When you guys make changes/upgrades to your cars (i.e. brakes, engine, suspension) who do you take it to? Your own personal mechanic or the dealership mechanics? I'd like to make some upgrades in the future, but don't want to void my warranty by mistake. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

good question. so even if the parts would void the warranty, they would be responsible for it correct? but what if they are not nissan approved parts i.e. coilovers or headers?

 

well each person is diff IMO


some wont let someone touch their cars so they do the work, other only trust one person.

if your dealership will install aftermaket parts without voiding your warranty then go for it, it may cost you a lil bit more but you will still have your warranty( but i havent found a dealer that will do this yet)

if you use any aftermarket parts get ready to lose the warranty for that area, let say you lower the car.. the suspension warranty is gone.. but if you only have the car lowerd and you have problems with the engine then you will still be coverd..

the problem has to be relate to the aftermarket part in order to void the warranty.



but as far as installing it, it all depends on you.. like i said if the dealer doesnt void your warranty as long as they install it then i would get it done there, if not just find a good shop ( ask around) in your area.

but remember, you will void only the warranty related to the aftermarket part, lowring your car will not void your powertrain warranty and its the same all around...


hope this helps...

 

I got the exhaust done by the dealer when I picked up the car. Everything else I've done myself. Unless your dealer is "mod friendly", they probably won't even want to touch some mods. In that case you'll need to find a reputable shop that has experience with either Nissans, Zs or imports in general.

Since aftermarket parts aren't covered by the warrenty, I don't really see an advantage to having a dealer perform the work other than their (alleged) familiarity with the car.

 

Well after I change out the craptastic stereo, I'd like to replace the stock brakes with Brembos and maybe a CAI and a few other things for the engine.
I figured since the higher end models have Brembos already, taking this to the dealer would be the best option. And when I purchased the car, the dealer told me that Nissan had "specially licensed technicians" that worked exclusively on the Z cars and that all work should be done by them. He said they'd be able to tell if someone else did work on my car between service checks.

 

The two subjects are not related. Who does the work and whether the modification effects the warranty are different questions.

For my modifications, I posts photos, description and if applicable a critique of the installer.

 

Personally I don't trust those tech's at the dealership to not take my car out and drive the crap out of it to "test the new part". I have a mechanic that has worked on all of my previous cars doing my work. I did have my suspension, sways, and wheels installed at the dealership as that was rolled into my payment and I wanted it under warranty as it was Nismo parts (they put 30 miles on my car "testing" the new suspension and wheels). They quoted my $220 to install my Nismo intake so I had my mechanic do the work for a lot less. I will probably have him install my Nismo catback as well because they will probably want $600 to install that.

 

I just thought of something. Since you're interested in "regional" shops, this thread might be better in a regional forum.

 

some mods i feel are good to do yourself. so far i have done all my mods myself.
this includes my cold air intake, plenum spacer, grouding kit, shift ****, etc.

these are simple enough and actually help you better learn how your Z works in
my opinion. on the other hand some mods i feel better leaving in the hands of a
dealer. i think it just depends on your level of comfort with your car.

 

well if you take a car with aftermarket parts to the dealer be ready to say bye bye to the warranty( for that area) like the cai, you may run into problems with the engine warranty( but thats if something goes wrong and the cai was at fault)

but think of it this way, if you care about having a warranty then dont do aftermarket parts where you may void something you want( like for me suspension work is easy so i dont care if i lose my warranty for the suspension, but i want my powertrain so no modding there right now)

if you have a warranty on your car then yes take it to the dealer, but if you void the warranty then i wouldnt worry about the dealer.