Hey everyone. I just got a new 03 p5 and I was getting ready to mod that baby out just when I thought....will any of this stuff void my warranty? I know sooo many people mod their proteges, so what's the deal. So I called the service department at my dealership and asked if an aftermarket injen cai would void my warranty. The guy answered me like what are you nuts? Yes sir, that will most certainly void your engine/powertrain warranty. I was all like :wtf: So now what do I do? I know a whole lotta people mod their cars out, so what are your experiences with your warranty? What about other stuff like a kartboy short shifter? Will they give me a bunch of bs about that voiding my warranty? Ahhhhh :mad: lol. Anyways thanks for the help!
What will void your warranty?
- Thread starter lasermp5
- Start date
- :
- 02 1500 4x4, mp3
basically anything you do could cause warranty problems, the thing is that mazda has to prove the mod ****** up the car...
Play nice! Newbs are afforded a few random threads before all hell breaks loose.
But yeah, the search button is your friend, and to answer your question, it all depends on the service department manager and your dealer. Anything that you do minus painting has the potential to void your warranty. Make nice with your local service department or (even better) Mazda corporate and the limits of your warranty can be stretched a little.
For a more complete answer, do a search, I've seen a few threads on this. Mazda seems pretty hardcore, so be CAREFUL of what you do without checking first.
More than likely you are just going to say screw it and do the stuff anyway but as long as you can take it off and limp to the dealer, you've got a shot.
But yeah, the search button is your friend, and to answer your question, it all depends on the service department manager and your dealer. Anything that you do minus painting has the potential to void your warranty. Make nice with your local service department or (even better) Mazda corporate and the limits of your warranty can be stretched a little.
For a more complete answer, do a search, I've seen a few threads on this. Mazda seems pretty hardcore, so be CAREFUL of what you do without checking first.
More than likely you are just going to say screw it and do the stuff anyway but as long as you can take it off and limp to the dealer, you've got a shot.
not a good start n00b 
this has been beaten to death though, so PLEASE search, you'll find specifics but basiclly:
Mazda just can't void your entire warranty because of a part. If the part causes a malfunction, ie the Injen hydrolocking your engine, then you're SOL. They have to prove that the part you added caused the problem. They can't refuse to replace a blown strut if you have a cat-back exhaust. The part must be directly linked to the problem.
NOW SEARCH!!
this has been beaten to death though, so PLEASE search, you'll find specifics but basiclly:
Mazda just can't void your entire warranty because of a part. If the part causes a malfunction, ie the Injen hydrolocking your engine, then you're SOL. They have to prove that the part you added caused the problem. They can't refuse to replace a blown strut if you have a cat-back exhaust. The part must be directly linked to the problem.
NOW SEARCH!!
1garnetredlx
Member
lasermp5 said:
If you want to keep your warranty, only do things that can be easily taken off.
Some dealers can be dicks but technically if you bring the car in for a concern and it is in no way related to the modification it SHOULD be covered. I've been tempted (for a joke) to bring my car to a dealership(no cats and all) and tell them that my check engine light is on. I want to see the look on their faces when they see the sparkling manifold with a turbo connected to it. I've still got 40k miles left on the warranty.
- :
- 02 1500 4x4, mp3
damn good thing i got myself a red top...
Installshield 2
Gothenburg Superiority
s*** can get A LOT deeper though...Most of the threads I browsed through stated about Mazda technicians needing to proove the modified part caused the problem...that is the "legalness" of it...But put simply, not every dealership will do it by the book like that...It is just like cops with reasons for pulling you over...If your car is lightly modified you are better off for warranty issues..but if you have a slew of engine and suspension mods they will fight you all day long...
