Voiding Warranty?

[FinallyGot]

Hey does anyone know if toyota tracks ecu flashes? Thinking of buying OFT... but still got years of warranty.

If they do track, is it worth voiding warranty? Thanks

[theadmiral976]

Originally Posted by FinallyGot

Hey does anyone know if toyota tracks ecu flashes? Thinking of buying OFT... but still got years of warranty.

If they do track, is it worth voiding warranty? Thanks

You can't "void your warranty." If something you change with the mapping as a result of the OFT causes a failure, the OEM can choose to deny you warranty coverage for that specific failure. But if you go in for warranty repair for an unrelated issue, the OEM cannot legally deny coverage. For example, if it turns out that a batch of MAF sensors or an airbag module fails, no ECM mapping is going to stop you from getting warranty coverage for those issues. If a dealer gives you trouble for those types of situations, find a new dealer.

There is a way to track checksums on these ECMs. If you run into engine issues in the future, the use of OFT or any non-OEM engine mapping could raise questions as to what caused the failure. But that is part of the cost of modding.

[theadmiral976]

Also, in case you're wondering, the major warranty work being done on these cars is generally unrelated to ECM mapping alone. Once you go turbo or super, things change drastically. OFT alone is not going to alter reliability much at all. If you go OFT FlexFuel (lots of fun, highly recommend), there are some minor inherent risks to using E85. Generally speaking, the car does not seem to mind; I've put 105k miles on my car, 50k miles E85. All but 20k with one OFT map or another. The only real issue I've run into that I can't ascribe to rust up here in Michigan are a couple loose spark plugs at 100k miles despite them being torqued to spec at 60k per the service manual. I was having a bit of misfiring as a result, best I can tell, and I suppose it's possible it's related to the increased specific power being made using OFT maps. But it's pretty much impossible for me to know for sure.

[FinallyGot]

Hey thanks for your reply man, I’m just placed an order for the OFT. I should be fine running the backfire tune right? And do you know if the dealer knows when u flash the ecu or can I flash back to stock anytime and be good?

Originally Posted by theadmiral976

You can't "void your warranty." If something you change with the mapping as a result of the OFT causes a failure, the OEM can choose to deny you warranty coverage for that specific failure. But if you go in for warranty repair for an unrelated issue, the OEM cannot legally deny coverage. For example, if it turns out that a batch of MAF sensors or an airbag module fails, no ECM mapping is going to stop you from getting warranty coverage for those issues. If a dealer gives you trouble for those types of situations, find a new dealer.

There is a way to track checksums on these ECMs. If you run into engine issues in the future, the use of OFT or any non-OEM engine mapping could raise questions as to what caused the failure. But that is part of the cost of modding.

[theadmiral976]

Originally Posted by FinallyGot

Hey thanks for your reply man, I’m just placed an order for the OFT. I should be fine running the backfire tune right? And do you know if the dealer knows when u flash the ecu or can I flash back to stock anytime and be good?

Yes, it is possible to determine if the ECM has been flashed by reading checksum values. The dealer would have to plug into the ECM and specifically look for it, though. Flashing back to stock will not "erase" this checksum change. I would always flash back to stock when visiting the dealer though in case they update your ECM maps as part of a standard service or whatever.

Of all the maps to choose from, I would avoid any that purposefully generate backfires. Nothing good comes from backfiring other than cheap and potentially costly thrills. Just get an aftermarket catback if you want the noise. You literally have a brand new engine that has yet to fully bed in piston rings and such. On top of that, backfiring isn't ideal for catalytic converter lifespan.

[86TOYO2k17]

From my understanding, it’s possible to see how many times it’s been flashed, however it requires a specific device that most dealership don’t have and don’t bother using. So basically as long as you flash back to stock map they will have no clue.

[FinallyGot]

Originally Posted by theadmiral976

Yes, it is possible to determine if the ECM has been flashed by reading checksum values. The dealer would have to plug into the ECM and specifically look for it, though. Flashing back to stock will not "erase" this checksum change. I would always flash back to stock when visiting the dealer though in case they update your ECM maps as part of a standard service or whatever.

Of all the maps to choose from, I would avoid any that purposefully generate backfires. Nothing good comes from backfiring other than cheap and potentially costly thrills. Just get an aftermarket catback if you want the noise. You literally have a brand new engine that has yet to fully bed in piston rings and such. On top of that, backfiring isn't ideal for catalytic converter lifespan.

Thank you for all the help dude

[steve99]

Here some more info


http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=130030