[PeteJ]

Got the leaflet in the post yesterday however only talks about Superchips rather then the Bluechip device itself. The is a superchips place just down the road from me which I didn't know about so might be worth a pop in!

[neilmc]

Right, bluefin all fitted and today it has had a before and after run on the rolling road. I will post up a new thread later on this evening hopefully, detailing all the findings. Neil.

Phil, do you mean if the the ecu/flash has a counter to tell how many times it has been changed?

[gIzzE]

I have to say that I really don't like the Bluefin unit, it does up the ECU counter, and with VAG cars it is on the first screen.
BMW keep a record of the ECU flashes and your car keeps a record too, when they don't match they know something has been done, although they still have to prove it which is not easy, if they ever ask you if you have remapped it say "no" and they will probably leave it at that.

When I had and Audi before I asked Superchips if it was detectable, they said "no", I then asked if they were sure as the ECU counter was going up everytime it was used?
I asked for them to put it in writing, just in case there were warranty problems later. At that point they stopped answering my emails and phone calls.


I used to work at a Superchips franchise and we had no end of problems with them, they were fine until a customer had a problem, in the end we had to refund 4 customers out of our own pocket as Superchips washed their hands of it and would not.
It was only silly things like flat spots, transmission judder etc. but after trying a couple of maps and not getting a satisfactory result the customer wanted a refund, and Superchips offered this in their advertising, but when it came down to it they refused.
So we stopped being a franchise.



Problem with the Bluefin and the ECU counter is BMW are now plugging cars into the computer and Germany are seeing everything, so it is no longer in the dealers hands to go ahead with warranty work.
If Germany say they're not paying do you think your dealer will fit the bill for any warranty work??
Of course not.


However, I am sure the bluefin is very conservative gain wise and I would put money on it not actually causing problems. I am also sure Superchips have changed a lot in the last few years, so they are probably a lot better support and warranty wise these days too.

[Budgie]

Was it AMD or Superchips who got taken over a year or so back by the old ESSWAH big boys toys?.

I dont know no horror stories?.

[neilmc]

Gizze, if you just put it in to the bw dealer for routine servicing will it ever get found out? Or if it is in for warranty work on anything else bar the engine, say cluth judder or replacement trim etc will they check the counter then? just curious. if it was a warranty claim over the engine side I can understand it.

[Hotcoupe]

Originally Posted by neilmc

Gizze, if you just put it in to the bw dealer for routine servicing will it ever get found out? Or if it is in for warranty work on anything else bar the engine, say cluth judder or replacement trim etc will they check the counter then? just curious. if it was a warranty claim over the engine side I can understand it.

Even if they did notice any aberrations on the readings from the ECU,you would know nothing about it, why/(how) would/(could) you?



"Sorry"! "What's a remap"?

"I've got an A-Z in the glovebox"

[1700T]

I think what gizze is saying is spot on. Being a bit of a newbie here, I don't feel my opinions will count for much.

SC certainly aren't the company that they were a few years back.

[neilmc]

Quite true hotcoupe, but still curious as to if they routinely look or not?

[Hotcoupe]

Originally Posted by neilmc

Quite true hotcoupe, but still curious as to if they routinely look or not?

They have better things to do Neil.

If you went in with a blown turbo, or a serious fault with the engine, then perhaps they may well delve deeper, but routine servicing, they want the car in and out as quick as possible, Time = Money.

If they do an update, it will just remove the map (if it's there to be removed), job done!

I'm not disagreeing with Gizze, he's bang on in what he has stated about ECU readings,I've seen the printouts from the ECU.
So yes a remap/juicebox or any other form of engine modification can be seen/ be visible, despite any reassurances from remappers Etc.

The ECU is like a CCTV unit, but directed at the engine, and it's management.

[635d]

Originally Posted by neilmc

Gizze, if you just put it in to the bw dealer for routine servicing will it ever get found out? Or if it is in for warranty work on anything else bar the engine, say cluth judder or replacement trim etc will they check the counter then? just curious. if it was a warranty claim over the engine side I can understand it.

