Will a past tune kill the warranty if OEM is installed when failure occurs?

[Eric SS]

Hello all. I'm in the process of looking for an F80/F82 to get back into a BMW. You can see in my sig I've generally not cared about warranties with past JB4s right away and my current ~650rwhp Chevy SS that I obviously killed the warranty on.

However, the F82 I'm looking at purchasing has a BM3 Stage 1 tune on it that's it's literally had on for probably 100 miles. It was just installed last week. If I get this car I plan on removing it and going back to stock right away because this is going to be my wife's daily and she just has no use for a tune and I would rather keep the warranty.

If something happens with the drivetrain in the future, will BMW be able to see the prior tune and have grounds to deny the warranty? Can they see how many miles it was on. If the crank hub spins in 10k miles I don't want to worry about them saying that the tune 2 years ago that was on for 100 miles is enough to deny the claim.

Yes, I can always buy a different car that hasn't been tunes (which I might do) but this particular car I'm looking at has some relatively unique options that I really like and are very hard to find. I am also aware that the tune won't "void" the warranty if something not related needs to be worked on.
I'm specifically talking about any engine or DCT issues that might arise in the future. Thanks in advance.

[Jeremy Billiel]

Yes - BMW can see the tune

[RoundelM3]

Depends on whether or not you can flash back to stock and re-set the "flash counter". My Alpine tune allows me to do that, although I'm out of warranty at this time. I did have the tune in prior to discovering a leaking diff seal, and that was fixed under warranty with no issues.

[PhatLyfe]

Yes, once they scan the car, they will see the tune and modifications done and will void your warranty. Once the car is tuned, they hook up to their system and finding anything else, your warranty is out the window.

[Eric SS]

That's a shame. I wonder if the BM3 has a flash counter reset. I'll do some research. Thanks all.

[spuntyb]

Yes, even flashing the BM3 back to stock, it's detectable. What your dealer does with that info, however, is a different story. My dealer is "tune friendly", and for basic maintenance and simple warranty stuff, they don't ask questions. However, I've never brought the car to them with a drivetrain malfunction type of situation, so ymmv

[BzsBimmer]

Reach out to Mike at BPM. One of the few people I know that can give you real and actual options

[YKIGI]

Originally Posted by BzsBimmer

Reach out to Mike at BPM. One of the few people I know that can give you real and actual options

IT IS NOT TRUE

They cannot see “the tune”

Most people on the forums just repeat stuff.

All they can see is the times the car was over boosting

So of course, if they see that they can assume it was tuned. But other things can cause the same “issue”

Don’t let anyone make you believe that they can prove the car was tuned. They can’t.

However, BMW is infamous for trying to void warranties IF a major event has happened. ie blown parts. They will reference anything they find to try and void coverage. So keep that in mind when tuning

[Jeremy Billiel]

They can't see the tune (i.e. the modified tables), but they can see the counter being reset and with overboost flags will draw the conclusion that you dont like.

[spuntyb]

Originally Posted by YKIGI

IT IS NOT TRUE

They cannot see "the tune"

Most people on the forums just repeat stuff.

All they can see is the times the car was over boosting

So of course, if they see that they can assume it was tuned. But other things can cause the same "issue"

Don't let anyone make you believe that they can prove the car was tuned. They can't.

However, BMW is infamous for trying to void warranties IF a major event has happened. ie blown parts. They will reference anything they find to try and void coverage. So keep that in mind when tuning

We don't just repeat things.

To OP: you can show up to your physician's office with nicotine stained fingers, a morning cough, and cigarette smell on your clothes and say you don't smoke. You don't have to be holding a cigarette in your hand, the data is already there. Your physician may even work with you to get reimbursement from insurance to cover something even though you smoke, but he or she doesn't have to do that. Not a great example, but, hey...

Similarly, a dealership can dig for boost logs or see resets quite easily if they want, even if they can't "see" the tune. You only have to give them a reason to dig. Again, the data is there, then it's up to them what they do with that data, and it may be very unpleasant or costly for you. Tunes don't void warranties, dealerships do. That make sense?

Anyways, your best bet is looking for a different car or grabbing this one and working with an indy shop. That's what I've done any time I've had a serious issue (all my cars were piggyback tuned).

