Voiding The Warranty?

[BATMOB1LE]

Hey guys, I'm just curious... Who do you ask if you want to check if a mod you want to do will void your warranty?

When I bought my car I hit it off with the parts manager and emailed him asking if getting an alarm installed would void the warranty... He said nope! And also said springs and a cai wouldn't either... He said an exhaust could be tricky depending on some things but was confident I could get an aftermarket exhaust and be good to go.

Basically, is this all the confirmation I need? Do I actually need anything in writing or is an email good enough, if a problem ever comes up?

Thanks!

[batman53201]

good to go. i doubt they will give you a specific written warranty. they just wont cover the parts you put on.

[myold88]

Any exhaust, alarm, CAI, are OK. Just don't do a tune and you should be OK.

[Mr_Draco]

Dealers have zero control over your warranty, GM has the final say. You can get all the documentation in the world from a dealer saying that you will be good to go however if anything happens and GM says your warranty is toast the dealer will not be able to help you.

PS, an alarm is iffy. If done correctly then it shouldn't however if done incorrectly and the wrong wire is tapped into then yes.

[vroomapunk]

Every mod you do, voids the warranty of the part you are modding or replacing.

Headers, axle back, cats, cai will NOT void your powertrain warranty (they only void the warranty on the parts they replace cause hey, they arent on the car anymore).

BUT A TUNE will void the warranty for your engine, should GM ask to see a snapshot if your dealership submits a claim.

So, really, internal engine work and a tune can void your powertrain warranty. Outside of that, everything is gravy, mod away

[GraySS2011]

If your car has an issue/defect and you have modified the defective area or areas that are integrated with the defective area, I suspect it will not be covered.

[Mchlgrrsn]

Tuning the car is what voids your warranty.

[Dupree878]

I asked the GM of my dealer and he got the service manager to come in and us talk it out and they assured me adding headers and aftermarket exhaust would only void my exhaust warranty as long as I didn't tune the ECM. They said it was ok to use my scan tool to clear the cel that I'd probably get every week or so

[SGOS252382]

Originally Posted by Mchlgrrsn

Tuning the car is what voids your warranty.

This statement is just not true. Your "warranty" is not voided with a tune. So many people hear this statement and they think the dealership won't touch their car or fix anything under warranty if its tuned.

My L99 A6 is 4 years old. It has been modded and tuned for almost all of that time. I've always been completely upfront with my dealership about my mods, and I have never been denied any warranty work due to my mods.
I just recently had several parts replaced under my powertrain warranty due to the fact my bolt on mods/tune were not at fault for the problem.

And off course, anything minor (AC not working, CD player issues, seat heater, etc, etc) will all be covered.

But I wouldn't expect GM to pay for a new transmission if I blew mine up while racing down a drag strip.

[Apex Motorsports]

Originally Posted by Davie Dynamite

Hey guys, I'm just curious... Who do you ask if you want to check if a mod you want to do will void your warranty?

When I bought my car I hit it off with the parts manager and emailed him asking if getting an alarm installed would void the warranty... He said nope! And also said springs and a cai wouldn't either... He said an exhaust could be tricky depending on some things but was confident I could get an aftermarket exhaust and be good to go.

Basically, is this all the confirmation I need? Do I actually need anything in writing or is an email good enough, if a problem ever comes up?

Thanks!

Give the post below a quick read. I wrote it specifically to answer these sorts of questions.

Will This Modification Void My Warranty?

[BATMOB1LE]

Got it. Loud and clear! Thanks everyone.

Thanks @Apex, that was a great read!

[Apex Motorsports]

Originally Posted by Davie Dynamite

Got it. Loud and clear! Thanks everyone.

Thanks @Apex, that was a great read!

No problem. That is what we are here for.

[Gtkilrss]

Warranties are too restrictive on my modding lol

[PalmerGA]

Originally Posted by vroomapunk

Headers, axle back, cats, cai will NOT void your powertrain warranty (they only void the warranty on the parts they replace cause hey, they arent on the car anymore).

And owner installed bolt-on headers (done properly, of course) do not require a tune in order to reap the full benefits?