relatively non-intrusive mods to preserve warranty?

[Ravenlokk]

Originally Posted by jesperswe

Well in Sweden, atleast, anything you put on the car which is NOT OEM parts will void your warranty if they are going to be hard on you. I'm actually not even allowed to change the wheels on my car

Anything non OEM sounds really hardcore. But wheels and tires i can understand. They could argue that too much grip and hard launching etc caused damage to driveline/dif etc.

I'm pretty sure if you roll into the service bay on superlight wheels, and r comp tires they wont replace your dif on warranty.

[rainmonkey]

I guess with all the potential CEL stuff popping up (not to mention that I haven't even made it past the 1k break in) it'd probably be best to wait on these things eh?

I'm still gonna get a short shifter tho...

[Foobar]

Originally Posted by rainmonkey

I guess with all the potential CEL stuff popping up (not to mention that I haven't even made it past the 1k break in) it'd probably be best to wait on these things eh?

I'm still gonna get a short shifter tho...

Could get a CEL at any time - that being the case, I wouldn't use that as justification to delay aftermarket bolt-ons.

At the end of the day, it's up to each of us to decide how much risk we want to take on, and to mitigate that risk by finding a dealer that has a mod-friendly service shop. They're out there and they'll take care of your modded car, within reason of course.

That said, if any damage is caused by an aftermarket part, be prepared to own up to that. I know some people re-install their stock parts and try to get service done knowing that their aftermarket mod caused the problem to begin with. Not cool.

[Draco-REX]

Intake will give a dealer reason to deny an engine warranty claim. DO NOT do an intake if you're trying to preserve your engine warranty. The MAF is the PRIMARY sensor for determining the air/fuel ratio. Messing with the area around it is a surefire way to claim it was the cause of any engine troubles. That the FIRST thing a dealership will point to.

Stay away from intakes if you are worried about engine troubles.


Cat-backs are fine. They are installed after any sensors and after the main exhaust restrictions (the cats). A cat-back will not be cause to deny an engine warranty claim.


Just remember that a dealership CANNOT void your warranty. They can only deny a claim if a modified part caused the issue.

[jadewbj]

For your warranty claim to be denied due to a modification they have to prove that the mod was directly responsible for the failure.

Meaning if you replace your suspension and your motor blows they can not deny the claim on the motor. SO if you have a cat back and your motor blows they can try to deny the claim but it will be tough for them to prove a CBE blew a motor, especially when they sell one.

The pulley is the most dangerous of the mods you said you were considering. It directly affects the motor which gives them the opportunity to blame it for any motor related issues you may have.

Also if you are really worried about warranty you can always buy the TRD stuff. Costs a bit more but is guaranteed not to void your warranty.

[CharlieChaos]

Originally Posted by Ravenlokk

Agree. You're pretty much limited to Intake, catback Exhaust, Braces (strut tower, subframe).

Also IIRC: The service tech is the one who's call it is what and what does not void the warranty. But if the part can in any way influence the part that you're trying to get covered under warranty- they can legaly void it.

For engine/drivetrain related warranty work: Pulley, Tune, Catless-Header, Turbo(obviously), ECU mods, and even intakes etc CAN void warranty. (However, ECUtek tunes are apparently undetectable by the dealer- so it becomes a moral issue. Do you want to not void warranty, or do you want to get away with mods that they cant detect?)

Anything that increases power could potentially void transmission, dif warranty.

Anything that increases power or grip could potentially void warranty for chassis/suspension stuff.

If fraud doesn't bother you you can do a lot of stuff, and just revert back to stock when you go to the dealer as if it never happened. But a lot ultimately depends on the service tech, and the dealership what you can get away with.

Also im not an expert by any means, but how you talk to your service dept, and how you present the facts can be a big factor in what can and will be tolerated.

Above is the best info anyone could give you. If they can connect the dots from the problem to an aftermarket part they can void the warranty.

[Draco-REX]

Originally Posted by jadewbj

Also if you are really worried about warranty you can always buy the TRD stuff. Costs a bit more but is guaranteed not to void your warranty.

Only USDM TRD stuff on USDM Scions. TRD stuff on Subarus will likely be grounds to deny a claim, and JDM TRD stuff on anything USDM will also be grounds to deny a claim.

The problem with the Moss-Magnusson Act is that while the dealership has to PROVE they part caused the issue, they can still initially deny the warranty and leave it up to YOU to take them to court and force them to furnish proof. The end result is often more hassle and cost than paying for the repair. So while an intake, pulley, header, etc may not be the cause of the AVCS issue going around, they can still point to obvious stuff and cry foul. So keep that in mind. Either have a dealership you can trust or a lawyer you can afford. Otherwise, don't modify *systems* of the car you cant afford to pay out of pocket to fix.

For example:
I can afford to fix Suspension issues, so I've done springs/tophats/bushings/wheels/tires. I can't afford to replace an engine or transmission, so I've only done a cat-back. etc.

[jadewbj]

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

Only USDM TRD stuff on USDM Scions. TRD stuff on Subarus will likely be grounds to deny a claim, and JDM TRD stuff on anything USDM will also be grounds to deny a claim.

