I picked up a mint low-mileage Boxster S. It ran well before things were haywire. Engine codes up the wazoo, 165 amp electrical drain, electrical system components not working, and then limp mode. I ran out out of time with the freezing weather and gave up fixing it myself. I probably would have botched it given the twisted outcome.
The real shop mechanic's estimate I got at $5800 to do most of the major repairs predicated to clean up the codes made me think about buying a total replacement that worked. There is hair on the floor. I relented instead to ask the mechanic to trace the drain first, and only that, so I could assess what might be wrong.
It cost the usual bundle for a small ignition part. It is also a measure of sanity to fix one thing in a car at a time due to the extreme interaction of complex control systems. So I got lucky in several ways that 1.) I limited the scope of repair, and 2.) the mechanic pulled out the hidden performance tuning part and left it for me.
When I paid the tab and picked up the car, there was an 'odbII tool' in the passenger seat. I tried to give it back to the mechanic. You should always do that. I do it. I can buy my own tools. He asked me, "Are you chipping the car?" "What?" I answered. "It was plugged in and stuffed inside the dashboard," he answered. I have only good things to say about this shop and its mechanics.
I took a long intercity ride. Yeah, most of the codes have vanished. Additional repairs might go unneeded. The soot inside the engine suggested raw unburned fuel over a long period of time. I will test the returned part to see if wear or feedback damaged it. I can do that. I suspect the tuning chip did all the damage.
Attempts to ask questions of ViperPerformance.net netted only an .ru website whois registration address and a dead mail drop in Moscow. The only outlet for Viper Performance seems to be an Etsy vendor. This might not be a real product and actually a severely detrimental tuning sham. Given the soot, it might be a EPA violation from a fake product. Anyone have experience with this snake?
Viper Performance chip full of venom
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