Things that will Void warranty.

[audidub]

I just wanted to know what things will void warranty. I gota list of things i want to do. Please put a yes or a no next to it if it voids warranty. Thanks

Intake.

Exhaust.

BOV.

Chip.

New suspension.

Audi Navi retrofit.

Xenon retrofit.

19inch wheels.

RS4 grill.

Votex kit.

Thanks guys.

[evoic]

Intake. - Possibly, depends on dealer.

Exhaust. - Yes.

BOV. - Probably, but depends on dealer.

Chip. - Yes.

New suspension. - Yes.

Audi Navi retrofit. - No.

Xenon retrofit. - No.

19inch wheels. - Yes.

RS4 grill. - No.

[Rons01B5]

It all depends on the dealer, if you get a asshole sevice guy he can pick at little things and tell you that they caused the problem, but if you get a cool guy,he could care less. BTW, they cannot void your whole warrenty just becasue you have mods, they have to clearly explain what mod acually caused the problem. I found a dealer in my area that the sevice guy is pretty cool becasue he has a modded B7, so last time i brought my car in he told me "I like the exhasut you put on your car".

[CONTROL TWO]

answer to all of them: DEPENDS ON THE DEALERSHIP

for certain things theyre gonna want to install it for u to keep the warranty.. and then w/ a chip you can get a setting for when u take it to the dealer so that they cant detect it..

[PFung419]

wait why would 19in rims void your warrenty?

[CaRJoE0220]

My answer is yes to all of them accent for cosmetic mods, What would they void? Any dealer could find some way to say something else voided your warrenty. Example, wireing problem and your dash goues up in flames, u wired the nav so its your fault i got one for each but sticking a plastic side piece on wont void anything.

[evoic]

I could understand your point about the Audi NAV and the wiring.

In response to the person that asked why the 19's would void your warranty, the dealership could use it as an excuse for almost anything having to do with your suspension, steering, etc.

[CaRJoE0220]

true so i guess the votex kit and the rs4 grill. Although if they know u took off the front end to get to the grill maybe...... no i dont think it would do anything, i havent taken off my front so i dont know

[defunkt]

The answer is NONE OF THEM!! 1st you have to have a problem with your car, then you have to make a warranty claim at a mod unfriendly dealer. Then they have to prove your claim is related to your modification.

I've been told that intake and exhaust were no big deal...and wheels? come on. every one does that, tuner or not!!

out of all those, chip, bov and suspension stand out as potentials...but dont listen to me, I went to the dealer with my test pipe installed.

[kak39]

^--- rebel rebel

[CaRJoE0220]

your my hero i could never be so brave haha

[Neztayy]

Seems as if nearly every modification made can void warranty. Can anyone shed some light on this or let me know for SURE what mods can/will void my warranty? OR what mods I will be able to do without worrying. Is there somewhere I can look this up rather than calling or visiting the dealer? Interior, exterior, engine, suspension, wheels, etc. Also, I know it mostly depends on the Service guy you have, but I'm 17 and I'm pretty positive that they will be jerks about it. Thanks in advance.

[CaRJoE0220]

u would have to talk to your service guy, You have to realize when your rolling 19's and your suspension blows the dealer wont want to cover it so they will use your mods against you. Anything goes wrong with the engine with a chip and they can easily say its your fault.These dealers dont like to lose money so they will try to allways stick you with the bill.

[defunkt]

The dealer is in business to make money. They really are not out to void your warranty at the first chance they can. If they cant do any work to your car, how are they gonna make money? Everything they do, they have to make sure Audi will cover it. so if Audi has a problem with whatever it is, then the dealer has a problem. But like I said, they WANT your business.

[spoiledkid]

if a dealer trys to screw with you. then just let them know that if the modification does not directly relate to the issue then they cannot void the warranty agreement. it's a federal law the MAGNUSON MOSS ACT. just let the service guy know that your not incomeptent and you know your rights. and dont forget lemon laws

[audidub]

OK..well i guess i undertand all the points made here. I really want to do some mods, but dont want to risk loosing warranty. So how does it work. You go to a dealership...and they see u have mods..do they go "oh, your warranty is voided..sorry" and then put you on a BAN LIST or something (rip up your warranty :) )? or can you go to another dealership and try your luck to see if they let it slide?

[Slo.Mo.Shun.]

