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

124K views 103 replies 81 participants last post by  sikauto 
#1 · (Edited)
CaliGuy said:
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
twistedframe said:
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.
 
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#5 ·
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 :thumb:
 
#6 ·
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.
 
#9 ·
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.
 
#12 ·
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.:vtec:
 
#13 ·
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...
 
#14 ·
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.
 
#15 ·
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?
 
#16 ·
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.
 
#21 ·
It's actually against the law for the manufacturer to even tell you that you HAVE to use their parts unless they are provided free of charge.

You REALLY need to read the Magnussen-Moss Act. It will give you a much better understanding of what a manufacturer can and can't do with your warranty.
 
#24 ·
Recently when I went into honda to get a problem checked out, I asked them about installing the hondata IMG. Basically the guy told me that he COULD install it, but it would not be covered by warranty. I asked him what exactly he meant and what was covered and not. He asked the manager and the manager said that if anything was defective with the aftermarket IMG PART, that was not covered, but their labor was. The difference between labor being warrantied and the part is a big difference and one that a lot of people don't really notice. As for if an aftermarket part CAUSES damage to another part of the car, the only mods that the mechanic said could do that were stuff like ECU upgrade or obviously if car became hydrolocked by CAI, that kind of stuff. But adding TBS or IMG can't really cause damage (unless they are really low quality like the ebay IMG's), and especially if they are installed by the dealership, at least the labor is under warranty and so if something starts leaking or whatnot, chances are it would be the fault of the labor and not the part itself. Basically, just know that there are a LOT of grey areas when it comes to warranties, and as much as I hate to say it, honda is just like any other company in that they are trying to make money, not lose it, and warranty claims do just that. They really don't care about you as much as they claim they do.
 
#26 ·
I went to a dealership.....Ciocca Honda

they almost voided my warranty for having car quest air filter.....

they were like....since u didnt let the dealership install the air filter....ur idle should go bad.

Then I just bought an OEM air filter installed it myself....and that fixed the problem...


PS: I did not have any CEL....just sum great MPGs with car quest's AF....but ever soooooooooo slight hiccups during idle ( so small that the dealer did not even notice)
 
#27 ·
i am a service advisor at a honda dealership in illinois, and adding anything to your car does not void the factory warranty, as someone else stated on here, the aftermarket part has to directly contribute to the failure for it to not be covered. for example, i have hid's in my civic, if i were to have a strut leaking, they arent going to tell me that since i have the different lights that my warranty is void. however, if there is an electrical problem that can be tracked to the wiring of the aftermarket lights, then there will be a problem.
 
#29 ·
would headers + intake void my warranty ? I have a small oil leak coming from the bottom of the engine/trans area where they meet each other.. I think it's a leaky seal b/c it's not coming from the valve cover area.

I went to them a while back and they replaced the valve gasket but couldnt really find the problem.. If the oil persists than they told me that it's the header/intake that's causing the leak...wtf.
 
#32 ·
everything about what I know

I have a 07 civic si sedan and my dealer I go say that I can't put a CAI b/c I voids the warranty by increasing the internal hp of the engine. I justed asked to see what they say I already had it on when I went there. Honda dealers are crap they lie. Now I know a guy that used to work for honda and he even says unless they can prove it that was the problem. I don't care anyway. Now I so much done its not funny! View my myspace page the see my car myspace.com/pjeter313. Its not normal to see a 07 with much done I also have a car domain page link on my myspace page to see a full mos list. View and tell me what u think. I have a CAI catless race header catback eibach spring 18 konigs killerglass coolant hose neon everywere self installed amp and subs and debadged to make it look like a hybrid or crappy reg civic. I love the car but Honda is a pain. I also got my first oil change free off Honda they use mobile 1 but second and 3 rd I used eneos Nippon oil. I change my oil myself the filter is by the header manifold. A painif u big guy like me. Honda don't know anything what I did to it. I installed my interior neons myself and how some cars when u install subs u could ta to back sub. Not Honda. I tried fried my factory amp and went to Honda they told me cuz my interior neons where draining power from the amp I was cracks up in my head. Dummies just look visually without testing. They paid for everything b/c that wasn't the prob. That's my story. Feel free to pm me for info about aftermarket parts or anything else my friend owns his own shop street legal customs. Check them out at streetlegalcustoms.com
 
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