Chipping_Voids factory warranty??

**a4ringsoffire** · 04-03-2008 06:44 PM

Hey does anyone know a way around this?? I really want to chip my whip but I was told that it will void the factory warranty. Audi says they can chip the car and keep the warranty for the low low price of $1600! Any help or ideas?????

**rayiish** · 04-03-2008 06:46 PM

wtf they said that? that wasn't offered to me but still yes it does void but chip companies such as apr offers options fo ryou to switch back to stock and they wont detect it. also you should "search" im sure youre going to get flamed for that

**AudiWxGuy** · 04-03-2008 06:48 PM

That's the STaSIS chip they are talking about. STaSIS takes over your warranty once you get their software.

My advice, get a chip with a stock program and before you take the car to the dealer put it in stock mode for a couple of days and then take it to the tuner shop to be flashed back to stock.

**ABL2point0T** · 04-03-2008 06:51 PM

Yes, it will void the warranty. Take the risk, they will probably re-flash the computer every 2 or 3 times you take it to the dealer anyway due to "technical revisions"

I heard that there is a new one out currently, I will find out when I take min in for the 35k mi service soon.

**Obvis07** · 04-03-2008 08:07 PM

find a chill dealership

**AudiWxGuy** · 04-03-2008 08:20 PM

Yeah, you're out in CA, you should be able to find one. ^^

**Phrost** · 04-03-2008 08:28 PM

It depends on your dealership, so ask a salesman. Mine doesn't give a crap if I chip, but if a related part (like the turbo) blows up then it is obviously my fault if I caused it.

My salesman told me they don't care what I do as long as I don't cause the damage, but I've had my modified cars there before and they told me do whatever I want since I mod "normally". He then went off about all the ghetto/ricer mods on cars they get sometimes, and people being so stupid breaking things on their VW/Audi's and trying to claim it under warranty when they obviously hacked shit apart and didn't know what they were doing lol

**Nico** · 04-04-2008 05:58 AM

The best motto for any modification done to your car is denial. Unless you have an intake, test pipe or exhaust they can't tell your car is modified. Even the coolest dealer can potentially change their mind when it comes to them having to do expensive warranty work on your car. Get the APR chip with stock mode. You can switch back to stock and the dealer cannot tell unless you tell them. E.G. I have KO4 kit, when my gearbox failed I switched to stock and the dealer didn't notice.

**sandspeed** · 04-04-2008 08:21 AM

It would be illegal for them to void your warranty just for installing aftermarket parts. Research the Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act. Unless they can prove that whatever you would try to get fixed under warranty was directly caused by the aftermarket part, the warranty must be honored. Most people don't know about that legal legislature, so dealerships just say no, and the person ends up believing them and fixing the problems with their own cash. Definitely worth looking into and becoming familiar with it if your car is still under warranty.

http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/Dumm...t.id-2669.html
http://www.free-lemon-law-guide.com/...n-moss-act.php
http://www.pt-tuning.com/policies/Magn-Moss-Act.html

Seriously, read up on this stuff. Very very very good info.

**B7A4Sport** · 04-04-2008 09:30 AM

A+ Sandspeed, thanks! This has answered a lot of my questions about mods & warranties (I just picked up a Cert. Pre-Owned '06 A4) and makes me more comfortable about talking to my dealer about that. You should get your last ring for this post!

**Ales** · 04-04-2008 09:33 AM

If it's through the dealership and they said they will warranty it, it is the Stasis chip. I drove a demo a4 at my local audi dealership that had the Stasis chip, and it didnt feel like it added much power at all. It is tuned very very conservatively, which is why it is warrantied. But I dont think it's worth 1500+ they are charging.

**Stak3407** · 04-04-2008 09:35 AM

Get APR with stock mode, then you don't have to worry about a thing.

**bhvrdr** · 04-04-2008 11:16 AM

Originally Posted by sandspeed

It would be illegal for them to void your warranty just for installing aftermarket parts. Research the Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act. Unless they can prove that whatever you would try to get fixed under warranty was directly caused by the aftermarket part, the warranty must be honored. Most people don't know about that legal legislature, so dealerships just say no, and the person ends up believing them and fixing the problems with their own cash. Definitely worth looking into and becoming familiar with it if your car is still under warranty.

http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/Dumm...t.id-2669.html
http://www.free-lemon-law-guide.com/...n-moss-act.php
http://www.pt-tuning.com/policies/Magn-Moss-Act.html

Seriously, read up on this stuff. Very very very good info.

This is misunderstood. The MM Act does not apply to parts that are modified out of their OEM spec. It states exactly what is covered and it states specifically that it refers to replacement parts. The spirit of the MM act is so that car manufacturers cant force you to buy specific name brand parts (ie, monopolize the parts industry) it does NOT protect against people running their turbos outside OEM spec and putting increased stress on the drivetrain components such as engine and transmission. These components will surely not be covered (engine, tranny, diffs, etc) on a modified car. Even if the MM Act did apply to people running parts that put the car out of OEM spec it wouldnt matter because fielding a case in court trying to prove your point would require hiring expert witness that are more believable by the courts then audi's own engineers...so figure you'll need 4 to 5 pretty much world renowned experts to go against what audi says. After you're done spending 10 grand in court trying to get audi to cover 8 grand worth of motor replacement you can call out your victory...of course you are not even guaranteed that victory even if you hire your experts...and i'm not sure you could even find 5 people who would say running the turbo at 150% to 175% OEM spec would not reduce it's lifespan.

Bottom line...you can forget about "cool dealerships" when your car comes in on a flatbed with a burnt motor. Those "cool dearlerships" that you were "cool" and open with about your mods now have documented proof that you have them. Never get chipped at a dealership and there is no need to ever tell them you are chipped. If you get APR with the security lockout there will be no way for them to see you are chipped at the dealership level. If you have a catastrophic failure you can always have your true OEM programming flashed back on as well.

cheers! Mike

**cecaa** · 04-04-2008 12:39 PM

I took my GIAC chipped A4 to dealer for 15k service, they didn't even notice it. I don't think they automatically detect chips when pluging their computer into your car. However, if the tech thinks your car is chipped and he wants to void your warranty, they are able to detect your chip. Most dealers won't try to do that at your maintaince service because it waste their time (Keep in mind the long waiting time for Audi service , guhhhh). When you have an engine related problem that want them to fix for you, they probably will check your chip first and maybe refuse to repair for you.