Tuner question
- Thread starter dougez1
- Start date
Here’s how I look at it. A lot of people talk about warranty worries if a non-Harley tuner is used. Of course, we’re only talking about the portion of your vehicle warranty as it pertains to the top end of your motor. A “bad tune” can’t be blamed if you’re going in for warranty work on your Boom audio system, or your transmission crapped the bed. How many top ends have warranty related malfunctions? If you’re the type to modify your own motor and something goes wrong with the top end, what’s the chance it’s something that would have been covered by warranty anyway? Practically zero under that circumstance, so buy whichever tuner you think is best. Damn the torpedos.
Not trying to be an a$$ here but really...?
In the hostile market climate and conditions the MOCO is in these days, they really can't afford to lose the loyal customer base they now so narrowly have a hold of over a non HD aftermarket piece being installed that under normal circumstances will not harm a thing just because it's not their 250.00 tuner. Geez...
Sure, they may cancel my warranty and everyone else's, that's their right to do so. But where's the mindset of those that it happens to going to be?
Bet it's not thinking about that next $30k HD investment. I just refuse to be a Fear Monger.
Do as you please...
In the hostile market climate and conditions the MOCO is in these days, they really can't afford to lose the loyal customer base they now so narrowly have a hold of over a non HD aftermarket piece being installed that under normal circumstances will not harm a thing just because it's not their 250.00 tuner. Geez...
Sure, they may cancel my warranty and everyone else's, that's their right to do so. But where's the mindset of those that it happens to going to be?
Bet it's not thinking about that next $30k HD investment. I just refuse to be a Fear Monger.
Do as you please...
I'm facing the same question. I love this bike and I want to ride it as long as I can. Even bought the 3 year warranty extension.
I want more power, but especially since I spent a few pennies on the esp, I want that to be available if I need it. I keep asking myself if I should just risk it and get whatever or if I should play the game and buy only Harley parts. Either way I'm trying to do the adult thing and pay off the loan before I spend more on bike toys. Maybe when I pay off the bike (2-4 years. Only had her for 3 months!) we'll have some more info as to whether a bunch of warranties are being denied or not.
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
I want more power, but especially since I spent a few pennies on the esp, I want that to be available if I need it. I keep asking myself if I should just risk it and get whatever or if I should play the game and buy only Harley parts. Either way I'm trying to do the adult thing and pay off the loan before I spend more on bike toys. Maybe when I pay off the bike (2-4 years. Only had her for 3 months!) we'll have some more info as to whether a bunch of warranties are being denied or not.
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
It's not H-D. They signed an agreement with the EPA after they were sued over their engine tuners. The H-D engine tunes for the new bikes (4 valve head M8s) are all now EPA certified and run just fine, just like any other brand of car or motorcycle. I'll go all H-D if I buy an M-8.
I beg to differ Hulkss, it absolutely is HD. It was their attorneys who made the deal with the EPA. They had other options, there are always other options. The EPA does not have the authority to change law, nor the authority to grant amnesty from the law. Therefore they cannot “force” Harley to ignore the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Harley is choosing to do so and made that deal in order to avoid the legal fees of fighting the good fight against the EPA. They and the EPA knew full well that saying the warranty would be void is enough to cause most people to fear it, and thereby they acheive their goal of controlling behavior of those people. The EPA gets what they want, and a pleasant side effect for Harley is that most people are now scared into buying only Harley performance upgrades. This is a huge perk for Harley because in the past almost everybody went with aftermarket parts because they are better, and Harley gets to blame the EPA. If warranty is actually denied, it will always be for some reason that passes legal muster, or they risk getting sued under the act. It is bean counting at its finest, risk versus reward. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act explicitly states that warrantors cannot require that only branded parts be used with the product in order to retain the warranty. In order for a class action lawsuit to develop there will need to be people who have written documentation that the warranty was denied simply due to use of aftermarket parts, and that will never happen.
Having said all that; a person cannot modify the workings of any motor, no matter if it’s bike, car or truck and then if a motor malfunction develops, realistically expect any type of dealership to just fix it without them first challenging that your mods might have caused the problem. Those of us who have owned muscle cars, Jeeps or modified trucks know this to be true. When you start messing with things on your own, you should expect any type of dealer to try to weasle out of legitimate warranty work. Hell, they try to do that even when you haven’t messed with a vehicle.
Last edited:
