Disable Forscan mods before service?

[Sad_Mav]

I disabled Auto Stop / Start within days of getting my 2025 Mav with Forscan. I still have about 5K miles before it's due for scheduled maintenance but I was wondering if others who have made Forscan mods revert back to factory settings before bringing it in for service. It would be obvious to the service department that S/S is disabled and I don't want any trouble with it potentially effecting my warranty.

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[Pointyears]

I'll bite. How would it be obvious?

 

[rugedraw]

I would not say that is obvious. Even if it was, you do not need to revert FORScan changes for a dealer visit.......especially just an oil change. As a dealer employee for 16 years and counting, I can tell you nobody there will notice or care.

 

[Quest]

I too worked at a Dealer
I would be astonished if anyone noticed or even tried to look

 

[grandpopa'sMPGs]

why do people dislike auto stop. It can save a lot of gas in heavy city driving, especially with a v8 engine. On highways or country roads it is rarely used. Our 2018 Chevy Cruz at 130,000 miles still works fine with it.

 

[rugedraw]

why do people dislike auto stop. It can save a lot of gas in heavy city driving, especially with a v8 engine. On highways or country roads it is rarely used. Our 2018 Chevy Cruz at 130,000 miles still works fine with it.

In my case, I'd rather spend an additional $5 a month in fuel than to have my engine shut off in 90 degree Miami weather and cut my air conditioner off. How much fuel it actually saves is debatable.

 

[grandpopa'sMPGs]

In my case, I'd rather spend an additional $5 a month in fuel than too have my engine shut off in 90 degree Miami weather and cut my air conditioner off. How much fuel it actually saves is debatable.

If I am running the air my auto shutoff is auto disabled. try watching you total MPGs gage while idling at a stop light. Mine will reed 41.2---41.1----41.0----40.9----40.8-------------

 

[Cancunbadlands]

No one would notice it

 

[Pointyears]

why do people dislike auto stop. It can save a lot of gas in heavy city driving, especially with a v8 engine. On highways or country roads it is rarely used. Our 2018 Chevy Cruz at 130,000 miles still works fine with it.

I have a Mav hybrid so I don't have auto start/stop like that, but I did on my previous Escape. I found it disconcerting that when it would shut off the wheel would jerk a bit if it wasn't at 12:00. But not worth getting my panties in a bunch over it.

 

[Big-Foot]

why do people dislike auto stop. It can save a lot of gas in heavy city driving, especially with a v8 engine. On highways or country roads it is rarely used. Our 2018 Chevy Cruz at 130,000 miles still works fine with it.

have you priced a replacement starter and a couple hours of labor lately?
For those that live and do most of their travel in urban America, the money saved at stop lights and in traffic for fuel is far from break-even on the starter replacement costs.

 

[Ecorydr]

From web:

"Modern Ford vehicles constantly monitor and log module configurations. However, whether they flag these changes depends on what was modified and how thoroughly they are investigating.

The detection process generally involves the following factors:

• As-Built Cloud Logs: Ford vehicles with active connected services regularly upload their module configuration (As-Built) data to Ford servers. Technicians can compare a vehicle’s current module data against the original factory configuration using Ford's diagnostic system.
• Calibration Verification Numbers (CVN): Certain powertrain and major module parameters calculate a CVN. If you flash a module, its CVN changes. While technicians usually only look for these during major engine/transmission warranty diagnostics, they can identify unauthorized calibrations.
• No "Black Box" Log: FORScan mostly alters customizable feature flags and configuration bytes (e.g., enabling global windows, turning off double-horn honks, or changing tire size). It does not leave a hidden, text-based log saying "User X accessed this via FORScan." They will only see that the code values do not match factory settings.
• Dealership Actions during Service: If you bring your vehicle in for a recall or module update, the technician's computer may overwrite your FORScan changes to factory defaults during the standard reprogramming process.
• Warranty Implications: Under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, the dealership cannot simply void your entire warranty for using FORScan. However, they can deny a specific warranty claim if they prove your FORScan modification directly caused the component failure.

