Burlington Vermont authorized KDMAX tuner

Had the opportunity to meet a SUPER cool dude who lives about 1 1/2 miles away today. Beautiful 19 OR AT. A lot of hanging out, TSB update, XT tune on normal throttle, a FUN test drive and checking out motorcycles Thanks @Spartacoma!

We’ll have you guys over for dinner soon! I do a mean ribeye…

 

What time do we eat!

 

Always an open door for you man

 

Hey, I’m looking to make a trip up fairly soon, what kind of heads up do you need to schedule a tune?

Thanks!

 

PM sent!

 

Does it void factory warranty

 

Technically any altercation to the vehicle could. Bigger tires, suspension upgrade, cold air intake.

But the tune isn’t detectable it registers as the same ECU ID.

 

@JDSmith is absolutely correct. Your average run of the mill Toyota service department will see the same ECU ID as stock if they plug your truck in, and in that sense the tune is not detectable. There is a risk, although granted a very small one, that if you have a major engine repair under warranty Toyota will dig deeper into the ECU as part of that process. At that point they will be able to tell that your ECU is tuned differently than stock and you could potentially have an issue with your warranty claim.

That said, all mods are pay to play. Lifting your truck, going with a larger tire size, etc. can all cause warranty complications. A tune is no different, and no reputable tuner would ever tell you that a tune is 100% warranty risk free. Remember also that no mod is going to void your entire warranty. The aftermarket mod has to be a direct cause for the problem you are having. So if you have a tune and then have an air conditioning problem under warranty, no issues. Do a lift? Don't expect to have a suspension issue covered, but they will still fix your a/c. Only you can determine your risk tolerance and which mods are or are not worth it for you. Cudos to JDSmith for being up front about it.

 

Perfectly explained! And up front is what it’s all about. That and having a truck that makes you smile!

 

For the benefit of @Clymber and full disclosure, the only reason I'm not tuned is I am hypersensitive about the risk of major engine issues under warranty. I had a new 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee that threw a CEL at 200 miles. After the third trip to the dealership and starting the lemon law process the service dept opened a case with Mama Chrysler. As part of the diagnostics they went through everything with a fine-tooth comb, including the ECU. The problem ended up being a cylinder 1 valve that stuck open any time the engine went above 3,200 RPM, and the fix was to replace the cylinder head. Had that ECU not had the stock tune on it I probably would have been on the hook for a couple of grand for that repair. Granted, it's probably a one-in-a-million shot and I'm sure I'm missing out on a much better performing truck, but I'm basically risk adverse with mods because of this experience. That and I'm very, very afraid of what my wife would do to me if I tune the truck and had an issue I had to pay for that otherwise would have been covered

 

@FL_TRD Sport Understanding and respecting your viewpoint, I would offer that we also can revert your truck back to 100% stock at any time AND should you choose you can purchase your own cable/license bundled w/our KDMAX Pro tune pack so you can reflash yourself and upgrade in the future. For a little more $ you can have it all in hand to revert to stock making that one-in-a-million shot even less of a concern.

Chris - Tacoma Tuning, LLC - KDMAX Pro Virginia - tacomatuning.com

 

Thanks, I appreciate the information. If I still lived in Vermont I would let @JDSmith put in the KDMax, as he would be right on my way to the Toyota dealership in Burlington and it would be easy enough to let him revert it back to stock and then back to KDMax once I was done (Route 15 from Johnson right through Essex Junction). Now that I'm in Florida my closest tuner is 3 hours away. Hard to believe but true - one in Jacksonville and one in Tampa, and I am a bit north of West Palm Beach. For those of us who are mechanically impaired like me, doing my own flashing scares the crap out of me. I'd be too afraid of bricking the ECU and not knowing how to fix it.

Much as I think I would enjoy the performance improvement, my sanity requires that I take the more conservative route

 

Yes, @JDSmith is an awesome new resource for us and it's too bad that did not workout for your to meet up w/him! That said, I would not EVER update a vehicle I was not comfortable with. Luckily we are all several years into this from a support and platform standpoint. As a group, the KDMAX Pro resources know the tools and the process and I certainly understand you might not feel as comfortable. That said, should you change your mind the option stands, the support is there, and we'd get your back. Happy miles!

 

Thanks @RSNE for stopping by yesterday for a tune and showing me around your Alu-Cab! Awesome 21 AT, XT tune on normal throttle setting just in time for a 12 hour trip south. Great meeting you and making the local Tacoma community a little bigger! Looking forward to hearing how the trip went

 

I'm in Melbourne north of ya. I have a couple of guys coming this week for tunes. Currently coordinating times. Possibly Tuesday. I'm going to PM ya.

 

Got the PM thanks

 

We also just got back from a trip to Virginia. Installed a new bumper and winch combo right before we left, another 200lbs. Averaged a little over 17mpg! Last trip we did, we averaged 10… 6th gear pulled with no effort. Thanks again @PapaRee and @TWTaco for incredible work on these tunes!

 

Word of mouth from happy customers goes a long way! Pat heard nothing but good things about the tune from my neighbor so he decided to come by and make it happen on his 18 OR yesterday. We talked about throttle settings and after test driving my neighbors 22 on Sport, he decided that’s the setting for him Great meeting him and growing the local Tacoma community!

 

So, how much is a tune? Really debating doing this mod after a 2500 mile road trip. I'm in Waterbury.