Car Repair World

Warranty On Engine Chip Tuning  Engine chip tuning, or adding performance chips, can make a big difference in how the engine in your vehicle runs. However, if your vehicle is under warranty then you probably want to keep it that way, and no amount of improvements are worth having to shell out big money the next time anything goes wrong. These tips can help you figure out what will happen to your warranty with engine chip tuning. This does not qualify as legal advice, and if you really want to be sure then you should consult a warranty attorney. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act is a federal law that was passed back in 1975 to protect consumers. The law specifically covers how warranties are treated by the consumer and the warrantor. There are a wide variety of protections and regulations that are part of it. But what does this have to do with engine computer unit tuning? The protections of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act mean that a w...

Engine Chip Tuning Legalized Or Not The right performance chip or engine control unit can change the software in your engine’s computer, giving you more horsepower or more efficiency. In theory, it’s your vehicle, so you can do whatever you want to it. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers would like to change that. This group of 12 automobile manufacturers seeks to prohibit car owners from changing the software in their cars. But do they have legal grounds to make that claim? The Digital Millennium Copyright Act It all comes down to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Passed in 1998, the DMCA was designed to specifically deal with issues of copyright and intellectual property in the digital age. At the time, it dealt with music, movies, software, and other digital products. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is petitioning to have the software within the car’s computer covered under the DMCA. They claim that they have a copyright on the software. Li...

Engine Chip Tuning Engine chip tuning, also known as engine remapping or simply chip tuning, can be a great way to get more out of your car. It’s a relatively small modification that can drastically change how your engine runs. But those changes can also have a downside. Here are a few risks you take when you tweak the ECU or engine control unit. It Can Push the Engine Too Hard One of the most common engine remaps is to get more power out of the engine. The right settings for the fuel/air mixture and timing can get your engine functioning at a higher speed and getting more power with every stroke. But that extra power can push the engine parts beyond normal stress limits. At the same time, the increased heat and repetition lead to higher wear levels. Both of these factors can combine to increase the risk of catastrophic engine failure. This is why engine tuning can often void your powertrain warranty unless it’s done with the right gear by the right person. The E...

Engine Control Unit Repair Pros Modern cars can have over 80 separate computers scattered around the car, but one of the big ones is the engine control unit (ECU). Also known as the engine control module (ECM), this controls most of the key engine functions, including the fuel/air mixture, spark timing, and more. From the outside, an ECU looks like a box due to the housing that protects the circuitboards. If you have a certain amount of mechanical aptitude, it can seem like all you have to do to repair it, replace it, or tune it is to unplug it and plug a new one in. But this can create some big problems. Here are some reasons why you should leave this job to the pros. They Know What to Adjust Whether you need a complete replacement or just want a chip tuning module added, you need to check all of the variables. Even small changes in the settings or software can have big consequences, including causing the whole engine to break down. Even if the computer is exact...

Roadside Services and Towing: What to Do If Your Car Breaks Down Car breakdowns can happen when you least expect it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be prepared. Here are some keys tips to remember so you’re ready when the time comes. Get Your Car Out of Traffic Your first priority has to be to get your vehicle to safety. If you have time and your car’s struggling along, then try to find a straight section of road to avoid problems with curves. Even if the engine cuts out while you’re driving, you can usually still steer the car to the side of the road while coasting. Try to get it as far off the road as possible. You can’t always get your car out of the road, for instance in rush hour traffic. If this happens, don’t get out of your car. Turn on your hazard lights and call 911 immediately. The police will send out someone to direct traffic and get your car out of the traffic flow. Make Your Car Visible You want to make your car as visible as possible to a...

The Pros and Cons of Engine Control Module Tuning The engine control module, also known as the engine control unit, is the computer that controls key functions of your engine. By hooking a chip tuner or performance chip into the system, the parameters from the computer can be altered. This can change key factors in the engine, such as the fuel/air ratio or the spark timing. Here are a few pros and cons of ECU tuning. Pros More Power: Vehicle manufacturers tend to be conservative with the settings on their ECM to account for changes in elevation, temperature, fuel, and maintenance schedules. Chip tuning can change the settings to get more power from the engine, adding a good chunk of HP to the car. More Efficiency: The main goal of chip tuning for a long time was power, but today’s higher gas prices and environmental goals have changed that. Modern chip tuning can help your engine run more efficiently, and can give boosts of 5-10 mpg. Affordable Upgrades...

Hot and Cold :  When your Engine is Hard to Start Car Starting Issues In order to surpass this problem and to prevent it as much as possible, learn how to solve it by knowing why it happens. When a hot engine is hard to start, most of the causes are fuel related problems. Fuel cannot circulate well due to the way in which vapor blocks it. As a result, the engine would not start as easily as it should. In worse cases, it would not start at all. This happens if the engine is extremely hot. Until after a while the engine was shut off, it would keep on acquiring temperature. The biggest amount of water vapor would be spreading around during this process. It therefore means that during this period, there are higher chances of its obstruction to the engine. So when you are driving in hot weather and you have just turned off the car and you experience difficulty in stating the engine, do not panic. Just wait for a couple of minutes and then start it back. Because the fuel remains ...