manny_g

how about if you can reload the factory program back to the ecu before you take the car in for service...how would that be detectable??

Tony@epl

The only way to be truely safe is....

1. Have the exact software version of the factory file that came out of your ecu and be able to flash that directly back in. There are many factory binary versions.

2. Know what the "flash counter" is on your ecu and set it to what it was before the car was flashed with to an aftermarket file. This isn't something that the end user can really do.

At the end of the day the if you are concerned about your warranty...Buy a second ecu or dont flash the car.

John D II

I carried a spare ECU (the original) while my car was under warranty. I would install it prior to any dealer service and never had a problem. In the case of catastrophic failure, if the ecu was examined, a technician would be able to tell the nuts holding the ECU down had been used...and it could lead to a denial of claim. IMO, there is no absolute certain way, other than remaining OEM or perhaps having an expert reflash the counter as Tony pointed out.

mpclimber

When things got bad with denial of warranty claims in the Audi market, the dealers started painting the screw heads on the ECU when you brought it in for service to ensure you couldn't remove the ECU without them knowing.

John D II

I'm pretty sure mine were painted from the factory, so they would know it had been removed if they wanted to...