Terms and Conditions

Identity and Contact Information

These General Terms and Conditions are issued by Schaknat Elektronik GmbH, Carl‑Benz‑Straße 12, 68649 Groß‑Rohrheim, Germany. The managing director is Peter Schaknat. We are registered with the Commercial Register of the Local Court of Darmstadt under HRB 101204. Our VAT Identification Number is DE337917238. You can reach us via our contact form, by phone at +49 800 3441114, and by email at info@schaknat.app. The person responsible according to § 55 RStV is Peter Schaknat at the address stated above. Our professional liability insurer is Gothaer Allgemeine Versicherung AG, Gothaer Allee 1, 50598 Cologne, Germany, with territorial coverage across Europe. Our team is available Tuesday to Saturday from 10:30 to 18:30 CET. We are not willing or obliged to participate in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board. Despite careful control of content, we assume no liability for the content of external links; the operators of linked pages are solely responsible for their content.

Scope, Contract Language, and Definitions

These GTC govern all purchases and uses of our hardware OBD dongle, our mobile and backend software application, and our VIN‑bound tuning licenses, together referred to as the Services. They apply to orders placed via our online shop or other channels expressly designated by us, and to all related support. Customers may be consumers acting outside a trade, business, or profession, or business customers acting in the course of trade. The contract language is English; if we provide translations, the English version controls. These GTC replace and supersede our prior German‑language AGB; any reference in older documentation or communications to previous terms is updated accordingly.

What We Offer and How It Works

Our solution consists of a Schaknat OBD dongle, the Schaknat mobile application, and a license that enables you to program certain electronic control units of supported vehicles to optimize engine performance and efficiency. Each license is permanently bound to one vehicle identification number and cannot be transferred to another vehicle or user. The application may require an activation step, such as a one‑time code. You are responsible for keeping devices, accounts, passwords, and activation codes secure and for all activities under your account. It is your responsibility to confirm in advance that your specific vehicle, engine, and ECU are supported, that your mobile device and operating system meet our system requirements, and that you can provide a stable power supply and connection throughout any programming process.

Ordering, Contract Formation, Prices, Taxes, and Payment

Product and price displays in our shop are invitations to order and not binding offers. Your order is a binding offer; a contract is formed when we confirm the order or begin fulfillment. Prices are shown in EUR or as displayed at checkout. Cross‑border deliveries may incur duties, taxes, and fees that you must pay. We accept the payment methods shown at checkout and may decline orders or require prepayment where reasonable, including in case of risk or compliance checks. The OBD dongle remains our property until paid in full. We may temporarily suspend license functionality if payment fails or is reversed.

Delivery, Availability, and Events Beyond Our Control

Delivery times and availability are estimates. We will inform you about significant delays where feasible. We are not liable for delays or non‑performance caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including regulatory actions, strikes, disruptions, epidemics or pandemics, or natural disasters, and we will perform as soon as reasonably possible thereafter. For consumers, risk of loss passes upon delivery to you. For business customers, risk passes when the goods are handed to the carrier unless otherwise agreed.

Safety‑Critical Use Requirements

Programming control units is a safety‑relevant process. You must read and follow all instructions in the app and any documentation. During programming you must ensure a stable vehicle power supply, a stable connection, and you must not switch off the ignition, remove the dongle, or otherwise interrupt the process. The license may be used only for the declared vehicle and ECU. Applying calibrations to other vehicles or ECUs is prohibited. Increased performance can accelerate wear and place greater stress on components; you are responsible for ensuring your vehicle is suitable, well‑maintained, and roadworthy.

Road Legality, Type Approval, Inspections, and Insurance

Tuning can affect type approval, emissions, noise, tax classification, and insurance. Depending on your jurisdiction, street‑legal use may require inspection and approval by a technical service and entries in your registration documents. You are responsible for securing any required approvals and for notifying your insurer of any power increase or other relevant changes. Failure to secure required approvals or to inform your insurer may result in loss of the vehicle’s operating permit and insurance coverage. The absence of such approvals or entries is not a defect of our products or services. Where your jurisdiction restricts emissions‑related modifications for on‑road use, you must ensure that your use complies with applicable law. If you intend to use the vehicle on public roads, do not operate with a modified calibration until all approvals, entries, and notifications required by law are completed.

