Im alittle skeptical with adding mods that will void my warranty with my new 2012 Max. I assume that changing the suspension or adding turbo could void warranties(?) but what about headlights, brake calipers and drums, intakes and filters/canisters by K&N for Virginia (street legal on "AFTERMARKET & ACCESSORIES" sticky). I just dont want to do alot of things and void the warranties and be screwed if take it in to get interval maintenance done. Any info experts or victims? THANKS

 

According to Federal law, if they deny a warranty claim, they have to be able to PROVE that the mod CAUSED the part to go bad. Example...lowering your car, giving you a busted axle...that would be voided axle warranty.

New brake pads or cross drilled slotted whatever rotors? If it can be verified that it was installed properly by a reputable shop you're ok.

K and N panel filter will NOT void your warranty.

 

Here's the law - LINK

 

*Phew* GREAT! I understand now. Jus as long as they can prove it caused it. Appreciate the help!!

@UGAd13 thanks for the link. cleared up my doubts.

 

That and only on what you worked on. If you do suspension work and the engine goes (knock on wood), they can't try to say you voided that aspect of the warranty. The one reason I am holding off on CJs mods. I only have 10k miles on the car so far.

 

CJs mods?

 

CJX performance's mods..hes a vendor on the forum

 

Well everything that is bolt on my car right now it my intake which i will be installing tomorrow and CJX BOPs...if it gets that serious to where I have to take car in for repair or some sort under warranty, I can just throw the stock parts right back on...

 

^smart guy

 

Could the RL Y-Pipe cause warranty issues if engine goes bad?

 

Id like to know the answer to this one too. If you go in for engine knocking, will having a full catback exhaust and the RL Y-pipe and Stillen lightweight pulley cause warranty not to apply?

 

The pulley could get you.
The exhaust would be fine.

 

I just dont understand what gets into some peoples brain to actually upgrade a semi new car.
The maxima gurus at nissan developed this vehicle with certain purpose in life, to provide your family a nice comfortable ride. You will never get half the power out of that block because of the stricts Torque management system. It is no race car.
I mean wheels and suspension has a definite point but if you have doe to dump like that just get yourself an evo or m3 or g series. Cause 1k here and 1k there will add up real quick son.

 

I get what you're saying. The "mod bug" is a thing, surely. I used to think "engineers designed it that way for a purpose, we shouldn't tamper with it." I know this isn't really the case, or always the case, of course... With the little mods I've done, I'm glad to have done them; I think they improved the look and feel of the car and its performance. Fast car it is. Race car, it is not.

Due to recent findings, rear sway bar should've been number one mod on that list

 

I mean dont get me wrong I love to find those little things that manufacturers try to save a buck on. cheaper, heavier, weaker part and improve upon.
But at this day in age they have pretty much have it down to were an aftermarket intake will actually lose torque and might gain you a horse or two because they are design to work as a whole.

Great thread I'd like to see more ideas maybe im wrong.

 

Double post

 

^^ You sir are on the wrong forum. ^^
We like to modify our Maximas here. A factory car absolutely is not optimized.

 

well you my friend need to read more often. Might of skipped a few important points I made.
By the way I did not call anybody out and if you own a 2012 I'd suggest you pull that .357 already.
Some of you orgers feel the need to insult/ misinterpret. .. and ' double post' no shii smartie pants keep that ***** lubed up.

 

Lol. Settle down buddy.

 

They could try make the argument that the RL y-pipe doesn't have the built in heat shielding the stock y-pipe does (it does run fairly close to the CVT) and that it was a cause for CVT problems. It would still be a big stretch to prove though.

Thus the reason why I thermo-wrapped my pipe in this area.

 

This is where I think the crux of the modding community starts - The car should've looked or performed a certain way from the start. We all understand that budgets put a strain on what designers and engineers want to do to cars. They don't get the final say on what gets built.

But that's where the mod bug starts. You start to wonder "What else can I improve upon? Can this car be any greater than I know it is?"

It's hard to say whether mods done will provide gains or not regarding power on this platform - I think I remember seeing a thread about a stock 7th beating a modded one on a quartermile run. It'd be nice if we could actually create benchmarks, run a true dyno, and compare results.

