Aftermarket mods and Honda warranty / Will this void my warranty?

[NitrousG35]

Originally Posted by CaliGuy

No one on this site can definitively tell you whether a certain modification can void your warranty. As far as the law is concerned a dealer cannot deny a warranty claim unless they can PROVE that your mod caused the issue at hand. This is NOT to say that some dealers will deny your claim anyway!

Please do NOT post any threads solely for the purpose of asking a warranty questions! These threads will be immediately deleted!

You may, however, post or start threads about your warranty experiences.

For further information please see: A Businessperson's Guide to Federal Warranty Law

Originally Posted by twistedframe

The official Warranty and Magnuson Moss Act thread.


No aftermarket part or accessory that is properly installed on your vehicle will entirely void your original vehicle manufacturers warranty. It is the dealership's responsibility to prove that your modification directly caused or affected the failure you are trying to resolve.

And here are some links if you would like to read up more on the Magnuson Moss Act, and how it relates to you and your vehicle.
Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://www.granatellimotorsports.com/magnusonmoss.htm
Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act



This will be stickied but let open so if you have anything to add or any questions please feel free to post them in here. All other thread pertaining to parts voiding you warranty and the Magnuson Moss Act will be closed and you will be redirected here. thanks for taking the time to read this.

I am going to take delivery of a FBP Si Sedan on 6/20. After having been on this site for a little over one month, I already have the modding bug. I have read countless threads about CAI, header, cat-back exhaust and Hondata reflash. The mods that I have read about or watched on videos have convinced me that I want to do these things once my car is properly broken in.

One of the pressing questions that I have had is about the warranty. Will these things void the warranty? I have researched a number of threads and have read about the Magnusson-Moss act. I did find a couple of sites that may help out. Notable are the ones from SEMA and the one from HondaCare warranty. On the HondaCare warranty page, scroll down to part IV section C: Note that the breakdown had to be caused specifically by the part in question.

Any repair if a non-authorized part or accessory caused or contributed to, the MECHANICAL BREAKDOWN (e.g.,
aftermarket performance parts, cold air intakes, strut tower braces, headers, adjustable fuel rails, non-factory or non-DEALER
installed stereo equipment, radios, speakers, amplifiers, compact disc changers, mp3 players, satellite radio/stereo systems,
etc.).

http://www.sema.org/images/pdf/HotOffTheShelf.pdf

Honda-Tech.com: Honda Civic (2006 - Current): % What will void my Warranty? The GRAND Warranty FAQ THREAD.

what bolt ons void warranty? - Honda Forum / Acura Forum - SuperHonda.com

Hope this helps out all who are looking to mod their cars and are concerned about the warranty being voided. As always, creating a relationship with the dealer service manager is probably the best way to keep your warranty.

I have a modded Infiniti G35 sedan. I have a Kinetix SSV racing intake manifold, Stillen CAI, Stillen cat back exhaust and HKS DLI II CD ignition. All were installed by the dealer and my warranty is still intact. When I got my car back from the dealer, I was so happy, that I bought the service manager and mechanic who did the work gift certificates to a very nice restaurant. A little kindness and appreciation goes a long way with the service people.

[BKell]

Cool man. I love the G35, it looks sick... I've always liked the Nismo 350z as well. What color is yours?
+1 for the advice about treating the service peeps well

[twistedframe]

gonna sticky this so everone whos looking can see it! Good info!

[OweNsi]

im sorry im an idiot... i wanna get CAI ... if at all it voids the warranty my dad will not allow me to get it.

so could u clarify if it does or not

[maximus20895]

the only reason a CAI will void the warranty is if the CAI contributes to the problem. That will only happen if the CAI is basically completely submerged in water. The dealership has to prove that the CAI is the reason for the malfunction. It is very rare for this to happen. Unless you plan on driving into a lake then no problem

[ThatsMrGimp2U]

One exception should be noted. If you install a race header or remove your catalytic converter the dealer has every right to void every part of your warranty. They can even keep your car until a cat is put back in place. You should have signed a paper upon purchasing the car that verifies this info.

[Ratchet]

My dealer told me that if the catalytic converter goes out then it would be the CAI but has anyone had this happen or we're they blowin smoke up my @$$

[ThatsMrGimp2U]

an intake wont cause your cat to go bad....