The problem with the Moss-Magnusson Act is that while the dealership has to PROVE they part caused the issue, they can still initially deny the warranty and leave it up to YOU to take them to court and force them to furnish proof. The end result is often more hassle and cost than paying for the repair. So while an intake, pulley, header, etc may not be the cause of the AVCS issue going around, they can still point to obvious stuff and cry foul. So keep that in mind. Either have a dealership you can trust or a lawyer you can afford. Otherwise, don't modify *systems* of the car you cant afford to pay out of pocket to fix.

For example:
I can afford to fix Suspension issues, so I've done springs/tophats/bushings/wheels/tires. I can't afford to replace an engine or transmission, so I've only done a cat-back. etc.

I should have mentioned to use USA available TRD items installed at a dealer to be 100% within warranty. They will eventually release most of the JDM stuff here in the future.

It is touchy with the act the way it is and you may need to hire a lawyer if things get bad but compare that to the cost of a new engine.

[rainmonkey]

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

Intake will give a dealer reason to deny an engine warranty claim. DO NOT do an intake if you're trying to preserve your engine warranty. The MAF is the PRIMARY sensor for determining the air/fuel ratio. Messing with the area around it is a surefire way to claim it was the cause of any engine troubles. That the FIRST thing a dealership will point to.

Stay away from intakes if you are worried about engine troubles.


Cat-backs are fine. They are installed after any sensors and after the main exhaust restrictions (the cats). A cat-back will not be cause to deny an engine warranty claim.


Just remember that a dealership CANNOT void your warranty. They can only deny a claim if a modified part caused the issue.

Sorry, what's MAF? and does this mean that an ECU tune would be a 'high risk' activity?

Didn't expect to get this much input, I really appreciate it guys! Thanks!

[Hanakuso]

Originally Posted by Rampage

To avoid any kind of warranty hassle, you will be limited to pretty much cosmetics. Antenna, tint, wheels and tires, debadging and catback should all be okay. With the issues that people are having with rough idle and sensor/ECU/cam gear failures I would avoid any modifications to the engine until the manufacturing defects are sorted out permanently. It is no fun putting the car back to stock to take it in for warranty work. Probably a good idea to hold off on the more serious mods until next summer. Everything should be straightened out by then.

Yes but technically cosmetic items can void your warranty. For example, if you tint your windows and something related to it such as the window seals or window motor they would technically say it voided it.

I forgot what the law is but basically they have to prove the item you installed played a role in the faulty item. They cannot void your warranty if your engine blew up, claiming you had an aftermarket spoiler installed.

[ModBargains.com]

Originally Posted by Hanakuso

Yes but technically cosmetic items can void your warranty. For example, if you tint your windows and something related to it such as the window seals or window motor they would technically say it voided it.

I forgot what the law is but basically they have to prove the item you installed played a role in the faulty item. They cannot void your warranty if your engine blew up, claiming you had an aftermarket spoiler installed.

Bingo. It's the Magnuson and Moss Warranty act --> LINK

It really depends on the dealer though. Personally with my previous cars, full exhaust, headers, wheels, coilovers, new body work, new seats, steering wheel, short shifter, intake, basically all bolt ons and more, and I just straightforward told my dealer that I know why the check engine light is on, it's because I don't have catalytic converters, I removed them for more power. They shrugged and said, ok no worries, and took the car, got my maintenance done, didn't think about it twice... Of course this isn't 100% what will happen all the time, but as the warranty act states, which you touched on Hanakuso, is that the dealer has to prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that what you did to the car, caused the failure of the part under warranty. It cannot be something that they're reaching for, like if you bought new wheels, and your window regulator breaks, no way they can void your warranty because of that...

It's touch and go, but I think if you're dealer rep seems cool enough, maybe just be straight forward and ask them what they're policy is. Hasn't hurt me in the past, and even recently, just picked up a GTI for the wife, and straight up asked the day we signed papers, "If I tune this thing, put on some aftermarket items, would you void my warranty?" And he said as long as they do not break anything on the car, you'll be fine. Of course if you go with a tune that's terrible and the motor blows, we wont replace it, but of course that goes with anything. But any recalls we might have in the future, will all be done maintenance will still be completed for oil changes, there's no worry there.

[Draco-REX]

Originally Posted by rainmonkey

Sorry, what's MAF? and does this mean that an ECU tune would be a 'high risk' activity?

Didn't expect to get this much input, I really appreciate it guys! Thanks!

MAF = Mass Air Flow. Essentially it's the sensor that tells your ECU how much air is going into the engine so that it can add the proper amount of fuel. The thing is, the MAF doesn't measure all of the air going into the engine. It only samples the air and then the ECU figures out from that sampling how much is actually going in.

Say you had to count how many people go through Grand Central Station in a day. You can't count everyone, so you set up a counter at one door and multiply that number by the number of doors. Ok, that's good. But what happens if they open up more doors and don't tell you?


As for ECU tuning, yes. Very high risk because it controls EVERYTHING the engine does. If it messes up, the engine messes up. So if the ECU does not have a stock tune, any and all engine problems can be attributed to it and all engine and some transmission warranty claims will be denied.

[rainmonkey]

Probably a good idea to wait until break-in period is done before doing any sort of mods huh?

[sho220]

Catback and drop-in filter should be fine. If you're at all worried about your warranty, I wouldn't even consider a pulley.