After shopping for my new max at about 6 dealerships in the Chicago suburbs... before I left (after realizing I couldn't make a deal at that particular dealership) I strolled into the service dept and asked to speak w/ the service manager or acting manager about modding my car...

All of 'em told me NOT to, and that I'd void my warranty. Most had NEVER even installed aftermarket parts on new or old Maximas. The only way I could install modifications was if the parts were from Nissan and carried Nissan's warranty, and if THEY installed it to Nissan's specs. No other brand would be tolerated (their words).

Anyone hear differently from their dealers?

 

The guy you talked to was a d!ck. If there is nothing wrong with the car, then they can't void your warranty. And if there is something wrong with the car, they have to be able to prove it was your modification that caused the problem.

Is that guy saying that since I got clear side markers, and my engine mucked up, my warranty would be voided because of the side markers?!

I really hate the Nissan service managers, they're d!cks and they called my car an ALTIMA!!

 

duh...some dealers will do anything to keep u from modding ur car.
there are 3 Nissan dealerships near by my house. one sucks **** as far as reparing modded cars, 2nd one is ok and 3rd(Connell Nissan in Costa Mesa) one is really enthusiastic about the modded cars. in fact, they're the ones to tell me i should get a fuel pressure regulators to control my fuel flow.

i think it all depends on where u live and people who work at the dealerships.

 

Found this on a Ford site. And I quote...

"Under the Magnusson-Moss Act, aftermarket equipment that improves performance does not void a vehicle manufacturer's original warranty, unless that warranty clearly states the addition of aftermarket equipment automatically voids the warranty or that the aftermarket device is the direct cause of the failure. The easiest way to check this is to look in your owner's manual under "What is not covered." Nonetheless, Dealers receive less compensation for warranty work than regular service rates and some have tried to deny warranty service. Under Magnusson-Moss Act a dealer must prove, not just vocalize, that aftermarket equipment caused the need for repairs before they can deny warranty coverage. If they cannot prove such claim-or proffer a questionable explanation- it is your legal right to demand compliance with the warranty. The Federal Trade Commission (202-326-3128) administers the Magnusson-Moss Act and monitors compliance with warranty law."

This is one of the clearest explanations of Magnusson-Moss that I have ever read. Don't be pushed around by your Service Manager.

 

I never had a problem with my dealership. actually one of the service writers is an org member him self

 

Congrats, SG01MaxSE. I just entered your post in the FAQ's.

 

Nope, that guy is correct. I know many including myself who have had our warrantys voided because of mods. Nissan will also back them up 100%.

 

not according to the law....its just whether you have the time and energy to fight it or not

 

Well, time would be 6-12 months to just fight it and get it taken care of. While in that time frame, either you have a broken car, or a car that just isn't driveable until its fixed or you pay for it. Either way, the dealer/nissan won for the time being.

Thats why mostly everyone hates Nissan Service. Main reason why I left them. Voiding my warranty on 2 Maximas was enough for me. Acura hasn't given me a problme with mods, they actually said, to get headers, etc. lol!

 

I am the founding member of the "Take Your Service Writer to Lunch" club. Why, you ask? Because relationships are EVERYTHING, folks. It isn't what you know, it's who you know that counts.

I go out of my way to maintain a good relationship with the Service Writer at my dealership. And yes, I actually DO take him to lunch occasionally. As a result, I've had warranty repairs done to my car despite my mods. Moreover, my Service Writer has gone out of his way to get Nissan USA to pay for repairs that weren't covered under TSBs.

I agree with Russ on one issue. It's generally not worth the time and trouble to fight your dealer if they void your warranty. But an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Establish the right relationship with your Service Writer at the outset and having your dealer void your warranty probably won't become an issue.

 

I agree and thank god my service writer is an ORG member him self

 

Ok, for those have had the warantees voided I have a few questions:


1) When you say "Void" are you then black listed from all Nissan Dealers for warantee service???? Forever???
2) If it is a bolt on part that can be removed do they "reinstate" your warantee if it is removed?
3) When you say "mods voided my warantee" are you talking about simple stuff like: Clear Corners, FSTB, RSB, Stereo System, CAI? Or big stuff like headers, turbos, super chargers?

I can't imagine someone would say the engine was damaged by clear corners. They are not an electrical part!!! It is a piece of plastic! That's like saying that your air freshner caused your brakes to fail! OMFG, my dealer better not pull any sh^it!

 

i would think big stuff only

 

I would definately take the time and effort to get warranty work done or repayed. If we don't, others will suffer. If we all take the time, things will change, meaning neither Nissan or the dealerships will continue to pay the lawyers because it's not profitable for them.

 

y2kse, aside from the one dealer I found up north, you wouldnt want to take any of the service writers around here to lunch. You'd end up having to find a place to hide the body You know that really ruins a lunch hour, all that diggin and running home to burn your clothes..