[mpsmith78]

maybe someone can clarify or correct me, but from what the service guys said at my dealership, is that any aftermarket part you add is the only peice that will not be warranteed by Honda (only because they cannot warrantee that specific part). I do agree with NitrousG35 - creating a relation with them certainly helps a lot.

[fsxbob]

would an intake and throttle body spacer void the warranty?

i live in maryland and it doesn't go below freezing that much anymore, so i don't think the spacer should cause any problems for the engine.

[ThatsMrGimp2U]

read the first post in this thread thoroughly and you will find the answer is no. The only warranty you may void is that of your throttle body, and thats only if it goes bad, and depends on the dealer.

[SlightlyHigherOutput]

Say you have an intake and/or catback on the car and you blow your engine or transmission. While the intake/exhaust cannot be proven to be the reason why your engine or transmission blew, they can deny your claim based on circumstancal evidence. If you have mods, most likely you were beating on the car (even if you werent) and if you're young it's even worse.

Mod at your own risk I Say.

[sirgatti]

I understand that warranty's can't be voided unless the part in question is proven to have caused the problem, but my main concern is lowering springs and wheels right now...

I know that my friend w/ a Cobalt SS supercharged can't put aftermarket wheels on his car without voiding his warranty on his suspension because he read online that Chevy will say "The wheels threw off the balance of the suspension, and caused the problem."

I also heard somewhere that some dealerships can say that lowering springs throw off the suspension geometry and use that as grounds to void your warranty.

It just seems to me like even if the part caused a minimal difference in longevity of life of the suspension, the dealership could still try to use it as grounds to void the warranty. I guess it just depends mostly on if the mechanics are nice or not...

[ThatsMrGimp2U]

I dont think our dealers will have a problem with wheels. Keep in mind though that the popping noise from the bump stops probably wont be covered anymore.

And as far as the GM guy is concerned, the only reason gm is being so picky is because they are barely keeping their doors open. Tell your buddy to replace the suspension, if its not an 08, its not very good anyway.

[sf9ers]

When I got my car I asked the same questions and I also got the same answers saying that only the parts attached or parts breaking down due to what you replaced will void only what can be damaged from the part you installed. They also said that all electrical installations has to be through them or your warranty is voided. Which makes me go through them to install my subs and system when I could have easily done it myself.

Does anyone know the price range they would charge for installing an amp with subs?

[waaden]

I decided to get my amp installed at circuit city instead of doing it myself because I was worried about voiding my warranty. The labor cost 70$, and while they were doing it apparently they tried to use some kind of a hook to pull some wires through the firewall, and they accidentally cut into the main wiring harness somewhere (I don't know the exact details). Anyways, when I picked up the car the installer gave me some BS about how the CEL was normal because he had to disconnect the battery or something.... I don't know apparently I look stupid.

To make a long story short I had to have the whole main wiring harness replaced, and didn't have my car for like 10 days. It cost over $6000, but circuit city has some kind of insurance that covered it so I didn't have to pay anything. It was also a pain getting their insurance company to send me the money, because Honda wouldn't deal with them. I had to pay for it and then get reimbursed, but now I'm getting pissed thinking about it so I'm gonna stop.

Anyways, sorry for rambling, here is my advice: I don't know if Honda will do the install, and if so I don't know how much they charge for it. It would have saved me a huge headache, though. Either way I would recommend at least having it done "professionally" somewhere, so you are covered if something goes wrong.

[quality_sound]

Originally Posted by ThatsMrGimp2U

One exception should be noted. If you install a race header or remove your catalytic converter the dealer has every right to void every part of your warranty. They can even keep your car until a cat is put back in place. You should have signed a paper upon purchasing the car that verifies this info.

Who fed you that line of crap?
1) If you removed your cat the ONLY part of the car they could void thw warranty on is the exhaust.
2) NO dealer has the right to impound your car because of how modded it is, even if it's illegally modded.

[ro.sniper]

Ok so reading the honda waranty part.... It says that I would void my warranty if I install the new Infinity Kappa speakers I just bought??

[SilentBob420BMFJ]

i was gonna say that you should just call the dealer and ask them, but you know its easily possible you talk to mike, and mike says oh ya no problem, then bob goes to fix your car and is like ya your warranty is voided, mike was completely wrong..

[ro.sniper]

Originally Posted by SilentBob420BMFJ

i was gonna say that you should just call the dealer and ask them, but you know its easily possible you talk to mike, and mike says oh ya no problem, then bob goes to fix your car and is like ya your warranty is voided, mike was completely wrong..

mike