I didnt think it was ever proved that they can do a flash count. There is a guy that works at a dealership on here with a Ralliart, I will ask him if that kind of thing even exists.

 

i went to the dealership for check up some funny sound from my drive shaft, and because it's not the engine, so i thought it is ok to keep the tune on my car, and now im Fed....

 

Which dealer did you go to?

 

I think this may fall under extortion, which would be really bad for any case.

 

I went to south coast...but they are fine and stuff...just my bad that i forgot to tell them that i have a flash on my car...
now they say it's my transfer case making the noise, and they are not covering it...
isnt the transfer case suppose to be strong? just a basic tune with 40 hp more won't kill it right?
How can i fight this man...i really think it's BS...my car is just a half year old!
thanks
Nick

 

Title ninja edit for ya, buddy!

 

I was wondering the same thing. I am under the impression that if you revert back to your stock tune there is no way for the dealer to tell that anything was messed with. Can someone verify this?


I say if you have work done to your car, look at the situation like this. Would you cover your car if things were altered on it? Be smart and cover yourself.

 

They have to prove your flash caused the defect and or damage to the xfer case
ask them for a tear down and pictures proving that whatever is wrong with the xfer case is/was caused by the non factory flash and tell them you have a lawyer ready to fight the BS.
I'm sure this will cause the service adviser to become a little uncomfortable. They will pull this not covered BS and try to get away with as many people as they can, as most will not put up a fight

 

my adviser is cool and everything.....he found out that i have a flash on my car after plugged in a computer...he even tell me that the system has not voided me yet, so reflash it as soon as i can, then come back again...however, when i bought the car back, i guess the factory sent a guy to inspect the cars and he said he tried the best and still they couldn't cover it...
is there a way like writing a letter to the factory for appeal or something like that?

 

sorry for my poor english
thanks

 

Just buy an aftermarket warranty.

 

I wont find out until monday from the guy I know at Mitsu dealership about the flash counter. In response to Dennis, how is it extortion by telling them you will have your lawyer present them with a letter of intent to sue if they are breaking the law? There is nothing that even borders extortion about telling them you intend to sue them for voiding your warranty without proving that it was in fact the flash that fried the transfer case. My best guess is that dealers will tell you your warranty is voided with the anticipation that nothing will become of it on your behalf. If you make it known that you know they are not able to do that without proof, things may turn out different. The smart thing to do would be to get a list of all the people that have had their warranties voided without proof of the mod causing the claim issue and slap them with a class action suit. Only reason they get away with it is because something like this hasnt happened,imo

 

the answer is that there IS a "flash counter" but the regular service dept cant see it. if they take your ECU and send it off to mitsu, then they can see it.

in this case i believe that a new transfer case is mucho expensivo, thus the regional mitsu guy came and saw that the ROM is different (ie ecu reflashed) and so bye bye powertrain warranty. you dont need to make more power, as long as mitsu has proof you touched the ECU, you are SOL...

the best thing to do is bring it back to stock. and by that i mean the EXACT same rom id as stock. not a "stock" map. mitsu has your vin and your expected rom id. any difference and they will void your warranty. even if you go in for an oil change they CAN check your ecu... NOT to look for reflashes per se but to see if you have the latest rom update. that way if you dont have the latest flash, they will do it automatically and then they can bill mitsu for service you never asked for. nice eh?

 

you went to south coast!? i thought they were one of the most lenient dealers out there right?

what do you mean by "just my bad i forgot to tell them i have a flash...?" how did they know you were flashed if you didn't tell them? or they got mad you lied at first? please explain.

i was under the impression south coast was really good to the enthusiasts. but if they voided your warrantee just for a flash, well, so much for their reputation.

(and yes, like people said above--it's not legal to void your warrantee, but you're gonna have to hire a lawyer to fight that)

 

Sorry to hear the bad news. I actually have a mitsu tech (works as a tech at local jag dealership now) that does all my aftermarket stuff. Pm me if your in the Youngstown, Ohio area and need a good mechanic. The cool part is that my dealership recommended him to me.