It breaks down like this usually...modified parts that are not from the dealership void the warranty for that specific area of the car...According to Dean Patterson Mazda in Altoona PA, a short throw shifter will void the entire powertrain warranty, not just the gearbox...So if you install a short throw shifter and rip a CV joint (which can in no way be directly caused by the shifter) some dealerships will tell you to **** off, with legal paperwork to back up their decision...The fine print is where all this comes into play...The warranty system is broken down into specific parts of the car, some are very broad some are much smaller...The system utilizes sub-components (such as the broad powertrain warranty covering issues with the Fuel or diagnostic systems)...NONE of the sub components are required to be covered if the larger parent area is breached...That is confusing...For example: if that short throw shifter was installed and recognized by the dealership, they may or may not repair a faulty thermostat...The thermostat is clearly part of the cooling system's warranty so the shifter should not have anything to do with that...but the overall powertrain warranty governs pretty much most of the front end of the car including the cooling system...Since a piece of the "powertrain" was modified, they could give you a hard time that could take a very competant lawyer to sift through...Not all dealerships do it this way, some are much nicer than others...but if they go strictly by the books they can sometimes get away with by means of legal loopholes...(for example some automotive manuals, particularly popularly modified cars such as Honda Civics, will state "never modify your vehicle with aftermarket parts for any reason...with that alone they can run through a court system with a good attorney...I don't think protege manual state this anywhere...but I have read some owner's manuals that do)
Auto manufacturers such as BMW that offer factory authorized performance parts through the dealership (Dinan in BMW's case) give you even more hell with these types of warranty issues...with a new BMW you recieve a 3year/36,000 mile warranty standard with expensive options to increase that...They state that warranty as "bumper-to-bumper" in which case any modification made to any part of the car can in some cases void the entire warranty...the perpetuate this further by legal issues with Dinan, in which case almost every modification available in the aftermarket is also available through your dealership...so in court cases they bring up "why did you go with a non-warrantied part?"...This occured with my Dad and his M3...he had a Remus exhaust installed on his E-46 M3, and two different dealerships tried not to cover a faulty headlight...Their claim was that the stock exhuast was part of the bumper to bumper warranty, and that they did not have to cover any part of the car anymore. Also their "why didn't you purchase a Dinan authorized exhuast" helped them gain momentum with the court system..It is technically illegal for a dealership to go about it this way, and after a few small claim court sessions the problem was solved...I am only pointing out that dealerships are capable of making the whole process a very large headache, and can tie up a lot of your money and time...Not every dealership will do it, but some can and will...situations as extreme as this will most likely not occur in our case...
So don't just do modifications to your car on some areas and think that everything will be smooth as silk if a problem in another area arrises...Some dealerships are much more leniant than others. It comes down to how busy the repair center is, and what type of customer service campaign they are running...unfortunately we are on the recieving end...If warranty problems arrise, you basically can only file a complaint and find a lawyer...and this s*** will barely get into a small claims court, plus your car will go months without free repair...
It breaks down like this usually...modified parts that are not from the dealership void the warranty for that specific area of the car...According to Dean Patterson Mazda in Altoona PA, a short throw shifter will void the entire powertrain warranty, not just the gearbox...So if you install a short throw shifter and rip a CV joint (which can in no way be directly caused by the shifter) some dealerships will tell you to **** off, with legal paperwork to back up their decision...The fine print is where all this comes into play...The warranty system is broken down into specific parts of the car, some are very broad some are much smaller...The system utilizes sub-components (such as the broad powertrain warranty covering issues with the Fuel or diagnostic systems)...NONE of the sub components are required to be covered if the larger parent area is breached...That is confusing...For example: if that short throw shifter was installed and recognized by the dealership, they may or may not repair a faulty thermostat...The thermostat is clearly part of the cooling system's warranty so the shifter should not have anything to do with that...but the overall powertrain warranty governs pretty much most of the front end of the car including the cooling system...Since a piece of the "powertrain" was modified, they could give you a hard time that could take a very competant lawyer to sift through...Not all dealerships do it this way, some are much nicer than others...but if they go strictly by the books they can sometimes get away with by means of legal loopholes...(for example some automotive manuals, particularly popularly modified cars such as Honda Civics, will state "never modify your vehicle with aftermarket parts for any reason...with that alone they can run through a court system with a good attorney...I don't think protege manual state this anywhere...but I have read some owner's manuals that do)
Auto manufacturers such as BMW that offer factory authorized performance parts through the dealership (Dinan in BMW's case) give you even more hell with these types of warranty issues...with a new BMW you recieve a 3year/36,000 mile warranty standard with expensive options to increase that...They state that warranty as "bumper-to-bumper" in which case any modification made to any part of the car can in some cases void the entire warranty...the perpetuate this further by legal issues with Dinan, in which case almost every modification available in the aftermarket is also available through your dealership...so in court cases they bring up "why did you go with a non-warrantied part?"...This occured with my Dad and his M3...he had a Remus exhaust installed on his E-46 M3, and two different dealerships tried not to cover a faulty headlight...Their claim was that the stock exhuast was part of the bumper to bumper warranty, and that they did not have to cover any part of the car anymore. Also their "why didn't you purchase a Dinan authorized exhuast" helped them gain momentum with the court system..It is technically illegal for a dealership to go about it this way, and after a few small claim court sessions the problem was solved...I am only pointing out that dealerships are capable of making the whole process a very large headache, and can tie up a lot of your money and time...Not every dealership will do it, but some can and will...situations as extreme as this will most likely not occur in our case...
So don't just do modifications to your car on some areas and think that everything will be smooth as silk if a problem in another area arrises...Some dealerships are much more leniant than others. It comes down to how busy the repair center is, and what type of customer service campaign they are running...unfortunately we are on the recieving end...If warranty problems arrise, you basically can only file a complaint and find a lawyer...and this s*** will barely get into a small claims court, plus your car will go months without free repair...
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