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Old 11-29-2012, 10:18 PM   #1
666pack
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Default How can I tell if my car is tuned or not...

stupid question.

first subaru i bought from a dealer. 2011 wrx. The dealer sold it to me cert preowned with an invidia down and borla cat back exhaust. Id like to know if its tuned or not, seems like they were unsure while answering. whats the easiest way to find out.

my apologies for posting, i come from vw roots so cobb tuning etc is new to me.
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Old 11-29-2012, 10:21 PM   #2
Navendra94
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Hello and welcome! Hmm, your car is probably tuned. But I'd buy an Accessport or something to be on the safe side. Pay attention for over boosting. Good luck getting answers from the pros!
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Old 11-29-2012, 10:24 PM   #3
666pack
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is there a way i can check? if it is awesome, if its not ill def buy one.
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Old 11-29-2012, 10:26 PM   #4
RoadKillDMD
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If your car runs, it is definitely tuned

On a serious note, no your car probably isn't tuned for those mods. Being 'certified pre-owned', the dealership would have most likely flashed the ECU back to the stock map when they were prepping it for resale. I would take your car to get tuned or at least get a Cobb AP and flash stage 2.
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Old 11-29-2012, 10:31 PM   #5
666pack
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im going to have to do research....i mean...it feels tuned haha. I feel like its running slightly rich. not throwing any codes at all tho.
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Old 11-29-2012, 10:38 PM   #6
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I'm no expert, but how can the car be "Certified" with aftermarket parts? Because technically, now those parts are covered under warranty.
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Old 11-29-2012, 10:40 PM   #7
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I had the same issue but my wasn't boosting to its ill potential thank goodness... But I would take it to either a tune shop and see if they can check for a tune for you they may charge I dunno or definitely go with the Cobb ap... You won't regret it
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Old 11-29-2012, 10:47 PM   #8
Mr Wrex
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...can't the stealership check the checksum to see if it's a stock tune or not?
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Old 11-30-2012, 12:22 AM   #9
drewvdw
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No CEL's means it's most likely tuned. Even a catted downpipe will likely throw a CEL unless there's a mechanical fix. I'd definately find someone with tuning software and do some logs to find out.
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Old 11-30-2012, 12:59 AM   #10
Gallo2011
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This is a perfect example of why newbies are asked to fill out their profiles. If you tell NASIOC what part of the world you're from, someone from that part of the world will eventually post and say, "hey dude! I can help! I live/work/panhandle just down the street from you."

Moral of the story...fill out your profile...newbie.

And welcome to the forum.
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Old 11-30-2012, 01:09 AM   #11
Jubert69
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Find someone with a tactrix cable near you.

Driving it you won't be able to tell whether it's tuned or not.
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Old 11-30-2012, 02:17 AM   #12
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If it is tuned you're likely not tuned with an Access Port, because the previous owner (unless he is an idiot) would have unmarried his AP before selling the car which would have deleted the tune. The next likely option if it is tuned is that it is tuned with open source. You can easily check this by finding someone in your area with a tactrix cable (as said above) and having them pull your map and comparing it to your stock map which you can find on the forums on the romraider site.

Oh, and please fill out your profile.
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Old 11-30-2012, 02:32 AM   #13
Jubert69
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Don't even need to pull the map. Just do a learning view check and post a screenshot. Looking at the timing tables people here will be able to tell.
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Old 11-30-2012, 02:44 AM   #14
sc00by4life
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shohin View Post
I'm no expert, but how can the car be "Certified" with aftermarket parts? Because technically, now those parts are covered under warranty.
No they aren't.
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Old 11-30-2012, 06:39 AM   #15
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Fill out profile. That's step one.

You won't be able to "feel" if it's tuned, it makes no difference. Like Drew pointed out, no CEL might be a good indication something has tuned it. Best bet is find a local tuner (hence filling out your profile) and take it to them ASAP. And until you know something, I would baby that car.
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Old 11-30-2012, 08:12 AM   #16
666pack
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profile fixed.

anyone know of resources in DE?
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Old 11-30-2012, 08:24 AM   #17
crfnick56
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shohin View Post
I'm no expert, but how can the car be "Certified" with aftermarket parts? Because technically, now those parts are covered under warranty.
I work at a dealer in parts and I was always under the impression that "certified" meant that the car had to go back to factory parts? My dealer here has even gone as far as taking out K&N filters to replace with OEM Subaru air filters so to certify a car with turboback exhaust baffles me
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Old 11-30-2012, 10:06 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 666pack View Post
stupid question.

first subaru i bought from a dealer. 2011 wrx. The dealer sold it to me cert preowned with an invidia down and borla cat back exhaust. Id like to know if its tuned or not, seems like they were unsure while answering. whats the easiest way to find out.

my apologies for posting, i come from vw roots so cobb tuning etc is new to me.