[doug_999]

"Rumor" has it that even the "cool" dealers will turn you in as the second your cart is hooked up, it will flag immediately. This apparently is new.

I yes, just stuff I've read here

[maddmatth]

This is New Zealand but I'm sure it's the same. I had my car in this week and the tech told me they routinely run the FASTA (?) analysis on every car they look at now.
He says a few years ago it used to take one minute. Now it takes about 15 minutes, so obviously it's now doing deeper analysis...

However they also told me that the warranty flag isn't automatic, it still requires a person to manually flag your car. So if you bought the car from them and they like you, you still have a chance if getting away with it.

[BzsBimmer]

Originally Posted by YKIGI

IT IS NOT TRUE

They cannot see “the tune”

Most people on the forums just repeat stuff.

All they can see is the times the car was over boosting

So of course, if they see that they can assume it was tuned. But other things can cause the same “issue”

Don’t let anyone make you believe that they can prove the car was tuned. They can’t.

However, BMW is infamous for trying to void warranties IF a major event has happened. ie blown parts. They will reference anything they find to try and void coverage. So keep that in mind when tuning

I think the specific tune is a moot point to BMW. They’re not going to give you slack for using BM3 over JB4 (other than any software BMW sells). Not sure why I got quoted when your context doesn’t coincide with anything I stated but I digress....

I think you have to be a pretty special person that thinks just overboost alone is a singular event and can’t be combined with other data points that point to tuning. I’m sure there are other variables that can be looked at to validate their reasoning. I don’t know why some people act like the DME was made by some kid in high school and is just a simple computer.

In addition, you go and try to fight the 500lb gorilla in court and see what happens. BMW just needs a few data points to flag your vehicle for warranty violation. They don’t care what tune you had or whatnot. You’ll need to prove you didn’t tune your car... good luck.

MY post was just to see what could be done for the OP to clear any data from the DME. I’m not professing any knowledge of the workings of the DME... heck, as far as anyone knows, I’m just a cashier at McDonalds. I only know, from the years I’ve been on various BMW platforms, what Mike is potentially capable with the confines of the DME. Again, he may or may not be able to give you the answer you’re looking for.

[MisterF80M3]

The warranty will be void. At that point I would just install a crank bolt capture for a few hundred bucks and call it a day. These engines are highy reliable minus the crank hub issue.

[guess2098]

Yes they can. Last month I did a ppi at bmw dealer, they told me they think the car has been tuned and will notify BMW NA. They can't guarantee if BMW will honor the warranty if anything happen to engine.

[horsepower_and_hounds]

If it is flashed one time your locked in if anything major arises. Now they are almost checking all cars tat come in for minor work. If the scope the car for something they will look for it. That is per a local BMW dealer.

[MineralWhiteF80]

Keep in mind, there is no "voiding" the warranty. It is not that simple and black-and-white of a topic.

A BMW dealership cannot "void your warranty" as they are not actually BMW. All the dealership can do is refuse to work on your car. Your warranty is honored through BMW the company. A dealership can only tell you that BMW will not warranty (pay for) the failure on your car because the failure was not a manufacturing defect and an aftermarket part installed on your car was the reason for the failure. For BMW (the company) to not honor any portion of your ENTIRE vehicle warranty, then there must be a hell of a situation going on with your car.

If your car suffers a failure that wasn't caused by any aftermarket parts you have on your car, then BMW's factory warranty should still pay for the repairs.

[BzsBimmer]

^ good point. I think (at least for me) when the term “warranty” is used, it pertains to the specific portion of the warranty that applies. Good for you to point out for the uninformed.

Also to note, since a lot of people throw around the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act, that somehow will shield them of any associated wrong doing, corporations will, and can, still deny coverage knowing that most people will not have the bandwidth to fight them in court that their exhaust modification didn’t cause their engine to fail, for example. It’s been documented on forums on cases that we would consider a non-associated mod, caused their drivetrain warranty to be nullified etc, for example.

[tom @ eas]

It's a loose term used on the forums - when engine tuning is involved, Engine/Drivetrain warranty is affected. All other remaining portions of warranty usually remain intact.

MM Act will do very little to help, it's all about who's legal team has the deepest pockets.