt to build a "track ready" production car, by designing an insufficient oiling system.

When we (GM) realized the "failure" we (GM) corrected the issue in the later model vehicles.

The question here (not being a Z06 owner) is, did they (GM) issue a TSB and offer a free upgrade/repair to correct the insufficency?

Since they've (GM) idenditified a potential system insufficiency, it's up to them to make the necessary repairs available to the previous model buyers along with the upgrade cost.

That said, if you were operating the vehicle within the parameters it was designed for, and it failed, GM should be on the hook for the repair.

Now, all we need is a attorney at $150.00/$300.00/hour to tee this up....see how easy, and expensive it is to make the arguement?

Quote:
10)What about Magnuson Moss?
You're kidding right?
Frankly, I detest a response like this.
So, to whomever you may be, no, we're really not kidding....right?

http://www.impalaclub.com/naisso/magmoss.htm

Magnuson Moss is a very real FEDERAL case, with very real implications when violated.

As for anyones specific case, you'll be well advised to again READ THE WARRANTY, familiarize yourselves with the above named act, get to know and understand SEMA, and possibly snuggle up to someone who practices federal and/or business law....just in case
And disregard ludicrous comments as the one previously stated.

Quote:
11) Where does the information come from?

Many of you know I have attended many of the NCM HPDEs that include many of the GM engineers. I have built an honest relationship with many of them. I was one of the first lucky one's out on the track with my Z06 on a regular basis. I continually provided real customer information to them and they provide honest feedback to me. It’s a relationship built on trust. This information is coming straight from GM. They trust me not to ask questions I realize they can not and will not answer, and they trust me not to provide their names and positions which would result in bombardment of Internet questions. Those of you who have met me have seen this first hand. Please do not get hung up on which individuals and departments it came from. There are enough forum members here who can verify my integrity and my contacts. Let's keep this about our beloved Corvettes!
Well la-tee feckin' da...ain't we spechul?

There are some over at the blue site and brand X that fit this bill, but based upon the above description, it really doesn't matter.

What they're regurgitating, is what GM and it's peeps want them to know...period.

This "I know it all", "I hob nob with the "in crowd" just doesn't impress me.

There doesn't seem to be anyone on his/her list of "in crowders" that are not nose deep in GM's posterior.
So why would there be any discussion?
Who would support Magnuson?

Of course, no one is the answer. As such, as you see, there's no answer from "the source" quoted above.

The arrogant response of the author that this is nothing and has no control over GM (or any other company) warranty actions, although typical, is immature and dangerous, and certainly NOT in the best interest of the user/consumer.

All this said, I again state that, if you want to play you have to pay.

Take the stock car out and use it as it's designed, and you may be ok.

Mod it, and you may lose some or all warranty support, depending on the modification and damage.

It's up to YOU as the consumer to know and understand your rights and GM's (or anyones elses for that matter) role and responsibilities to YOU

CAVEAT EMPTOR!
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Unread 09-12-2010, 03:22 PM   #418
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ironhorse View Post
The warranty issues have been coming uo alot...especialy broken valve springs, oil starvation in LS7 motors. Guys running the car on road courses, there has been cases of oil starvation not so much on 2009-11 Z06, but 06-08 before they increased the oil from 8 quarts to 10 quarts...Down here is S Florida most dealers will check for a tune, if the motor has dropped a valve, or other internal motor problems...Or if the zone rep gets involved because of internal motor issues or a blown up motor...
Yes, I had read up quite a bit about those issues. Also heard that the drivetrain geometry was changed in 2009 to improve handling. That'd why I wasn't interested in buying a Z06 made before the 2009 model year.

One other issue I had read about that seems to be rare, but not addressed in the later model engines is that there are instances of the titanium intake valves sometimes snapping. I don't know if the cause of that failure has been determined yet.
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Unread 09-12-2010, 05:04 PM   #419
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich Z View Post
Yes, I had read up quite a bit about those issues. Also heard that the drivetrain geometry was changed in 2009 to improve handling. That'd why I wasn't interested in buying a Z06 made before the 2009 model year.

One other issue I had read about that seems to be rare, but not addressed in the later model engines is that there are instances of the titanium intake valves sometimes snapping. I don't know if the cause of that failure has been determined yet.
Rich, in 2008 the transmission was changed, and I believe steering components?...The two piece exhaust valves have snapped in some instances...
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Unread 09-13-2010, 10:32 AM   #420
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I've been tuning & modding GM cars for 6 years and the only time a warranty was canceled was when a C6 owner changed is own spark plugs at Cox chev here in Bradenton.

Otherwise I have yet to have a customer, or talk directly to one tha had GM go into the PCM to look for a tune flash. I'm sure they do with caasrophic drivetrain failure, but it takes far to much effort to check every car in for service.

Here is a good thread looking for anyone tha has experianced wha you are so adamant happens all the time:

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=104741
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