Detune for Tranny Maintenance?

[arejayesss]

Hello all,
I have made an appointment for tomorrow morning at the Lincoln Mercury Dealer's Service Dept. I am having the transmission fluid changed along with the filter. I have already talked to him and asked him to check for buildup on the magnet, clutch material etc. I am also having a new fuel filter put in (I have recently passed the 33,000 mark; I know I'm overdue!) Anyways......... to make a short story long, I was wondering if I should remove and swap the Xcal 2 tune on my MM. Is there any reason to, whether it be for warranty purposes (I have an ESP) or mechanical. Is there an advantage to having the stock tune in the car for this procedure? Am I just being paranoid?

rjs

[Pat]

This has been discussed before and there is no consensus. Opinions range from asking the service manager what their policy is, to reading your ESP and see if things are covered when the computer program is modified, to just keep it to yourself. Some folks reprogram to stock then back to the tuned version after service. Whatever your comfortable with.

I've taken my car in for regular service with my big purple bottle in the trunk, and the nitrous computer and lines in the engine bay with no comment from the dealer.

The Techs, however, all go bannans over it and all want to service the Nitrous Marauder (small city).

However, I have never had a problem that needed fixing under warranty.

Be sure they clear the "Check engne light" after they change the fuel filter.
The computer see's that as a loss of pressure and flags it. That's something they are supposed to do, but sometimes forget. Twice I've had to remind the dealer.

Therefore, it's best to show the service writer that there is no check engine light on, motor running, when you bring in the car.

Gently remind him that the fuel filter change will give a fault light and if there is one when you pick up the car then show him and get it cleared. A matter of a few minutes and it doesn't matter if you have a stock tune or a performance tune in the computer.

The dealer is not going to run a test to see what's in the computer that's not what the car is in the shop for.

[arejayesss]

;)Thank you so much Pat! That is exactly the info I wanted to hear. And some great tips to. I think I was worried that they may 'flash' my computer while it was there, and then leave me with 2 stock tunes! I think I will go ahead and swap out for stock tune for the appointment. I can rest assured that my tune will stay with me. Thanks again Pat.;)

[jonroe]

I think you are safest by putting the stock tune back for the appointment. There is always a chance that they might "update" the stock tune without it being on the "to-do" list and you safely have your performance tune with you.

I always do.

[BruteForce]

I think you are safest by putting the stock tune back for the appointment. There is always a chance that they might "update" the stock tune without it being on the "to-do" list and you safely have your performance tune with you.

I always do.

That would only happen if you didn't tell them "DO NOT FLASH THE COMPUTER WITHOUT MY SPECIFIC PERMISSION". After the first 3 or 4 times of telling them that they will probably remember on their own but I would still keep telling them anyway. That leaves no doubt in anybody's mind on what needs to be done.

My dealer knows to do nothing that isn't specifically listed on the work order without checking with me first... that includes washing the car.

Believe it or not they are there to provide YOU with a service. They need you more than you need them. That means you get to "drive" in that relationship.

[arejayesss]

Thanks alot for your input guys, I have swapped out the tune this morning and returned it to stock, just to be safe;) I have a hard time even leaving my car there all day, but it's gotta be done

[Marauderjack]

Definitely return it to "Stock" as they MAY update the EEC per Ford's direction and your VIN.....dealers always check for computer updates and if they attempt it with your tune it will be a mess!!:eek:

Don't risk it.....re-tune after your visit!!:beer:

Marauderjack:burnout:

[Cobra25]

Good Move Ryan ! Better Safe Than Sorry.
Thanks alot for your input guys, I have swapped out the tune this morning and returned it to stock, just to be safe;) I have a hard time even leaving my car there all day, but it's gotta be done

[arejayesss]

They called me this morning and said that the rear diff. was leaking:eek:, I guess it's not that big of a deal. They said to clean it up and re-seal it the charge would be about $85.00 I said, OK. Is this a somewhat common problem. I researched a little and found that excessive heat can cause the seal to fail? Or wheel hop?(don't know what they mean by that) Or even if the early 03's rear axle tsb thingy wasn't corrected early enough, there could be some particulate matter hanging around and ware the seal down. I'm not an expert, but it seemed like a reasonable charge for the work.

PS WOW this morning after I de-tuned it at my office and drove to the stealership, it felt more like my '99 grand marquis!!!! What a difference that tune makes. The shift points are night/day. Thanks again Dennis for the tune!:burnout:

[arejayesss]

Picked up the car after work today. A little bit of sticker shock goin' on.
The total bill was $458.52!! Was that too much? I know it's not important now, but for future reference maybe. Here is a breakdown of what was done.
Transmission Flush XT*5*BM Fluid labor-$108.99 parts $51.00
Drop pan and change filter Labor $76.99 Parts $33.98
Replace fuel filter Labor-$50.99 Parts $17.89
Reseal rear diff cover Labor-$50.99 Parts $20.00 (silicone?)
Total labor $287.96 (Dropped off at 8:15am - Ready at 12:48pm)
Total Parts $122.87
Misc. $23.04 (Not sure what this is, just noticed it. It says 'Customer pay shop charges for repair order')??

What do you guys think, I want the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. (Yes, I can handle the truth)

[CRUZTAKER]

I realize it's after the fact....


