[Batell]

Hi guys,

I have been looking into getting either JB4 or EcuTek tuners, but the only thing holding me back is my warranty...if I just remove the tuner before I give it to the dealer for service, is it detectable? Will InTouch services flag something as well?

Would you guys reccomend JB4 or EcuTek?

'17 Q50S 3.0T

 

[jcb]

JB4 does not leave a trace....I believe EcuTek will be detectable because they will be able to see ECU rewrite history or at least last update date. Also I don't think it would be very practical to re-tune your car multiple times if you bring it into the dealer. No 1st hand experience with a tune though...just going by what I have read.

 

[djrice123]

JB4 is plug and play removable. EcUTek, u would have to flash back to stock rom I believe? EcuTek might be detectable.

 

[Batell]

JB4 does not leave a trace....I believe EcuTek will be detectable because they will be able to see ECU rewrite history or at least last update date. Also I don't think it would be very practical to re-tune your car multiple times if you bring it into the dealer. No 1st hand experience with a tune though...just going by what I have read.

You're absolutely right regarding the practicality. Thanks for the info. If I buy the JB4 should I go get a tune done or do they supply one already?

 

[Batell]

JB4 is plug and play removable. EcUTek, u would have to flash back to stock rom I believe? EcuTek might be detectable.

Do you use JB4? If so, what is your opinion on it? Are there reliability issues?

 

[SoFloQ50]

Depend

Hi guys,

I have been looking into getting either JB4 or EcuTek tuners, but the only thing holding me back is my warranty...if I just remove the tuner before I give it to the dealer for service, is it detectable? Will InTouch services flag something as well?

Would you guys reccomend JB4 or EcuTek?

'17 Q50S 3.0T

Depends on the dealership. I’ve taken mine to fix brakes and a weird shake at highway speeds and they didn’t say anything about what’s done to the car or do anything to my warranty I’m very slight bolt on with a ecutek tune but maybe they just didn’t notice If I had a catback it could’ve been a dead giveaway.

 

[BigHeadClan]

A bit of miss information here, lets try and clear this up.

Infiniti can only deny warranty if a modification is somehow related to the issue that they are investigating and prove it, this means if you have an after-market exhaust
and you're AC stops working Infiniti has to honor the warranty and repair the AC as the modification has no impact on the AC system.

Where as if you replaced your suspension with new coil-overs and you end up having to replace a bushing or end-link then that would not be covered.
In the case of an ECUtek/JB4 tune things are a bit more complicated as it effects so many systems.

Warranty can be denied for both types of tunes if discovered;
JB4 - Modifies how the car reads the incoming signals and effectively tricks the car into thinking it can run more boost,
this makes it very hard to detect and would require a technician dig through log files to prove the car is behaving in a particular
manner.

However if a technician sees a JB4 unit installed the car can be flagged or if they are actively investigating an issue
and are looking at the log files they can see

ECUTek - Effectively flashes the ECU with the version the tuner provides, this process then updates a counter
which Infiniti can very easily check any time the car is in for service and compare against their records to see if it matches what they have on file.

However as far as I'm aware Infiniti does not actively check this counter unless they suspect a tune is present and the cause of an issue,
where as someone like Audi will check their cars every time they go in for service even if it's just for an oil change.

Ultimately your experience will depends on the dealership you are going to and it's staff, some will see small indications and look
the other way and other shops despise any type of modification and will make your life miserable.

Get to know your shop before doing any big changes and most important be willing to pay out of pocket if things go south.

 

[Ddnspider]

I agree that a warranty can only be denied if the modification is related to the failure, i.e. A/C failure vs. modded exhaust isn't going to get denied. However if they discover a tune/JB4 while fixing your A/C, they can still void your engine/powertrain warranty even if you don't have a failure.

 

[Q60NH]

I agree that a warranty can only be denied if the modification is related to the failure, i.e. A/C failure vs. modded exhaust isn't going to get denied. However if they discover a tune/JB4 while fixing your A/C, they can still void your engine/powertrain warranty even if you don't have a failure.

It’s not that easy. Under the Magnusson Moss Act, the dealer must prove that any modifications caused the issue.

Auto Warranties and Service Contracts

If you're buying a new or used car, the salesperson might try to sell you an auto service contract to help protect against unexpected or expensive repairs.

www.consumer.ftc.gov

 

[Ddnspider]

It’s not that easy. Under the Magnusson Moss Act, the dealer must prove that any modifications caused the issue.

Auto Warranties and Service Contracts

If you're buying a new or used car, the salesperson might try to sell you an auto service contract to help protect against unexpected or expensive repairs.

www.consumer.ftc.gov

I am well aware of the Magnusson Moss Act. I've already had this conversation multiple times on here. It is very easy to draft a technical explanation as to why an aftermarket tune will void an engine/power train warranty.

 

[Q60NH]

My point was in regards to your previous post.

“However if they discover a tune/JB4 while fixing your A/C, they can still void your engine/powertrain warranty even if you don't have a failure.”

I really don’t think the dealer can void your engine warantee just because they discovered a JB4.

 

[Ddnspider]

My point was in regards to your previous post.

“However if they discover a tune/JB4 while fixing your A/C, they can still void your engine/powertrain warranty even if you don't have a failure.”

I really don’t think the dealer can void your engine warantee just because they discovered a JB4.

They can do exactly that. I've seen emissions warranties voided for A/C fixes due to modded exhaust. The dealer can do whatever they want and you better believe unless you have an in with them that if they see a JB4 hanging off the intake they're going to void something unless the service tech is really cool.

