Does using a performance ECU void your warranty? I think VW doesn't mind with the 1.8T, Wondering if Saab is the same way. If it would void warranty, can the enhanced ECU be easily swapped with the original ECU when visiting dealer?

Either way who are the reputable dealers for enhanced ECUs for 9-3s? (BTW I have a 2004 Aero).

Dan :-??

Using a performance ECU or reprogramming your ECU will void the warranty. In Europe, Saab works with a company called Hirsch for performance enhancements that don't void your warranty but here in the USA the program is not available.

Check out the 9-3SS Performance, Mods & Tuning forum for posts on the BSR PPC. People seem to be having some success with this modification.

I moved this in the right forum.

http://www.enjoythedrive.com/content/?id=8123

It looks like we now have the ability to mod all we want with no warranty issues!

Using a performance ECU or reprogramming your ECU will void the warranty. In Europe, Saab works with a company called Hirsch for performance enhancements that don't void your warranty but here in the USA the program is not available.

Check out the 9-3SS Performance, Mods & Tuning forum for posts on the BSR PPC. People seem to be having some success with this modification.

Amazing how much ignorance gets passed around as fact. It will NOT necessarily void your warranty.

a- it has to be related to the warranty claim. They can't deny you coverage on your power windows because you boosted the turbo and played with the ecu

b- They have to be able to PROVE that your mod caused the damage. They can refuse to cover it, but you can take them to court and win.

c- Your dealer has to KNOW about the mods. The one being discussed here recently apparently can be removed quickly before taking it in.

d- Your dealer has to CARE about the mod. The dealer gets paid by Saab to fix their cars, they dont' have a huge incentive to tick off a customer and lose repair dollars by denying the claim. Obviously, if they rat you out to Saab you're probably not going to spend $2500 there on the repairs and will go elsewhere.

e- here in the us, federal law protects you against such silliness

http://www.granatellimotorsports.com/magnusonmoss.htm

So knock off the chatroom lawyering if you don't know what you're talking about.

Amazing how much ignorance gets passed around as fact. It will NOT necessarily void your warranty.

<snip>

b- They have to be able to PROVE that your mod caused the damage. They can refuse to cover it, but you can take them to court and win.

Yes, but not many people have the time, money or inclination to take the dealer to court. Also, this all really boils down to "will the dealer *think* my mod caused a problem". Even if the dealer is obviously wrong, and the mod didn't cause a problem, fighting with them over it isn't something I want to do.

a- it has to be related to the warranty claim. They can't deny you coverage on your power windows because you boosted the turbo and played with the ecu

ECU upgrades are a special case. Let's say a piston ring starts leaking. The ring was probably not 100% as good as other rings to begin with, but without your mod, and the increased stress it put on the ring, it might have lasted forever, nobody can really tell.
Or say your transmission goes out. Obviously the ECU upgrade didn't *cause* that. However, saab designed that trannie to deal with 175HP, not the 230+ your car is currently putting out. The same could be said about almost any part of the powertrain. (but yes, your power windows are probably safe ;) )

Now I'm not saying you can't still win a court case, but it is semi-plausible you could also loose, and in the process waste a lot of time and effort.

That being said, my dealer seems to be a complete moron when it comes to the newer cars, and probably wouldn't even know how to find out if aftermarket ECU was installed. :roll:


In the end, I really just want to have a good relationship with my dealer. If I'm nice to them, and don't cause problems, they give me a nice loaner car, have the work completed on time, and give my car a nice detail. :P
If I'm causing them stress by arguing over mods I did to the car, they give me an old loaner with some body damage (unless they are magically out of loaners), the car won't be ready when they say it will, and when the work is done, I'll get the car back with grease on the steering wheel and dirt on the floor. :evil:

All good points Daly Saab. And you're right, it is a pain to have to sue to get a repair covered. But again if this device does what it claims you shouldn't have a problem with them even knowing about it. But if someone was truely worried about a major repair cost, small claims court would be their salvation.

Dealer service writers are notoriously ignorant of cars. So yes, their knee-jerk reaction will be negative if you show up with a car that has a "chip" soldered to it. But the beauty of this PPC device is that they need never know.

I just want everyone to know that even if they did find out most of the problems you'll have down the line will still be covered. There are thousands of things that go wrong on cars. And usually major engine components don't fail during the warranty period. And even ones that do are often in no way relatable to the extra power. For example, water pumps, oil pumps, etc.

But drive around at the rev limiter all day, ragging out your Saab and yes, the extra hp and stresses might just cause a failure where one wouldn't have happened before. But we all know that kind of driver was bound to break his toy eventually anyway.

Simply as a way to improve drivability and give some extra max power upon ocassion, I don't see a problem with it. But it's not going to turn your Saab into a Porsche either.

Use at your own risk...
Most manufactures & Dealers will void the warranty on your ECU..not suspension..brakes..etc :wink: