[wang970305]

Does anybody have experience with swapping out ECU/ECM for 6th gen camaro? I wanna keep my power train warranty but also wanna put headers on��I heard that might the only way to get around it, but not sure if the new ECU would actually work on the car while I’m keeping the OEM one in the garage?

I saw an dol post about it but not sure if there’s any updates for the past 6 years

[LT4Greg]

Well wang, are you going to take the headers off if your Camaro needs warranty work? And as far as I know once you replace the ecm with another one that has a aftermarket tune your warranty is up. I maybe mistaken on that but I do know if you install headers then the warranty is gone.

[WhiteMale]

You thinking that they wont see headers under the hood.

[Number 3]

Originally Posted by wang970305

Does anybody have experience with swapping out ECU/ECM for 6th gen camaro? I wanna keep my power train warranty but also wanna put headers on��I heard that might the only way to get around it, but not sure if the new ECU would actually work on the car while I’m keeping the OEM one in the garage?

I saw an dol post about it but not sure if there’s any updates for the past 6 years

Sorry, doesn’t work. Blame former Corvette Chief Engineer Dave Hill who got tired of paying warranty on modified cars. You can’t change the calibration, change the calibration and the try to go back, or change the module. They have their ways and that means you don’t.

[GreenZLE]

You'd have to change out every module in the car and the instrument cluster.

[olrocker]

Just wait till your drivetrain warranty expires then modify and change the ECM tuning all you want. Or if you’re not concerned with warranty coverage you can do it now. You just might as well throw your warranty book out the window.

Depending on the dealer and/or mood of the techs that day if you pull in for a simple oil change and they just see headders they’ll red mark your vin.

Other dealers will try to push through a warranty claim no matter if you have have straight pipes, drag slicks, or turned it into a gasser……. Some dealers are cool and some aren’t.

[cellsafemode]

warranty concerns are for the camaro faithless. roll the dice and f that warranty. mod the car while things still work and are new rather than try to push past factory power levels with 5+ years of wear and tear that will just lead to a domino effect of added costs fixing failing parts (assuming the aftermarket for this car still exists by then... which only has gotten smaller over the last 7 years)

[CHASLT1]

Even if you swap it out they will know.

[laynlo15]

Forget the warranty and mod the hell out of it. You can't hide anything from GM or any other manufacturer. This has been discussed so many times it gets old talking about it.

[Xaxas]

Magnuson-Moss warranty act states that any part changed only affects the warranty for said part AND if there is something wrong with the car due to said modifications, then the dealership has to prove it.

I had all BMR suspension in my previous car but some part of the front suspension was loose/damaged under a TSB, part was $78 and I could have done it myself, but I have a warranty for a reason, advisor wanted to deny work, talked to the service manager and he very kindly allowed the work to proceed.

[PizzzzzaForPresident]

Originally Posted by Xaxas

Magnuson-Moss warranty act states that any part changed only affects the warranty for said part AND if there is something wrong with the car due to said modifications, then the dealership has to prove it.

I had all BMR suspension in my previous car but some part of the front suspension was loose/damaged under a TSB, part was $78 and I could have done it myself, but I have a warranty for a reason, advisor wanted to deny work, talked to the service manager and he very kindly allowed the work to proceed.

That's not what Magnuson-Moss exists for. It allows the use of 3rd party OEM equivalent parts for repairs and maintenance. It is not intended to cover modifying your car for performance. Most dealers don't mind basic mods that have minimal impact like a catback, but if you swap headers with an engine tune and you experience transmission or differential troubles your claim will be denied.

[Xaxas]

Originally Posted by PizzzzzaForPresident

That's not what Magnuson-Moss exists for. It allows the use of 3rd party OEM equivalent parts for repairs and maintenance. It is not intended to cover modifying your car for performance. Most dealers don't mind basic mods that have minimal impact like a catback, but if you swap headers with an engine tune and you experience transmission or differential troubles your claim will be denied.

You're still replacing a header which function is that of a header for... Another header which function is that of a header.

Explanation from a shop that sells performance parts

If you change your intake manifold for, say, a Holley High Ram intake, your warranty isn't voided, car is still working as it was intended to.

