I have been kicking the idea around of making modifications to my 350Z but I have been hesitant about doing too much. I purchased the 100,000 mile warranty and the last thing that I want to do is void it before I even get to the first oil change. I would like to hear from some of the other members about modifications that they have made to any of their cars and how the dealership reacted when the vehicle was brought in for service. Also, how far would you be willing to go on a modification that may void part or all of your warranty? I don't really have an understanding of how a dealership views a warranty and which mods will void it. For example, someone posted that if any wiring is tampered with then all wiring issues are voided but that my be ignored if it was say the mod was an alarm.



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MAROON Touring/AT
with all that "other" stuff

 

There are a few things you need to know to make a decision.

Much of the warranty coverage is guided by federal law. A car maker can not void a warranty just becasue some mods were made UNLESS they can reasonably determine that the modification contributed to the failure. Some examples...

You add a blower and later the radio stops working. They would have to cover it. How would a blower harm the radio?

Same mod, and you smoke the tranny. No WAY they are going to cover the repair. The extra power could very well have contributed to the failure.

Of course there are grey areas in the middle. Much of your success will depend on how cool your dealer is. For example...

You modify the stereo and then the alternator quits. Hmm, depends on the dealer. Did it quit because of the radio drawing more power? Or was that a coicncidence? Hard to call.

In general if you increase the engine performance much (more than an air cleaner or exhaust) you can probably count on resistance if you try to get warrantee work on the driveline.

I don't know if I answered your question really, but I hope I helped some.

AndyB

 

good explanation for engine mods, mainly bolt ons are acceptable, ECU gets tricky, while its a simple mod, they can attribute almost anything to that if they want. intake, headers, and exhaust are the things commonly done without voiding warrenty. beyond that, watch out.

I actually specificly left the warrenty at 3 years since I intended to modify the car beyond what the warrenty would allow.

 

Ares made a good call--- Don't get the damn extended warranty!!!!!
What good will it do ?? This car is dying to be modified- keep it to 36K then have a party.
If you want to mod the car- do bolt-ons or things that can quickly and easily be reversed so that you can bring it to the dealer and not be caught with a modded ride!
No problem!
Rizz

 

ONly drivetrain & say ECU mods void warranty,..just about anything else is not too bad--friend had a ITR and put in TODA Spec B cams and Toda Valvetrain good up to 10K rpms and the timming belt tore a tooth and he Bent every Valve!!!

Acura fixed under warranty! Crazy how that works,..that was a Dealer hook up I think though!

Turbo or SC will damn sure Void it!! Just, if something happens take it off and let them call you a lier saying something aftermarket caused it!!! You will own that Nissan Dealership!


Cliff notes-I wouldn't sweat it,..its got a tough Valvetrain and Bottom end---Clutch is skeptical,..but I'm gonna Mod the hell outta mine!

 

You guys aren't suppose to use the word "void", nothing is void, service can only be denied if your aftermarket part caused the problem.

 

Here is a must read for all those worried about warranties and aftermarket parts.

JD

 

Then again you can wait on NISMO to be offered through the dealership....."supposably" if the dealer installs NISMO parts its not suppose to void your warranty.

Thats just what my dealer told me.

 

Toyota has TRD,.and it dosen't void or "deny Service" even on their Superchargers/Clutches/etc

Honda has Comptech-Dosen't VOiD,..but still not sure about Comptech Supercharger being Serviced?That I'm not 100% on.Another Dealer hook-up thing

--We should get Nismo--but then again Comptech is no MUGEN & TRD is no Rod MIllen or STillen(can't remember),..they are the real Race development crews that make "Aftermarket Tuning parts" altough TRD is a badass Race development Team don't get me wrong,..Mugen will VOID on Honda/Acura-even JDM OEM honda parts they will deny service on!----SO I think Nismo is a little to 'Hard Core" to hold a Service contract if there we're any problems??
NISMO is also not a very household name as TRD or even dam Mopar for that matter...240's,Maxima's and 300TT's don't exactly come w/ a Nismo or JWT badging like say a damn toyota Tundra or something like that

BUt hey,...ya never know!????
What a blessing that would be to get a NISMO Supercharger w/ a Warranty!I would be Happy!

 

Phhheeeewwwww!
I feel better now knowing that my warranty wouldn't be voided....much better that service would just be DENIED.

Articfury,
Great information from that site, it was really appreciated. So it sounds like, so far no one is getting any lip from the dealership concerning any Mods. That's great and puts me a little more at ease.

Thanks to everyone for all the feedback.