The other problem with the bluefin device is the fault codes it generates. During the upload process from the bluefin, communication fault codes (Can-bus failure) are generated in control units such as instrument cluster, ABS, air bag, DSC, autobox ect ect. These stand out like a sore thump to the mechanic when he/she checks for fault codes during routine servicing. The date and time is also recorded so the mechanic can cross reference this when the car was into the dealer last.

Even if you upload the stock software before you take the car in for a service these faults will stay there unless cleared and the Blue Fin cannot clear fault codes, only on the engine control unit. So, unless you get them cleared the dealer will know immediately the car has been remapped at some point

[neilmc]

As long as I get my 1st map back from superchips and get rid of this new one I will be a happy bunny!!! Really all of this is only relevant if you have aproblem. It is not like there are only a few re-mapped cars about, especially BMW's, that go in to the dealers every day with the maps on there. No one would ever have one fitted if you think about it that much.

[neilmc]

635d, agreed, but they cannot prove the "owner" has remapped it and put it back to normal, and if you are not making a warranty claim due to engine problems that the remap may have caused, what difference does it make? If it's a routine service, and no claim, how does that hurt? A rolling road throws up fault codes, and they must be logged. Has anyone ever heard of a dealer saying anything in routine servicing?

[Hotcoupe]

Originally Posted by neilmc

No one would ever have one fitted if you think about it that much.

I'd agree Neil, not something I would entertain, besides who needs the extra power?

I'm grateful for what the car came with, does me.

[635d]

Originally Posted by neilmc

635d, agreed, but they cannot prove the "owner" has remapped it and put it back to normal, and if you are not making a warranty claim due to engine problems that the remap may have caused, what difference does it make? If it's a routine service, and no claim, how does that hurt? A rolling road throws up fault codes, and they must be logged. Has anyone ever heard of a dealer saying anything in routine servicing?

The fault codes tell the mechanic someone has been messing with the software. I agree if you are not making a claim on warranty then all is well. If you are and the mechanics see these fault codes it gives the mechanic evidence to start digging for the remap. As Gizze says, the flash counter is also changed and this is also date and time logged.

Running your car on a dyno does log faults in the ABS control unit, such as "front wheels not spinning". However running your car on a dyno does not invalidate your warranty. All I am trying to advise is the fault codes give the mechanic an excuse to "start digging", if the fault codes where removed then there is no need for the mechanic to "start digging"

[neilmc]

I am with you there 635d, is ther any easy way to clear them? what equipment is needed? does it have to be BMW equipment? or can any good garage with bosch diagnostic etc do it?

[635d]

A decent fault code scanner can remove the fault codes, no problem but what is the point of having the bluefin. A decent remapper will know about the fault codes and clear the codes out.

As in Jamies reply, he is aware of the fault codes generated by the Bluefin device but the device cannot clear the fault codes. The consumer thinks there is less chance of the remap been discovered by the dealer by reverting the car back to stock. The reality is by using the Bluefin you are making the car more detectable to the remap for the mechanics during a routine service

[neilmc]

The point of the blufin is that you can revert it back to standard when you want. It may leave fault codes behind, and they may show up or not. If you have a remap done, you know the consequences. It also has the benefit of not having to go back to the remapper every time it gets wiped. Depending on where you live, this may involve along journey. all products have pros and cons and fans and non fans. It is up to the buyer. There are enough remaps on the roud and how many google threads on car companies not honouring waranties? superchips do offer a £10,000 warranty in the event of the dealer/ manufacturer not honouring the warranty due to a problem caused by the remap. At the end of the day the engine/mechanicals is covered by superchips warranty. If anything else goes wrong it is covered by the warranty as it is not going to be attributed to the remap.

[alcook]

I think the £10k warranty from Superchips is a deal sealer.

I'm only concerned about a major failure being disputed as I've always taken my cars to trusted mates from a car club I'm in, who own a garage, and who do a much better overall job with care and pride. So I'm not worried about the loss of the BMW service or the stamp.

[neilmc]

Agreed totally alcook. How many other tuners or people with ulterior motives lurk on this forum?