I am extremely lucky, the dealer that I got my car from has an Audi tuning program, and they sell them with carbonio intakes, APR/AWE exhausts, H&R springs, and other mods.

When I got mine they didn’t have the tuning program, so I had to do my mods myself, and I am still under warranty.

Mods include
Testpipe
Sunb Mount
Revo Stage II
Painted calipers
Carbonio Intake
RS4 rear sway bar
Water/Alchy injection
HID driving/fog conversion
Plus some other lightning, and minor mods

More mods are still to come, and the guys at the dealer just seem to get more interested on the car.

[i3oricua]

Originally posted by audidub
OK..well i guess i undertand all the points made here. I really want to do some mods, but dont want to risk loosing warranty. So how does it work. You go to a dealership...and they see u have mods..do they go "oh, your warranty is voided..sorry" and then put you on a BAN LIST or something (rip up your warranty :) )? or can you go to another dealership and try your luck to see if they let it slide?

I'm gonna try to say with an example in there. Say you blow a shock, and you have a lowered car. You go to the dealership to have it replaced by your warranty (I'm not sure if its one of those parts that they won't replace because its a wear item, but for the sake of this discussion I'm gonna use it), but they tell you that the coilovers you had installed or installed yourself caused the shock to give out. Then your warranty is void on the shocks. It doesn't void your a/c warranty or any of the other parts related to the suspension, but it may void that shock or all your shocks. The mod has to have a direct impact on the part that it is voiding out. If the broken part is unrelated to the mod, then it should be covered under warranty if its stated that it is in your warranty package.

[mattchow]

Originally posted by i3oricua
I'm gonna try to say with an example in there. Say you blow a shock, and you have a lowered car. You go to the dealership to have it replaced by your warranty (I'm not sure if its one of those parts that they won't replace because its a wear item, but for the sake of this discussion I'm gonna use it), but they tell you that the coilovers you had installed or installed yourself caused the shock to give out. Then your warranty is void on the shocks. It doesn't void your a/c warranty or any of the other parts related to the suspension, but it may void that shock or all your shocks. The mod has to have a direct impact on the part that it is voiding out. If the broken part is unrelated to the mod, then it should be covered under warranty if its stated that it is in your warranty package.

if you had coilovers, you wouldnt be going back to your dealer to replace a shock.

[Quartz05]

Find a mod-friendly dealer. People should probably make a habit of discussing this point with their dealership's service manager as part of the decision-making process. I did. It's one of several reasons why I chose one local dealership over another.

I have lots of great performance conversations with my service manager. I was waiting to pick up a loaner one day and he rolled up in a B6 RS4. He's very mod-friendly and only has one pet peeve - drag racing. Says you shouldn't do it in an Audi, it's bad for the quattro system.

[Bob58]

Originally posted by defunkt
The dealer is in business to make money. They really are not out to void your warranty at the first chance they can. If they cant do any work to your car, how are they gonna make money? Everything they do, they have to make sure Audi will cover it. so if Audi has a problem with whatever it is, then the dealer has a problem. But like I said, they WANT your business.

Defunkt is on the money.

And , there in, lies the crux of the issue.

In the end, it's not really whether the dealer is mod-friendly or not.

It's whether you have a malfunction that could have been caused by a mod and AUDI refuses to reimburse the dealer for the warranty repair.

Any dealer can be "mod-friendly" when you don't have a malfunction. They're car guys. They love cars too.

It's when something serious breaks and they have to figure out who is going to pay for it, Audi through the warranty or YOU, that becomes the problem.

One thing for sure.... the Dealer isn't going to foot the bill.

They want your business, which means they want to make money, not lose it.

So, here's what really happens.....

You've made a modification to a component.

That component (or one directly related to it) fails prematurely.

You take it to the dealer for warranty service.

The dealer thinks the premature malfunction could have been caused by the modification you've made.

They check with Audi and Audi says they will not reimburse for the repair.

Warranty service denied.

You tell them that they have to PROVE that your mod caused the early failure and they say one of two things:

"Well, let's see what we can do here" and you come to a compromise with the dealer and AOA.

Or

"The mod caused the failure. It's out of my hands. If you don't like it, sue Audi"

So, you decide to sue because "the law is on your side".

After a year or so (and great expense in legal fees and time) your case comes to court.

You lose (95% of the time).

