New BRZ Owner [Warranty Questions]

[Dom_J]

What's up fellas?! Definitely excited to be apart of the community, these things have been catching my eye since they hit the road & being a huge fan of the original AE86, the FT86 doesn't disappoint.

I'm trying to keep it simple. I was lucky enough to purchase a 2015 with 3000 miles as a certified pre-owned vehicle from the Suby dealer. Nothing fancy just a title of "powertrain warranty 7yr/100k(I also use to sell subaru's).

Ironically enough, there was a '13 on the lot I'd had my eye on. It had sportlines, underdrive pulleys, intake, full perrin exhaust with about 50k miles. Quick trip around the side of the building & the techs in the bay gave me the "do NOT buy that one," nod.....enough said. Problem is, I absolutely loved the responsiveness when I took it for a spin vs the stock one.

As you could imagine, the dealer was not taking any risks on warrantying that vehicle. Understood. So I'm pretty much left assuming, any type of mods done to my vehicle will pretty much void the warranty(outside of visual) as there's nothing I spotted in the Suby Performance catalog for this vehicle(maybe toyota offers something).

Is there a way to get that responsiveness back and still be warranty friendly? Lastly, they squeezed in(like the finance managers always do), the Platinum customer care option that takes the car to 100k bumper to bumper ie ac system, tires, fuel systems, dents, all kinds of stuff that aren't really important but could be. I did just see the warranty tid bit on someones throw out bearing not being covered, no bueno.

Now, I usually let the finance manager finagle that option in only on my terms only to cancel it & get the full amount added to my principal balance(further hurrying the process of paying off the vehicle killing interest). But oddly enough, I'm debating keeping it. Anyone have the platinum customer care package and love it??

Thanks for reading, I love this thing! I get a kick out of everything on the road that tries to race me, ironically NONE of these cars try that when the AMG is on the road lol I have to come up with something catchy to throw on the rear bumper. Great commuter vehicle, definitely excited for some track days! Few pix of the toys(well one, pix to large of the BRZ ). I got tired of filling up a 6.3 daily >.<

[Speed2th]

I would take the 2015 model, it has less bugs. My 2015 (delivered at 2014 July) don't have any rattle or condensation as previous model years reported. i don't have gear grinding issue either. If you have warranty, you can also reverse those mod in case you need it. At least you have option vs the modified 2013 one. And if you look at the problem sections in this forum, you will see this car is not as reliable as we wished. Those modification you mentioned can be done under $2000 btw.

[Dom_J]

Originally Posted by Speed2th

I would take the 2015 model, it has less bugs. My 2015 (delivered at 2014 July) don't have any rattle or condensation as previous model years reported. i don't have gear grinding issue either. If you have warranty, you can also reverse those mod in case you need it. At least you have option vs the modified 2013 one. And if you look at the problem sections in this forum, you will see this car is not as reliable as we wished. Those modification you mentioned can be done under $2000 btw.

Understood, thank you for the input, I will definitely hit that problems section.

I think I can get by without modding too much, exhaust definitely won't hurt anything. Soon as I popped the hood on the '13, all you saw were bright orange like pulleys and a big shiny intake. Though the idle being a bit low didn't put me at ease on that one. The sportlines were stiff but still a bit forgiving shockingly. I did end up choosing the unmolested Premium 2015. I still love the automobile as is, I just definitely need to hear some type of rumble out back. I'll be on youtube lurking exhaust vids.

Your right though, I definitely wouldn't hesitate to reverse mod if need be. I'd be a little worried about techs for oil changes. Most of the techs seemed like really cool guys though and enthusiasts themselves but agreed that Subaru's warranty reps can be pretty strict. There was another BRZ they'd offered me that they just put a fresh engine into(automatic) & the techs said it mysteriously started to rod knock, also at 55k(completely stock). I really don't worry about such things as we can all afford the extra peace of mind of just going with any of the 1000s of warranty companies that are far less than than the Suby premium. One of the techs there even used another company to warranty his STi that'd recently blown an engine due to upgrading the turbo & running full tilt without a tune. $11k in work, $250 deductible.

I really liked the Limited with the fresh engine but I really missed having that 3rd pedal lately. I'm actually COMPLETELY blown away by the automatic for the record! Rev matching downshifting, amazing shift points with the paddles etc etc. Not to mention keyless entry is quit lovely. O'well, hopefully a retrofit isn't too bad. I'm definitely loving owning a vehicle without a luxury tax! Modding an AMG is ridiculous, $2800 just for headers, let alone regular maintenance is average $2500-$3000 every 2 years in service. Still amazing for 500hp family sedans vs typical super cars but it gets old fast when your daily'ing it.

[mav1178]

Originally Posted by Dom_J

Is there a way to get that responsiveness back and still be warranty friendly?

I think you need to reevaluate what you want out of your warranty first, before you go mod the car.

Basic (but vague) questions include:

- why are you buying an extended warranty?
- what do you want to mod?
- what do you want to warranty?
- what do you know about your rights as far as warranty coverage is concerned?
- what relationship do you have with your dealer?
etc

At the end of the day, warranty is there to cover possible failure of original parts. Whether your mods will contribute to failure of said parts is to be determined, but nothing is void until you run out of the mileage/time limits, or you destroy the car or Subaru of America is destroyed by a comet.
-alex

[mav1178]

this may help.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99534

[Dom_J]

Originally Posted by mav1178

I think you need to reevaluate what you want out of your warranty first, before you go mod the car.

Basic (but vague) questions include:

- why are you buying an extended warranty?
- what do you want to mod?
- what do you want to warranty?
- what do you know about your rights as far as warranty coverage is concerned?
- what relationship do you have with your dealer?
etc

At the end of the day, warranty is there to cover possible failure of original parts. Whether your mods will contribute to failure of said parts is to be determined, but nothing is void until you run out of the mileage/time limits, or you destroy the car or Subaru of America is destroyed by a comet.
-alex

Thank you for your input, I see where you coming from, I definitely should have been more specific. It's also fact that warranty related issues ultimately get different responses based on the circumstances outside of recall related work for each and every one of us. I do have a good relationship with the techs thus far.

The under drive pulleys were the main concern. I know they played a part in that vehicles response characteristics on that test drive. Reading the basic print of the warranty guidelines will clearly specify there are looking at two things, what damage was caused and what was the culprit? If it's linked to one particular part and that part is aftermarket, you got some work cut out for you in convincing.

Lets just say in 20k, I mysteriously start getting the knock as the one they had on their lot did, completely stock. Once the hood is popped, just going through everyday motions we all do daily, one could easily begin to pass judgement and assess something like an under drive pulley caused it. Hell, I cant sit here and say I wouldn't think the same if I was the inspector coming to take a look at something.

Do I want the pulleys? Yes. Do I think the under pulley is worth the risk? Not really, especially this early. Visuals alone excite me on the vehicle, I knew going in there this was not a power house though the aftermarket is clearly there. I'll stick to what's in the TRD catalog, actually put some real miles on the car and see how she holds. I'm more worried about finding wheels, coils, lights(inner ricer being channeled type things). If anything I'm not big on stock like PCV valves though. I will have to get an actual air/oil separator asap.

[N1rve]

"Bumper to Bumper... " - Doug DeMuro