REVscene - Vancouver Automotive Forum

clevernickname · 03-20-2015, 11:47 PM

I know in the states they have to prove it was the aftermarket part that caused the failure: Magnuson?Moss Warranty Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

but I don't know the situation in Canada.

So things like an exhaust, headers, intake, will that void powertrain warranty? How about a tune?

Car: 2015 mustang gt

Not sure if me dealing with ford matters. I seem to recall me bringing it up and them saying it'd be better if I got ford parts and installed by ford but that's obviously expensive.

Anyone have personal experience with them denying warranty or not caring?

bcuzracecarz · 03-21-2015, 12:49 AM

Asking Ford would be my best guess for their policies...changes slightly for a lot of companies

brrrz · 03-21-2015, 12:53 AM

It depends on the dealer and also depends on the manufacture too. Best bet is to go down to your closest dealer and ask their service department. You can hear anything from:
1.If you change one thing everything is void
2.Everything related to that part is void (coilovers would void all suspension but engine/tranny is still covered
3. Catback exhaust is ok but intake will void

I find two and three are the most popular answers - which is reasonable

swfk · 03-21-2015, 01:56 AM

If you change the suspension, suspension warranty is void. If you change the exhaust, exhaust warranty is void. Just use logic, whatever is affected by an aftermarket park will not be covered.

If you got rock hard suspension and the bushings wear early, logically they'd void you.

If you have an intake and something in the motor messes up, I suggest you swap back to stock before going in. Pretty straightforward!

Volvo-brickster · 03-21-2015, 10:30 AM

Coyote computers will keep a log history of any tune revisions you load via ODB 2.

#8 cylinder going boom was common in the early 5.0's so Ford knows to check there first.

If you are using a basic canned tune from Bama / American muscle / Lund / Livernois you should be ok provided you don't change any parameters.

If you tweak their tunes or get a shop to make changes it's a roll of the dice really.

white rocket · 03-21-2015, 10:54 AM

Best bet is to talk with a service advisor at various dealerships and pick the one that's going to be as accommodating as possible. Every dealership is different. Some don't care, some want the business, some look for reasons to not cover warrantied parts. It's a crap shoot at best with each dealership.

My wife got her Mini Cooper S brand new from Richmond Mini and they didn't care about bolt-on mods at all. I asked beforehand. Also about tracking and they said a lot of their clients track as well. There was easily $10k+ in warranty work done to that car and the dealer didn't blink at the bolt-ons it had.

bigzz786786 · 03-21-2015, 11:17 AM

When I nodded my g35 coupe I did everything to the car, bolt-ons, valve body upgrade, ecu tune, full suspension, basically everything except turbo. They still did warranty work on my car. Basically with Infiniti they said as long as they can prove the item was damaged because of a aftermarket part, then it will void the warranty. Then again all dealerships deal with warranty differently

!Aznboi128 · 03-21-2015, 11:18 AM

Personal experience: I had a Kia Optima SX before, it had a creaky sunroof where they need to take the headliner out and add some foam pads. Simple, easy, its a service notice in the states. I had my car lowered on springs 1.5" drop, they deemed because of my lowering springs the entire warranty of my vehicle was void. After speaking to the service manager we concluded that the suspension warranty would be void but the bumper to bumper would remain. I lost faith in the dealer, the company as a whole as I had to argue for days to get them to cover a creaky sunroof. A month later I sold the car as more mods I put on it would void even more.

TL;DR: Ask the dealer, don't get fucked.

hirevtuner · 03-21-2015, 11:51 AM

generally any mods to the engine ie. intake or exhaust will void any warranty unless it was put on by the dealer

don't think cosmetic mods will void warranty but check dealer to make sure

snails · 03-21-2015, 11:56 AM

the law in canada is different from the US, if the dealer wants to void warranty base on mods done they have to prove it was the mod you did that voided the specific warranty..

like posted above. if you do an intake and something happens to your engine they cant just void without proving it had something to do with your air sensors or leaning your engine out. but they cant just say its the fault of the intake without proving it.

personally i wouldnt mod a new car, part of the perk of having a new car is having new parts.. and warranty.. but i also cant afford a new car to mod anyways... soooo..

a00755836 · 03-21-2015, 12:05 PM

he is basically saying whatever rs members are saying above ^^. but in video form. hope this helps.

westopher · 03-21-2015, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by !Aznboi128

Personal experience: I had a Kia Optima SX before, it had a creaky sunroof where they need to take the headliner out and add some foam pads. Simple, easy, its a service notice in the states. I had my car lowered on springs 1.5" drop, they deemed because of my lowering springs the entire warranty of my vehicle was void. After speaking to the service manager we concluded that the suspension warranty would be void but the bumper to bumper would remain. I lost faith in the dealer, the company as a whole as I had to argue for days to get them to cover a creaky sunroof. A month later I sold the car as more mods I put on it would void even more.

TL;DR: Ask the dealer, don't get fucked.

Thats what you get for lowering a Kia.

BoostedBB6 · 03-21-2015, 12:28 PM

Unless what was modified DIRECTLY causes the problem you are in the clear. No dealer can deny you warranty simply based upon a single and unrelated mod.

However, when it gets into electronics it can be a different game. With ECM/ECU/BCM you can make adjustments in they by re-flash that can damage or even destroy components of the car without physically changing anything. So be careful there. Many companies now have tamper proof software and can also track any modifications made to the software.

Ford is pretty good in general. They have a TON of factory parts that you can use if you want to retain all warranty and never have to even think about it.

Peturbo · 03-21-2015, 08:52 PM

The only real way to void your warranty is from having a car get a rebuild title.
Other than that, you may be denied warranty coverage only if your modifications have directly affected the part or issue you are trying to get covered.
It is also up to each individual dealership to decide if they want to cover it or not. It's the manufacturers auditing the dealerships as they are paying the bills.
So its up to the dealership if they want to do it or not depending on risks it involves of getting audited later on if manufacturer finds the cause of the damage is from any tinkering that shouldn't be there.

!Aznboi128 · 03-21-2015, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by westopher

Thats what you get for lowering a Kia.

i was waiting to do this...

Spoiler!