Just wanted to put in one place all the mods that people think would void the warranty. I am mechanically deficient and wouldn't be able to restore most mods back to factory condition so I would like to be aware of any mods that would automatically void the warranty. Thanks for any replies!

 

i guess your looking for specific things, such as new intake will void MAF Sensor warranty.

But its been my personal experience that if there is ANY conceivable way for a dealership to blame a problem on someone or something else, and deny warranty work, they will do it.


03 6MT coupe, red/willow, premium, aero, splash guards, alum pedals, clear corners, 15% tint

 

...and when they do that, you whip out a copy of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975. They cannot refuse service and void the warrantee because of modifications that don't *directly* involve the problem. Even then, they must unequivocally prove that the modification has, in fact, caused the problem and that it was not possible that it was a pre-existing condition. If your timing belt starts squeeking, they can't blame your exhaust mod, etc. etc. Though dealerships will always try to tell you that if you've done even a small mod, all warranties are void. Not true. The parts are still Infiniti parts, and carry the full warrantee coverege offered. Dealerships count on you not knowing it... look up the act and read a little into it.

G

2003.5 Black w/ Willow G35
Premium / Sport / Aero / Winter / Navi / Tint

 

LOL!! GeoBau couldn't have said it much better than that! I would hate to be a GM of a dealership that he frequented...

The question is also asking for generalization, and some dealerships read warranty policies with a more relaxed attitude than others...A CAI shouldn't be an issue for the majority of dealerships, but some will decide it's a way to void an aspect of the warranty...Best thing to do is call the dealership you'll be receiving service from and ask...I can tell you that an aftermarket, non-Nissan produced turbo kit or supercharger will void the warranty, which should be obvious to anyone...And the TechnoSquare ECU won't exactly thrill the dealership either...

If all else fails, tattoo the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975 on your a$$ and give the service manager a reading lesson...

"All the Power in the World resides in the Eyes..."

 

the MM act sounds great in theory, but in the end you aren't going to be able to physically force any dealership to do a repair if they don't want to, just by "whipping out a copy of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act."

If you think that advising a dealership of the MM act is going to force them to do a warranty repair they refuse to do, your dreaming.

If your dealership refuses service, for whatever reason, about all you WILL be able to do is call infiniti consumer affairs, (who have no authority or control over the dealerships) or retain an attorney and file a lawsuit against the dealership (under the MM act if its warranty related).

If your really concerned about mods and warranty work, you should contact the dealership you go to. You can find out from them first hand what their policy is.

03 6MT coupe, red/willow, premium, aero, splash guards, alum pedals, clear corners, 15% tint

 

I pulled out the MM for my dealership, literally, when they said "Having your XM radio installed by anyone else will completely void your warranty". When I explained that the refusal of service to the other unaffected components of my car, or even to the XM hardware, was in fact illegal, they decided to become suddenly very leanient. A friend who worked at a Nissan dealership said recently, "Legal documents like the MM will freak the dealership out enough to get your way... Shock and Awe."

Laws are only theories to those who do not feel it necessary to enforce them or be bound by them.

If they cannot prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the work has caused the problem, then they are obligated to repair it. If they decide not to, you could take them to court and most likely win (depends heavily, of course, on the mod you have and problems occuring). This is why most dealerships, if you talk to people who work(ed) at them, will bend to it.

I have yet to have a refusal of service on any of my cars once the dealer has become aware of two things: My knowledge of the MM act, my lawyer on retainer.

G

2003.5 Black w/ Willow G35
Premium / Sport / Aero / Winter / Navi / Tint

 

I'm glad to hear a copy of the MM act got you some results. Although I'm not exactly clear what repair they agreed to do for you because you mentioned/showed it to them.

I would expect that the ownership and management of most dealers are well aware of the MM act, and i would not expect mentioning it to them would force them to do anything they don't want to.

My specific experience was this:
I had a legit verifiable warranty repair refused by my dealership. It was in NO way affiliated with any modification done to the car, as I'd none done. The Infiniti rep for my region met with the manager(s) of the dealership and told them to order the part, do the repair, and Infiniti would handle the billing. When the part arrived the dealership refused to install it. Neither the Infiniti rep, nor myself, nor any MM act was going to make the dealership do it. Plain and simple. Their exact words to me were, "we will not be forced to do this repair by Infiniti or anyone." Ultimately, arrangments were made (not by the dealership) to send me to a Nissan shop to have the repair done and the problem resolved. If not, my only options would have been to retain an attorney (at my own expense) and sue either Infiniti, the dealership or both.

