New 2020 - dealer tune or whipple stage 1

[RoscoeP]

Forgive me Im new to this ecoboost. I spent most of my teenage and young adult life playing with pushrod short blocks in mustangs with too much nitrous and trans brakes. Now I go much slower but I need some oomph because I am currently no faster than a chevy truck.

I have a new 2020 and the ford dealer is advertising a 100hp upgrade but they have to send the PCM off and I get the truck back in 3 days but they give me a super duty loaner. Its a $3500 package that is covered under my 100k warranty. No hardware, just a PCM reprogram/tune. My questions are:

1. Whipple or (Name a Kit) has a stage 1 kit I can install for less and you get hardware that performs, yet you lose the warranty option.
2. If I elect the exorbitant dealer option, is installing a larger aftermarket intercooler later going to affect the new PCM program?

I guess what Im saying is, wtf is the magic black box dealer option?

 

[Guy]

To my knowledge there is no Ford Tune.

The dealer is charging you extra because they’re going to honor your warranty, not Ford, and I would not expect that warranty to be transferable between dealers.

if they are sending away the PCM, it sounds like they’re sending it to Whipple. Which means they’re estimating 100 horsepower. The very best aftermarket tunes on pump gas are good for between 50-80 RWH.

 

[CR Gittere]

I would not do it until you have about 30K miles on the truck, so you can see what breaks, once you get to that kind of mileage you either have one that works or you don't

 

[smurfslayer]

I have a new 2020 and the ford dealer is advertising a 100hp upgrade but they have to send the PCM off and I get the truck back in 3 days but they give me a super duty loaner. Its a $3500 package that is covered under my 100k warranty.

You should drill down on this. Ford doesn’t cover any aftermarket tune, and as @Guy pointed out, they don’t offer one for the 3.5. Most likely, this is a dealer offered / sponsored aftermarket tune, and I’d want to know more about the “warranty”.

Roush offers a their own powertrain warranty for their tune, installed by one of their certified techs. It’s not a long warranty, 3/36.

If the dealer is covering the tune, that’s not necessarily bad but telling you it’s covered under a Ford warranty or ESP would be misleading.

 

[Oldfart]

^This. I would ask A LOT of questions about the specifics on this warranty.

 

[RoscoeP]

^This. I would ask A LOT of questions about the specifics on this warranty.

Thanks, will follow up.

 

[goblues38]

cost for cost....you could add 100hp much cheaper on your own......but......you take the risks with warranty coverage. based on your prior experience...you knew that.

 

[FordTechOne]

Forgive me Im new to this ecoboost. I spent most of my teenage and young adult life playing with pushrod short blocks in mustangs with too much nitrous and trans brakes. Now I go much slower but I need some oomph because I am currently no faster than a chevy truck.

I have a new 2020 and the ford dealer is advertising a 100hp upgrade but they have to send the PCM off and I get the truck back in 3 days but they give me a super duty loaner. Its a $3500 package that is covered under my 100k warranty. No hardware, just a PCM reprogram/tune. My questions are:

1. Whipple or (Name a Kit) has a stage 1 kit I can install for less and you get hardware that performs, yet you lose the warranty option.
2. If I elect the exorbitant dealer option, is installing a larger aftermarket intercooler later going to affect the new PCM program?

I guess what Im saying is, wtf is the magic black box dealer option?

As the others mentioned, Ford Powertrain warranty doesn’t cover any failures that can be attributed to a tune or modification. That price of $3500 is outrageous for any tune, regardless of dealer-sponsored “warranty” coverage.

 

[Boomo]

Hell if it is covered by the dealer I would do it, it will cost you more, but you have the piece of mind, IF you are staying in the area where the dealer is

An upgraded intercooler will not effect the tune, but you will want to make the tune even faster with the new intercooler.

 

[RoscoeP]

As the others mentioned, Ford Powertrain warranty doesn’t cover any failures that can be attributed to a tune or modification. That price of $3500 is outrageous for any tune, regardless of dealer-sponsored “warranty” coverage.

Well this is my 6th vehicle in 10 years from these guys and I have brought them 5x sales so if they want to split hairs, I got a way of twisting arms. But yes I need to get the aftermarket guy to open up a little bit because $1000 may be an expensive tune and $2500 is insurance. I want that CVF intercooler....will follow up.