TD1 warranty flag

[VWAUDITEK]

Be careful out there if you have any VW/Audi under warranty. VW/Audi as now implemented a automatic warranty flagging system called "TD1". ANY car that is brought into service will be automatically scanned and if there is ANY modifications/chip/performance software your info is sent to Audis main server and your car will be flagged 'TD1" meaning modified ECU/suspension/shifter/exhaust.
They can use this as a basis for denying any warranty on powertrain. They also are implementing this with short shifters/suspension/exhaust/etc. This is a way for VW/Audi to say "sorry,the car is not the same car you bought,no warranty now".
I recently bought a 2012 S4,and was planning on doing a SW upgrade,but the automatic TD1 flag has me waiting until warrantyis up OR the tuners have figured out a way around this.
This is for ANY tune/modification,so if you are worried about warranty.....this is a red flag.


Here it is...

Before,you could "switch" the software to stock........now it does not matter,they can detect it regardless,and ther is NO company at the time that has "undetectable SW".
This sucks,but I just bought a 60K car,and *if* something fails (like they ALWAYS do with VW/Audis) I don't want to be SOL. A guy with a B7 S4 got denied a transmission repair due to a bad synchro (a common problem) due to his car having a "short shifter"......that is a $7,000.00 transmission!
VAG pays the dealer for warranty work,so it is out of the dealers hands,if VAG denies your warranty,the TD1 stays for the life of the car. Believe it or not,BMW & Nissan are actually even more hardcore about this,and they flat out deny warranty if mods are detected. I guess they all got tired of fixing cars pushed beyond OEM limits.....I knew this would happen eventually,but why now? I got a 333hp car that an be 400+ with a chip

[Vegeta Gti]

they released this info last summer, integration has been nation wide slowly, which is funny. they put money into apr and viceversa.




also funny how AOH will install apr parts and flashed ecu's, but was also a dealer at one time. my old dealer is an apr dealer as of a couple years ago.


def a not so good situation, as this is a huge money maker for the dealer, but also, in turn for the independent shops, as now customers are forced to go to independent service shops. or they can drop dime at three dealer.

catch 22 almost.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

[VWAUDITEK]

The dealers can still do whatever they want,sell performance parts,etc.,but it is out of their hands now. Any time a car is brought in,even for a oil change or any warranty work,they are required to scan the car and send the info to VAG.
It is totally out of the dealers hands now,since if VAG won't pay them,they are not going to do the warranty work "out of pocket".
Every software company is scrambling right now to figure out how to make their SW invisible to TD1,it is a high tech "cat & mouse" game.
I am totally into modding,but even this is keeping me away from getting a tune,I don't want to pay thousands out of pocket if my crappy S4 craps out.

[kamahao112]

ok so i called a few tech friends over @ VW and Audi as well as APR yesterday just to get some info first hand ....

1 only audi does this ..at the current time vw does not but may do it in the next coming year or two but by that time APR will figure it out

2 the TD1 warranty protocol is NOT a mandatory line item on a Audi RO (repair order) so a typical service/oil change will not fall under this category @ this time

3 it is still up to the Audi tech if he does want to do it any anytime if he feels it is needed .. so dont be a dik to the service department and it will be ok

4 if you do have a warranty concern you do have the option to put it back to stock before you even start the claim ...

5 the TD1 warranty protocol has been around since the beginning of the b7 chassis so its nothing new

so in short if you are a APR customer i can still flash your brand new Audi S4 ,S5 , S6, A4, TT etc IN HOUSE and if for any reason you do have a warranty concern i can flash it back to STOCK and reinstall the nessary hardware if need be and not have to worry about it..after all whats cheaper paying for labor on reinstalling stock parts or buying a 7,000 dollar b7 s4 transmission ???..then once its all clear i can simply flash it back to the APR tune ..once again all done in house so no more sending your S4 ecu's to the mainland

[Vegeta Gti]

[VWAUDITEK]

If you lok at the post above,that TD1 shot is for warranty code on a VW GTI 2.0,not a Audi,so they are already doing it.
If you go on Audizine there are lots of threads about this and the techs can say whatever they want,but it is really up to VAG in the end to make a decision on TD1 or not,I really am not going to take a chance,since anybody that says "It's OK,don't worry about it" ,isn't going to be there to pay for repairs if the warranty is denied.
Either way,this is something that was inevitable,it just sucks that it had to happen when I finally got a car with a warranty.