Like i said, i'm glad the MM act worked in your situation, but if your dealership won't listen to reason and refuses to do a repair, in the end a copy of the MM act can't MAKE them do it, probably nothing but a court order can (and even then MAYBE).

03 6MT coupe, red/willow, premium, aero, splash guards, alum pedals, clear corners, 15% tint

 

Woah-- that's just a case of blatant disregard for a few things: customer service, law, their own warrantee. That's horrible that they'd do that... step one would be "go to a different dealer". For some, though, I suppose that's not an option. I can't believe that a dealer would do that to you, sorry to hear it.

My experience was that my dealer told me if anyone but them installed the XM receiver, that would void the warrantee not only on the parts, but on the entire car. I called BS and brought the service manager a copy of the MM act. They conceded defeat, and actually installed it themselves for 1/3 of the original quote that had driven me elsewhere...

G

2003.5 Black w/ Willow G35
Premium / Sport / Aero / Winter / Navi / Tint

 

phenom: to answer your question, its really dependent on the dealership. Yes, the MM act makes it a violation of federal law to refuse you warranty service without proof that the modification caused the failure. But its a civil matter and not a criminal one (as far as i know) and proof to the consumer and proof to the dealership are 2 different things.

I have heard of dealers refusing service for power window problems because the stereo head unit was replaced and refusing to do the grease streak TSB because the windows were tinted.

Typically the dealerships won't just say the entire warrany is voided due to X modification. But it seems they will refuse warranty work for a specific system of the car. IE: refuse to do warranty work on the electrical system because of head unit/stereo modifications & claim the elec system is an integrated system and they can't check or work on it due to your modification....or they may refuse to do work on the Intake/air flow system because of a different intake.

If in doubt, check with the dealership you plan to be using for warranty work.

03 6MT coupe, red/willow, premium, aero, splash guards, alum pedals, clear corners, 15% tint

 

remember that the easiest way around is avoidance. example just remove your intake for engine problems, remove your lowering springs for suspension problems etc. I have even pulled headers out for a trip to teh dealer before.

as long as you have it professionally installed there is no ICE that should leave the dealer any room for warranty denial.

Better Life thru Chemistry
Black on Black 03.5 Sedan 6MT - Custom Catback

 

Yeah I guess I could go in with that MM law printed up in my backpocket but I just hate going into a situation where I will look stupid. Redwillow's scenario sounds like something I would encounter and I don't have the cajones or technical knowledge to counter their refusal. It would be like "Hey the NAV system isn't working anymore can you fix it?" and the service guy coming back with "Naw can't help you when you added the amp and viper security system you voided the electronics part of your warranty. Sorry fella but I know a guy who I can recommend look at your problem."

Then I would just stand there and just stutter "But, but, but, but ....." like that one guy from the movie Office Space. I hate that feeling, that's why I make my wife return stuff to the store!

 

