What voids he warranty?

[Razz]

Originally Posted by pacent

So many people site the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act whenever this question comes up, but think about this scenario...

what if you slap on an intake, and your transmission fails. The dealer might say, well, the transmission wasn't design to take on the extra horsepower from your aftermarket intake. They deny your warranty. Then what? You might be able to get Toyota to help you convince the dealership to help you, but what if they don't? You could take them to court, but who do you think will have the better lawyers? All the while, your car is sitting there with a broken transmission.

Long story short, anything you mod will risk part of your warranty going away. The dealership may play along and help you out, but there's always a possibility of getting screwed.

There is so much mis-nformation here.

Listen to the guys who say, any modification can be justification to deny warrenty work.

As posted above, the dealer is in the drivers seat not you.

All they have to do is deny. You have to pay a lawyer 2500 bucks just to get started in a suit. It's an uphill battle.

[eriktherod]

Considering an engine/tranny are > $2500 to fix out of warranty, I'd say it's worth it.

[pacent]

Originally Posted by eriktherod

Considering an engine/tranny are > $2500 to fix out of warranty, I'd say it's worth it.

You think it will only cost you 2500 to hire a lawyer to represent you in the case like this? lol

Like I mentioned before, it is unlikely you'd find a lawyer to represent you in a case like this because its chump change to them, and not worth their time. You might be able to go to small claims, but again, theres a cap on how much you can claim, you're losing out on your own time, your car's still broken while you try to get this resolved, and at the end of the day, there's a chance you still lose.

[eriktherod]

Not to say it wouldn't be a royal pain in the ass and probably expensive (if you go the lawyer route) but I don't think most dealerships will be that much of a ****.

I had the clutch finger(s) go bad on my Si with 50K miles on it. I had i/h/e and they didn't try to deny my claim. They replaced the clutch, pressure plate, and first three gears under warranty (and did the TSB on third gear).

[DeeezNuuuts83]

Originally Posted by denverizzles

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

Yes, but they'd have to really be looking for it.

Originally Posted by 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?

It depends on what bolt-ons. Exhausts rarely cause any concerns. Intakes might, depending on what goes wrong. But if you have more significant bolt-ons like a turbo, that will be a pain in the ass in the event of almost any warranty claim.

That's the beauty of staying stock, since you won't get hassled unless you are just stupid and broke your car out of negligence. Besides, the vast majority of "modders" who want to do stuff but are concerned with preserving their warranties likely haven't pushed their car it its absolute limits.

[wallace03]

dumb question. can cosmetic mods void warranty? led light swap, opti-coat, etc etc.

[HunterGreene]

Originally Posted by wallace03

dumb question. can cosmetic mods void warranty? led light swap, opti-coat, etc etc.

In my experience with light cosmetic changes like that...no.

But the nightmare scenarios are that they find that opti-coat actually exacerbates body rusting, a piece of your horrifically fitted body kit breaks off and gets jammed in the suspension causing you to pop a weld, the LEDs are of crappy quality and burst into flames...etc.

but most of these won't happen, or are 1-in-a-million chances.

[Fenrir]

Originally Posted by wallace03

dumb question. can cosmetic mods void warranty? led light swap, opti-coat, etc etc.

No. If your dealer tries to void your warranty for a cosmetic mod you should probably find a new dealer.

[wallace03]

Originally Posted by HunterGreene

In my experience with light cosmetic changes like that...no.

But the nightmare scenarios are that they find that opti-coat actually exacerbates body rusting, a piece of your horrifically fitted body kit breaks off and gets jammed in the suspension causing you to pop a weld, the LEDs are of crappy quality and burst into flames...etc.

but most of these won't happen, or are 1-in-a-million chances.

Originally Posted by Fenrir

No. If your dealer tries to void your warranty for a cosmetic mod you should probably find a new dealer.

i see. i was asking because there was a thread about how someone changed their dome light and it ended up messing with their radio when they put the car in reverse. not sure if electrical issues are even covered in warranty, and if something like this would void it.

[HunterGreene]

Originally Posted by wallace03

i see. i was asking because there was a thread about how someone changed their dome light and it ended up messing with their radio when they put the car in reverse. not sure if electrical issues are even covered in warranty, and if something like this would void it.

That right there is a puzzle. If the bulb wasn't defective, that points to a defect in the wiring, but what if putting the bulb in caused the defect in the wiring?

Chicken or the Egg questions always make me want to

[wallace03]

Originally Posted by HunterGreene

That right there is a puzzle. If the bulb wasn't defective, that points to a defect in the wiring, but what if putting the bulb in caused the defect in the wiring?

Chicken or the Egg questions always make me want to

lol i feel like i shouldnt do anything to the car once i get it. im gonna try to find the thread when i get back home, maybe he figured out what went wrong.

[DeeezNuuuts83]

Seriously, just keep the car stock. The car is still plenty of fun that way. Enjoy the warranty, or modify the car and roll the dice with the warranty. You have to pay to play.

[Rob_g]

Originally Posted by wallace03

dumb question. can cosmetic mods void warranty? led light swap, opti-coat, etc etc.

Speed holes might.....

[Lytheum]

if one dealer denies the claim just take it to another dealer.

we should start a mod friendly dealer list!