[VWAUDITEK]

Here is some "kind of" good news.......
This is something you have to"hope" happens,



From Audizine...
Disclaimer: I'm only repeating what this individual stated. He's someone I trust highly but take this all with a huge grain of kosher salt until someone can confirm this information.

I spoke with an individual today who would know better than most about the process and he went through the TSB with me on the phone. He mentioned that in the last portion of the TSB it states that selected cars can have the ECM scanned by running the specified vs. actual test. He stated that the test is prompted when the cars are hooked up to be scanned but isn't automatically run by default. He also stated that he believes that the only routine in the scan that checks the ECU is that specific test. Once the test is initiated, the key is added if the modification is detected and there's no way to stop the test once started, nor removed.

He said that he would only run the test if he absolutely had to because it adds significant time to the standard scan for which he doesn't get paid to do on a job. He stated that if he's not getting paid to run the diagnostic, he's not going to run it unless there's good reason to and that in the last month no one has balked at him and all warranty claims have been paid even without that ECU test being run. He also stated that he hasn't seen anything been flagged as TD1 without the specified vs. actual test being run. He stated that most techs will just click through all the prompts indiscriminately because they want to follow the letter to the T, but that he's not spending time he's not being paid for scanning an ECM when a car is in for something completely irrelevant to the ECM.

Again, this is one person's experience and someone who is highly qualified in the field. I guess we need to find out if the ECM scan that detects a modified ECU is run as part of an invisible routine outside the actual vs. specified test or ONLY if the technician chooses the actual vs specified test.

Again, just repeating information I was told today. No promises made, none implied. Just regurgitating information. Zerin Dube

Join the Texas Area Audi Owners group on Facebook

2010 Brilliant Red Audi S4 [6MT/Sport Diff/B&O/Nav/19s/APR 93 Tuned/Stratmosphere Hyperflow/Milltek Non-Res Exhaust & DP

2008 Imola Yellow Audi TT 3.2Q 6MT S-Line - GONE


This is just another Audi guy trying to find more info. Once they figure out how to defeat this I am going for my REVO stage 1,on a S4. Guys are running low 12 second 1/4 miles with chip flash only

[Bob This]

I hope it works, that's a stupid rule to have for a ecu flash I would think it would make Audi/VW lose sales cause no one will want to buy a newer sportier car from them.

[VWAUDITEK]

Here is something that was just posted on AZ yesterday,a guy with a 2009 S4,16K miles,buring 1 qt. of oil every 600 miles (go Audi!!),and he brought it in for the oil consumption TSB,and Audi of America flat out is denying ANY waranty on engine. This engine may need new rings and that is uber $$$........this kind of stuff is exactly what I am afraid of....



Just denied warranty coverage for the entire engine from AUDI dealer and was told because of Stasis ECU mod, entire engine warranty is null and void meaning to address the known oil consumption TSB it would have to come out of my pocket.

