Having, among other things, my tires changed to 35" and gears changed to 5.13". On the bill is a charge of $379.99 for the HyperTech Tuner part number 52001. When I asked the shop manager he said it was required to adjust the Jeep's computer for the new tire and gears. Is he correct? If not, what should I be getting?

Thanks,

 

Yes, it is recomended to reprogram the computer for accurate spedometer and performance. But the installer should have advised you first before incurring that expense.

BTW, did he keep the programmer or did he give it to you? You need to keep that programmer.... it is vehicle specific once you program the computer.

 

No, I get to keep it. Thanks for your reply.

 

1. The Hypertech does a little more than reset for tires. The Accupro, made by the same company, is a cheaper alternative (about $180) that could have done what the tire installer said you needed. Having said that, search around JK-Forum for Hypertech--you might find that you'd rather have the Hypertech anyway. I have one and like it.

2. In Oklahoma, you can change tires/gears without resetting the computer. That is, there is no one checking to ensure that you're speedo is reading correctly (as long as you compensate in your driving!). Maybe California is different. If not, well--as a prior poster said, he should have explained beforehand what you were going to be billed for.

 

Wow - just ditto'd you in another Hypertech thread, VictorS... you've got good answers today.

CA may be different than CT, but here in CT, a mechanic needs to tell you about work that he's going to perform, and get your authorization... without this protection, you could go in for an oil change and they could overhaul your engine without your consent, then charge you a fortune for the work!

I'd be really surprised if CA didn't have a similar provision to protect consumers. Then again, perhaps such a law is offset by another law, requiring that mechanics not willingly participate in odometer fraud (which would be the result of the work you had done if they DIDN'T reprogram your ECU).

Having said all that, IMO it's money well-spent. But, as Mark said, the Accu-pro could've done the job for half the price - you just wouldn't get the performance benefits that the Hypertech provides.

 

Thanks for all the replies. It wasn't that I didn't have the choice to accept the hypertech or not, I just wanted to make sure that it was appropriate given the change in tires and gearing.

From the replies, it sounds like the it was the right thing to do.