Voluntary 30‑Day Money‑Back Guarantee

In addition to any mandatory statutory rights that may apply to consumers in their place of residence, we grant a worldwide voluntary 30‑day money‑back guarantee on the dongle and on the VIN‑bound license subject to the following conditions. You must return the vehicle’s control units to their original stock state before requesting the guarantee. We verify whether control units were reset, for example by application logs, ECU readback, or other technical means. If the dongle is returned without stock reset of the control units, the 30‑day money‑back guarantee does not apply. The dongle does not need to reach us within thirty days; however, it must arrive no later than sixty days after the delivery date. The reset and the request for the guarantee must still be made within the deadlines set out in this section. The vehicle must be reset no later than fifty days after the order date in order to remain eligible for the guarantee, and you must notify us via our contact form no later than the fifty‑first day that you request a return and refund. At the time of your request, the control units must already be reset to their original state; otherwise the request cannot be accepted. If your package takes twenty‑five days to arrive, you will not have the full thirty days to test; you must complete the reset and submit the request within fifty days from the original order date. If your reset is completed on day fifty‑five, the guarantee no longer applies. You bear the cost of return shipping. Standard outbound shipping of your order is free of charge where advertised; if you booked express shipping, any additional express fee is not refunded. The dongle must be returned complete and in reasonable condition. We may deny or limit the guarantee in cases of misuse, tampering, severe damage, or where the vehicle cannot be restored to stock due to non‑Schaknat modifications. If you meet all conditions, we will refund the price paid for the dongle and the VIN‑bound license, less any non‑refundable express surcharge and subject to any deduction permitted by law for diminished value of the returned dongle. This guarantee is voluntary and does not limit any mandatory statutory rights that may apply to you.

Statutory Right of Withdrawal for Consumers in the EEA and the UK

If you are a consumer with habitual residence in the EEA or the UK, you have a statutory cooling‑off right for distance contracts as implemented in your country. For physical goods such as the dongle, you may withdraw from the contract within fourteen days from delivery without giving reasons. We will refund the product price and the cost of the standard outbound delivery you selected; you bear the direct cost of returning the goods unless we state otherwise. We may withhold the refund until we receive the goods or proof of return. You are responsible for any loss in value resulting from handling beyond what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics, and functioning of the goods. For digital content or digital services such as the VIN‑bound license, the statutory withdrawal right ends once performance has begun with your express consent and your acknowledgement that you lose the right of withdrawal when performance begins. If you do not begin activation, you may withdraw within fourteen days. To exercise your right, send us a clear statement identifying your order and your decision to withdraw. Nothing in these GTC restricts any mandatory consumer rights under the laws of your country.

Warranty, Conformity, and Updates

Consumers in the EEA and the UK benefit from the statutory legal guarantee of conformity for goods. We are liable for any lack of conformity that exists at delivery and becomes apparent within the statutory period provided by local law; where repair or replacement is required, it will be provided at no cost, and, if those remedies fail, you may be entitled to a price reduction or rescission according to local law. For digital content and digital services such as the VIN‑bound license and the application, we will ensure conformity and provide updates, including security updates, as required by applicable law and by the nature of the service. For business customers, the warranty period for goods is twelve months from delivery unless mandatory law prescribes otherwise. Business customers must inspect goods without undue delay and notify us of any defects promptly in accordance with applicable commercial codes; failure to do so may bar claims. The effects of tuning that are expected given increased performance, including increased wear, altered emissions or noise, and the consequences of not following instructions or applying the service to unsupported vehicles or ECUs, do not constitute defects, subject to mandatory law.