Took my car in for service today as the service reminder was lit. Prior to this I had mentioned to the dealer numerous times re: oil consumption excess and told by the dealer that audi has just directed then to top off the cars. Now that audi finally admitting to the problem and my service reminder was on I though I would inquire again since I use 1 qt of oil every 600 miles or so and am tired of carrying oil with me. I checked in with the service advisor, they printed my file that they had on my car as well as AUDI Corporate. The file that printed showed no surprises to them nor me (ECU mod, running gear mod, exhaust mod). No surprises as this car has been to this dealer before without issues. Then told that they were going to have to change the crankcase breather, and a few other seals to address the oil consumption issues and preform an ECU update (part 1 before rings I guess). I asked if the ECU update was mandatory since this was a stasis car and if the new flash was uploaded it would wipe my stasis flash. They said yes but would see what they could do. I then left and started making calls to see how to handle ,and at what cost if any I would incur, if I had to get my ECU re-flashed. A few hours later received a call from the service advisor stating that audi had denied all warranty work on my engine to include addressing the oil consumption issues/TSB because it had a non-OEM ecu firmware. I could understand if my ECM fried not covering that however to be told, because you have a ecu mod, a known TSB will not be covered nor will any engine issues be covered in the future for an issue that would have clearly been there regardless if the ECU was unmodified is a hard pill to swallow. I have a call into the AUDI customer relations team whom is reaching out to my AUDI dealer however I wanted to update the good folks here in what is going on. I was told by the dealer that his did not use to be such a big issue with AUDI until the release of the letter from AUDI corporate a few weeks ago. Modded cars were always being flagged but now they are denying all warranty work for even known unrelated issues. Real nice for a car w/ only 16k miles. 2009 A4 Black 6MT STaSIS Touring #130
-STaSIS ECU, cat-back Exhaust, STaSIS rear-sway bar (22mm), STaSIS lowering springs, STaSIS braided brake lines, STaSIS / Carbontech AX6 brake pads (front), STaSIS Monolite wheel (19x9)
-AWE Tuning Sport Pedal Covers (silver)
-Black Gloss Grille and Black Gloss US License Panel
-A4L fog surrounds

[kamahao112]

and REVO is teaming up with stasis?? sorry tom just had to lol

well the guy did say he had repetitive complaints about the oil consumption issue hence the warrant to to the TD1 protocol...

so he did have a chance to send it in to stasis to flash it back to stock "if they can" before constant verbal complaints about the issue ..

so now every one has just to be a little smarter about things thats all ..

and going back to the pay to play saying ether you pay to deflash and reflash if you have the ability or buy a new motor/drivetrain

[Vegeta Gti]

[VWAUDITEK]

Haha,yeah,no comment on the REVO/Stasis thing,lol. I always wondered how the hell Stasis could "warranty" anything,since it would lose a arm & leg on claims....I have no faith in "aftermarket warranties",those companies have to make money somehow and they don't giving out free repairs,it is all a shell game,they will fight (just like the dealer) tooth & nail to deny any free/warranty work.
Either way,that is another example of "Truth in engineering"........
Engines consuming massive amounts of oil....
I swear if Audis didn't look so damn cool and have nice interiors I would want nothing to do with them! Why did I buy one? Oh yeah,because it looks cool

[phatalbert]

ok so i called a few tech friends over @ VW and Audi as well as APR yesterday just to get some info first hand ....

1 only audi does this ..at the current time vw does not but may do it in the next coming year or two but by that time APR will figure it out

2 the TD1 warranty protocol is NOT a mandatory line item on a Audi RO (repair order) so a typical service/oil change will not fall under this category @ this time

3 it is still up to the Audi tech if he does want to do it any anytime if he feels it is needed .. so dont be a dik to the service department and it will be ok

4 if you do have a warranty concern you do have the option to put it back to stock before you even start the claim ...

5 the TD1 warranty protocol has been around since the beginning of the b7 chassis so its nothing new

so in short if you are a APR customer i can still flash your brand new Audi S4 ,S5 , S6, A4, TT etc IN HOUSE and if for any reason you do have a warranty concern i can flash it back to STOCK and reinstall the nessary hardware if need be and not have to worry about it..after all whats cheaper paying for labor on reinstalling stock parts or buying a 7,000 dollar b7 s4 transmission ???..then once its all clear i can simply flash it back to the APR tune ..once again all done in house so no more sending your S4 ecu's to the mainland

Are you sure this works?
We have no evidence of anyone flashing back to fully stock and not getting flagged yet.
There is supposedly a checksum value that Audi could still detect a difference on even after flashing back to stock (I've heard).

So is there any proof or evidence yet that flashing back to stock will dodge the TD1 flag?

[clutchpack]

Im pretty sure by law the service dept/manufacturer has to prove without a doubt that the "modification" directly effected the problem when dealing with warr work.

[sfdxsm]

Im pretty sure by law the service dept/manufacturer has to prove without a doubt that the "modification" directly effected the problem when dealing with warr work.

