Member Since: 23 Sep 2008
Location: Middelburg
Posts: 5
DasTek - Bad Experience
Hi Everyone,
I had a DasTek Unichip installed in my 2007 D3 earlier this year, at the time I thought a good idea because I was doing a lot of long distances to travel for work and wanted to reduce my overall fuel consumption.
The Unichip was fitted at the time with only 17000km’s on the clock.
In the beginning of August 08 with 47000km’s I had a complete engine failure after returning home from a short camping trip, the explanation from the LR dealer is that two of cylinders have over fueled and this caused major damage on the main bearings and other internal parts to the engine.
The resolve is that LRSA have refused to cover the repairs under the vehicle warranty due to the Dastek fitment and regards it as a modification.
LRSA also refuse to honor any further warranty on the vehicle due to this incident
It has now been nearly 2 months and my vehicle is still in the workshop, over and above I am now sitting with a bill of R62 000.00 for the repairs.
My advice to anyone who is considering to have one fitted or already have one installed, don’t or remove it altogether .
Regards’
Marcel Viviers
23rd Sep 2008 11:20 am
CFB
Member Since: 02 Dec 2005
Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire
Posts: 6100
Sorry to hear this, bad luck
Did you remove the chip before the dealer saw the car??
The plug in chips seem to always achieve power increases by over-fuelling, lesson to others I guess, steer well clear. If you want more power have a proper re-map done.2020 BMW X1 18d XDrive X-Line Auto
23rd Sep 2008 11:24 am
mviviers
Member Since: 23 Sep 2008
Location: Middelburg
Posts: 5
Unfortuanetly not, at the time of the incident the engine was still running but with significant power loss, I did not realise the extent of the damages until it got checked out at the dealer.
Thx
Marcel
23rd Sep 2008 11:33 am
Discoeast
Member Since: 19 Feb 2008
Location: Boksburg
Posts: 800
mvivers,
This very sad news, IMHO I would get DasTec involved, after all they do
advertise this in Car mag every month. And project them selves as a top
tuning company, with that said is there any way to prove that the two over
fueling injectors are with in correct operating spec Seconly if found in spec,
could LRSA back you in any way to claim from DasTec.D3 bullbar-spots-roof rack with spots-ladder-long range tank-swing out spare wheel carrier- upgraded tow bar-dash console-internal water tank-duel awnings-drawer system & T T.
23rd Sep 2008 12:49 pm
mviviers
Member Since: 23 Sep 2008
Location: Middelburg
Posts: 5
Thanks for the input, I have just got of the phone with Steve's Auto Clinic who did the orignial installation, they have indicated that they want to proceed with an Investigation as to the root cause.
Hopefully they will be able to get some awnsers soon!
Thx
Marcel
23rd Sep 2008 1:16 pm
Baben
Member Since: 15 Feb 2006
Location: Kyalami
Posts: 2059
That is a really bad experience.
As far as I have heard, SAC have some kind of insurance that they can sell you for exactly this eventuality. Did you investigate whether you had insurance or not?
As for the Dastek, I shouldn't comment, seeing as I may be seen as a competitor, and I don't like to be negative about the competition.
What I have heard is that there are a lot of products out there that don't have a "fail-safe" mode, which means that if the plug-in unit malfunctions, the ECU will continue to operate, which could potentially cause problems like you seem to have experienced.
I think, however, that SAC's approach is correct - ie. to investigate further - it is very convenient for LR to place blame on a mod-chip. Main bearing failure from overfueling doesn't sound right to me. You need to get more information.
25th Sep 2008 10:09 am
mviviers
Member Since: 23 Sep 2008
Location: Middelburg
Posts: 5
Finding from SAC\Dastek
Hi I am posting the result of the findings made by representatives from SAC and Dastek
Upon inspection of motor, these are our founding’s;
1. Upon inspection, the cylinder heads where removed, engine block and sump removed, pistons still in block. New motor was already in vehicle being assembled.
2. It is evident that one piston is damaged due to over fueling on that specific cylinder. Wear is evident on both head and cylinder with piston.
3. The other 5 cylinders show no sign of over fueling, thus eliminating the possibility of engine management controlled over fueling. .
4. The engine failure is as a result of injector failure on the damaged cylinder.
5. Should the problem have been as a result of over fueling from the management system, all pistons would be damaged and signs of over fueling would be visible on all pistons, cylinders and both cylinder heads. As the system is common rail, all 6 injectors would have over fuelled if it where a management problem.
6. The damaged bearings and crank are due to oil starvation leading to excessive friction sub sequential to the piston being burnt away, resulting in compression loss and oil being burnt through the valves. This is evident pertaining to the valves on the corresponding worn cylinder and piston. .
