VCDS mods/feature changes and warranty

[Wibbly]

I presume if a dealer spots something 'odd' in the behaviour of the car (even a feature that's been switched on/off/changed) then all bets are off in terms of warranty claims, as the car would be considered as having been unofficially 'fiddled with'/modified (a bit like rooting or jail braking a phone)?

So best not to fiddle until the warranty's expired to prevent potential heartache?

 

[DJAlix]

I mod cars on a daily basis and have never had any comebacks from a dealer, I just stay away from anything mechanical e.g. engine / brake related. My own car is heavily modded and I have never had any issues. When booked in, the master tech from my dealership is always there to meet me as he wants to see "whats new" and ask questions lol

 

[mikemod]

Any luck on VCDS yet, I was hoping to get the exhaust valves disabled or is that possible now.

 

[DJAlix]

Any luck on VCDS yet, I was hoping to get the exhaust valves disabled or is that possible now.

PFL or FL car?

 

[mikemod]

It's the FL but my version of VCDS (16.8.3) still says no coding file for engine.

 

[DJAlix]

It's the FL but my version of VCDS (16.8.3) still says no coding file for engine.

Ross-Tech have not yet ****** up a label file then. Have not tested on a FL car myself but you should be able to use the PFL coding to code "blind", this is how we did it on the PFL cars before VCDS was labelled. If you get a "request Out of Range" error then you will need to wait for an update from Ross-Tech or use VAG Can Professional in Engineering Mode.

 

[richinsoton]

I presume if a dealer spots something 'odd' in the behaviour of the car (even a feature that's been switched on/off/changed) then all bets are off in terms of warranty claims, as the car would be considered as having been unofficially 'fiddled with'/modified (a bit like rooting or jail braking a phone)?

So best not to fiddle until the warranty's expired to prevent potential heartache?

I think it depends on what the warranty claim relates too. E.g. could you reasonably decline a claim for a window motor if the car has a carlos fandango exhaust fitted, the two items are totally unrelated so I think you could argue the case in that instance. Personally speaking I'd steer clear of engine mods whilst in warranty as I don't have multiple £1000's in cash sat around in case my engine goes pop & a warranty claim is declined.

 

[mikemod]

Ross-Tech have not yet ****** up a label file then. Have not tested on a FL car myself but you should be able to use the PFL coding to code "blind", this is how we did it on the PFL cars before VCDS was labelled. If you get a "request Out of Range" error then you will need to wait for an update from Ross-Tech or use VAG Can Professional in Engineering Mode.

Went ahead as suggested. Although the other bytes are different from the PFL engine, BYTE 9 was the same with BIT 2 Set
I cleared BIT 2 and can confirm that the valves are permanently open and I have four smoking guns, especially on a cold autumn morning

 

[allanmb]

Went ahead as suggested. Although the other bytes are different from the PFL engine, BYTE 9 was the same with BIT 2 Set
I cleared BIT 2 and can confirm that the valves are permanently open and I have four smoking guns, especially on a cold autumn morning

Do you notice any physical difference? e.g. power or economy? My thoughts would have been that you are now decreasing exhaust pressure so may be down on power a little but purely guesswork. How much noisier is it on idle/low revs?

 

[mikemod]

A bit more rumble on idle and low revs but nothing really noticeable, haven't notice anything with economy as I would rarely monitor it.

Normally the flaps open when on full throttle and the car is producing maximum power so I would say makes no difference to power output, if anything as the exhaust is now more free flowing the turbo should spin up a bit faster but I'm sure it is minimal or not at all.