Sandstorm

Since you can reprogram this back to stock, will the dealer know the truck has had some kind of perfromance enhancement to it to void a warranty. I can get a used one for 350. I have an 03..I am mainly looking at this for towing my 23ft toyhauler.

fredbert

Before you do anything of the sort, take a close look at this recent thread!!!

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...ad.php?t=87105

CrashCade

Just My .02, but that is one unfortunate case on a downloader, specifically a Bully Dog downloader. I read the first couple of pages and the last one of that thread and it seems like all in all that could have been fixed if Bully Dog was contacted directly instead of all these other things happening first...

I know If Hindsight were Foresight.... We would all be better right?

Hounddog

I'd worry about the Ecm numbers changing and if a Brazil or whatever country being programed back into it.Thats the RED flags

hognutz

well it will leave a timestamp I have read. it really depend on the waranty issue you have. non-engine transmission you should be fine.

If you go in with a motor that is toast they will proably look pretty hard for mods. possibly tranny as well. Some dealerships are proably worse that others.

If you mod be prepared for the worst but if you flash it back an plead ignorance you might still end up with waranty. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE TELL THEM YOU DID IT.

that being said not all service departments know what they are doing. I have had a couple of go arounds with my local department where I had to tell them how to do something. Reflashing the pinion factor was one of them. paint matching the headliner was another. So it is not like every sevice department knows all. at the dealership in boise I havd to figure out why the sirius artist title was not dispaying in my sisters JEEP with an rb1 because there service department was incompetent IMO. If I can figure this stuff out I have no clue why they can't but bottom line they could not. So I am not sure these praticular dealerships would catch it but if there where some procedure directly from dodge to check this stuff on expensive failure they may deny you.

short story long you should be prepared to pay if you mod but you can try to fool them. I think you would be better off with a box or module that just plugs in and does not reflash the ecm if you want to decieve them but that is just a guess.

bigblock2stroke

Good guess.

Sandstorm

Wow good info.. I read that article also.. I'll have to think about the bullydog. I mainly want something that is trouble free. I am looking at Edge w/ Attidtude also. It costs more but is pretty fail safe.. I have a Cannondale atv and ECM's can burn up the way C-Dale designed the wiring harness though it's rare.. Our ECM's are 400 bones. We can alter timing, fuel, flowrate, and offset, TS settings as well as program factory EFI maps or blended maps.. Complicated but then throw in turbo boost, shift points on trannys on a Cummins and that's waaaay above my head..

hognutz

the juice with attidude is more but it also gives you more. if you compare it to the outlook and the pup it is actually cheaper. one of the main reasons I did not look at the bullydog as much. I am cheap. I don't like paying more for the same thing.

Mark Craig

Fredbert,

Here is the info on that direct from Bully Dog, there was also a possibility that the user in that post was using an incorrect part number on an incorrect year truck as well.

"There were a few downloaders that had problems recognizing part #’s, but that was only a very few and if they upgrade, which is free on line, it will fix the problem and give them there actual original file back. This problem has also been seen at various Dodge dealerships, but has also been rectified corrected by Dodge. Earlier service bulletins didn’t label the files as Argentina files it wasn’t until 2 months later they released the TSB saying they were for Brazilian vehicles only.

Mark @ DPPI

nonford

Just curious, if you save your ECM data and then load the BD program, you esenntially wrote over the stock parameters. Now, lets say you had that BD program on there, oh, 250 hours. You need to go back to the dealer so out of precaution you load your stock data. My question, will the hours remain current, or will it load back the hours that were saved with the original save. I have seen where they look @ the hours of the engine and was just curious if that data can be manipulated with.

lightening ram

the down loader leaves a skim secret key code in your system that cant be removed unless you reflash your ecm with a update file if available, i just went through this with a downloader and had to replace my ecm, so needless to say i dont want to say how i feel about downloaders now, and the hourmeter does not stop regardless of what you do, for eg. even when i changed my ecm i ahd to program the ecm with my original # since it comes blank and nothing chanced anywhere else, pinion factor stayed the same, trip info. stayed the same etc, imo i think there is better and safer ways to get more power from your truck.

cali-600

So when you say "the downloader leaves a skim secret key code" Are you refering to all downloaders?
I read your post were you had probelms with the PPE but nothing about other brand downloaders.
Bully Dog downloaders take the latest DC ECM updates with no worries. Guess there secret (WOMD) key code is on PPE only.

bekim

If you followed the thread, you'd see that even though he bought a used, old version, of the programmer, Bully Dog took care of him! Posts #83 and #90 cover the phenomenal job of support Bully Dog gave '04ctd. Not only did they repair his ECM, they gave him a free new programmer!!

Was throwing that post at this subscriber a scare tactic, or just a for your info?
Bekim
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bekim

Any mod can void your warranty which states that if it contibuted to the failure you're not covered.
These mods generate power, and power stresses your drivetrain. How hard you drive is the question. If you modify and run hard at higher performance settings, your more likely to have failures.
I follow 7 different discussion groups, and finding people who have had tranny or motor failures due to these power programmers is almost non-existent. Your more likely to have trouble codes and installation problems than a mechanical failure. The sled pullers semm to be the ones burning up motors and blowing turbos.
Most failures I read about are injector and fuel delivery. The injector failures seem to occur when people use fuel pressure boosting programmers at high settings for extended periods of time.(like all the time running the Bully Dog on extreme) The ctd demands a lot of fuel at WOT with programmers that increase fuel rail pressure to produce higher torque and Hp. This can lead to fuel delivery component failure.

Enough rambling. Let me give an example of a positive experience. A friend of mine with a 34' toy hauler and an '05 Duramax Chevy borrowed my Triple Dog for a test run hauling his rig to the desert for the weekend. We used the programmer to install the program on his truck(took all of 5 minutes). After loading the program, and turning the power setting to "tow"(about 50 Hp over stock), we unplugged the programmer from the OBDII port. And off he went for the 400 or so mile trip.
He comes back on Sunday afternoon stoked about the power increase, ability to pass uphill (when he couldn't before), and better fuel economy (almost 2 mpg towing)

There's a first hand testimonial about success. Not a third hand vague story about a catastrophic failure that might just be an urban legend
Cheers
Bekim
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bekim

Are you saying that the Edge product cause an ECM failure?
Bekim