[White_1LE]

Originally Posted by RUQWIKR

On the GM CAI kit, on the instruction sheet, there is a very long alphanumeric code they give TAC that can only be used once to tie to a VIN.

Indeed, that is how he explained it to me. I just didn't have the code. He said it is also on an orange sticker that comes with the kit? Not sure. This is new to me since I haven't turned a wrench in a GM dealer since 2000... Man I am getting old.

Originally Posted by TrackClub

Fingers crossed for ya!

Thanks! Feels better today on my test drive and LT FTs are mostly in the -2 to -8 range driving around. Sometimes even 0 or slightly positive. It does show -8 to -10 for LT FTs at idle after getting to operating temp, but overall it feels better and I am getting wheelspin driving around town that I previously did not. Following all laws and regulations on public roads of course.

Originally Posted by Tim M

Uh oh...

If the car doesn't make power - recommend you submit the lemon law notification before doing anything else.

I got no help from the dealer until Chevrolet Corporate got involved. It starts the clock.

But it does sound like the tech did the same investigation/fix as the Chevrolet specialist did to mine months in to the ordeal.

Thanks! Man, I read your thread and it resonated instantly! Sorry to hear others have had this happen too. It just makes no sense that they cannot get this right. But I at least felt like I wasn't going crazy after reading your ordeal, so thank you for writing it up and doing all that research!

I should know for sure if mine is right after I get a chance to put it on the dyno again next week. I will keep everyone posted. It sure feels better though.

[White_1LE]

Alright, I have good news. I took the car down to TPIS today to make another pull to verify what the butt-dyno was telling me.

Made 394 RWHP @5900 RPM, 391 RWTQ @ 4800 RPM.

It was still rich at 11.6:1, but that is still much better than before. There is power there if I decide to do a custom tune and lean it a bit. But still… the calibration change from GM made a 60 RWHP difference! That is just nuts…

It blows me away that GM has this big of a problem and either doesn’t realize it, or is not doing anything to actively remedy it.

I really appreciate the help I got from you all on this forum. THANK YOU!

[Tim M]

Glad you got is solved.

Likely our cars are anomalies...and/or those that have a similar situation - just don't know it.

[Eldi Z]

Originally Posted by White_1LE

Alright, I have good news. I took the car down to TPIS today to make another pull to verify what the butt-dyno was telling me.

Made 394 RWHP @5900 RPM, 391 RWTQ @ 4800 RPM.

It was still rich at 11.6:1, but that is still much better than before. There is power there if I decide to do a custom tune and lean it a bit. But still… the calibration change from GM made a 60 RWHP difference! That is just nuts…

It blows me away that GM has this big of a problem and either doesn’t realize it, or is not doing anything to actively remedy it.

I really appreciate the help I got from you all on this forum. THANK YOU!

Happy to read that this issue got sorted
I was following this thread for a while...

So you are on a stock GM file.
Can you share the build/Revision #? The Diagnostics guy at the dealership surely has a record which he can pull out from the ECM flash history.

Are you also back with the stock Airbox / Paper filter?

[White_1LE]

Originally Posted by Eldi Z

Happy to read that this issue got sorted
I was following this thread for a while...

So you are on a stock GM file.
Can you share the build/Revision #? The Diagnostics guy at the dealership surely has a record which he can pull out from the ECM flash history.

Are you also back with the stock Airbox / Paper filter?

Jim at TPIS was going to pull the calibration but ran out of time.

I am not sure if I can get that level of detail from the dealer. I can try though. The tech definitely wanted me to check back in and let him know how it went for any future situations like this.

This is with the GM CAI installed still.

The delta increase is really what I was looking for in all of this. I know many get 400+ with the CAI, and dyno to dyno comparisons, and day to day comparisons even on the same dyno are inherently flawed, etc., so I am not all that concerned with the actual number. I am guessing on some dynos it would be over 400 RWHP, and others a little lower. In my experience TPIS's axle/flange Dynomite dyno is more conservative than others, but that might also mean it is actually more accurate and not blowing smoke to make people feel good. I also drove an hour, let it sit for maybe 10-15 minutes while they bolted up the dyno, and we made the pulls, so it was pretty warm still.

[BlueinTN]

I cant see it passing emissions with the AFR in the 10 range. The dealer gives you any trouble throw it back on warranty for that. Cars got to pass emissions while under warranty. Alot of Wideband guages dont even read down too 10:1 on the gas scale so you know the car was running rich.

[Jimbeau11]

Interesting thread. I had been thinking my car felt slower than expected versus cars I would expect to be similar to or faster than, particularly on long straights.

For example I was a little surprised how much a stock Corvette C7 GS pulled me on the front straight at NJMP Thunderbolt, and while I know my car is heavier, I was expecting to be closer in speed.

Now I'm wondering if the dealer didn't tune the car correctly after installing the GMP CAI.

I guess it'll be dyno-time in the off-season.......

[Uncle Sam]

[QUOTE=White_1LE;10593943]

What makes this even more complicated for me is that the dealer I bought it from got it from another dealer several hundred miles away because they didn't have what I wanted (or any 1LEs for that matter). The CAI is on the window sticker, but the other dealer did the install...

QUOTE]

This is the problem. The other dealer put the Cold Air Kit on with no tune, maybe not even knowing that it wasn't just a bolt on goody; it's on the window sticker for additional profit. Did the original dealer charge GM for the tech time that is part of the cost of the kit? I wonder if they tossed the single use code?

