What kind of help could someone expect that makes modifications to their vehicle? Sports car owners that install exhaust, etc? The new Subaru WRX's are completely reliant on ECU programming. The problem is, Subaru's factory tune is aimed at passing US emissions, not long term reliability. There is a product out there that allows WRX owners to flash their ECU with maps that are much healthier for the engine thus eliminating the factory danger zones. The problem is, if you flash the ECU, Subaru will not honor any warranty claims. The Subaru community is full of owners that have been forced to void their warranty on a brand new vehicle in order to make it more reliable. The tuning evens out the fuel curve, making the engine less prone to detonation, which causes ring land failure. Ring land failure is a VERY common problem in these cars, and once it happens the solution is to replace the entire long block ($$$$$). If this is of any interest to you, please feel free to contact me here. The Subaru community is extremely vast and the main forum (NASIOC) has almost half of a million members.
On a similar note, does a typical consumer have much of a chance against auto manufacturers that try to blame certain failures on modifications that have nothing to do with each other? For example, a customer has a custom exhaust system and the dealership will not approve his warranty claim for a blown head gasket. Everyone says "they have to prove the modification caused the problem" but the reality is, people get stuck with a broken car and are pretty much on their own. It doesn't seem plausible that there are attorneys out there dying to tackle cases like that. What can one do?
Blueboost9 karma
Thanks for the AMA!
What kind of help could someone expect that makes modifications to their vehicle? Sports car owners that install exhaust, etc? The new Subaru WRX's are completely reliant on ECU programming. The problem is, Subaru's factory tune is aimed at passing US emissions, not long term reliability. There is a product out there that allows WRX owners to flash their ECU with maps that are much healthier for the engine thus eliminating the factory danger zones. The problem is, if you flash the ECU, Subaru will not honor any warranty claims. The Subaru community is full of owners that have been forced to void their warranty on a brand new vehicle in order to make it more reliable. The tuning evens out the fuel curve, making the engine less prone to detonation, which causes ring land failure. Ring land failure is a VERY common problem in these cars, and once it happens the solution is to replace the entire long block ($$$$$). If this is of any interest to you, please feel free to contact me here. The Subaru community is extremely vast and the main forum (NASIOC) has almost half of a million members.
On a similar note, does a typical consumer have much of a chance against auto manufacturers that try to blame certain failures on modifications that have nothing to do with each other? For example, a customer has a custom exhaust system and the dealership will not approve his warranty claim for a blown head gasket. Everyone says "they have to prove the modification caused the problem" but the reality is, people get stuck with a broken car and are pretty much on their own. It doesn't seem plausible that there are attorneys out there dying to tackle cases like that. What can one do?
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