I met the local Mitsu mechanic (at the dealership) today and we discussed tuning v. what would void the warranty ... you know ... the usual. He's a nice guy and seems to know his shizzzit, but he claimed that even a Ralliart ECU set-up would void the warranty. I presume that some of us will demand a set-up that could easily be switched back to stock if this is the case. This is B.S. man ... sure the car runs killer stock, but I can't imagine waiting the entire warranty period to enhance the ECU! Ain't happenin'!

 

preach on my brotha

 

yup, the dealership is gonna try to say things like that, but what do you really expect? they'll say anything to protect themselves so they won't have to work on your car. not all dealerships are the same check around.

 

I bet the car runs like a beast with that new ECU! I dont blame you for not wanting to void the warranty.

 

buy another ecu and other stock parts to swap back and fourth if you need warranty service.

 

DITTO!!!

 

That' what I was thinking too. But when you "enhance" the ECU, does it make it unrepairable?

 

The ralliart ECU has in the past always been a complete replacement unit. This is the one for the Evo VII

Erik

 

You guys need to remember to that it is the regionaly service manager that has final say about what is warrantied and what is not. Mitsubishi has to fit the bill, not the dealership. They can say what they want but they still have to play with in the rules the majority of the time. Also I would not be to sure that Ralliant will be over here very quickly. I know Prodirve of England does a ton of warrantied mods for the subaru in England. But they are not getting the same deal here in the states yet. Slap on one of their performance packages and see your warranty go bye bye. One more point. If you do happy to find a warranty friendly dealer that is willing to twist the rules a little for you. You really do not have a warranty anymore. You only have this one dealership helping you out. If they back out or if you have to go to another dealer on a trip etc. Your screwed.

 

Replacing the ECU on any car can and will void your warranty. The ECU controls nearly all engine functions, so an aftermarket one effectively makes your engine different than what Mitsubishi (et al) intended it to be. So why should it NOT void your warranty?

I don't feel that an I/H/E or similar mods should void it, though, as they don't significantly affect the engine's behavior.

 

Does anyone know how to contact the regional service manager in your area? for instance if i call a local dealer should they be able to put me in contact with one?

 

Sounds right ...

 

DUDE, makes sense, makes sense ... BUT, why can't offer and warranty a more high performance ECU set-up as an option for our cars! I'm not asking for the most aggressive & unsafe program either. What did expect when us enthusiasts figured out that the ECU was conservative, or the car is detuned??? Say what you will but the fact is that has to understand that enthusiasts are never satisfied, and finding what the 4g63's potential with a slightly aggressive, yet safely programmed ECU is going to common place among us.

Naaaah ... let's pay 33K, and sit back on our asses and just forgot about the fact that our cars have at least 50hp sitting in ECU alone. C'mon WestSideBilly ... if you from the West side ... then you should know dis!

 

If Mitsubishi was to offer the ECU itself, it would then have to comply to lots of other laws, rules and regulations that an "aftermarket" company would not have to deal with.

People who would buy that type of upgrade from a dealership would expect that the new ECU passes smog and emissions tests. They would expect that the engines lifespan would not be shortened significantly. They would want it to be warrantied with the rest of the car. And they wouldn't want to pay significantly more $$ than the cost of similar aftermerket branded parts.

It's not as easy as just taking an already existing ECU off the shelf in Japan, and selling it in the US.

SC~

 

Warranty issues are going to be a crapshoot and the relationship you have with the service manager might make a difference. Take him flowers or candy; let him know how nice and clean the service area looks.

I plan to let my service manager know exactly what I'm doing to my car and won't play any sort of gamesmanship with him; if I break it, I'll fix it. However, I expect unrelated warranted parts problems to be fixed under the warranty. I also have an excellent understanding of the PA Lemon Laws.

PS

Dear themothership,

What the hell where you thinking? You delivered us a car that will get out run by a Subaru on the straights. Yuch! I hate to lose and so should you, so get the Ralliart ball rolling if that is within your responsibility. We are losing synergy here and faxes and memos need to be flying to headquarters demanding hp and torque better than the STI. The stock EVO is in second place compared to the stock STI on a straights race. That is FIRST loser! Make it happen ........ please.

Speedlimit ..............