Here's What My Service Manager Said About Tuning

[fairhaven]

I've been thinking very hard about doing the Spartan thing. Since I am very good friends with the service manager where I bought the truck (and do all my business with them) I decided to have a chat with him. He said that they check all 2008 and newer diesel trucks to see if they have been tuned. According to him (and I do believe him) they can tell if a tune has been installed even if you put everything back to stock. He further said that Ford has sent out a letter to all dealerships that any truck that has been tuned will not be covered for any motor or drive train issues. He said that in 2009 they (a very large dealership in Seattle) denied warranty claims on 3 trucks that had been tuned. One individual got an attorney, went to court, and the warranty was still denied. This persons repair bill was about $14,000 (motor and tranny). He also told me that the little bit of fuel that does get into the oil in a non issue if oil is changed as required. Lastly, he said that most of the trucks he sees that have been tuned have also been lifted and that the owners are "mostly" younger guys under the age of 40 and they are tuning not so much for the mileage increase (which is very minimum for the cost) but to increase horsepower. He advised me against doing this and since I have known him for 30 years (the last 20 as a personal friend) I am not going to tune my truck. I may revisit this issue after my warranty is up. Just thought I would share this with anyone who might be interested.

[rodo]

...and if you ask Spartan about this, they will tell you that they have never had a warranty denied, as long as you take everything back to stock.

[2005josh2006]

Can we get a big woop de do. I do have to say you will be missing out because your friend has that much influence over you. Was it a spartan tuner to blame for those problems mentioned? Nope no sir!

[mor4wd]

I don't know from experience, but from reading Spartan's Q&A section it looks like they have a completely different way of programming and returning to stock. You should check it out. I get what your saying about most guys being under 40 that are doing the tuning. It's really not worth $2000 to gain 3mpg. I'm well under 40 with a stock truck that'll stay that way until the warranties are up. My truck is my livelihood and it earns a living for me, the warranty is worth 20 times what tuning would do when you depend on your truck. I think part of the reason new trucks cost so much is the warranty itself; Ford has to regain those costs somewhere.

[fairhaven]

2005josh2006...what will I be missing out on? I use my truck for pulling our 33' travel trailer and horse trailers. It does this with ease. Do I need more torque and horsepower? No. Do I need a couple of miles per gallon more? Would be nice but certainly not needed. Most of my driving is on county roads where the speed limit is 50. The freeway max is 70. I pull my trailers at 60. I have no need for more speed, no need to beat someone from a stop light, no need to smoke my tires, and lastly certainly do not want to put my warranty in question. I'm 55 and been there and done that. Those of you who want that should then get the Spartan tune. If I wanted to tune my truck that is the company I would go with (the 3 trucks denied last year were not Spartan tuned). Not trying to step on toes just letting others know what I was told.

[Need4racin]

ACTUALLY a tune alone will not "VOID" your warranty unless it has had direct impact on the failure. ie bent rod, melted piston, overspun turbo etc. This is the LAW! I however do not suggest any tuners or mods on something like the 6.4. It can be done but just make sure you are ready to sack up if something goes wrong. its over 10k for an engine and thats not something you want to have to pay for out of pocket because you wanted to go fast.

also a tuned truck will not pass emissions. depending on state obviously but here in arizona if its newer then 5 yrs its not even inspected. just pay your tags and move on. older then 5yrs you need to go in and they check smoke output. pretty much any truck with a tune will fail the snap idle test. they check for cats(in the future DPFs too!!) so if yours is gone expect to replace it. Expect to see more EPA crack down on diesels too. they have gotten away with alot for a long time but that will be coming to an end soon Im sure, give it another 5yrs.

then again I have no idea what Im talking about either.....

There's a post from another forum by a diesel tech in AZ.

[mor4wd]

2005josh2006:
Fairhaven was just letting us know what his service manager told him. Take the info and do what you want with it. A friend you've had for 30 years has some influence over you and rightly so. I don't think you'd know though because it doesn't sound like you've even been alive that long from the way you word things with such a snotty attitude.

[dgeesaman]

Originally Posted by fairhaven

I've been thinking very hard about doing the Spartan thing. Since I am very good friends with the service manager where I bought the truck (and do all my business with them) I decided to have a chat with him. He said that they check all 2008 and newer diesel trucks to see if they have been tuned. According to him (and I do believe him) they can tell if a tune has been installed even if you put everything back to stock. He further said that Ford has sent out a letter to all dealerships that any truck that has been tuned will not be covered for any motor or drive train issues. He said that in 2009 they (a very large dealership in Seattle) denied warranty claims on 3 trucks that had been tuned. One individual got an attorney, went to court, and the warranty was still denied. This persons repair bill was about $14,000 (motor and tranny). He also told me that the little bit of fuel that does get into the oil in a non issue if oil is changed as required. Lastly, he said that most of the trucks he sees that have been tuned have also been lifted and that the owners are "mostly" younger guys under the age of 40 and they are tuning not so much for the mileage increase (which is very minimum for the cost) but to increase horsepower. He advised me against doing this and since I have known him for 30 years (the last 20 as a personal friend) I am not going to tune my truck. I may revisit this issue after my warranty is up. Just thought I would share this with anyone who might be interested.

I would like to know if this mgr checks for tuning on every truck or just the ones with major drivetrain bills.

David

[mrnecsteve]

I am still puzzled why someone says : Its against the law,its against the moss magnusson act,they have to prove it etc..etc.
The moss magnusson act clearly allows the use of limited warranties AND Ford clearly states the limitations(regarding tuners etc) on
A. the little stickers under the hood
B In the warranty book AND
C in the owners manual....
.maybe it's local township laws their talking about?
OR

maybe Internet Forum based legal advise is worth about $.02

[fairhaven]

dgeesaman...no, they do not check every truck to see if it has been tuned. But, any truck that has a major motor problem or drive train problem they do pull up the data to see if anything has been changed. Again, he told me that they (Ford) have the ability to "see" if anything had been tuned up and then taken back to manufacture settings. If so, warranty voided. I don't know how it is in other parts of the country, but I know for sure of 3 individuals who had to eat major repair bills, in the Seattle area, who most likely thought they were safe (all 3 trucks had been returned to "stock"). I only posted this as info for whoever might find it interesting and informative. It's your truck and your money do as you wish.