from my interpretation of the MM act and its intent a part that enhances the performance of the vehicle is not applicable. it's my understanding that the MM act seeks to allow you to replace your parts with those manufactured to the same specs as stock but by other parts manufacturers, e.g. a fram oil filter instead of a mazda, not ones that increase performance as those explicitly void warranties.
that isn't correct. no matter what the part does, if it offers a quantitative performance increase in some manner, increases efficiency, enhances appearance, whatever...you are allowed to add that part,
provided that it does not directly contribute to the basis of a warranty claim. if the part is found to be the direct cause of a problem, then that problem is not mazda's responsibility, however, the mere presence of an aftermarket performance item is by no means, 100%
NOT VALID GROUNDS FOR AN AUTOMATICALLY voided warranty. If you read the warranty information for your car, you will see that it summarizes this exact notion, something to the effect of "adding aftermarket devices that alter engine ignition timing, fuel delivery or boost pressure may lead to serious engine damage and MAY VOID YOUR WARRANTY". i have yet to find conclusive information in the Mazda warranty that dictates an automatic denial based on the presense of aftermarket equipment...
Again, the burden of proof is on them...accusation doesn't hold water here. They can say what they want, but without hard proof, you legally have the ability to counter that and win.
as far as i know mazda doesn't sell an intake. mazdaspeed does. they're different entities and mazda USA is the one who your warranty is through
i think this one is a misinterpretation of semantics on your end. mazda dealerships offer(ed) the intake, which was designed through a performance division for installation on their vehicles. From what i've seen, it's not SOP to require owner agreement to some sort of warranty addendum or disclaimer based solely on the installation of that part. There may be warnings about a correlation between it and potential issues, however, there is no legal addendum inferred. Maybe some dealerships instituted that, or there is some sort of card and accompanying literature that dictates some sort of warning, however, again, the fact that one can add that intake and forgo coverage, or at that one and not another style and forgo coverage is ridiculous. That is said without regard to the original fact that you can indeed add a part without automatic issue.
that's true at the legal level. problem is it costs money to get there and unfortunately the dealer you take your car to for warranty claims doesn't care about the MM act as the warranty isn't through them anyways so it's not worth their fight
possibly, meaning this type of mistreatment might occur with that thinking abound, but since the warranty isn't through them (it's ideally backed by Mazda USA), they they can't effectively void it. And moreover, they can't automatically do it based on what we've talked about (merely adding a part).
if you want to keep your warranty keep your car stock and take it to the dealer for service. anything else leaves you open to the dealer's mercy. of course even then they can always claim abuse so warranties on the whole are pretty worthless
that is obsurd (warranties are worthless)! how do you think the automotive aftermarket has become so big? because everyone risks warranties and/or modifies old cars? no! there is legislation to protect you. whether or not you want to engage in a battle and win, that is up to you, however, the laws are there to protect you, interestingly enough, not them! That isn't always the case, however, this time it is.
if you encounter an issue with a particular dealer and they overstep their bounds and/or are treating you unfairly according to the law and your rights, you certainly have to appeal to a corporate representative, and know your rights while doing so. Fighting a supposed Goliath (the dealer) isn't as hard as everyone thinks, and it's not necessarily an issue of cost. It's an issue of knowledge, rights, and effort. If everyone just let someone with more money push them around, we'd never be where we are today.
the bottom line is be sensible, and realize that the more you mod, the more ignorance and difficulty you will face. i'd be out of a job if adding intakes and similar items were deemed unacceptable under the eyes of new vehicle warranties. dealerships and at time, manufacturers, will obviously look for any means available to get out from underneath financial responsibility for a warranty issue. replacing turbos doesn't make mazda money, but just because they have an issue on their hands, doesn't mean the issue is directly related to and can be blamed on your intake, or your colored 'boost tubes'.