Returns, RMA, and Refund Process

Before returning any item you must contact us to obtain return instructions and an RMA number. Unless we are at fault or mandatory law provides otherwise, you pay return shipping and remain responsible for the goods until delivery to us; we recommend tracked and insured shipping. Refunds are made without undue delay and using the original payment method, in accordance with the applicable legal framework and with the terms of our voluntary 30‑day money‑back guarantee where used.

Intellectual Property and License to Use the Application

We grant you a limited, non‑exclusive, non‑transferable license to install and use the application and delivered calibrations solely to program your licensed vehicle in accordance with these GTC. You must not reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, circumvent security, or remove notices from the application or dongle firmware except to the extent such restrictions are prohibited by mandatory law. Third‑party software components, if any, are licensed under their respective terms. All documentation, guides, and technical materials remain our intellectual property and may not be copied or disclosed except as necessary for personal use of the services you purchased.

Acceptable Use and Security

You must not use the application, dongle, or license in violation of law, to infringe third‑party rights, or to harm vehicles. You must safeguard your accounts, devices, activation codes, and the dongle against unauthorized use and notify us promptly if you suspect misuse. We may provide updates or disable unsafe configurations where necessary for safety, security, or legal compliance.

Data Protection

We process personal data as described in our Privacy Policy available on our website. We may process telemetry and diagnostic information necessary to verify safe programming, to support you, and to confirm the stock reset for purposes of the voluntary money‑back guarantee, in accordance with applicable data protection law.

Liability

We do not exclude or limit liability for intent, gross negligence, death or personal injury, fraudulent concealment, or liability under applicable product‑liability law. For ordinary negligence we are liable only for breach of material contractual obligations whose performance is essential to the proper execution of the contract and on which you may regularly rely; in such cases liability is limited to the foreseeable loss typical for this type of contract. The foregoing applies equally to our legal representatives, employees, and vicarious agents. You are responsible for ensuring your tuned vehicle is legal for the intended use and properly insured; we are not liable for fines, registration issues, or insurance denials resulting from non‑compliant modifications or failure to obtain required approvals or make required notifications. Nothing in these GTC excludes liability where such exclusion is not permitted by law.

Export Control, Sanctions, and Geographical Restrictions

You represent that you are not located in a country subject to comprehensive embargoes or sanctions and that you are not a denied party under applicable sanctions or export‑control laws. You must not export or re‑export our products or technology in violation of applicable law.

Set‑Off, Retention, and Assignment for Business Customers

Business customers may set off or exercise a right of retention only with undisputed or finally adjudicated counterclaims. We may require appropriate advance payment or security where reasonable. Assignment of claims against us requires our prior consent except for monetary claims within the scope of § 354a of the German Commercial Code.

Changes to These GTC

We may change these GTC for valid reasons, including legal, security, or product‑evolution reasons. We will notify you in advance where the change affects ongoing services. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the changes unless mandatory law requires express consent.

Governing Law, Jurisdiction, and Consumer Options

German law applies excluding the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. For business customers the exclusive place of jurisdiction is the registered seat of Schaknat Elektronik GmbH. Consumers may bring claims in their local courts where so required by law. Mandatory consumer‑protection rules of your country of habitual residence remain unaffected. Contracts may be stored electronically by us and are not accessible to customers after conclusion due to data‑protection reasons unless we are legally required to provide access.

Severability, No Waiver, and Entire Agreement

If any provision of these GTC is or becomes invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in force. The invalid provision will be replaced by a valid one that most closely reflects the parties’ original intent. Failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of rights. These GTC together with the order confirmation and any documents expressly incorporated by reference constitute the entire agreement between you and us with respect to the subject matter and supersede any prior terms or communications on the same subject.

Service and Support

For withdrawal notices, warranty claims, RMA requests, or to exercise the voluntary 30‑day money‑back guarantee, please use our contact form or reach us via the phone number or email stated in Section 1 during the business hours indicated there.