Mods - which ones are safe w/ warranty?

[Juddog]

To the ATOT crowd, just wondering which mods are considered safe to put on without voiding your car's warranty. I have had some co-workers tell me the cold air intake is fine, as is exhaust, but that some of the heavier mods will void your manufacturer warranty.

 

[T2urtle]

honestly a lot is pending on dealership. And well there are laws they need to prove and this and that...


you can lower the car, but if something rattles then thats on you and the same goes as to any and all mods.

what a lot of companies are doing is making their own line of mods. TRD, SPT, mopar, GM performace. They do offer a far amount of stuff that will keep your warranty 100%. These are on the more tuner popular cars. Like you can put a TRD supercharger on a scion TC and still be in warranty, if its installed by the dealer. SPT is subaru brand.. they have a couple of stuff for the legacy GT and i'm sure STI/wrx.

But everything is all pending dealerships and problems you have with it...a lot of dealerships are very friendly with car tuners...but they have a great relationship with teh dealer and service guys.

 

[alkemyst]

http://www.fastwrx.com/wilthesparvo.html

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
http://www.fastwrx.com/wilthesparvo.html

Bingo.

No mod will "void" your warranty just for being installed. However, if a part fails because of the modification, then the warranty will not cover that part. As alkemyst's link points out, this can sometimes be a grey area; for example, having your differential grenade after you modified your engine to produce an extra 100 hp. It's fully possible that the extra power from the modification caused the diff to fail, which would result in a denial of warranty coverage on the differential.

ZV

 

[MiataNC]

A dealer (or manufacturer rep) will have to reasonably prove that the mod contributed to the failure in order to deny a warranty claim. Since just about every system in a car is linked to another, it isn't hard to "prove".

Mod at your own risk. If you can't afford to fix it without warranty coverage, don't mess with it until the warranty expires.

 

[zerocool84]

If you get any kind of aftermarket intake and live in Cali, it MUST have a C.A.R.B. sticker on it to be street legal.

 

[Kadarin]

There's a lot of discussion on this on various BMW forums, especially given that aftermarket tunes are taking the turbos on the N54 (335i and 135i twin-turbo engines) into potentially unsafe territory, and BMW doesn't want to be buying the tuner community free replacement turbos.

 

[alkemyst]

over boosting from stock would be a definite cause for BMW to both deny a turbo replacement and more than likely the rest of the powertrain. Meanwhile your braking, electrical and bodywork would be still covered.

However; with most 'tunes' the person usually goes back to stock if they have an issue.

BMW is notorious though for denying coverage....a la the 95? M3 with dropping valves.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
over boosting from stock would be a definite cause for BMW to both deny a turbo replacement and more than likely the rest of the powertrain. Meanwhile your braking, electrical and bodywork would be still covered.

However; with most 'tunes' the person usually goes back to stock if they have an issue.

BMW is notorious though for denying coverage....a la the 95? M3 with dropping valves.

Not in my experience. I have had plenty carried out on warranty.

 

[alkemyst]

powertrain or just harassing the dealer with fit and finish?

what have you had 'covered'?

 

[MiataNC]

I used to turn wrenches for a couple of dealers back in the 1990s....

The best thing you can do to ensure warranty coverage is to establish a good relationship with the dealer. Bring your car in for regular service; at least the smaller cheaper ones (oil changes and tire rotations are usually no more expensive than a quick lube or tire shop). Also drop off some donuts or pizza every other trip in. The key is to be a face they recognize, and to be considered a "good customer". You don't have to spend a fortune with a dealer, just give the impression that you think of them first when you need work done.

It is amazing how far they will bend over backwards for you if you generate a little good will long before you need to file a warranty claim. I have seen service writers and service managers push through warranty claims on whole engines and transmissions for "good customer" that they would never do for someone who never brings their car in, or only comes in for warranty work.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
powertrain or just harassing the dealer with fit and finish?

what have you had 'covered'?

- Flywheel
- Clutch
- Engine Mounts
- Power Steering return pipe
- Broken rear springs
- MAF

All were 'covered'.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero

Originally posted by: alkemyst
powertrain or just harassing the dealer with fit and finish?

what have you had 'covered'?

- Flywheel
- Clutch
- Engine Mounts
- Power Steering return pipe
- Broken rear springs
- MAF

All were 'covered'.

Good luck with engine warranty on M series.

 

[T2urtle]

Originally posted by: MiataNC
I used to turn wrenches for a couple of dealers back in the 1990s....

The best thing you can do to ensure warranty coverage is to establish a good relationship with the dealer. Bring your car in for regular service; at least the smaller cheaper ones (oil changes and tire rotations are usually no more expensive than a quick lube or tire shop). Also drop off some donuts or pizza every other trip in. The key is to be a face they recognize, and to be considered a "good customer". You don't have to spend a fortune with a dealer, just give the impression that you think of them first when you need work done.

It is amazing how far they will bend over backwards for you if you generate a little good will long before you need to file a warranty claim. I have seen service writers and service managers push through warranty claims on whole engines and transmissions for "good customer" that they would never do for someone who never brings their car in, or only comes in for warranty work.

Yea i've seen the same when i was wrenching.

that or be a extremely hot girl and sit in their office the entire time...

if they consider a good customer they will over night parts for free for you and etc. A lot of perks can be given. And well i think our oil changes were a bit off. $50 for syn oil change. and another 50$ for rotation.

 

[sjwaste]

A syn oil change costs me almost $50 these days anyway. A case of Mobil 1 is well over $30, plus $10 for the M1 filter, tax...

If I could find a place locally that would change my oil that way for $50, I'd take it any day

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero

Originally posted by: alkemyst
powertrain or just harassing the dealer with fit and finish?

what have you had 'covered'?

- Flywheel
- Clutch
- Engine Mounts
- Power Steering return pipe
- Broken rear springs
- MAF

All were 'covered'.

Good luck with engine warranty on M series.

Not engine, but BMW is replacing transmissions on Z4 Ms because a small portion grind when going into 2nd gear at 8,000 RPM. Not bad for a symptom that only occurs at redline.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero

Originally posted by: alkemyst
powertrain or just harassing the dealer with fit and finish?

what have you had 'covered'?

- Flywheel
- Clutch
- Engine Mounts
- Power Steering return pipe
- Broken rear springs
- MAF

All were 'covered'.

Good luck with engine warranty on M series.

WTF are you on about? You tire me with your anti-BMW rhetoric. I would suggest you stop posting into any threads regarding BMWs as you just spit bile and FUD rather than anything of any use.

 

[Regs]

Don't let the CAI soak up any water. If you car starts to stall or hesitate...pull over and find a toe. Water and oil do not mix well with an engine running over 300F.

 

[fbrdphreak]

The first question you should ask is what kind of car do I drive and are the mods worth it? Intakes make little difference on most cars are a waste of money, letting in more dirt to your engine than power they produce.

 

[Regs]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
The first question you should ask is what kind of car do I drive and are the mods worth it? Intakes make little difference on most cars are a waste of money, letting in more dirt to your engine than power they produce.

True. Because all you're really doing is leaning out the fuel mixture with cold air. The best performance comes when you use a piggy-back chip or MAF customizer so your car's computer adds more fuel to the mixture.