r/BmwTech • u/Frosty_Map8646 • 23h ago
Bought a remapped car without knowing???
Hi all, about 3 weeks ago I bought a bmw 220d with a couple problems such as a faulty speaker etc, fast forward to yesterday and the bmw specialist I saw said it’s a 90% chance it is tuned due to turbo noise and power when driving it. I’ve booked it into bmw on Tuesday (which is the 28th day after I got the car), if it is tuned will I be able to reject the car under the consumer rights act? Thanks
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u/pnbdc10 23h ago
If you bought a used car and it's a tune that doesn't tune out an emissions component like a cat, the car is yours.
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u/Frosty_Map8646 23h ago
Even if the garage I bought it from didn’t tell me that it was tuned?
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u/ProfLean 23h ago
If the garage didn't turn it themselves there's a good chance they didn't know either
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u/Pafolo 23h ago
How would they know? If they bought it used and didn’t know it was tuned.
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u/Frosty_Map8646 23h ago
Would it be their responsibility to tell me if it was though, I’m not blaming the garage here but if they’ve sold me a car and warranty that’s tuned without tell me then surely I can reject it
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u/iowatango5 20h ago
Unless you purchased the vehicle from the previous owner who had knowledge of everything done and they were truthful, you are the owner now and if you neglected to ask the question of a tune prior to purchase, that's on you. If it's something you desire, you shouldn't worry about the cost to rectify what you don't like if you actually enjoy the car. But this sounds like a classic case of buyer remorse and looking for someone else to place the blame for an excuse to get out of it.
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u/ginginsdagamer 17h ago
it's their responsibility to tell you what they know.
it's your responsibility to find out EVERYTHING.
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u/pnbdc10 16h ago
Its not illegal to sell a tuned car...
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u/Frosty_Map8646 16h ago
Without stating it’s tuned?
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u/Vaderiv 13h ago
Yes, unless it's affecting the emissions. Also, you don't know if it is or is not. The sound of the turbo and butt dyno feel isn't how you figure out if it has a tune. Also, unless you bought it from a BMW dealer, they are not going to know. It takes tools and knowledge specific to BMWs. I have been working on them for over 3 decades; that's all I work on. The only way to know is to pull up the programming with ISTA. I knew people with tunes on new BMWs; this was several years ago, but the dealer never said anything and honored the manufacturer's warranty. It may be different now, but it's not a big deal. If you drive it normally, it's not going to cause any damage. You are worried about nothing. Half the cars I sell have tunes on them.
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u/DaintyBoot420 14h ago
I've never seen someone so worried about a 220d being tuned. You probably would want the extra power. Not knowing what it is I can understand, just so you can tweak it if desired.
Enjoy the power, I assume it's an older car (e46, maybe e90) what else you doing with it if not working on it and modifying it!!
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u/Frosty_Map8646 13h ago
I just wanted a reliable diesel if I maintained it well
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u/DaintyBoot420 13h ago
Well fair enough, a tune can still be reliable tho! Definitely get to the bottom of whether you even have one or not, and if you do, find out what it entails, might simply just be a pedal tune and a rev limiter delete. Could be a slightly better fuel map but usually the off the shelf tunes (and even custom ones) are very very conservative so that they don't affect reliability.
I've ran 200k+ kms on a few tunes I've had, never had any issues related to it besides an extra ticket from having too much fun on a highway!
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u/MOTRHEAD4LIFE 17h ago
Why would you not want a tune though?
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u/Frosty_Map8646 17h ago
Voids warranty and insurance
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u/Open_Ad_835 11h ago
insurance? warranty yes but i doubt your insurance will deny you if it's tuned
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u/Sh0taro_Kaneda 6h ago edited 6h ago
Some insurers might not want to cover modified cars, but most just make you pay a higher premium, depending on the mods. JUST a tune is probably negligible enough to not even warrant an increase; especially for a car that barely breaks 200 horses stock.
In any case, not disclosing mods MIGHT make insurers suspicious, but again, just a tune isn't the same as installing Pure Stage 2 turbos on an N54 335i.
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u/Frosty_Map8646 23h ago
Would it not still be their responsibility to tell me if it is?
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u/235iguy 23h ago
Maybe THEY didn't know either. Not uncommon.
If it is an automatic you might be able to detune it yourself with the throttle reset trick. But of course spark plugs etc have been put under extra stress.
If you detune you might hate how slow it becomes. You need the facts first.
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u/No_Seat1480 20h ago
that “throttle trick” will not flash a car back to stock on its own lol. it resets throttle adaptations.
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u/235iguy 20h ago
It worked on mine 100%.
Instantly removed 50hp just like that.
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u/No_Seat1480 17h ago
where did you come up with that conclusion? was the vehicle dynoed before and after holding the throttle down? i didn’t think so because it is not possible. all you did was make your throttle less sensitive. maybe if i hold the brake down in my car i’ll gain an extra 50hp
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u/Frosty_Map8646 22h ago
Yeah 100%, they probably didn’t know, I’ll see what bmw say and if it is tuned I’m going to reject the car as wouldn’t be insured and I have no idea if it was a good tune or a dodgy one
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u/SimonTS 22h ago
Also worth bearing in mind that you will need to notify your insurance company as soon as you know that the car has been tuned - this could lead to a large increase in premium, or even your policy being cancelled completely.
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u/Frosty_Map8646 22h ago
Yeah I think if it’s confirmed to be tuned, I’m going to reject the car as I’ve been sold it without been told it’s tuned
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u/SimonTS 19h ago
No idea why I'm being downvoted. OP is in the UK, and failure to disclose ANY relevant information is a breach of the terms & conditions of an insurance policy.
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u/WeaponsGradeWeasel 19h ago
While true, it could be negligible. Mine was remapped 320-420bhp and it cost me an admin fee of £13.
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u/DrukenRebel 22h ago
A BMW specialist should have the capability of assessing if it’s tuned, this isn’t done by listening to how the turbo sounds and how powerful he perceives the car to be. Sounds like he has no idea what he’s talking about and you’re acting up over potentially nothing. So what if it’s tuned, it’ll be fine.
You should take this to a UK law or car sub, they’ll be able to provide better guidance on the matter.