Bob McClenahan

My (Garrett chipped) A4 wouldn't start Christmas Eve. The starter would go, but the engine wouldn't. I took out the Garrett chip and reinstalled the stock one. I called Audi and had them deliver my car on a flatbed trailer to the local dealer.

They just called and said the cause of the problem was the chip. They voided my warrantee, and it looks like I'll have to pay a $1000 for a new computer plus labor.

I knew chipping was risky. I was just hoping it wouldn't be expensive.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Ambrose

I don't get it. How can they void your warrantee if you placed the original ECU back into the car? I mean, they have to prove that the aftermarket chip you put in caused the problem... but without the chip, how did they prove that?

- A.

stanj

I once had a similar thing happen (with my AMS 30v chip) when the Check Engine light came on. They gave me the lip, tried to squeeze me, I lipped back, and they did whatever they did to reset the problem.

Of course I had the advantage that my service light wansn't on when I gave them the car in the first place, so you may have a harder time.

BTW, $1000 for "The Computer" is ridiculous I think - the whole ECU has been seen for less (or am I wrong?)

G'luck,
- Stan

Goku

AFAIK Garrett has socketed chips. So all they have to do is open up the ECU and take a look. And since you modifed the ECU it is now void. $1000 seems a bit steep for an ECU. You should try Clair Parst express, I hear they sell brand new ECUs for about $700.

As far as the warranty goes, you can try to fight them but it will be a long and possibly costly process. Good luck either way.

Roger B

nt

This is reality!

People continuously say that a dealer has to "prove" that your modification caused a problem before a warranty can be voided. Others, including me, say that the reality of the situation is that a dealer doesn't have to prove a thing. They just void the warranty and then it becomes the owner's problem to get a lawyer or whatever. No matter what the law says for factory-eqivalent replacement parts (and a performance chip isn't in that category), the dealers still have the upper hand. Anyone still disagree and think that what Mr. McClenahan just reported (no proof done by dealer) is a figment of someone's imagination?

Carmen

Was the Socket or ECU the problem? If it is either, why not tt Garret. He should be able to bring your ECU back to normal. I talked at length with my service department before moving to a chip on their experiances. The owner of the dealership has a chipped B5, so they are somewhat "chip friendly".

Good Luck.....

Relax

This is most likely your problem.

Sockets are just too unreliable. If just one pin on the chip loses contact the entire car goes dead. Insist that all contact points are hard soldered.

BTW, if you want to be able to get the car home without towing it, try cleaining the socket with some electronics cleaner and a toothbrush.

HTH

Peter

First of all, do you have a spare ECU, or did you just put the stock CHIP into the Garrett socket ?

We need this info to help you further.

I just had a problem last week that my car would not start -- it was flux contamination on the socket. (Actually it stalled while driving, which is infinitely more frustrating than not starting in the driveway.) Nothing was wrong with the chip or the programming. And nothing was mechanically wrong with the car either.
The flux contamination just prevented a good electrical connection between the computer chip and the circuit board.

Based on what you wrote, I am going to assume that you do not have a spare ECU, and that you installed the Garrett chip & socket onto your factory ECU. And on Christmas Eve, you replaced the stock chip into the Garrett socket.
Please correct me if my assumption is incorrect.

Sounds like you have a bad electrical connection, quite possibly related to flux contamination, just like I had. Hence your car would not start.

Since you modified your factory ECU, it is pretty obvious that the part will no longer be covered under warranty, and that they would charge you for a new ECU.

I paid $689 for my Garrett chip and spare ECU.
And my factory ECU remained intact.
So when my car stalled, I just put in the stock ECU and drove "normally" for a few days.
That extra $289 was the best insurance I ever bought.
If all you need is a new ECU, you can get one much cheaper than $1000 (although that is the MSRP for the ECU.) Ask Garrett. Ask AWE. Ask Clair. Check the classifieds on this forum.
And the labor should be pretty reasonable -- ECU removal takes all of 5 minutes. They'll probably want 1 hour of labor for diagnostics.

In a pinch, you can also open up the ECU and spray contact cleaner on the socket. It'll probably get you home (no promises). But I'd want to replace the socket ASAP.


Remember, I am going under the assumption that you installed the chip onto your original ECU, and that was the only problem with the car.

If you had a spare ECU, and the dealer claims that something was wrong with the car mechanically, or that the chip programming somehow screwed up your car, then that would be the FIRST incident of that happening with a GIAC chip, and I would say go to another dealer.
Then again, if you had a spare ECU, your dealer shouldn't even know about the chip.

Email me if you want any further details on my recent experience and how it was solved.

Good luck,
Peter
98.5 1.8tqms GIAC 1 bar, ITG


Let this be a lesson to everyone: If you chip your car, buy a spare ECU.

Peter

If Mr. McClenahan modified his stock ECU, and there was a bad electrical connection, then obviously the part is not covered under warranty.
They are not going to troubleshoot someone else's customized work. They'll just drop in a new ECU and charge for it.

Let's wait to hear whether or not he had a spare ECU or modified the factory ECU before jumping to conclusions.

-- Peter