Regarding the "Stealth" or "Flash Tuner"
Lets have a look at what we are carrying on about, i mean, really.
There seems to be 2 ridiculous issues here,
1- The ECU edit causing a car to be more likely to have an accident (well thats what some of you are making it sound like!)
2- The edit causing the warranty to be voided for all claims (again, thats what some people posting here seem to think!)
Answer number 1 -Its not the issue of a modified computer program causing you to have an accident. If you think an edit is going to reduce your ability to drive your vehicle with an acceptable level of responsibility then dont buy it! Spend the edit money on driver training instead! Because somebody has worked out a higher performing and more efficient way for your ECU to run doesnt increase the daily risk of having an accident anyway!
If you happen to be responsible for causing an accident, its exactly like PaulV stated,
"blame is placed on the point of failure, not on the maximum performance of the car. If the cause was speed then that was the cause - no-one is blaming a car tune-up unless it fails. The police will be looking for failure to adhere to driving laws first and then component failure second. Component enhancement is going to be very low on their list of priorities unless it is obvious and could be critical to the cause of accident."
Its not even as detailed as "component enhancement" We are talking about your standard, stock as a rock looking car ECU. Probably the last thing in an entire line of accident causing factors that an investigator would be worried about! If the accident was not your fault then why would they give a f*&K about diagnosing your ECU?
Answer number 2- Fact of the matter is, if you buy a new home PC with warranty, then you upgrade the RAM chip, install your own antivirus etc, and your monitior dies, or the mouse buttons stop working, they're not going to void the replacement warranty on those faulty parts just because you have done an upgrade on the software.
My ute has a flaw in the casting of the sump, therefore the sump needs to be replaced under warranty. Do you think they are worried about the ECU?
One of my mates has a XR6T with upgraded injectors, modified exhaust, piggypack ECU management, and a Cold air intake. His radiator shat itself and started leaking all over the place, and was replaced under full factory warranty, and why shouldnt it be?
At the end of the day, if you want to upgrade your vehicle from stock, everyone has their own reasons and their own boundaries of how far they want to go. Some of these boundaries are restricted by things like responsibility to someone elses property, or finances. Most people are looking for the best value for money enhancement they can get, so thats why the Flash tuner has generated a lot of interest.
Just use your common sence in respect of your responsibilty, dont be paranoid and enjoy your driving!