If your engine blows up because there was some fault in the connecting rod, you're still under warranty because the intake didn't cause that.

If a metal shard breaks off from the interior of the manifold, goes inside a piston, causes damages and makes it blow up, then you no longer have a warranty because the intake caused the failure.

If the bolts are loose from the install and something happens that causes the engine to blow up, no warranty.

Adding an LT4 supercharger to an LT1 and it makes the engine blow up? Debatable but I'd side with not having warranty since it's TECHNICALLY out of spec, I wouldn't risk it.

If you mod your regular intake manifold to add port injection, you're out of warranty too because that's out of spec since the 6th gen doesn't run on port injection (and GM never offered the LT5 ).

Tuner? Very gray area that is a hassle like they stated, and like you mention, dealer might not care and be understanding or they might outright deny, doubt most repairs are worth the legal costs and time even though you can get restitution IF you win, but that's SO few cases and generally if you can afford modifications, you can also afford to replace the things you break.

(At least this is what I understand from looking at multiple sources that discuss this)

Personally, I wouldn't take the risk even if I have the grounds to win, I'm already dealing with an AC company that caused damages and doesn't want to pay... $620, can't imagine involving a dealership and a multi-billion corporation with infinite more money than a regular mortal over a 5-6 figure repair, I do know that if I add headers and my battery goes bad, that's still warrantied, but the best you can do is be nice and talk to a MANAGER.

[PizzzzzaForPresident]

Originally Posted by Xaxas

You're still replacing a header which function is that of a header for... Another header which function is that of a header.

Explanation from a shop that sells performance parts

If you change your intake manifold for, say, a Holley High Ram intake, your warranty isn't voided, car is still working as it was intended to.

If your engine blows up because there was some fault in the connecting rod, you're still under warranty because the intake didn't cause that.

If a metal shard breaks off from the interior of the manifold, goes inside a piston, causes damages and makes it blow up, then you no longer have a warranty because the intake caused the failure.

If the bolts are loose from the install and something happens that causes the engine to blow up, no warranty.

Adding an LT4 supercharger to an LT1 and it makes the engine blow up? Debatable but I'd side with not having warranty since it's TECHNICALLY out of spec, I wouldn't risk it.

If you mod your regular intake manifold to add port injection, you're out of warranty too because that's out of spec since the 6th gen doesn't run on port injection (and GM never offered the LT5 ).

Tuner? Very gray area that is a hassle like they stated, and like you mention, dealer might not care and be understanding or they might outright deny, doubt most repairs are worth the legal costs and time even though you can get restitution IF you win, but that's SO few cases and generally if you can afford modifications, you can also afford to replace the things you break.

(At least this is what I understand from looking at multiple sources that discuss this)

Personally, I wouldn't take the risk even if I have the grounds to win, I'm already dealing with an AC company that caused damages and doesn't want to pay... $620, can't imagine involving a dealership and a multi-billion corporation with infinite more money than a regular mortal over a 5-6 figure repair, I do know that if I add headers and my battery goes bad, that's still warrantied, but the best you can do is be nice and talk to a MANAGER.

It's not an opinion. There are plenty of real world examples from basically every manufacturer proving how wrong your speculation is.

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Example 4

Example 5

There are plenty more where that came from...

[arpad_m]

Pizza is right, the moment you change the powertrain calibration, you no longer have a warranty. Magnuson-Moss is about preventing vendor/manufacturer lock-in for wear items and parts where certifications and standards are available and met.

Your examples, Xaxas, apply common sense logic from a subjective point of view (that of your own), because you know exactly what went into your car. The manufacturer doesn't, and thus they cannot be required to honor their warranty of manufacturing and workmanship on unknown, unverified parts and most importantly, software (tune). Imagine you introduce a product, someone hacks it, takes it beyond your specs, and then your customers flock back to you demanding replacements.

(No, I don't work or shill for GM, in fact if you look at my post history, I'm one of their staunch critics here, but let's not get carried away. You mod the car, you own your mods and the resulting responsibility. In many cases, service departments are lenient and willing to apply the same logic you demonstrated, but it's based on goodwill, not liability.)