I am considering whether I will be keeping the ZR. As I approach the regular warranty end, I may buy the extended one from the dealer. But being able to mod the Z and retain my warranty would make a huge difference. My question is, how have members modded their vehicles and been able to retain service at the dealers?

 

Good question.
A. I have the 100,000 mile warranty, have NISMO CAI, Headers, and Exhaust. No warranty problem there.
B. Want to put on the APS TT, 350Z Radiator, NISMO Low thermostat, JWT Heavy Duty Clutch and Flywheel, which is in my garage presently and the NISMO Oil Cooler. Also looking at building up the engine, but..... good by warranty as to the engine, clutch, and tranny. This is what I was told by NISSAN, rest is still covered... (Decisions, Decisions, not to mention meeting the smog and carb rules, although I now have a possible solution given to me on that one).

 

Nice Nismo parts list . Staying CARB legal isn't too hard (if I kept is SC only). But the thought of paying Nissan's super-high parts costs for repairs is uncomfortable. I love the car and the service I have gotten at the dealer. I just want more power

 

Read the warranty. It will tell you what is acceptable and what is not.

 

It seems to say that modding pretty much any part of the car will void the warranty coverage for that part (as well as voiding anything that may be related). Example, boosting the engine could void warranty coverage for the engine but also other parts of the drivetrain. I am wondering if people just skip the warranty when they mod? find a friendly dealer who will still repair (in spite of it)? something else?

 

Depends on your local dealership too. I have modded my Z out fairly well and any problems I have, my dealership has totally taken care of me (example: replace the belts on the aftermarket pulleys).

 

Right, if you change the intake and the new intake fails, they wont replace it but if the motor fails and it's not the fault of the intake, then the warranty still applies.

If you go FI it opens up a larger can of worms, say the transmission goes out, even if FI had nothing to do with it, they can claim the higher power going through the transmission caused it to fail and I think it goes without saying you would be on you own with the motor and diff as well. Surely Nissan can't be expected to fix issues they never designed for.

So it really depends how much you want to void your warranty.

Really though, once you get beyond the basic shift **** changes and simple stuff, most mods have trade-offs that can affect longevity of various parts. For instance wider wheels affect wheel bearing life, stiffer suspension can affect bushings, lower suspension can cause exhaust issues. Front lips can be scraped easier than the stock bumper and the list goes on. To further compound the mod issue, many parts, even from reputable manufacturers only fit after some "adjustments" are made or can't be made to fit with other aftermarket parts. This is common across the whole of the aftermarket industry, not just the Z, so know what you are getting into before modding and do research on the parts you plan to buy.

Chris

 

Warranty Over = Playtime

If you already purchased the extended warranty, you can usually cancel it at any time and get a pro-rated ammount of it back, I have done that several times when trading cars.

 

I think for those that want to keep the warranty and still want performance might like the evo final drive or the like. I think this will be an option I get.

From how I understand it, the only thing that would not be covered is the diff, and it is much easier/cheaper to find a pumpkin than an engine that blows from FI. Then add nismo mods as the rest.

Still a fun car, that is protected.

 

i have pop charger, exhaust, eibach springs, koni shocks n the extended warranty - i have not gotten any problems from the dealer.. but i understand it all depends on what mods u do (i.e. engine work) n what dealer u go to... i would recommend checkin with ur dealer whom u deal with first if u want to get an extended warranty...