 

TimW

if i have a Injen CAI what is void in my warranty? the whole engine? and once they void it , does the dealer put that in the system? what about if i put it to stock againg and show up at anohter dealer!! can that work!? Thanks

 

I think from a handling/suspension perspective, adding bolt on mod's like an RSB and FSTB wouldn't be as big of a deal as say adding an intake. As much as I want to get the franken, I may wait it out a year or 2 before looking to get it as taking out a Nissan service writer out to lunch is too much effort on my behalf. Not to say its bad either, but since I paid a substantial amount of money for my max, I see I'll have to play the game of picking and choosing your mods carefully, rather than fattening up the goose. It also helps to know a mechanic who may not even work at a Nissan Dealership.

And besides, I'm more into taking the ladies out to lunch.

 

Great question. I would love to know this as well. I have a 100K extended warranty I built into the sale of my 2K Max. I would just as soon take out the Frankencar intake if I would lose that warranty for good. I am really worried about the stupid MAF going bye bye.

 

Did you get any power gains or performance improvements after installing FPR?
I have B&M FPR and pressure gauge. I never installed it because I thought it wouldn't do much unless you have a SC.

 

I have extended warranty as well. I has a 45k miles when Check engine light came out. I went to a dealer with my Frankercar and they changed my coils with out any problems, under warranty

 

That didn't happen to be in Austin did it? I need to post and ask Dave B what Town North Nissan here in Austin's policies are. I would hope that if you just have an intake (as I do), it would be no biggee.

 

here are my thoughts on this thread. 1st off, i just put on my frankencar intake. It took 1/2 hour going slow. SO, if my max gives me any problems, the intake is coming off so i dont have any problems. Now, if you put on the intake, messed up the MAF, drove the car to the dealer and said fix it, they are going to charge you for it. YOU BROKE IT! However, if you put on the intake, and brought the car into the dealer becuase your BOSE HU is f'ed up, there is no way they car void your warantee. How can an intake mess up your radio? bottom line to me is I NEVER plan on going to the dealer with my 02. I will do the window TSB by myself, and when the roof deflectors come in, i will order it and put it on myself. However, in the event something does go wrong, i will take off my intake and no worry about voiding my warantee....

 

"Void" is the wrong term. Nothing you do to your car would "void" the warranty. The worst the dealer can do is deny a particular claim based on compliance with the Magnusson-Moss Act. If a claim is legally denied due to a modification, there is no reason that the entire warranty is thrown out for all future claims.

The dealer cannot decide that the warranty is "void" and you are no longer covered for anything. They may tell you this, but they lie.


...oh yeah, the original poster of this thread is in Canada. I don't know how their laws stand on these issues. Obviously the Magnusson-Moss Act in the US would not apply up there.

 

ask Russ.. they definately 'voided' his warranty. NNA backed up the dealer. But that was for 'racing' :/

You are right, they cannot legally void your warranty.. but they will refuse to fix your car and/or charge you for it. At that point, its lawyer time. Either way you lose.. its just a matter of how much you lose.

I'm fairly sure you can get repairs with mods with just alittle arguing of the Magnusson-Moss act.. however, if they accuse you of abuse, they can actually void your warranty.

 

Irvine78, who are the other two dealers (Tustin, Irvine?)?? Which one sucked and which was OK?? Just curious. Thanks.

 

...and blacklist them?


I remember I went to the parts department at GEIS Pontiac (they have Nissan too) for a part to my seat that I busted when trying to install my amp. The guy in the parts department asked me what year and when I told him he said "Ya know, that is covered under warantee. You shouldn't pay for it". I really liked that kind of service! Unfortunatly, they are now 2 hours away from where I live

 

The racing void has been the same since the early days of performance. Same deal in the 60's muscle car era. The only difference is that the dealers then knew what you were doing with a hot a car and were probably doing it themselves (Royal Pontiac, Nickey Chevrolet, Yenko, etc.). Because of this, they looked the other way and did the warranty work.

Sounds like it depends on what dealer you go to and which writer you get on any given day. This is actually the same situation when you go in for any repair at the dealer...luck of the draw in getting the "good" writer that understands what your decribing, believes you and will fix it.

 

PeterUbers, i'm interested where you are from. I also live in the NW suburbs. where did you look for your car at???

 

Or you could do what I did...

My Service Advisor and I always flirted a little. She was wonderful to work with and she could actually put up with my BS. Plus, she actually helped me on a regular basis. So I got to know her pretty well and I never worked with any one else.

Anyway, since I drive 5000 miles or so a month, I was always in, and she is pretty darn cute. I knew she was married, so that was that. Well, about 12 months ago, she got divorced and I just didn't notice the ring was gone. She brought it up about six months ago and I couldn't decide what to do. If I date her and it goes wrong, I have to go to another dealer. And the other dealers in my area stink from what I hear. Anyway, about four months ago I just asked her out. We've been dating ever since.

Needless to say, I'm not too concerned about warranty issues

 

YES!!! Finally... I'm famous!!!