 

Just use logic. If you replace your brakes, don't goto Nissan for brake-related warranty work. If you install an exhaust and have an exhaust leak, don't expect Nissan to fix that for you. They try to scare most people by just saying "oh I see a mod, everything is voided" but that simply isn't true. Research your mod and how it will affect the car so you know what it can affect. Simple bolt-ons like intakes and exhausts aren't going to void anything on the car except the actual part they're replacing. It's when you start getting into stuff like the UD pulley and if you have engine problems at any point later they'll point fingers at the mod that is directly connected to the motor.

 

Well put...a little common sense goes a long way.

 

+1

 

I've been meaning to address this, now I have time.

I've been a car lover since my first car, a 1965 Bonneville convertible with a 421. I modded that one, in my 17 year old way in 1971. I put an 8track player in it, and a couple speakers in the front door. I would have done some engine stuff, but honestly I didn't know jack and it was all I could do to keep it in tune. That Carter AFB was a sob. And anyhow I didn't have any money.

(You want to know what is completely random and amazing about the internet? Finding a 40 year old photo of your first car. This was from summer of '71, driving my sister in a pageant parade:



I was poking around for images of the park, and there it was.)

Now, I just buy 'em and drive 'em. Sort of, anyhow. The sedans. I try to pick one that is pretty well sorted out from the factory, with a nice shape and a roomy interior. I like some power. If it turns without wallowing, that would be nice. You see, my other car is this:



Because now, I DO have the money and the know-how. And while a stock Miata is great, a modded Miata is a BLAST.

If I didn't have that car, I would mod the one I have. Because it is all good. You can look at

the guy who takes his '64 Chevelle to the local car show
the kid who put a fart muffler on his old Civic
the guy who restores an old Harley
the guy who customized the suspension on his Maxima
the guy who autocrosses his ratrod Triumph
the guy who spent years learning upholstery
the guy who details his '06 Fusion obsessively
the guy who loves to collect hit-and-miss engines
the guy who builds his own intake because the ones you buy aren't flow-maxed

And the guy who just likes to hang out on forums and talk about cars, because some day he'll have one, and many more guys that I didn't mention....

The common denominator is they all love cars. WE all love cars. That's why we're on the internet talking about them. How that love manifests itself is individual. But it comes from the same place in every one of us. That thing that makes your neck snap as your head swivels to see the red Ferarri that just blew past in the other direction, the thing that makes you set Jalopnik as a bookmark, the thing that makes you idly look through the classified to see if there's anything old and interesting for sale. That's the same thing that makes someone mod their car.

And I tell you what, if I didn't lease these suckers I'd mod the hell out of that crappy Bose stereo.

 

Mosca, good post.

 

Took me a while but i read the whole piece. You see we all do things we love and enjoy but at times we throw common sense out the window. Your completely right and I like your wonderful story.

We do things we love because we want not because were told or it sounds right. At the same time you clearly stated if it wasn't leased you probably would modify yours aswell. My problem is when I have a 2 year old car and I have $29,999 left on my lease Im probably better off paying child support or loans back. Thus why I believe we still have that 49% supporting the other 51% in our nation and its breaking us.
Besides I dont see that much after market for the 7 and 8 gens.

Anyhow what's up with that miata she looks clean man. I like it!

 

I did it for maximum street performance. I started with the wheels, brakes, and suspension, and after I learned how to drive it that way, apexes and braking and whatnot, I put a mild supercharger on it, and upgraded the clutch. Honestly the extra power is a blast, but also makes the car less interesting to drive, because almost every energy problem can be solved with the right foot.

I also did some appearance personalization, mostly interior but some exterior, as you can see by the mesh. Inside, I trimmed it in chrome and carbon fiber, replaced the gauges, stuff like that. I didn't worry about weight saving or any of that; the track days were HPDEs, not real racing. I don't do them any more, too old and my eyes and reflexes make me dangerous.

No one should skip the essentials for their car mods. In fact, car mods come last. But speaking as someone who has worked in personal finance for 25 years, irresponsibility cuts across economic lines. Many are fortunate to out-earn their waste, and many are not. That is the only difference.