What MOD's can you do with out voiding your Factory Warranty

[H TYPE R]

I just bought a 2024 Champion White TYPE R and was told that other than a cat-back exhaust, wheels, and a few interior trim pieces i.e. Alcantara steering wheel, etc anything more would void your warranty. It makes me wonder about so many people doing lowering kits ( which I was told by a Honda service advisor) that would void your warranty. I wanted to put a PRL intercooler on my car, I love how big it is compared to stock and how it's so visible from the front. But once again I was told that would void the warranty. I was told that even changing your rear motor mounts will void your warranty....Does anyone know about this? thanks

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[nix6speed]

That person sound fun at parties. Go to a dealer with a service advisor that understands how aftermarket parts work and isn't a wet blanket.

 

[nawfoo]

What mods do you want and ask about those mods with your service advisor. Also, consider some common sense.

 

[Fanatic]

I am unsure if certain mods will void your entire warranty but they may void a certain portion of your warranty if you ever have a problem that is related to that area of modification. I think basic bolt-ons should be okay, but still use your discretion and communicate with your service advisor to make certain that you are within guidelines. Good luck.

 

[Chilly613]

Many Honda "service advisors" don't know shit about shit besides writing up your car for service and recommending what their computer tells them and trying to sell you additional services that are more than likely not needed.

You can pretty much modify you car any which way. Hell, my dealer's parts department sells aftermarket parts themselves. It may depend on the part and if an issue arises and if its directly caused by that aftermarket part, it will all vary, but it won't straight out void a warranty.

I've never had any issues going to my dealer to get service done, my car has upgraded suspension parts and have never had an issue or anyone tell me that it would void any warranty.

As someone said, you may want to go somewhere else with someone that's a bit more familiar with aftermarket parts.

And if you do modify your car, and think its gonna be an issue when taking it in, you can always revert it back.

 

[H TYPE R]

OKAY....... specifically then.......... the PRL intercooler..I was told by Honda Service that it would void the engine warranty and you say go to someone else??? like another Honda service adviser? Is there anyone on here that has made changes like this and the Honda Dealer was okay..I would think they are all unified in the rules and regs on the aftermarket parts. I agree it does not seem fair to void the whole engine if I change the intercooler but my concern is it's a big risk to take for something like this. Is there anything in writing or is left up to how the Dealer's service dept feels that day....

 

[H TYPE R]

What mods do you want and ask about those mods with your service advisor. Also, consider some common sense.

I did if you read what I wrote at the outset I mentioned several things I asked the Honda Serv advisor.....I'm sorry what common sense are you referring?

 

[Chilly613]

OKAY....... specifically then.......... the PRL intercooler..I was told by Honda Service that it would void the engine warranty and you say go to someone else??? like another Honda service adviser? Is there anyone on here that has made changes like this and the Honda Dealer was okay..I would think they are all unified in the rules and regs on the aftermarket parts. I agree it does not seem fair to void the whole engine if I change the intercooler but my concern is it's a big risk to take for something like this. Is there anything in writing or is left up to how the Dealer's service dept feels that day....

They're not just gonna look at your car, see you have an aftermarket intercooler and say your warranty is voided on the spot. That's not how that works.

Unless there is an issue with your car like some type of component failure or engine failure and the PRL intercooler was the direct reason for that issue, then there may be cause to void your warranty.

Also, if you're that worried, maybe don't modify your car.

 

[CTRifecta]

Driver mod. Take some hpde classes

 

[Cornercarver]

Technically, unless the aftermarket part directly causes the issue - you should be covered. Honda does not get a free pass on the entire car because you tried to improve it. That doesn't mean you may not have a fight on your hands, but under no circumstance does a mod void your entire warranty. That would be ridiculous.

For any non-cosmetic mods stick to those that others have done successfully - without issues, and make sure that the mod does not require any additional changes to work well.

Enjoy!

 

[blayed]

The law is on your side:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson–Moss_Warranty_Act

To give you a little more detail for the relevant parts:

1. You have the right to take your car to a mechanic of your choice without it voiding your warranty
2. You have the right to use non OEM parts without it voiding your warranty
3. If you were to use aftermarket parts/modify your car. The onus is on them to prove causality in voiding your warranty. For example, you cannot install an exhaust and then they turn around and say now your transmission warranty is void.

The dealers service departments *should* be aware of this, but some dealers are more anal than others. What really happens in warranty work is a little more banal though. Whether or not a dealer denies your warranty work is kind of dependent on how lazy/busy they are.

 

[CaryH]

I lowered mine ,complete Milltek exhaust,..and they has no problem with mine....good question though.

 

[UJX]

The warranty as a whole does not just get "voided" because of mods. It works like this:

If the dealership can attribute a modification done to your car with the root cause of the problem you are having, they MAY refuse to cover it. The warranty isn't voided as a whole.

For example:
You bring your car in to a Honda dealership for an engine repair (idk, pretend you threw a bearing) and they see you have a lowered car, they aren't going to refuse to cover it as lowering your car has nothing to do with this problem.

You bring your car into a Honda dealership for a clunking sound coming from your suspension and they see you lowered your car, they will likely refuse to cover it.

 

[PointByPatrol]

I work at a dealership (Not Honda). We would have to be able to directly prove that an aftermarket part caused damage to the warranted item in question. This could come down to poor installation in some cases.

For example: You install a PRL intercooler and accidentally drop a washer inside of one of the boost tubes on the cold side. You then experience engine damage when the washer is ingested into the engine.

Warranty will not cover this repair.

Another example: You place a tune on your vehicle and raise the boost. The increased boost blows the head gasket. The dealership will look at freeze frame data of that specific event, and check your flash counts. It is determined that the turbocharger was producing more boost than it would under factory control.

Warranty will not cover this repair.

A final example: You install a radium coolant tank on the vehicle. You smell coolant. You take it to the dealership and they find a leak from your upper radiator hose.

Warranty WILL cover this repair.

Basically if something you installed or did causes a covered component to fail then it'll likely not be covered, but if it can be proven that another factor was involved (a warrantable part failed, or a warrantable part failed and caused damage to another part (causal)) then these items would be covered.

Side bar: We do get paid to replace parts under warranty. We are also obligated to return the failed parts to the manufacturer for inspection. The manufacturer can refuse to pay the claim if they determine that the failed part doesn't meet their criteria to deem it a factory defect. The warranty rate is less than the customer rate nearly 100% of the time. Some advisors/technicians will try to exploit this. Unfortunately dishonest people work everywhere, not just at dealerships. It is just as important to service your vehicle with an individual(s) that you trust, as it would be to find a daycare for your child that you trust. If you know YOU messed your car up, come clean about it, and be willing to accept the charges (someone you trust will likely cut you a better deal on the repair). If you constantly show up to a dealership trying to hide things that you've messed up, then they'll likely distrust you, and you'll have a more difficult time getting things covered under warranty.

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