 

Well, I both agree and disagree on whether or not I would fight them not honoring a warranty due to aftermarket goodies. A few months after I bought my Max, I took it into Hall Nissan of Virginia Beach to get the auto tranny 1-2 shift TSB taken care of. They made an attempt to fix it, but when I got the car back, it was worse, and getting worse with every visit. After visit #4, the tranny was essentially destroying itself (brown fluid and shavings in the ATF), and I was running short on patience. I told them to either fix it or replace it, I was getting tired of bringing it back, and let them know I would be contacting NNA soon if it wasn't fixed. At that point, the service manager announced to me that it didn't matter, because I had voided my warranty with the addition of the FSTB. I about ****ed myself with anger and laughter, and asked how the f*ck he came up with that. His response was that the FSTB had put additional strain on the tranny, causing it to prematurely fail. At that point, I left and called NNA and explained the situation, and notified them that I was had both the spare time, money, and will to fight them for what the owed me. They in turn called the dealership, and they still didn't comply at first. It took a total of 6 return visits after the initial TSB correction visit and a personal visit from an NNA rep for the problem to get remedied, when they finally replaced the tranny.

And yes, I did try other dealers, but they refused to work on it due to the original dealership's issues.

 

Hey Fisher,

I'm from Naperville, bought my car from Countryside ... Continental Nissan... Bought my Acura TL-S from Continental Acura in Lisle (just a coincidence).

Looked for my car at the following, and a brief description is a testimony to each of my experiences:

Bill Kay (Downers grove) Nissan: Liars, shady.
Gerald Nissan, Naperville: Down to the point, wouldn't negotiate
Glendale Nissan: Shady Slimy, Pushy, Rude, will negotiate though
Woodfield Nissan: Lied on the phone w/ false price to get me to come in, then told me I'd get best price there and no where else (b.s.)
Crystal Lake - Jim M'Lady Nissan: Garbage .. same as Woodfield .. no negotiations

**Continental: Stood by their advertisement, $21,997 for SE base, no hassles, efficient, no tricks, very very explicit and clear, great to deal with (there may be some bias built into this last one since i finally got the deal i wanted from here).

Bottom line guys.. I also spoke w/ my service boys at Continental Acura in Lisle, IL, and THEY used to have Comptech aftermarket mods installed on new cars on the lot! This was a few years ago, but recently they've changed their policies to globally reflect a direction I think the industry seems to be taking .. modifications will void either the complete warranty for the engine, or the particular SET of parts that are DIRECTLY associated with the modification. So, obviously the radio wouldn't be voided if an intake was installed, but he CLEARLY told me that things like the o2 sensor, throttle body, and some other parts that were greek to me would be voided permanently. Case closed.

Guys -- to all you who have great lawyers that you're willing to pay to fight a service manager at a dealership, power to you. Me, I live in the real world and can't afford such luxuries. I ain't touching my car other than a K&N filter that I can quickkly schlep in and out before major service visits. To those of you who have purchased extended b2b or powertrain warranties.. it's worth your dime to call and speak directly w/ the service manager about your modifications or future modification aspirations. It may save you a boatload of cash. Best of luck, thanks for all the responses.

BTW .. I know of Acura owners that have had their CL-S warranties modified (i.e. certain parts were voided of warranty) b/c of the modifications.

 

\
You have got to be F*&(ing kidding me on this? the FSTB but strain on the tranny? OMG, i would have laughed in his face. if this is what we are up against, its going to be a long and painful battle. I hope NOTHING goes wrong with my 02. But if it does, the intake and FSTB are coming off, i dont want to goto jail for killing the service manager because he is a completely useless piece of crap!

 

Hey, I too bought mine from Continental A bunch of great guys there, If you need a good price and a hassle free purchase, ask for Pat. He knows there are mods out there, and suggested some to me. No they will not cover the mods themselves, like a y-pipe, and if they know you damged something by installing something wrong it is not covered. But they know people do it, and actually like to hear what you did. It was by far the best buying experience, as opposed to woodfield Nissan. Tell Pat Jeff sent you, Silver 2001 Se, he remembers people by their cars.

 

Thanks! I actually ended up purchasing mine from Rich Korup .. stand-up salesman.. no bull-sh** w/ this guy as well. Very knowledgeable and just a great, downto earth guy. No hassles either.

 

I personally think it depends on the dealer. But 90% of the Nissan dealers hate mods and will void your warranty if possible. But only like 40% of Acura/Honda dealers will do the same. Seems there are more Honda/Acura dealers that are okay with mods than Nissan.

 

Could you point me to the data you are using to come up with these percentages...I'd be interested in taking a look at that.

 

I am going by the forums. Also if you notice, you see alot of modded honda/acuras than Nissans in warranty. That is probably why they are alot of them modded, the dealers do not mind as much as Nissan does on mods.

Most Acura dealers use to sell Comptech stuff. Honda ones too. Some have gotten away from that, but per our forum, alot still do it.