Rich_W

Does it make you feel good to exasserbate the situation?

Honestly... this is an isolated case, hardly the norm.

RoadRager

The owner of my dealership chips his A4. If you chip, tell dealership upfront, that's all.

RKA

More likely than not, he has already paid the bill via CC in order to reclaim his car. Most credit card companies will understand the position the vendor put the consumer in, most will also side with the consumer, provided everything they claim is adequately documented.

Again, you raise a good point, but this may still work out for him. A call to his CC company should give him some answers.

Gandalf The Silver

I suspected that your dealership was staffed by idiots...this only confirms it :-\

Spoonie G

Not all dealers are chip friendly

Gandalf The Silver

...but the odds are heavily in your favor that you will be incident free.

Nevertheless, the word "risk", is what it is. I'm fully prepared to take that risk and pay for my own turbo, if push comes to shove :-\

lawong

I remember reading something specific about automotive purchases with my American Express Blue.. It may have to do with their additional insurance that they provide and have nothing to do with the disputing a charge. They might not be able to do anything for you, other than put the charges on hold as you are pending the validity of the charges.

Ralphie

You should consider the fact that not all of us are boy racers that mod their cars to outperform other cars.

ScottAW

Research the facts a bit more, and then approach the service manager in person - take him to his office, close the door, speak to him privately. Talk to him in a calm, rational, and respective manner. Explain to him that you know you have a chipped ECU, and understand that with a chipped ECU any would-be warranty work on parts related to the modified ECU would be covered at your expense. Also explain to him that you did not give consent for the installation of a new ECU, and that you were specific in what needed to be replaced or worked on.

If you take the time and work things out without getting emotional or letting the service manager get emotional, usually things can be worked out no problem. But slinging bull**** around like it's going out of style means no one wins.

ScottAW

If that doesn't work, the next step you should take is to type up the scenario as it exist. Be very simple, clean, and professional with an unbiased opinion - list the facts out, such as service manager Mr. J.Doe states "Blah, Blah", that you brought the car to be worked on such and such only and nothing else, that no calls were made to ask your permission to install a new ECU, state that you have a modified ECU and the details surrounding that. Then - go back to the service manager, and ask him to sign the factual data sheet. If he is willing to stand behind his words, he'll sign it. If not, then you know that he is B.S.'ing you, and you should challenge him from that point, and then I would state that you are going to seek legal counsel to resolve the matter.