What won't void your warranty modification wise?
 

The obvious aesthetic mods obviously won't, however performance modifications in most cases can be to blame for various issues that may arrise.

Suprised there isn't a sticky related to this, as most people are probably still under warranty.

The only thing that i can really think of is tire and rims.

Assuming a TRD intake would even void the Subaru warranty?



Thoughts/opinions/experiences?

The reason there is no sticky is because it's been discussed many many times already.

Mods can only void your warranty if Toyota can prove it contributed to the failure. Of course, that's assuming the dealership doesn't tell you to get bent before Toyota can even look at it.

Cat-back exhaust, drop in filter or intake won't void warranty.

Stickers and plasti-dip.

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There is a great deal of confusion regarding vehicle modifications and manufacturer warranties on the Internet. What follows are some simplistic clarifications to help consumers navigate the murky waters of vehicle modifications and warranties.


Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act: This act provides a host of benefits for common consumers, and some protections for automotive enthusiasts as well. The Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act may be viewed as a federal "lemon law" (California's state lemon law is the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act). Lemon laws serve the basic function of protecting the consumer from vehicle defects and improper warranty denial or abuse.


Magnusson-Moss provides that before a manufacturer can deny warranty coverage as a result of a vehicle modification (e.g., aftermarket exhaust or wheels), the manufacturer must provide proof or evidence that the aftermarket part caused or contributed to a warranty concern or issue. [*Please check your owner's manual for the extent and duration of all vehicle warranties before attempting to assert protections provided by Magnusson-Moss.]

For example, if you have an aftermarket exhaust, and you take your car to the dealership to service a transmission issue, the manufacturer must demonstrate a causal link between your aftermarket exhaust and the transmission issue in order to deny warranty coverage that would have addressed the transmission issue.


In the event that an aftermarket part or component is found to have caused or contributed to a warranty issue, then the warranty for that specific manufacturer part is no longer valid; the warranty for the rest of the vehicle still remains in effect. For example, a manufacturer cannot void your powertrain (engine/transmission) warranty because you installed an aftermarket stereo head unit and amplifier in your car, and your factory speakers are now blown and no longer functional. Only the portion of the manufacturer's warranty for the vehicle's factory (original) sound system is affected. Your powertrain warranty remains intact despite the fact you modified the interior of your car, damaged the factory speakers, and no longer have warranty coverage for your factory/original sound system.


Real World Implications: Despite the protections provided by Magnusson-Moss, many automotive dealerships (which are independently owned and operated) will attempt to void vehicle warranties (or refuse service under warranty) because of aftermarket parts or modifications because they know that many people are not aware of their rights, will not go through the trouble of fighting the dealership and/or manufacturer, or do not want to wait to have vehicle service performed at a later date. *Remember that your vehicle warranties are through the manufacturer, and that the dealership is compensated by the manufacturer for warranty service when the service is approved by the manufacturer or its service divisions.


Preventative Solutions/Tips:

1) Try to have your vehicle serviced at a dealership that is fair and reasonable with respect to vehicle modifications. Inquire as to the dealership's stance regarding modifications before going in for service with aftermarket parts installed. Some dealerships are owned by enthusiasts and they appreciate the modifications performed by owners, and other dealerships don't want to deal with the potential liability or headaches that come with servicing modified vehicles under warranty. There are many dealerships that take no issue with modifications such as air intakes, cat-back exhausts, lowering springs, and aftermarket wheels, but draw the line at more involved modifications such as forced induction or aftermarket tunes. Conversely, there are dealerships that will take issue with minor modifications such as an aftermarket air filter or an axle-back exhaust.


2) Certain manufacturers provide branded performance parts such as intakes and lowering springs from in-house racing developers or third party affiliates such as TRD or STi. Performance upgrades from these sources are often backed with factory warranties so long as they are installed by a dealer. This is one potential way to avoid warranty hassles, but the trade-off is that these upgrade parts are limited in application and can be rather expensive.


3) Some dealerships will even install aftermarket (not from TRD or STi) parts for you, but be aware that if something goes wrong, and a warranty issue arises, all bets are off regarding your treatment by the dealership. If possible, get a written representation from the dealership that installed the aftermarket parts that you will be covered in the event of a subsequent warranty issue.


Editor's note: Organizations such as SEMA can provide you with more in-depth information and additional resources regarding the aftermarket industry and aftermarket parts.

Boom close thread.

great info thank you very much!!!

Great post @Lonewolf

No they don't.
They do only if replacement parts are done to OEM specs. Otherwise Magnusson-Moss goes out the window.


M-M law is there so that the dealer cannot require one to buy replacement oil filter only from the dealer at inflated prices. It does not apply to random junk you put on your car.

I don't know exactly what you are referring to, your overly bolded statements are tremendously vague and unclear. Do you know warranty/contract/consumer law?