 

[Q60NH]

Wow, thats crazy. I would not do business with that dealer. My dealer has never said a word about my mods.

 

[DrJason]

They can do exactly that. I've seen emissions warranties voided for A/C fixes due to modded exhaust. The dealer can do whatever they want and you better believe unless you have an in with them that if they see a JB4 hanging off the intake they're going to void something unless the service tech is really cool.

Seriously?

That's nuts. Are they in their legal bounds to do that? I thought legally speaking dealers are only allowed to void the part of the warranty they think a mod could affect. If its totally unrelated, they can't void it right?

 

[Ddnspider]

I completely agree that its crazy, but its their prerogative unless you're hiring a lawyer, etc. Now if an engine blows up and the car has a tune, the dealership has a very valid justification to void the warranty as I've explained in the past. There are simply too many hacks our there putting out bad tunes doing who knows what inside the ECU to guarantee that its a motor defect and not something in the tune that caused it. And unfortunately many are stuck with their local dealerships because the next closest one is hours away.

 

[jcb]

JB4 does not require a tune. It is mainly a boost controller and has some features to tweak fuel mix and wastegate control. I do have JB4 and it works very well for my car. Biggest gains are on a standard 3.0t rather than a Red Sport. It is capable of increasing a non-red sport 3.0t model to greater that red sport output. Of course also capable of modestly increasing a red sports power output as well. If you get it, opt for the blue tooth option so you can control it from your phone and also create data logs so you can analyze how well the engine is handling the extra boost.

 

[DrJason]

I completely agree that its crazy, but its their prerogative unless you're hiring a lawyer, etc. Now if an engine blows up and the car has a tune, the dealership has a very valid justification to void the warranty as I've explained in the past. There are simply too many hacks our there putting out bad tunes doing who knows what inside the ECU to guarantee that its a motor defect and not something in the tune that caused it. And unfortunately many are stuck with their local dealerships because the next closest one is hours away.

I know that. If your engine blows because of a tune, I wouldn't expect the dealer to help you out there. But if your A/C goes out and they void your warranty because you have an intake or exhaust is stretching it a bit, right?

JB4 does not require a tune. It is mainly a boost controller and has some features to tweak fuel mix and wastegate control. I do have JB4 and it works very well for my car. Biggest gains are on a standard 3.0t rather than a Red Sport. It is capable of increasing a non-red sport 3.0t model to greater that red sport output. Of course also capable of modestly increasing a red sports power output as well. If you get it, opt for the blue tooth option so you can control it from your phone and also create data logs so you can analyze how well the engine is handling the extra boost.

This is true.

I think with JB4 Map 2/3 you are able to get to stock Red Sport PSI. So basically, a standard 3.0T Luxe/SS with a JB4 Map 2/3 can net you Red Sport power or slightly better. Definitely - the biggest gains from JB4 or tune is from the standard 3.0T Luxe/SS models. Its because both the Luxe/SS and Red Sport have the same engine. The only difference between the engines are that the Red Sport has a higher PSI and a better cooling system.

 

[Ddnspider]

I know that. If your engine blows because of a tune, I wouldn't expect the dealer to help you out there. But if your A/C goes out and they void your warranty because you have an intake or exhaust is stretching it a bit, right?



...

I didn't say they would void the AC fix because of exhaust. I said that when they have the car if independently they discover a jb4 or a tune they could void the mechanical engine warranty. Just like my example of fixing the AC and voiding the emissions warranty.

 

[Batell]

A bit of miss information here, lets try and clear this up.

Infiniti can only deny warranty if a modification is somehow related to the issue that they are investigating and prove it, this means if you have an after-market exhaust
and you're AC stops working Infiniti has to honor the warranty and repair the AC as the modification has no impact on the AC system.

Where as if you replaced your suspension with new coil-overs and you end up having to replace a bushing or end-link then that would not be covered.
In the case of an ECUtek/JB4 tune things are a bit more complicated as it effects so many systems.

Warranty can be denied for both types of tunes if discovered;
JB4 - Modifies how the car reads the incoming signals and effectively tricks the car into thinking it can run more boost,
this makes it very hard to detect and would require a technician dig through log files to prove the car is behaving in a particular
manner.

However if a technician sees a JB4 unit installed the car can be flagged or if they are actively investigating an issue
and are looking at the log files they can see

ECUTek - Effectively flashes the ECU with the version the tuner provides, this process then updates a counter
which Infiniti can very easily check any time the car is in for service and compare against their records to see if it matches what they have on file.

However as far as I'm aware Infiniti does not actively check this counter unless they suspect a tune is present and the cause of an issue,
where as someone like Audi will check their cars every time they go in for service even if it's just for an oil change.

Ultimately your experience will depends on the dealership you are going to and it's staff, some will see small indications and look
the other way and other shops despise any type of modification and will make your life miserable.

Get to know your shop before doing any big changes and most important be willing to pay out of pocket if things go south.

Thanks for the great info!

 

[Avedis53]

I know that. If your engine blows because of a tune, I wouldn't expect the dealer to help you out there. But if your A/C goes out and they void your warranty because you have an intake or exhaust is stretching it a bit, right?



This is true.

I think with JB4 Map 2/3 you are able to get to stock Red Sport PSI. So basically, a standard 3.0T Luxe/SS with a JB4 Map 2/3 can net you Red Sport power or slightly better. Definitely - the biggest gains from JB4 or tune is from the standard 3.0T Luxe/SS models. Its because both the Luxe/SS and Red Sport have the same engine. The only difference between the engines are that the Red Sport has a higher PSI and a better cooling system.

Don't forget the RS has speed sensors on the turbos while the other trims do not.