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Warranty Issues

1K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  pointandgo 
#1 ·
Has anyone had their warranty voided due to changing intakes, exhausts, or having the computer reprogrammed?? I was told that if BMW does not do the work, they will void your warranty.
 
#2 ·
Yep.

If its not mfg spec, its not their problem when it breaks...
 
#3 ·
Before you go do all this, research what sort of HP gains can be attained on a 3.0L N/A engine (I saw your earlier thread about increasing HP): Not just anecdotal evidence, but before/after dyno runs.
 
#4 ·
The manufacturer is certainly not going to warranty non-OE aftermarket parts, but CANNOT necessarily void your entire warranty due to the presence of aftermarket parts. Explained here by SEMA: Some state laws may offer additional protection.

http://www.semasan.com/Main/Main.aspx?ID=60128
 
#5 ·
They can't completely void your warranty but let's just say you update the engine software. Then basically every part of the engine is effected by the engine module, so anything from an air mass sensor failing to your engine blowing up could technically be blamed on the modified software. An intake and exhaust really aren't a big deal because for them to prove something like an engine blowing because of an intake would be pretty tough and not worth the time for a dealer so those things usually aren't a problem. If you decide to get an intake, exhaust and software update, either go with Dinan or remove the software and clear faults before every visit and hope they don't say anything about it.
 
#6 ·
If you think they can't tell you have massaged the software you are kidding yourself. You are also kidding yourself if you think they actually have to prove anything beyond a logical association. Are you really going to take BMW to court? How deep are your pockets? Once they say your warranty is void you are toast and will have to sue them to get it back. Good luck with that.

Go and actually READ the Magnusson-Moss act. It has nothing to do with go-fast parts, it ONLY applies to a case where a manufacturer tries to force you to pay more for OEM replacement parts to keep your warranty opposed to aftermarket replacement parts built to OEM specs. If you are modding your car beyond the initial specs of the OEM gear, M-M doesn't apply to you. Aftermarket tunes, intakes, exhaust, etc... that increase horsepower are not covered by M-M.
 
#7 ·
Correct.
 
#8 ·
I have spoken to several BMW dealers, the consensus is, aftermarket intake and exhaust are fine, the worst can happen is the warranties on the sensors, which are on both the intake and the exhaust. It is logical because BMW itself sells performance intake and exhaust, the aftermarket ones are imitations for less money.

But any engine aftermarket tunes are a can of worm, which is why I have not bothered with them.
 
#9 ·
The extent of any aftermarket mod will certainly influence the dealer's (BMW's) willingness to continue supporting your OE warranty. Anything affecting the electronics would be pushing it. I've had exhaust (Eisenmann) installed on two prior cars, lowering and Eibach suspension mods. These were never an issue for the term of the original warranty. Since it is somewhat common to modify cars in SoCal, perhaps the dealers are more tolerant of it.
 
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