Probably an argument people could take to court; i.e. here's an engine issue that was reported before the flash or is unrelated but it's likely no one will challenge due to the cost. Plus, my assumption is the courts would view it as the owner has to prove without a doubt the mod did not cause the issue or make it worse to begin with. Not the other way around.

[VWAUDITEK]

Companies can deny warranty on whatever they want. Good luck going to court,it would cost your more than the repairs,and only the lawyers benefit. So far TD1 is in effect,mod your powertrain and warranty is

[phatalbert]

Companies can deny warranty on whatever they want. Good luck going to court,it would cost your more than the repairs,and only the lawyers benefit. So far TD1 is in effect,mod your powertrain and warranty is

They can try to, but the courts are almost always on the consumers side, unless they are blatantly wrong.
In which case you wouldn't even try bringing them to court.

[dmroberson]

They can try to, but the courts are almost always on the consumers side, unless they are blatantly wrong.
In which case you wouldn't even try bringing them to court.

agreed...

Magnusson Moss Warranty Act... nuff said...

[nor32]

I have heard this TD1 also get flaged on a Vagcom modded car, even though thats all I have no ecu flashes or anything.

I have not been in for the oil consuption issue yet because im trying to figure this out should i just go back to all stock paramiters or should I be ok?

[kamahao112]

I have heard this TD1 also get flaged on a Vagcom modded car, even though thats all I have no ecu flashes or anything.

I have not been in for the oil consuption issue yet because im trying to figure this out should i just go back to all stock paramiters or should I be ok?

set fire to your audi and drive the chevelle problem solved !!!

[nor32]

Haha 7 miles to the gallon! No thanks but it is a blast

[nor32]

Companies can deny warranty on whatever they want. Good luck going to court,it would cost your more than the repairs,and only the lawyers benefit. So far TD1 is in effect,mod your powertrain and warranty is

Are you a tech at a dealer or private shop? Also have you had any experience with Audi b8 platform that has VCDS mods only? Did it get the TD1 flag?

[ceese]

I have heard this TD1 also get flaged on a Vagcom modded car, even though thats all I have no ecu flashes or anything.

I have not been in for the oil consuption issue yet because im trying to figure this out should i just go back to all stock paramiters or should I be ok?

Can't say one way or another, but my guess would be that it doesn't. Audi locks you out of any values they don't want you to change such as the power steering ratio and TPS sensor alarm. Basically to change these things you'd need to long code it and then flash your ECU with the new code. So, I can't see why any mods you make using a VagCom would void your warranty.

[titosantana92]

U bought a WWWHHHHAAATTT?! pics! Where r thepics?!

[ceese]

U bought a WWWHHHHAAATTT?! pics! Where r thepics?!

????

[VWAUDITEK]

He was asking "me" were the pics are. Here it is,the coolest family-mobile I have ever owned. 2012 S4 manual trans/6 speed. 0-60 stock 5 sec.,chipped in the mid-low 4 seconds
Awesome car to drive,even when totally stock.

6speed!

200mph speedo,wtf?

No rice.......rolling stock

[titosantana92]

I came . . .


Fcuken sick ass ride, man! Take me for a ride sometime?! Lolll

[Kurupt_hawaiian]

Damn Thomas, love that color, and I love B8 S4's!

[VWAUDITEK]

Thanks Brandon/Elias. I swayed from my usual "silver only" car theory. I guess this is my more "grown up" color
This car is kinda "fast" but it is REALLY quick,it launches HARD

[phatalbert]

Thanks Brandon/Elias. I swayed from my usual "silver only" car theory. I guess this is my more "grown up" color
This car is kinda "fast" but it is REALLY quick,it launches HARD

I see you got the one with the painted steering wheel bezel. Did yours come like that? I ask because I remember a member on Azine talking about having it painted because of a minor scratch it had.

[VWAUDITEK]

Yes,I was wearing my watch and a scratch got on there,so had it custom airbrushed and now it has that titanium edition look....I will be gettingteh facelift wheel when prices come down a little bit though and selling this one.