Leasing Question
 

So my car is leased and it has some modifications. If I want to bring my car to the dealer for warranty work or to have something looked at, will I get trouble for mods? (I would return the car to stock at the end of the lease)

Just curious incase I ever have to do this.

(Mods are header-catback-OFT)


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1st thing first.

You MUST go back to the OEM tune before heading to the dealer. It takes like 2 minutes to go back to the stock tune so that is very easy. Do it and save yourself a lot of trouble!

The header...it can cause you problems, but that's only if the warranty work has something to do with the engine/exhaust components. Basically if you have some serious engine problems....I'd install the stock header back. The dealers will gladly point the finger at something you did to avoid costs. "Oh look, you changed the header....that is the problem sir"

The catback won't give you any issues.

Thanks. So lets say they recall the cricket pump... i should go back to stock so they can fix it? (Hypothetically)


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Tune 100% Yes
Header....I don't know....I personally would.
Maybe someone else can chime in on this.

Reason I say I would put the stock header back on is because when I went to the dealer to have the intake checked really quick, they were questioning why I installed a new aftermarket filter and made it seem like it was the worst thing you could ever do to this car even though they sell the TRD filter...>__<

The catback they didn't even mention.

With a header....they may have some more questions/concerns.

However...since it would be an official recall, technically they would have to change it regardless of mods. BUT STILL TUNE BACK TO STOCK 100%!

Hahaha thanks, i have a filter too, forgot.

When I went to a BRZ World meet I met someone who had there flash tuned and locked at the dealer and it took him a while to correct. Much hassle lol


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never lease

only buy

Chances are they might see the mods and tell you to GTFO and says something about you voiding the warranty by modifying the vehicle.

One of the reasons I hate leasing a vehicle is that modding it is a waste of money unless you plan on keeping it but then you should have financed it in the first place. Also having to worry about exceeding your mileage limit which if you go over you obviously have to pay extra for.

I installed a drop in Supertek air filter but put a K&N Do Not Throw Away decal on top of the air box. Dealer won't say shit if they see K&N.

wasting your time with the pump. some members have changed it 4-5 times with different TSBs and theres no difference. Sadly no fix for it. 91 shell helped when i was stock becasue 0% ethanol

if you dont own a business sure. Get to expense my leased daily under the business and with the tax benefits its actually cheaper then if i bought it out right / financed it

That's weird. I got 0.9% interest on my lease compared to 5.9% on financing. I'm also leasing the car at the cash purchase price. So when I buy the car at the end of the lease I'm saving money, and also saving money over the years on interest.


As stated, if it's something serious change back. If it's not to serious don't change. Certain mechanics are assholes too. My car went back within a few weeks because when I took delivery the centre console was scratched and I wanted it replaced. The tech wrote aftermarket exhaust on the work order. That can mean many different things, especially since at the time I only had a muffler delete.

You can do the same if you bought outright as well. The only issue is that you cant expense at tax time the full amount of the lease for the year. I have my own Business and bought my BRZ outright. The only thing is I can only expense %20 of my yearly payment + interests + mileage to/from work. That being said, I can now mod the hell out of my beauty and don't have to worry about going back to stock...

agree and smart

dis agree and dumb

You consider his response dumb yet you spell disagree wrong.

This is a classy one also.

i emphasized the "dis"

i see you caught it good job :cheers:

I Leased Mine Too, I Wasn't Sure If I Was Gonna Keep It. My Buyout Is Much Cheaper Also, Plus I Got Mine At Dealer Price My Uncle Used To Work At The Dealership. :thumbsup:

So, I'm just going to put this out here...

Say something does go wrong with your engine and you have a tune and a catless header. When you switch back to stock tune and stock header in order to get warranty work done, you're committing fraud.

Something to keep in mind.

:lol::lol::lol:

Devil's advocate:

My Subaru dealer (Downtown Subaru) gave me the run around when I took the car in for a wheel bearing issue (I was getting a whirring vibration from my front-left wheel that I could duplicate under specific RPMs, speed and steering angles, which I reported to the mechanic).

Told me it was because of my axleback (not even a catback) which was total BS. Wouldn't even look at the bearing until I put my stock exhaust back on.
Ultimately, they went and fixed the wrong wheel bearing (the front right), and told me they didn't feel anything (the problem was still very much present).

I got so fed up, I bought a wheel hub assy from a wrecked FRS on eBay, and did the work myself. Problem solved (no more vibration or whirring noise).

Second experience:
Subaru in London (on Wharncliffe) tried to scam me when I brought my car in for a suspected bad battery (the car had failed to start after a cold night, but had struggled for a couple days prior).
When I got to the dealer, I was assured that nothing would be done without my consent, and that no out-of-warranty work would be done without my prior approval.

Lo and behold, the technician blames my Injen intake I had at the time as the culprit, saying that a few of the screws were loose on the MAF.
They told me after the fact, that they had tightened the 2 screws and the vacuum hose, and proceeded to charge me $50 for what was basically 2 minutes of work (despite not getting my approval for it).
Partly my fault, as I drove the car for 30 min to make sure it charged up, before I went to the dealer, so of course, the car starts like a champ when they cranked it after their "repair" work.
The problem ultimately came back (the battery sucks in our cars), and I got them to refund it (after email and phone tag, and me citing the Ontario consumer protection laws regarding auto repairs/disclosures), but it was another instance that left a bad taste in my mouth.

From now on, I'm just taking my car to a trusted independent mechanic.
I'm sure not all dealer service departments are like this, but I'd rather not take a chance.

if you are going to mod a lease then only mod lightly so it can easily be returned to stock without much effort...don't buy any spoiler or aero kits, no mechanical parts otherwise you should have just financed the car instead of leasing it if you wanted to modify it

mine is a lease and the mods i have are LED lights everywhere, winjet fog lights, supertek drop-in air filter which was like $25, foot well lighting, tail and turn signals and turn signals as reverse kit from diode dynamics, 3rd brake light flasher/pulse, relay for led turn signals, changed the +/- shift pattern on the stick shift, paddle shifter extensions, spin knob, and possibly a rear fog light i might install soon....3 years is a long time to lease a car haha..i would have like a 2 year lease but they don't offer that anymore

but no suspension mods, or aftermarket exhaust system or anything else major that would affect the performance of the vehicle