Pro-Tip: Before taking your vehicle to a Ford dealer for service, it is highly recommended to use FORScan to back up your current configuration and revert all modules to their original factory as-built settings to prevent your changes from being overwritten or scrutinized."

 

[Carlitos_92]

How much fuel it actually saves is debatable.

Not really. At the risk of posting "just another clickbait video," this one references an SAE paper that is paywalled, but he summarizes the results. Spoiler: if the engine is off more than about 7 seconds, it will save fuel, and the average driver can get 4-8% greater fuel economy with the A/S/S system activated.



That said, I agree with you on the A/C factor, and that is the main reason I disabled it within days of getting my truck.

 

[rugedraw]

From web:

"Modern Ford vehicles constantly monitor and log module configurations. However, whether they flag these changes depends on what was modified and how thoroughly they are investigating.

The detection process generally involves the following factors:

• As-Built Cloud Logs: Ford vehicles with active connected services regularly upload their module configuration (As-Built) data to Ford servers. Technicians can compare a vehicle’s current module data against the original factory configuration using Ford's diagnostic system.
• Calibration Verification Numbers (CVN): Certain powertrain and major module parameters calculate a CVN. If you flash a module, its CVN changes. While technicians usually only look for these during major engine/transmission warranty diagnostics, they can identify unauthorized calibrations.
• No "Black Box" Log: FORScan mostly alters customizable feature flags and configuration bytes (e.g., enabling global windows, turning off double-horn honks, or changing tire size). It does not leave a hidden, text-based log saying "User X accessed this via FORScan." They will only see that the code values do not match factory settings.
• Dealership Actions during Service: If you bring your vehicle in for a recall or module update, the technician's computer may overwrite your FORScan changes to factory defaults during the standard reprogramming process.
• Warranty Implications: Under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, the dealership cannot simply void your entire warranty for using FORScan. However, they can deny a specific warranty claim if they prove your FORScan modification directly caused the component failure.

Pro-Tip: Before taking your vehicle to a Ford dealer for service, it is highly recommended to use FORScan to back up your current configuration and revert all modules to their original factory as-built settings to prevent your changes from being overwritten or scrutinized."

Once a vehicle syncs with the cloud, whatever changes you made with FORScan become you new ab data. FDRS cannot be used to compare before and after config. You can only see the config in PTS/OASIS and even then, you'll only see the data from the last time the vehicle synced.

Calibration files only change if you flash firmware. The files themselves don't change if you make a config change. 1% of FORScan users use it to flash firmware. Most users don't even know you can do that.

Yes, if the dealer updates firmware and the ab data is not yet synced with the cloud, it will revert the FORScan changes the owner made.

Correct on the warranty implications. So, for example, if you enable global windows and your engine blows up, they're not to deny warranty work because of that.

I've taken both my truck and Bronco Sport to the dealer for warranty work with no issues. I took them tuned and heavily modified in terms of FORScan configuration changes and firmware/hardware that the vehicles weren't built with. No issue getting work approved under warranty. Heck, I know of some dealers and independent shops that use FORScan.

Btw: The dealer cannot tell if a vehicle has been plugged into FORScan, but Ford engineers can.

 

[grandpopa'sMPGs]

has anyone done a study on whether the fuel saved over many vehicles out weigh the cost of new starter needed by the few vehicles in need

 

[Carlitos_92]

has anyone done a study on whether the fuel saved over many vehicles out weigh the cost of new starter needed by the few vehicles in need

I think that would be an impossible study.

1. The cost of gasoline varies wildly over time and based on geographic location.
2. The cost of starter installation varies wildly based on vehicle age, brand, and who installs it.

More importantly, I don't think anyone has ever proven that the starters have an abnormal life span one way or the other based on A/S/S usage.

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