The only way to know if it's tuned 100% is if you have someone pull the map and compare the tables to a stock map. If you aren't throwing a CEL for the aftermarket down pipe it likely has some sort of modification to the stock tune for it, even if that is only shutting the code off .

At this point what you need to do is find a local with a tactrix cable, purchase a stage 2 map from TP, and get that loaded (or you can buy an AP and do the same, but I prefer OS so I'm impartial hah). There is absolutely no way I'd ever trust an unknown tune on my car, it's simply not worth the risk.
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Old 11-30-2012, 11:46 AM   #19
RM_2
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Downpipe - Yeah, you'll need a tune for that. You should get that all checked out otherwise...bad things could happen. Since you already have a DP, you might already be denied for powertrain related warranty work.
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Old 11-30-2012, 01:41 PM   #20
Shohin
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crfnick56 View Post
I work at a dealer in parts and I was always under the impression that "certified" meant that the car had to go back to factory parts? My dealer here has even gone as far as taking out K&N filters to replace with OEM Subaru air filters so to certify a car with turboback exhaust baffles me
This.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sc00by4life View Post
No they aren't.
I realize that they shouldn't be covered, but if a dealer "Certified" a car, then that car is covered under the "Certified" warranty in the state in which it was "certified" . . . in this case then, with aftermarket parts. I've dealt with MANY a certified car and this is exactly how it works with most (if not all) other manufacturers.
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Old 11-30-2012, 01:53 PM   #21
Jack
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The dealer violated his agreement to thoroughly inspect and bring the car into compliance for Subaru certification. While the dealer may think he sold you a certified car, if you go to another dealer, you're likely going to get an "I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do to your modified car".

And if that downpipe doesn't have a cat in it, the dealer violated federal law and is subject to a $10,000 fine.

Personally, I'd bring it to the attention of SOA. At the very least, the dealer is very sloppy.
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Old 11-30-2012, 03:27 PM   #22
SpamBot
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If the dealer sold you that car as a Certified vehicle with no catalytic converter, the car never should have been sold. As Jack mentioned, it's against Federal law.

If the car has been tuned and he sold it as a Certified car, you may be in for a surprise if you have to bring it to another dealer for a warranty claim. The claim coverage could be denied, and your VIN flagged (if it hasn't been already).

I would seriously consider asking the dealer for a refund, and return the car, unless you aren't at all concerned about any of this.
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Old 12-03-2012, 01:35 PM   #23
dvrmstrng
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His car has a catted Invidia DP..
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Old 12-03-2012, 04:01 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SpamBot View Post
I would seriously consider asking the dealer for a refund, and return the car, unless you aren't at all concerned about any of this.
^This.
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Old 03-09-2013, 05:51 PM   #25
jedimastere
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Default I'm in the same predicament.

Hello Nasioc!

Sorry to bump an old thread, but I was searching because I'm in the same boat right now as a potential buyer of a 2011 WRX.

upon inspection of the car today along with my dad who's a certified mechanic, we saw that the intake and turboback exhaust was modified. there was even a Grimmspeed turbo shield on it.

I'm in question whether the car has a tune or not because I know from searching on this resourceful site, that cars WRX with this type of modifications MUST be tuned to run properly. There was no CEL, it ran fine, but my father wasn't sure he liked the way the lifters were ticking. That's what he said. We're going to head back up there sometime tomorrow to test drive a brand new WRX to see any differences.

I have a friend who has an AP, but it's for his MS3. So i'm not sure how that will work out lol.

I really just wanted some form of input from the community on the situation. here's the VIN if anyone has a way of looking something up for me, as i am new to Subaru. JF1GV7E64BG509109 and the site the car can be looked at is.....

http://www.chryslerjeepofnorthbrowar...FL/vd/13688463

I'm interested in a Subaru because of the reliability, low theft rate, high re-sale value, and because it just looks more mature for my taste. Thank you for any input. I greatly appreciate it.
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