Since our cars have something like a 60,000 mile warranty it would be especially sad if a dealer refused to honor the warranty as a result of the kind of fun little mods that people in this forum are discussing (and that I would like to try too!).

It is my belief (without extensive research on the issue) that the warranty can be voided only where the installation of an aftermarket part is directly responsible for the failure which gives rise to the warranty claim. That said, assuming I have "engine trouble" down the line (which is about all I would know if the car was not working right), I wouldn't want to have to prove to the friendly service advisor that my mod wasn't the problem. Since I think this is probably a common concern, I'd like to hear your thoughts on the issue.

Off the top of my head, the mods that would - or might - improve performance (and by improve performance I mean increase power), but probably not cause warranty trouble are as follows:

grounding kit
air filter
post-cat exhaust mods

Mods that I qualify as somewhat more problematic from a warranty standpoint include:

Intake mods
pullys
pre-cat exhaust mods (e.g. headers)
ECU mods

Mods a dealer would almost certainly cite as a basis for a denial of warranty coverage include:

nos
super/turbo charge
engine interals

Of course the "best" mods are also the most problematic from a warranty standpoint. What do you guys think. What else can I add to category 1 (i.e., safe mods), or to category 2 (i.e., less safe mods). Category 3 I'll consider after I get to 60K miles.

Also, if anyone has asked about category 2 mods and had them approved by the dealer, that would be good to know too. I saw one person saying that the dealer installed low drag pullys for him.

 

well if u ever have a mjor problem u could always just take off ur mods. Though that is probaly not a very honest thing to do but u gotta do what u gotta do.

 

Okay, sure. That might work, but for the purposes of this discussion I was wondering what other things I could add to the list. Or about things on the list that people have had experience with.

 

How can a dealer tell if the ecu was modded?

 

I would think that replacing our baffled intake duct with
the smooth 350Z intake duct would add power and should
be added to category 1. How could it be considered harmfull,
It is a Nissan part and is on the 350Z car.

2003 Twilight Blue Sedan 5AT, sunroof, leather,
splashguards, GG red 7 wire Hypergrounding kit, 350Z intake duct(soon), K&N filter.

 

grounding kit - a factory option in japan
air filter - i dont consider this a mod, its upkeep like oil
post-cat exhaust mods - yeah but the real powers in getting rid of the cats

Mods that I qualify as somewhat more problematic from a warranty standpoint include:

Intake mods - cold airs are only good for dynos, dont get one and you have no warranty problems unless you figure out how to hydrolock a shortram
pulleys - if you ask me this is category 3 since these haveto do with timing and such
pre-cat exhaust mods (e.g. headers)
ECU mods - the only way for the dealer to detect my TS ecu is to pass 6600 on the tac, and if they do that they haveto explain to me why they were trying to hurt my motor.

Mods a dealer would almost certainly cite as a basis for a denial of warranty coverage include:

nos - uh yeah
super/turbo charge- i think youd have a better shot at keepign warranty with a supercharger.
engine interals - they way warrantys work this will void your entire motor instantly, but F it if your going this far and turbo your too hard core to care about warrnty anyways



-moooooo

 

How about if u get your engine ports polished.

 

Hmmm... I did not know the grounding kit was a factory option in Japan. I'll have to look into that. Still have a hard time understanding it even after seeing all the posts.

I generally agree with most of that, except the pulleys don't change timing as far as I know. They are just lighter and reduce drag due to sizing - like having different sized gears on a bike. That's why I put them in category 2. I had a Mustang GT with pulleys and they worked as advertised. One of my best mods, and most power for the price.

The only problem with the pulleys is that the one that goes on the crankshaft can ruin your engine if is not properly installed. If its not tight enough it can become unbalanced and - much like a washing machine with all the clothes on one side - rotate in a lumpy fashion causing irreperable engine damage (literally tearing the engine apart from the inside out).

 

Actually, I had spoken to my dealer (Miller Infiniti in Van Nuys)about my Injen coldair intake, Borla headers, and Borla exhaust prior to my car undergoing some warranty coverage on rattles. They didn't seem to mind about any of the above; you can say they actually were happy about it. I think the rule the dealers usually follow is that if the part you have added did NOT harm your car in anyway than they are required to perform warranty. If it is found that the aftermarket part in your car caused the problem, they might not fix the problem. In any case, it's probably best to check with the laws in your local area.

P.S. I also have the 100k mile extended warranty.....