My 'overly bolded statements' used exactly the font size you used.
Nothing vague about it. Aftermarket often brings up M-M, and in most cases what they say is wishful thinking.

Your bolded stament are taken right out of SEMA playbook. They have nothing to do with what the M-M act states.

If you put parts that violate OEM specs, M-M does not apply.

Now, in practice, a lot of cases where consumers manage to get the manufacturers to honor (the previously denied) claims is where the failure is common and does occur to cars w/o any modifications.

Basically, all I'm saying is that one should use common sense. If you're reflashed - M-M does not apply, do not come to the dealer citing SEMA interpretation of the M-M and expecting them to cut you some slack.

My entire post is not entirely based on Magnusson-Moss, that's your first problematic assumption.

Further, what "violates" oem specs? Where is this defined? Where is the tolerance range for each spec? Where is the notice provided of this tolerance range?

Magnusson-Moss is not some magic unicorn here to save everyone who likes to mod, it is a guideline as to how warranties should be managed and saved from misapplication by manufacturers.

In addition, your "oem specs" assertion doesn't matter if the "violative" aftermarket part doesn't CAUSE a problem. The law is all about causation.

*So what happens if I have 20 inch wheels and tires on my FRS and my tailights start developing condensation? Do my 20's void my taillight warranty? No, they do not. Magnusson-Moss shouldn't even be at issue here since the cause of the warranty issue and the aftermarket part are not even remotely linked. So, my 20's, which are no doubt not within "oem specs" don't mean a thing.

I tried to distill the finer points of warranty issues into something most could understand.

You parrot stuff from SEMA (which I also refer to), misapply it, and then pretend to find some fatal flaw in my post...:laughabove:

Nice try...:clap:

So you've handled cases regarding automotive warranty disputes?

Sticking with plasti-dip, vinyl, and wheels until my warranty runs out. Then I'll go nuts :)

It's a DD, so it's more important to look fast than go fast.

Because Looks Racecar!

Shift knob...

Meh, I have no interest in arguing.
Here's my position and I'll just leave it at that:
1) You warranty can't be voided. A claim can be denied.
2) If you're substituting non OEM-spec parts your claim CAN be denied. If you're running 20" rims with XXX/10/20-profile tires, your car is getting a crapload more viabration to the taillight housing. So your claim CAN be denied. It probably won't be when there are numerous other cases of leaky taillights with cars running normal wheels. If your rear window falls out (or some other vibration-caused failure that doesn't occur to other cars) - your claim CAN and is LIKELY to be denied because of the 20" rims.

What constitutes "oem-spec" sometimes is clearly defined (in case of replacement service parts) sometimes is vague and manufacturers' warranty departments take stands on what they might be prepared to defend in court, should there be a need to. If your intake screws up airflow sensor reading and dupes the engine into running leaner - it's non-OEM spec and manufacturers won't have to prove that your engine went kaboom because of the intake, they just have to prove that the said intake CAN make the car run lean to prove reasonably that it's not done to OEM spec. After proving the latter there's no need to prove causality.
3) Bringing up M-M (because a lot of people out there mistakenly believe that whatever crap they install on their cars the dealer/manufacturer have to prove something) when you have an uncooperative dealer due to your mods -- is an almost surefire way to get them to cooperate less even if your problem is widespread among non-modified cars.

4) So my best advice - forget M-M completely, it doesn't apply to anything enthusiasts do to their cars. If you have a common problem - argue that the problem is occurring to non-modified cars. If you bought a new just-released car, modify knowing that you run the risk of being screwed simply because there won't be enough data to claim that the problem is common on non-modified cars.

Holy shit, I can't stop laughing :lol:

Not if the dealer can prove that because of the non-OEM spec knob you can shift faster, thus damaging the transmission. Of course, that is if your window hasn't fallen out first from the faster-than-normal shifting!!

Actually, there's a lot of logic in dsgerbc's posts. Just not sure how much logic really matters in most warranty cases. Some dealers will try to deny every claim while others will go the extra mile to keep a customer satisfied. And I find that a lot of what they will and won't do for you depends on how you approach them with a problem in the first place.

Thanks for all of the replies guys. Got quote heated as it is a very debatable topic.

I'm thinking about getting a nameless axelback, which I could swap the stock back on before any servicing. Definitely staying away from an intake as I've had a seized engine denied due to an intake alone.

Thoughts on the axelback?

I can't either. Like, that dudes not serious is he? If he is, I seriously just might be done with this forum.

I don't understand why the dealerships are such assholes sometimes... Don't warranty-related fixes cost them nothing?

Non OEM shift knob is too heavy causing excessive pressure on shifter fork which led to transmission failure... :bonk:

Possibly after market license plate frame..

