I just recently purchased my Z in March and I have a 35k mile warranty for this car. The main reason I purchased the car is b/c I have followed the Z ever since my Uncle purchased Datsun 280Z. Main that thing could move.

I have a N4S now and am anxious to get some new toys for her. I know that Nissan has some kind of connection with Nismo and I know Nismo has parts that can mod this baby up! So I figure that Nismo parts will not void out this warranty but I may be wrong! One of my friends says all mods will void this out but I see that people have been moding (sp?) their cars up from mile 1. And I know money talks sometimes so any experiences there?

What engine related mods will void the warranty completely?

 

my understanding is if you get the nismo s-tune parts and have them installed by the dealer it doesn't void your warranty. In fact the nismo parts themself have a warranty on them.

 

Nismo S-Tune parts will be covered for 1 year/12k mi if installed by a dealer. R-Tune parts are not covered at all....so if they break its on you to pay.

 

So basically, Nissan has a site that sells these parts, both S & R Tune but they want to regulate what voids the warranty out or not. That's a bunch b.s. I mean why regulate that if they charging an arm and a leg for the parts.
While at the same time I believe if they are going to let some of these S-Tune products slide on warranty, they should allow these other brand name parts slide right along with the warranty. But only the trusted big brand names!!!!!!

 

$-Tune

 

The guy at my dealership says my suspension warranty is void because I'm sporting 19" Volks. That means I'll be paying for an aligntment service if the tire feathering issue returns.

Any reactions to this? I raise the BS flag, but I dunno...

 

probably is BS

about the only thing he can claim is that your offsets are sticking the tires further out than stock or that you're using different tires - I dunno, try another dealer or a different service advisor at that dealer

 

NISMO accessories have very specific requirements in order to be covered under warranty. There is a requirement that the suspension, sways and wheels all be installed together on a VDC-equipped vehicle for the components to operate properly and be covered under warranty. May be BS, but it is what it is, and if someone does not like those terms then the choice is simple - buy another brand (which Nissan will not cover anyway).

Get a Z NISMO brochure from your dealer, it has all the details (and exclusions and fine print) there. It includes the fact that R-Tune parts are not only excluded from any warranty, they "may" (may is the word they use in the brochure) void the vehicle warranty. They clearly state R-tune parts are for off-road applications only, and not to be used by street vehicles. Again, a load of BS, but it is their stuff and their BS, so you can either accept it or buy something else. I dont mean to sound mean or rude, its just a fact of life.

I imagine this has to do with so many people racing their Z's and then wanting to get warranty repair work done on cars that were clearly abused. The Z is a sports car, but not really meant as a racing car in the competitive sense - it is a consumer vehicle, and as such they need to impose certain limitations to keep the prices reasonable. If they were to cover every racing/aftermarket part out there and every racing related incident, they would have to charge $100,000 for each car.

From their warranty FAQ:

"Your Nissan New Vehicle Limited Warranty does not cover repairs for damage or conditions which are determined to be due to the installation or use of non-Genuine Nissan Accessories available at the time you order or purchase your new Nissan, as well as after purchase from your Nissan dealer."

And from their R-Tune brochure:

"R-tune is for the hard-core enthusiast or weekend racer. Street 'civility' is compromised for maximum performance at track days. R-tune components do not carry any type of warranty, and have been designed and are intended for off-highway applications only.... These components are sold 'as-is' without warranty of any kind whatsoever, express or implied, (including all warranties of mechantability or fitness for a particular purpose). The installation of these components could also void vehicle or other Nissan warranty coverage".

Please do not shoot the messenger.

 

Regarding my dealership, everything is stock besides a pop charger, spoiler, side skirts, and my Volks + T1S. Also, my vehicle isn't equipped with VDC. It's an Enthusiast model. It's the only Nissan dealership in town :-(

It cracks me up that Z owners here are getting new wheels without knowing their warranties are being voided by the dealership in my area... is this an outrage?

 

I called my Nissan Dealership about mods voiding the warranty, because I just got my new '05 and dont' want to chance voiding my warranty even with an intake.

The dealership told me that they would look at it on an instance by instance basis, he said to use common sense for what they would repair. The example he gave was lowering your car and then bringing it in because your shocks and struts are messed up. Or replacing your headers, racing all weekend and then complaining about your rods and whent hey looked at the computer you'd redlined it 100 times.

There are 3 Nissan dealerships in Orlando, he said the only one that does Nismo stuff anymore is Reed nissan, I think its up in Longwood. Anyway, it doesn't really matter to them whether you have nismo or aftermarket products on your car, he actually pointed me towards an aftermarket place just south of them on 436.

I would add a word of caution that this guy was just the guy who happened to answer the phone back in the service department. He's not the one calling the shots, so take what I/he said with a grain of salt.

 

To my understanding, if the mod causes a part to break, your fault. On the other hand if you have a mod, for instance, wheels, springs, shifter, blah blah and your motor blows up the dealer has to cover the motor. Since the motor did not go as a result of the mods it will still be covered. I do believe I recall someone saying that this is a law in some state. However if you go FI, your SOL.

Oh a side note, after my lowering springs and rims the dealer covered my front alignment due to the fethering problem. They did say it would only be once though and I did have to pay for the rear since there is no problems with the rear, or so they say.....