Why? Because Audi's expert witness puts on a scientific case that basically says we didn't design it to be like that and the plaintiff's mod exceeded XXXXX.

Your only response is, basically, "DID NOT!!"

The standard of proof in civil court is "the preponderance of the evidence", NOT "beyond reasonable doubt".

So, you lose.

All this time, your car has either sat broken or you've had to repair it out of your own pocket, anyway.






BUT.... for ay of that to occur you must first have a significant FAILURE of a component directly related to a mod you've made.

Mod, but mod smart. Know what your potential liabilities are and don't risk more than you're willing to buy... twice.

[audidub]

So mod...to the limit of what its going to cost if it breaks..got it....So why does anyone mod at all? Is everyone wealthy on this site? i know im not

[LAS]

good read:

***Vehicle Warranty***

***The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. 2302(C))***

[Re5pectThe_Cuz]

i took my prior car to the dealer with all my mods. That included intake, headers, test pipes, a true dual exhaust with the evap box relocated, wheels and a full suspension maxed out- so much that my tie rod ends went out after 20k miles. car was almost on the ground. i was never denied warranty, although one dealer tried to use my exhaust and suspension to void warranty on my transmission (wtf??) but one slap of the Magnusson Moss act puts them right back into place. most dealers dont even know about it, just pull it up and they can't do a damn thing!

[INTEGRATION]

The dealer I went to tried to use my RS4 grill and Kerscher lip as an excuse to void my warranty. And those affect the car how (besides aerodynamics)?

[Rons01B5]

^^^^^you have to be kidding me, i wouuld of just slapped the sevice guy in the face

[SteveMondragon]

Originally posted by i3oricua
Say you blow a shock, and you have a lowered car. You go to the dealership to have it replaced by your warranty (I'm not sure if its one of those parts that they won't replace because its a wear item, but for the sake of this discussion I'm gonna use it), but they tell you that the coilovers you had installed or installed yourself caused the shock to give out. Then your warranty is void on the shocks.

Been there, done that. And what's even better is that the dealership says that there are "other" problems from the lowered car like ripped axle boots (which they weren't) and axle stress and blah blah blah, so the dealership was wanting to void my entire warranty altogether

No problem because I'm running aftermarket shocks now but before I turn in my lease, I'll just swap everything back in as stock and just have them warranty it then. If they don't then I'll turn in a car with blown shocks (not like they'll realize it from how it rides, but rather the squeaking noise from the front).

[SteveMondragon]

Originally posted by INTEGRATION
The dealer I went to tried to use my RS4 grill and Kerscher lip as an excuse to void my warranty. And those affect the car how (besides aerodynamics)?

From reading your profile info, looks you probably also got your car from Walter's also.... see my previous post to this one.

[trifeoc]

Stickers voided my warranty.

[RenaudAudi17]

I bought my s4 with 19s from the dealer lol ;}

[Low and Behold]

^^^ This might be the biggest necro bump I've ever seen. 10+ years.


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[aluthman]

For a really stupid reason too. I would be willing to bet that very few B7s are under any sort of warranty anymore.

[Theiceman]

I'm actually shocked how many guys tell us they have money owing on them too frankly.

[pat_do]

8 years old platform still on warranty ?? Lol

[Low and Behold]

Haha. It appears he has a B8 S4... so you can add 'posting in the wrong forum' to his list of offenses


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[A4Ferrari]

usually the only thing that will void your warranty is the douche bag service advisor ... they can turn a blind if they want to

[pezgoon]

I'm actually shocked how many guys tell us they have money owing on them too frankly.

Well I did just buy mine so I owe quite a bit... lol


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[yxri]

Aww man can't wait to go to the dealership when I go full race car mode.... maybe I'll film it for you guys.

[Charles.waite]

I'm actually shocked how many guys tell us they have money owing on them too frankly.

I owe money on mine. I probably could have paid it off by now, but I've already paid the majority of the interest by now, so my payments are almost all principle. At this point I really don't gain a whole lot by paying it off early except freedom from monthly payments, but I don't have the free capital to pay it off anyway, so its a moot point...

[Low and Behold]

^ Same here. I got mine two years ago so I owe quite a bit. Had like 60k on it when I bought it, so it was a little more expensive than other ones I was looking at. The interest on my loan is only 1.9% so I'm not exactly in a hurry to pay it off. Wish I could get that rate on my student loans and mortgage