Hope it gets sorted out. It is a shame a customer buying a new car has to figure this out.

[Uncle Sam]

Originally Posted by Jimbeau11

Interesting thread. I had been thinking my car felt slower than expected versus cars I would expect to be similar to or faster than, particularly on long straights.

For example I was a little surprised how much a stock Corvette C7 GS pulled me on the front straight at NJMP Thunderbolt, and while I know my car is heavier, I was expecting to be closer in speed.

Now I'm wondering if the dealer didn't tune the car correctly after installing the GMP CAI.

I guess it'll be dyno-time in the off-season.......

Could be aero as well as weight.

[kalel]

Originally Posted by White_1LE

Jim at TPIS was going to pull the calibration but ran out of time.

I am not sure if I can get that level of detail from the dealer. I can try though. The tech definitely wanted me to check back in and let him know how it went for any future situations like this.

This is with the GM CAI installed still.

The delta increase is really what I was looking for in all of this. I know many get 400+ with the CAI, and dyno to dyno comparisons, and day to day comparisons even on the same dyno are inherently flawed, etc., so I am not all that concerned with the actual number. I am guessing on some dynos it would be over 400 RWHP, and others a little lower. In my experience TPIS's axle/flange Dynomite dyno is more conservative than others, but that might also mean it is actually more accurate and not blowing smoke to make people feel good. I also drove an hour, let it sit for maybe 10-15 minutes while they bolted up the dyno, and we made the pulls, so it was pretty warm still.

White-1LE,
I bought a slightly used car with the factory CAI installed. How can I check to see if they properly reflashed the ECU after install?

[White_1LE]

Originally Posted by Uncle Sam

This is the problem. The other dealer put the Cold Air Kit on with no tune, maybe not even knowing that it wasn't just a bolt on goody; it's on the window sticker for additional profit. Did the original dealer charge GM for the tech time that is part of the cost of the kit? I wonder if they tossed the single use code?

Hope it gets sorted out. It is a shame a customer buying a new car has to figure this out.

It is hard to know what the previous dealer did. It seems more like they flashed a calibration into it that was wrong versus no calibration change at all. The tech I talked to at the purchasing dealer said the calibration file in it reported as the proper one for the car and up to date initially. Even with the stock air box in it, the LT FTs were way off and it felt the same prior to the calibration change. I would think a stock SS with a CAI of any brand would do more than 330-340 RWHP. What do stock SS M6 cars with the OEM stock airbox put down typically?

I have a theory that a bad base calibration or CAI delta package was floating around within GM for a small period of time and some of our cars got this bad calibration installed into them when the GM CAI got installed. That or their is not enough QA involved in the tech flashing the calibration and tech-error caused this somehow.

I am still confused on the details of how this happened still, and definitely frustrated that this happened, but as of right now, I feel like 394 RWHP and the way the car feels is appropriate, so I am happy with my car right now.

[White_1LE]

Originally Posted by kalel

White-1LE,
I bought a slightly used car with the factory CAI installed. How can I check to see if they properly reflashed the ECU after install?

I wish I had an easy answer for you on that. It seems like nobody at Chevrolet is aware of this. That makes it hard to go into the dealer and get them to understand what you are asking about. If you have a good relationship with the dealer, and you have all the documentation for the car (the LPO code for the GM CAI for your car), you could have them build a fresh calibration and flash it just to be safe. But I am guessing most dealers will want to charge you for that.

I had dyno numbers with air/fuel ratio and extremely low fuel trims as evidence to back up my claim, and I got lucky with a technician that is a bit of a racer himself that understood my issue.

So it might not hurt to just go have a couple of dyno pulls done on the car to confirm things. It doesn't sound like this is happening to all cars, and maybe not even all cars with LPO dealer installed GM CAIs.

When I get a chance to talk with the technician that looked at my car again I will see if he can give me any details I could use to help others that might be experiencing this.

Also, it might just make sense for some people to have a custom tune done on the car if you want to get everything out of it and that would eliminate this whole ordeal. Mine was still a bit rich on the 394 RWHP run, so there is more on the table if I want to do a custom tune on mine as well. Any good tuner could get your car set up with good MAF scaler and timing tables to make it run well and get proper power out of it.

[Boost Creep]

Originally Posted by White_1LE

Also, it might just make sense for some people to have a custom tune done on the car if you want to get everything out of it and that would eliminate this whole ordeal. Mine was still a bit rich on the 394 RWHP run, so there is more on the table if I want to do a custom tune on mine as well. Any good tuner could get your car set up with good MAF scaler and timing tables to make it run well and get proper power out of it.

While this is ideal for getting the most out of the car, it will for sure blow your power train warranty out of the water.

I'm holding off until near warranty end for long tube headers, a CAI, and a good tune. Until then, no monkeying around under the hood for me.

[White_1LE]

Originally Posted by Boost Creep

While this is ideal for getting the most out of the car, it will for sure blow your power train warranty out of the water.

I'm holding off until near warranty end for long tube headers, a CAI, and a good tune. Until then, no monkeying around under the hood for me.

Well yeah, modifying many things like the tune will void all or parts of your warranty. Just putting it out there that it is possible to avoid the dealership ordeal if you are already out of warranty coverage or don't care about the warranty.

I only have 3.5k miles on my car and also desire to keep the warranty intact, so I will also be leaving mine as-is, at least for now.