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Cobb Access Port and Warranty Issues

44K views 26 replies 11 participants last post by  horrorbiz 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

I just purchased a new WRX (FINALLY!!) and I am looking into the Cobb Access port. My main concern is to not void my warranty. I know that with Cobb you can always upload the original map that the car comes with so the settings will look the same. I spoke with a Cobb employee because I want to know if it will leave "cookies" or some other tracable mark behind. I know the stage 1 map with cobb will be fine for my engine and turbo because it is still below STI levels but I know the dealership won't feel the same. I also know that some dealerships actually offer the Cobb Access port as an option. Does anyone know if the dealership can see if I changed the tunning once the original settings are back? Any help on the matter would be great! Thanks!
 
#5 ·
The 2012 is different from what my buddy said and he's a Service Advisor for the local dealer.

COBB has the checksum and something else to read identical to Suby. Whether that's true, I haven't a clue. But it's what he told me.
 
#7 ·
Nothing can just void your warranty, S.O.A. Has to prove that the aftermarket part you installed was the cause of whatever failed. In other words if your heater stops working they can't deny the claim because you have an aftermarket E.M. Installed. Since you can change it back to stock it would be very hard for them to prove that it was the E.M. That caused a problem even if your motor blew. It's all in how much your willing to fight a denied claim?
 
#12 ·
I think I'm going to have to agree with brfatal on this one. I am not willing to go to court and sue someone over a few hundred dollars because the court fees and lawyer fees will cost more than I get in return. Yesterday, I spoke with the manager of the dealership where I purchased my car to discuss canceling my extended warranty. He said I should keep the warranty and get get the Cobb AP and then swap it back to the old map when/if I bring it in. He said "we never look for it". Obviously I'm not an idiot that is going to listen to a car salesman who wants to keep his $1500 for the warranty. I told him that if he can give me in writing a statement that sys they will honor my warranty with this aftermarket item then I would purchase it through them. This way everyone wins. The dealership gets an extra $100 and I get more power and torque with the warranty. He has yet to give me an answer
 
#14 ·
Snowboarder2587, I would keep it personally. Mine more than paid for itself despite my mods. I was lucky, to a degree, because it was a mod friendly dealership. Why my 1st engine failure claim was denied coverage (yanked it from the dealership, took it to a speed shop, and found the oil pump was at fault not my parts), I did get new struts (even with JDM STI springs) and a rear diff covered.

The Magnuson-Moss Act was written to protect people who went places other than the dealership for services such as oil changes or who did self-wrenching from being denied warranty. It was not intended to protect people who mods their cars as we do.

Just go in knowing that with modding it could potentially cost you money in repairs down the line. That way you won't be so disappointed if it does. And if you do go in for warranty work, be honest if they ask what's done to the car. Not all techs are so stupid that they can't tell you uninstalled or tried to hide your mods.

I told him that if he can give me in writing a statement that sys they will honor my warranty with this aftermarket item then I would purchase it through them.
Unfortunately they can't do this (toss it in the trash if they try to). While they can make this guarantee with smaller repairs, if the cost of the warranty service is above a certain point they will have to get a Subaru rep to come look over the car and approve it as Subaru of America are the ones paying for it. If that's the case, the dealership has no input on whether or not you get your car covered.
 
#17 ·
I just spoke with a guy in the service department and he also recently purchased a new wrx also. He is putting the Cobb AP on his as well. He said that if there is an issue and the dealership denies the warranty claim to call subaru. As long as your car is still under warranty subaru will try to cover it because they are a small(er) company and need/want satisfied cutomers. He said that he has seen some terribly abused cars and subaru told the dealership to fix them under the warranty. I think I'll be getting my AP in August!!
 
#21 ·
So I too just bought a new WRX (2012) and am just starting to familiarize myself with the addiction. I am the guy who genuinely thinks the engineers at Subaru have done a better job of wrenching on these cars than I can do and for daily driving and some occasional autocrossing I don't plan to mod my WRX. This being said, I am interested in this COBB AP mapping because it's relatively simple to do, relatively inexpensive, and keeps the car stock.

Could someone give me a cliff notes version of the benefits of getting a COBB AP for a bone-stock WRX? I've researched their web site and it's all pretty technical for a noobie and it's a little overwhelming. To fully benefit from the new maps do you need to upgrade the intake or anything? Sorry if I hi-jacked this thread.
 
#22 ·
Keep in mind the AP doesn't technically keep the car stock. At stage I you can expect some decent power gains, and a smoother power band. The car doesn't require anything but the AP to go stage I. Cobb even states that the car should have no other performance modification to run the stage I map.

I had the classic ring land failure on my STi with 19K miles and it was denied warranty coverage as they stated that they couldn't rule out the ECU as the failed part because there had been a map flashed on it (each time the ECU is flashed it rolls the ECU serial code, called a checksum, and therefore the AP is not completely transparent if uninstalled). I bought the car used and didn't have the original downpipe and mid-pipe, but had the old stock pipe from my WRX, and they also claimed that part was not original and therefore they would not warranty it. I decided that was a good time to build my motor and $4K in parts later, I feel safe that I'll no longer face blown ring lands.

The moral of the story is this:
Understand that SOA is HUGE. Fuji Heavy Industries is the parent company. Check them out. They don't take claims based on being "small". I think it's correct that it comes down to the Regional Service Manager, as SOA won't talk anything other than what the RSM states. In my case, he referenced that it was a catalytic converter from a Legacy, and that was not acceptable for an Impreza. The SOA rep wouldn't listen to anything other than that, and that the cat in my car was from an Impreza. It didn't matter. The RSM's statement held. I knew my car had been modded, and I accept the risk associated with that. Ring land failures are more common than they should be, and I don't think it was directly related to the mod, but I play devil's advocate to SOA and understand that it's a precedent that they can't open a door to certain mods (ECU is what I'm referencing here) or people could seriously harm their cars and SOA would have to then have an unclear line of how to determine what's acceptable or not. End rant.

Don't mod it with an AP unless you are prepared to face the possibility of a flaw in the motor and it not being covered.
 
#24 ·
Happy to help. That's the purpose of the forums, and WRXTuners is filled with the most honest, knowledgeable, and collaborative bunch of enthusiasts I've ever seen on a forum. Welcome to the community and congrats on the recent purchase. You'll find this site to be a vital reference tool for anything you want to know about or do to your car.
 
#25 ·
So how is it on the Cobb's website, they're saying that using the "revert to stock" option puts the checksum back to a factory one? But you guys are saying that it's for sure traceable?

Who here is a tech or a warranty claim investigator? Those individuals would be the most reliable sources.
 
#27 ·
You mentioned that at Stage 1 you would be below STI levels... since 2009 the WRX and STI have been making the same power. Check out the dyno database on Cobb's site.

I have a stage 2 2011 WRX making much more power than stock (298/330). I recently had my center diff replaced under warranty, no questions asked. If you seem to be getting pushback from a certain dealership you can always try another.
 
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