Exhaust Mod and Warranty

crazyyankfan

I'm new to the whole mod thing. I just bought a Z couple months ago, which now has around 5k miles on it. I plan to change the exhaust to the HKS hi-power, and I'm wondering if the mod would void my warranty. Thanks

XwChriswX

Unless you get a real douchebag of a dealer, the exhaust will not void the warranty, unless they can prove that the mod was the culprit in whatever you're trying to get fixed.

i.e. If you change your exhaust, and your transmission needs to be worked on, the exhaust will NOT void your warranty on that. (again I will say should since some dealers are dicks and will try to screw you over saying 'more power = blown tranny')

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Bonnie - Stage 2, Audio build coming this fall!
R.I.P. Abby 3/29/10 - 3/30/14

TreeSemdyZee

The dealer has to show cause, by law, that the mod caused the failure. They may be douchebags about it, but they have to prove it legally.

Red__Zed

That's really oversimplifying the situation.



OP--ask your dealer. Most dealers won't really care about an exhaust mod. A few will tell you they won't fix things like headliner rattles as a result of an aftermarket exhaust.

TreeSemdyZee

Because it is that simple. It's called The Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act.

Auto Warranties, Routine Maintenance, and Repairs: Is Using the Dealer a Must?

370zFORme!!

I gotta agree with red zed on this one. Although the magnusson-moss warranty act does give the consumer a little bit of legal backup, the dealer could just deny the warranty claim. It would then fall back on the consumers shoulders to legally prove otherwise, which means $$. I doubt any dealer would be that much of an ahole, but before you purchase your mods, speak to your service manager and see if they are a mod friendly dealer. Good luck!

__________________
87' Honda Civic Hatchback: Kaput @ 288,000 miles, 90' Toyota Celica: Kaput @ 175,000 miles, 93' Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4: Kaput @ 138,000 miles, 06' Scion Tc: Traded in @ 64,000 miles, 10' Nissan 370z: Traded in @ 25,000 miles, 12' Subaru Impreza Sti: Current.

Red__Zed

This is perhaps the most misunderstood and misquoted piece of information on car forums. M-M doesn't necessarily protect you in all circumstances, and regardless, the dealer can force you to seek recourse through the legal system, which will be on you. They are also not prohibited for charging "diagnostic fees" on any car which is modified, which often exceed the cost of the labor.

Spend 5 minutes on the EVO or Subaru forums to see just how effective M-M is.

Besides this, the legal precedent is not terribly favorable. The law was intended to prevent things like requiring you to use oil and oil filters from a certain brand, rather than allowing you to mod your car as you will.

crazyyankfan

Thanks for bunch of the replies, guys! I'm really looking forward getting a exhaust done. Since I don't have a garage myself, I've been also looking for a good and reliable shop to do the work

XwChriswX

A driveway + jack stands + wheel chalks + friends is good enough.

No use spending $150 in labor for something you could feasibly do yourself.

__________________

Bonnie - Stage 2, Audio build coming this fall!
R.I.P. Abby 3/29/10 - 3/30/14

370zFORme!!

__________________
87' Honda Civic Hatchback: Kaput @ 288,000 miles, 90' Toyota Celica: Kaput @ 175,000 miles, 93' Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4: Kaput @ 138,000 miles, 06' Scion Tc: Traded in @ 64,000 miles, 10' Nissan 370z: Traded in @ 25,000 miles, 12' Subaru Impreza Sti: Current.

crazyyankfan

By the way, could anybody please recommend me the best place (preferably online) to purchase this HKS hi-power exhaust for the best price? I checked some of the sponsors on this site. Are all of them selling the genuine HKS parts from Japan? Thanks

XwChriswX

Yes, otherwise they wouldn't be here.

__________________

Bonnie - Stage 2, Audio build coming this fall!
R.I.P. Abby 3/29/10 - 3/30/14

ahhlun

does anyone know if installing a HFC or resonated test pipe will void warranty more than a plain CBE install.. e.g. does it give Dealer easier time to avoid warranty.

I know even installing CBE might void it, but im not too worried about that part.

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2004: MCS
2010: 370z 40th

XwChriswX

Again, only if they can directly correlate the install to the defect.

i.e. If you have a problem with the brakes, they can't blame your HFC's. However, if you have an o2 sensor go bad, and take it to the dealer to fix, they can deny warranty coverage for it.

__________________

Bonnie - Stage 2, Audio build coming this fall!
R.I.P. Abby 3/29/10 - 3/30/14

370zFORme!!

There is really no such thing as voiding a warranty. Dealers can deny warranty claims if they believe that a certain mod had a direct correlation with a problem of the powertrain or body of the car. For example if you get lowering springs and your engine blows, they cannot deny the engine warranty work based on your aftermarket lowering springs. Hope that makes sense.

__________________
87' Honda Civic Hatchback: Kaput @ 288,000 miles, 90' Toyota Celica: Kaput @ 175,000 miles, 93' Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4: Kaput @ 138,000 miles, 06' Scion Tc: Traded in @ 64,000 miles, 10' Nissan 370z: Traded in @ 25,000 miles, 12' Subaru Impreza Sti: Current.