Actually, guys GeoBau and redwillow are both correct. However, redwillow, well, you are wrong on the enforcement part. I work for a large law firm in the Southeast and we do a lot of work for car manufacturers, which are usually opposite the dealer, like franchising agreements (taking them away and giving them). The MM Act does and says everything GeoBau says it does. Usually in the dealer’s franchise agreement, there are provisions which cause a dealer to forfeit his dealership if he violates too many state or federal laws including the MM Act. When you get a dealer who says your warranty is partially or totally voided, you explain to him your understanding of the MM Act. If this still does not work, like redwillow believes, you then politely ask him to provide you IN WRITING his reasoning and proof that your modification are what caused damage to the part, and that it could in no way have occurred without your modification. Make sure you say "in writing" because "in writing" means a lawsuit is coming and you, Mr. service manager, are helping me prepare by giving me a document stating you have violated the MM Act and are liable. I guarantee that after you ask for his reasons in writing, 95% of all disagreements will end there. If it doesn't, it is not hard to get the MM Act enforced. This, redwillow, is where I believe you are mistaken. You don't need a lawyer and you don't need a retainer. Any individual can represent himself pro se (without an attorney) in a matter in which he is involved. It costs about $150 to file a federal action (less for state), which I'm sure the warranty is worth more than that. After you file the action, you have 120 days to serve it. If you don't serve it, it disappears, and you don't actually have to serve it. You take a copy of your complaint back down to the dealership with the service manager's written policy attached and you ask to speak to the owner. You merely explain to him that you have brought him a courtesy copy of the lawsuit you just filed. You tell him that you aren't going to serve it on him unless he repairs your car and pays you back for your time and filing of the lawsuit. The dealer, if you ask him politely and give him time to think about it, is probably going to say okay because he, unlike you, cannot represent himself pro se since he is an organization. He's going to call up the partner on my team and say take care of this. The partner on my team has a duty to tell him that it's going to cost him about almost $6000 to even get to trial regardless of who wins or loses. If you are correct and he should have repaired your car based on the MM Act, then he is going to be out at least $6000 AND the cost of repairs. If he thinks he is going to win, he's still probably going to have to spend $6000 to get to trial and then another couple thousand just on the trial itself. That doesn't make financial sense to anyone and in these cases, that's what we tell our clients. Some manufacturers like GM have a no-lie-down position and will litigate you into the ground regardless of who is right and who is wrong. However, those are manufacturers with really deep pockets. We are talking about a dealer who is already at odds with the manufacturer (worse once the manufacturer finds out about the lawsuit) and doesn’t nearly have the pockets they do. If you get to this point, which I doubt you will, the other 5% is going to be solved at this point. It wouldn't make sense for him to go to trial. Even if he decides to go to trial, it doesn't cost you anything to go. Also, in your complaint, I would allege your state’s version of the Unfair Trade Practices Act along with the MM Act. This will get you treble damages and attorneys fees. You should point that out to the dealer when you ask him to repair your car. Tell him that if he does go through with trial, you win, he pays a LOT for his attorneys, you paid $150, he is going to have to pay you three times any amount of damages you allege AND your attorneys fees which could be the filing fee and any "help" you get from an attorney to help write the complaint. Based on how good you think your case is, if he pushes you to trial, you go and get any lawyer out there and get him to take it on contingency (you still pay nothing). You tell him he can have any and all of the treble damages and all the attorneys fees he wins as long as he gets your car repaired. No matter what town you are in, I am sure there are several attorneys who would jump on that deal, if you are right in your claim.

Those are my thoughts. I have done this on several occasions with cable companies, cell phone companies, etc. and the "in writing" works almost every time. Disclaimer – the above information is not given in an attorney-client setting and should not be construed as legal advice. It is merely for educational and informational purposes. The author provides no warranty of the information’s correctness or its validity – they are merely my thoughts and experiences as a person, not an attorney. Posting of this message in no way creates an attorney-client relationship with any reader. Good luck in your endeavors, guys.

 

Hey 2004g35 that sounds like solid info to me! Thumbs up!!

 

i agree with most of what you have said there.... it would cost the filing fees as well as fees to have the defendant served, which would have to be paid out of pocket.

As far as "in writing" that is always a great idea in these situations. However, i believe the only thing they would have provided was a duplicate copy of my service slip which stated their position on the repair. Again, unless under discovery or court order, they really can't be forced to provide anything.

There will always be a dealership that is willing to "go down with the ship" and I think that was the situation in my case. It became obvious that no amount of reason would have forced them to do the repair. After all they were told by their own Infiniti Rep to do it. ... and still refused, despite the fact that they would be reimbursed by Infiniti and the repair only took about an hour of labor.

I think they just flat didn't like the fact that they said NO to me for the repair, then had their own rep tell them to do it. (I sensed a much larger issue with this particular dealership NOT liking being told what to do by Infiniti.) They had decided they weren't going to do it and no one could make them. After I advised the Infiniti Rep they had the part and wouldn't install it for me, as was agreed, he gave up and sent me over to the Nissan dealership. Apparently knowing that he simply just couldn't force one of his own dealerships to do a repair they didn't want to do.



03 6MT coupe, red/willow, premium, aero, splash guards, alum pedals, clear corners, 15% tint

 

a dumb question here....
If I do the basic maintenance stuff on my own, like changing oil, spark plugs, wires, brake pads, etc..
Will dealers say, since you never come back to my dealership for "scheduled" maintenance, I am not going to waranty anything..... ??