7. At the time of the inspection, there was no oil sample taken, no diesel sample taken and no test result available on the injector pertaining to the cylinder in question.
At first reading, it looks like a single injector failure has caused the problem, but given the fact that a Dastek box was there, this allows LR to absolve themselves of a warranty claim. The older I get, the more I realise that people confuse wrinkles for wisdom
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1st Oct 2008 5:09 pm
simonsi
Member Since: 14 Oct 2007
Location: Auckland
Posts: 1264
Re: Finding from SAC\Dastek
I can only see one way to link this problem:
mviviers wrote:
2. It is evident that one piston is damaged due to over fueling on that specific cylinder. Wear is evident on both head and cylinder with piston.
...and this one
mviviers wrote:
6. The damaged bearings and crank are due to oil starvation leading to excessive friction sub sequential
Note excess torque as you might expect from over-fuelling might cause crank and or bearing failure but they are quite specific in blaming oil starvation.
I would also question whether the root cause is the piston/compression failure leading to engine oil being burnt in that one cylinder which could give rise to the "overfuelling" issue on that cylinder only. If that is possible then the overfuelling has not been from diesel via the injector but from engine lubrication oil from the sump. The alternative is that your engine had two, both potentially fatal problems at the same time....
In that scenario the logical sequence would be low oil pressure to the main bearings affected, the conrod big end (s) affected and the conrod oil spray ports (that spray oil onto the cylinder wall of the affected cylinder). The piston then overheats and suffers ring failure leading to compression loss. The loss of compression cause engine oil to pass into the combustion chamber and causes overfuelling on that cylinder.
I would make sure the oil ways in the block and crank are examined very carefully for a blockage in the oilways feeding the crank and bearingsCheers
Simon
1st Oct 2008 5:19 pm
dick dastardly
Member Since: 29 May 2007
Location: wiggleigh bottom
Posts: 1112
@Baben. Sell some Alientech Powergate R boxes http://www.lossweb.com/alientech/index.php...;Itemid=27 rebadged for Torq Tune. They allow you to analyse customer maps and supply Torq Tune remaps remotely per email. At lest it would provide an alternative to these potentially dangerous tuning boxes.There's one wheel on my wagon, but i'm still rollin' along, it's the cherokee, they're after me, but I'm singing a happy song
1st Oct 2008 5:25 pm
Baben
Member Since: 15 Feb 2006
Location: Kyalami
Posts: 2059
Dick, the alien stuff is very nice - basically you get the benefits of the remap in a box. Whats the price though?
1st Oct 2008 10:43 pm
mviviers
Member Since: 23 Sep 2008
Location: Middelburg
Posts: 5
LRSA Ignorance
I now have had two independent technical reports done by different investigators, all with the outcome that the root cause is injector failure...
Based on this, LRSA said they will give me feedback as to their position on this and now for the last 2 weeks they are simply ignoring me by not responding to my e-mails and the customer service centre only indicates that a regional technical manager will get back to me, WHEN I ASK?
I feel great knowing that LRSA does not care!!!!!
Marcel
14th Oct 2008 9:13 am
dick dastardly
Member Since: 29 May 2007
Location: wiggleigh bottom
Posts: 1112
Baben wrote:
Dick, the alien stuff is very nice - basically you get the benefits of the remap in a box. Whats the price though?
The console costs €300 in germany which is just used for down/uploading remap files. Once the remap is uploaded, console is removed, job done.There's one wheel on my wagon, but i'm still rollin' along, it's the cherokee, they're after me, but I'm singing a happy song
14th Oct 2008 10:20 pm
Baben
Member Since: 15 Feb 2006
Location: Kyalami
Posts: 2059
mmm, sounds a bit iffy
do the guys behind this device know about D3's?
15th Oct 2008 1:44 pm
PaulP
Member Since: 04 May 2007
Location: Barcelona
Posts: 4317
The device has nothing to do with the D3 as it is. It's a generic ECU reader/writer for almost any vehicle and it has to be said that it's pretty bulletproof in use.
The re-maps are done by a tuning supplier and are nothing to do with the manufacturers of the AlienTech box.
As you rightfully say, the key here is the tuner that modifies the maps. If you choose one that has experience with the TDV6 engine in the D3 then you should be ok.
I think the 300 EUR price was an offer based upon AlienTech selling the device very cheaply during the first couple of months via the distribution channel. This has now finished, so I would expect the price to have gone up a fair bit.
I paid 395 GBP for mine back in August with superb results. The retail price has now gone up to 475 GBP although some suppliers (as always) will be cheaper and others more expensive. In the same was that some suppliers will provide a quality/safe tune and others possibly won't.2006 Discovery 3 TDV6 SE AutoBuckingham Blue 2007 Golf GT DSG
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Seconly if found in spec,