Some of the dealerships around where I live actually have shops that do modifications to some of their cars and will throw on whatever you bring to them. I've been told some dealers throw superchargers on to tundras and there are usually a hand full of FJs, Tacomas, and Tundras with full lift, winch, and light bar treatment all covered under warranty. If they can install the part it's covered by them. Some of the larger dealerships sponsor some race/show cars but I have yet to see one lol

This. If you behave like you own the place, citing M-M, demanding the dealer prove things etc - you'll get less accomplished.

In dealing with the manufacturer the dealer should be your friend/first line of defense. A lot will depend on how the dealer reports your case to the manufacturer. If you piss-off your dealer to begin with you might have to spend waaay more time on the phone with the manufacturer, even if your case is fairly strong.

Yeah these kind of dealerships are few and far between. But a place like that is heaven for car owners like us.

I always tell my customers about this. You just worded it way better than i do. lol

Will a blown strut/shock be coverd if the owner is over weight?

I would think so... As long as his weight didn't exceed the GVWR determined by the O E M.

Due to their weight, aftermarket license plate frames cause excessive force on the screws holding the license plate and therefore void any and all power train warranty claims

IMO, You don't need to swap the axleback to SERVICE the car. Even if something went wrong with the car, I can't even think of an incident where an axleback exhaust would be the root cause of an issue that would normally be covered under warranty. An axleback is a sound/looks modification, even a headerback is fairly conservative mod that I can't really see any warranty claims denied due to, as there are no sensors beyond the header cat sending info to the engine.

Now that doctors have classified obesity as a disease, it won't be long until being fat becomes a protected designation (like sex, race, etc), which means anti-discrimination protections...:bellyroll:

Not to OEM spec, if your window fell out, it's due to the aftermarket license plate frame... because of the different weight of the frame causes excessive rattle to the car...

Mod those at your own risk.
@dsgerbc am I correct on this?:wub:

Only an idiot can make that conclusion from what I wrote.

It really depends on the dealer. If it gets to the point where you are citing law, unless you are a practicing lawyer of civil law, good luck. No one is really wrong here. If you can argue law good for you, you stand a fighting chance. IN COURT!! lol. I personally would rather save the time and money if it gets that far. Anywho, a car can be stock and still wont be covered in the warranty. Ex. Drive the s*** out of your car and burn out the clutch. Some will cover it and others won't. I find that being calm and understanding works. Just had o o this for the homelink mirror falling off my windshield yesterday. WOO!

I am a "practicing lawyer of civil law," or at least play one in courtrooms. This is the most sensible post in this thread. You can cite the M-M Act all you like to a dealership (and yes, it was initially intended to address manufacturers who voided warranties for people using less expensive OEM-spec parts by other manufacturers), but if they continue to say no to warranty work, your only real alternative is to take them to court.

Awesome, Iv been called to court before as a automotive repair consult on claims, BTW pays a large chunk of change for the amount of time you spend in court.

Anyway, there are a list of parts developed by 3rd party major brands that are non-oem spec that can be bought at places NAPA, O'relies, Autozone, etc. That both do and do not void manufacture warranties.

That while some dealers will refute warranty work on lets say K&N drop in air filter that caused a CEL, the modification is not out of bounds by the law. Many times customers have to deal with two separate systems of LAW vs Policy to get the work needed on their vehicle.

M-M is there as a middle ground guide and has been used to protect consumers from warranty abuse, such as;
"A car went to a shop, had a brake caliper replaced with a new replacement non-oem part, brake fails and car crashes. Is it the fault of the shop, the part, or the driver? Lets say its the part at fault, so you take it in to the dealer to get it repaired, dealer denies warranty work, due to policy."

Warranties are really good for the majority of consumers in their first 3 years of ownership, as any problems that come up they don't have to worry about anything.

Warranties for us tuners/enthusiasts are a bit of a double edged sword and can cause you more headache than you can imagine because you have the illusion of manufacture protection which inhibits your freedom as a owner.

My recommendation is if you plan on doing any sort of mods, just forget about warranties all together.

Seems like few bothered to read this part:

Preventative Solutions/Tips:

1) Try to have your vehicle serviced at a dealership that is fair and reasonable with respect to vehicle modifications. Inquire as to the dealership's stance regarding modifications before going in for service with aftermarket parts installed. Some dealerships are owned by enthusiasts and they appreciate the modifications performed by owners, and other dealerships don't want to deal with the potential liability or headaches that come with servicing modified vehicles under warranty. There are many dealerships that take no issue with modifications such as air intakes, cat-back exhausts, lowering springs, and aftermarket wheels, but draw the line at more involved modifications such as forced induction or aftermarket tunes. Conversely, there are dealerships that will take issue with minor modifications such as an aftermarket air filter or an axle-back exhaust.