Quote:
Originally Posted by CIWS
I won't even get into the discussion about the dealership's ability to detect if an ECM has been flashed multiple times due a handheld tuner. There's lots of claims both ways and really that's just an owner's choice to potentially deal with or not.
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I asked this question to a couple of BMW dealers in my area who emphatically stated YES, they can absolutely detect when any software event has occurred. I do not know to what extent their technicians can identify modifications, but out-of-cycle and otherwise unplanned changes are easily read. Although software can be installed and completely removed, those actions are recorded and are visible to the dealerships. I went with the Dinan upgrades because of the warranty. Other companies would have me install or uninstall their products on my own which they make it quite easy to do. But when (if) something goes wrong -- then I'm on really my own. Liability for damage, excessive wear, or failure of other vehicle components is a realistic potential cost burden that these companies do not want to bear. That's not good enough -- for me.
Of course, I think many of the products out there are pretty good quality and the risk of using them without a matching BMW warranty is reasonable for some folks.