.

The dealer is not going to run a test to see what's in the computer that's not what the car is in the shop for.

Nor would they have ANY clue as to what the stock parameters should be since their updates are spoon fed to them.


There is always a chance that they might "update" the stock tune without it being on the "to-do" list....

Not if there is a p-touch label on the connector stating "DO NOT FLASH".:D

As far as what you paid...I think it was fair for where you went and who serviced the car. They are expected to know what they are doing. And that's what you paid for in the end. Hopefully they did indeed know what they were doing.

[GreekGod]

Picked up the car after work today. A little bit of sticker shock goin' on.
The total bill was $458.52!! Was that too much? I know it's not important now, but for future reference maybe. Here is a breakdown of what was done.
Transmission Flush XT*5*BM Fluid labor-$108.99 parts $51.00
Drop pan and change filter Labor $76.99 Parts $33.98
Replace fuel filter Labor-$50.99 Parts $17.89
Reseal rear diff cover Labor-$50.99 Parts $20.00 (silicone?)
Total labor $287.96 (Dropped off at 8:15am - Ready at 12:48pm)
Total Parts $122.87
Misc. $23.04 (Not sure what this is, just noticed it. It says 'Customer pay shop charges for repair order')??

What do you guys think, I want the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. (Yes, I can handle the truth)

What is the dealer's hourly rate? The fuel filter is really easy to change, but requires basic equiptment & tools. The dealer is charging you a premium rate. Shop charges are probably for extras, like cleaning rags/cloths, spray can supplies/cleaners, etc.

Since they already had it up on the hoist, they "should" (perhaps they did?) have reduced the labor charges for services that required mutiple hoisting of the vehicle (drop pan, fuel filt., & diff reseal).

Dealer mistakes & expensive labor/parts is why I decided to do whatever I could, myself. Forty years, 10,000 mistakes, & $10,000 (?) worth of tools later, I have learned, "a man has to know his limits". I am now approaching said understanding.

[magindat]

Picked up the car after work today. A little bit of sticker shock goin' on.
The total bill was $458.52!! Was that too much? I know it's not important now, but for future reference maybe. Here is a breakdown of what was done.
Transmission Flush XT*5*BM Fluid labor-$108.99 parts $51.00
Drop pan and change filter Labor $76.99 Parts $33.98
Replace fuel filter Labor-$50.99 Parts $17.89
Reseal rear diff cover Labor-$50.99 Parts $20.00 (silicone?)
Total labor $287.96 (Dropped off at 8:15am - Ready at 12:48pm)
Total Parts $122.87
Misc. $23.04 (Not sure what this is, just noticed it. It says 'Customer pay shop charges for repair order')??

What do you guys think, I want the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. (Yes, I can handle the truth)

Hmmm, maybe you should have come to Rich's garage!
Wix Fuel filter 10 bucks. Coaching to do it your self - free!!! Tool rent - Free!
Reseal diff cover: Silicone 4 bucks. Coaching and tool rent... Free.
Miscellaneous shop crap at Rich's house... buy replacements at FLAPS 10 bucks maybe?
Rubber cement on everything... Priceless :D

All in all, not bad considering stealership labor rates... it adds up fast... :bigcry:

[arejayesss]

Yeah, I know. Trust me, I would have loved to get up under there and get dirty. But you need to move closer to me!!!! You are about 3-1/2 hours away, making it a two day ordeal most likely, and I've been pretty busy lately and I was overdue for the tranny maintenance. I am sorry though, I would rather the money go towards your tire fund:burnout:

[Cordoba1]

Looks like a fair price to me. It has been my experience that when you take it to a dealer, you are going to pay a premium price. On the other hand, my experience is that it is almost always gets fixed right the first time. If not, dealers will often "make it right" without charging you more. This seems to ring true with newish cars....

As far as old cars, like my '75, I take it to the old man down the street who still rebuilds carbs himself. The guys at the dealer don't have a clue how to setup the automatic choke for cold weather!

[RF Overlord]

What do you guys think, I want the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. (Yes, I can handle the truth)Out of deference to a couple of our more highly-respected members who are dealer techs, I'm not going to bash the dealer, but you paid flat-rate labour for each of the jobs. That is, you paid for the fuel filter replacement as if you has brought the car in just for that, even though it was already on the lift for other work. In most independent shops you would have paid for the total labour time the car was in the air, not for 4 individual jobs done at 4 separate times...but that's the way dealers work and is one of the reasons they are frequently hideously expensive for routine work.

[GreekGod]

Out of deference to a couple of our more highly-respected members who are dealer techs, I'm not going to bash the dealer, but you paid flat-rate labour for each of the jobs. That is, you paid for the fuel filter replacement as if you has brought the car in just for that, even though it was already on the lift for other work. In most independent shops you would have paid for the total labour time the car was in the air, not for 4 individual jobs done at 4 separate times...but that's the way dealers work and is one of the reasons they are frequently hideously expensive for routine work.

That's what I was trying to say...you 'splained it better than I did...but, a good dealer would not do that to a valued customer...if my dealer did that to me, it would probably be the last time it happened with that dealer...unless I asked him about it, and he apologised to me and then adjusted the charges/bill.