What voids he warranty?

[denverizzles]

So obviously i'm sure most of us on this forum is going to mod this bad boy, but what mods specifically are going to void the warranty? I don't really plan on doing anything internal or FI for a couple years to let the market mature a bit, but would lets say, intake, header, exhaust void the warranty?

[os86]

dont hack that ecu . I mean dont flash it

[denverizzles]

Lets say I do flash the ECU, many companies offer a "back to stock" flash now. Is that detectable?

[os86]

Originally Posted by denverizzles

Lets say I do flash the ECU, many companies offer a "back to stock" flash now. Is that detectable?

I am pretty sure all ECU's will have a log in it to determine that.

[atledreier]

Most modern ECUs have a 'flash counter' that counts the number of reflashes they have gotten. Now, the trick is to reset this counter, which the software might or might not do. I have the choice on my Golf TDi package to reset the counter or not. It becomes tricky when Subaru issue a patch for some issue and that ECU is flashed during a service, making the flash counter default to more than '1'....

[denverizzles]

so far it seems as if the ECU flash is what voids the warranty. So if I "assume" correctly, bolt-on will typically not void the warranty?

[os86]

Stuff like exhaust, intake etc etc. will not void warranty.

[HunterGreene]

Its not so much what voids the warranty, but if mods you have done can be determined to have caused the problem that you are trying to make the warranty claim about. It is very rare that you will do something to void the warranty outright, but with each mod you do, it is harder and harder to make a warranty claim if something goes wrong. Basically, you have to be able to prove that the mods didn't cause the problem.

Now, an ECU reflash/reprogram, if it could be proven, could make it very difficult to make a claim. Another example is the "Launch Control" fiasco (aka, the "Void Warranty" button) that hit the GT-Rs after their premier.

[beirouty]

Originally Posted by os86

Stuff like exhaust, intake etc etc. will not void warranty.

i think it depends on the country ?

in dubai, i have read the warranty agreement toyota offers with their cars, ANY modification to the car or engine voids warranty. thats what it says on their website too.

i guess that excludes changing the tires/rims, battery and painting the car.

[FT-86GOD]

Anything that makes the car more fun usually voids warranty........

[WolfsFang]

Before i got my car i was talking to the head manager and he said, exhaust, intake, suspension, and splitting wires for power (I have blue lights on my car) will not void my warranty. This was in the U.S. and not sure if this will carry on to anyone.

[Chewie4299]

My biggest concern is ECU. I want to do I/H/E w/ a lightweight crank pulley and that's about it for engine mods but I want to have it tuned afterward to maximize what I'm getting out of these.

I like the idea of flashing back to stock for a dealership visit and then flashing back to the prior program but if there is a counter to tell how many times the ECU has been flashed I need to know that I'll be able to read it after a trip to the dealer and reset it to the same point for the next trip.

I'm not sure if this is even doable. I've never had a new vehicle tuned before. My Evo was used when I got it and it was never an issue.

[Fenrir]

Originally Posted by beirouty

i think it depends on the country ?

in dubai, i have read the warranty agreement toyota offers with their cars, ANY modification to the car or engine voids warranty. thats what it says on their website too.

i guess that excludes changing the tires/rims, battery and painting the car.

Originally Posted by WolfsFang

Before i got my car i was talking to the head manager and he said, exhaust, intake, suspension, and splitting wires for power (I have blue lights on my car) will not void my warranty. This was in the U.S. and not sure if this will carry on to anyone.

Correct, in the USA there is a law that a dealership or shop that is refusing warranty work (under standard warranty coverage) must prove that the aftermarket modification is what caused the failure, just as HunterGreene said. I have a fully-bolted and tuned MS3 that's had tons of warranty work done on it (for little things like TSBs and such), and my dealer never gave me any trouble.

Best advice would be to ask your dealer (or wherever you're taking the car for service) if they are mod friendly. I've seen dealers who will take cars that have built motors and run warranty repairs, and I've seen dealers who won't even touch a car if it has something simple like an intake on it. Even with the new(ish) law, some dealerships will fight you the whole way, and it's not worth the trouble unless you really have nowhere else to go.

[Draco-REX]

NOTHING voids the whole warranty in the US.

The only thing that I could see that would do it would be having the car declared "totaled".

Otherwise, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act prevents a dealership from voiding your warranty due to a modification. The dealership has to show that the modification is the cause of the issue in order to deny a warranty claim. So they can't say no to fixing taillight condensation because you got aftermarket wheels. But they can deny your claim on a blown motor if you've had your ECU tuned.

So consider what you want to do with the car and what parts of the car are effected by your mods.