Hardwire a radar would void BMW warranty?

I have a 2011 x5 and thinking about hardwiring a radar detector to it. Would this void the warranty with the car or possible complications with any warranty services. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

if I remember correctly, when I took delivery of my 2010 X535d I was told that anything which taps into the electrical system will void the warranty. I took that to mean that if they can find an excuse to blame a problem on you they will, and you will have to pay to fix it. To me, it's not worth the risk and I'll wait to upgrade things after the warranty runs out.

If you are that worried about it, have your BMW dealer do the install for you. It is what I did. If there is ever an issue, they can't really blame anyone but their own "BMW certified mechanic" selves.

I don't think it is worth stressing over though. Per law, they have to prove your radar detector cause the problem to not cover something under warranty.

I didn't know BMW dealers would install radar for customers. Hard to imagine they would since it is aftermarket parts.

I miss the days when BMW would install their own radar detector as an option. I had an M6 with the built in.

Originally Posted by GOODFOOT

if I remember correctly, when I took delivery of my 2010 X535d I was told that anything which taps into the electrical system will void the warranty. I took that to mean that if they can find an excuse to blame a problem on you they will, and you will have to pay to fix it. To me, it's not worth the risk and I'll wait to upgrade things after the warranty runs out.

True- they cannot 'void' the warranty, but they can- via ignorance, laziness or worse- refuse to warranty a problem by blaming the 'modification'.

I personally think it is a very low risk- and certainly if you have any electrical system issues just pop off the hardwire parts before you bring it in.

Originally Posted by 335xray

If you are that worried about it, have your BMW dealer do the install for you. It is what I did. If there is ever an issue, they can't really blame anyone but their own "BMW certified mechanic" selves.

I don't think it is worth stressing over though. Per law, they have to prove your radar detector cause the problem to not cover something under warranty.

True, it will make it harder- but remember BMWNA is not going to cover an issue that they believe was caused by the mechanic at an independent thrid party dealer. Even if he was certified.

They do NOT need to "prove" it caused the issue to deny the claim. A consumers sole remedy is to sue the BMWNA if they refuse to honor the warranty. Then BMW has all the technical expert. I'd agree that it would be an easy argument to prove that the 50 mA load of a detector has no causal relationship, but you are $15,000 into legal bills by then. The point is that yes, the law requires them to show cause before they deny the claim and jerk you around.

Originally Posted by lionfish

I didn't know BMW dealers would install radar for customers. Hard to imagine they would since it is aftermarket parts.

Sure they do- at $140 an hour, they'll say "2 hours"...even if it takes 20 minutes.

Originally Posted by ard

True- they cannot 'void' the warranty, but they can- via ignorance, laziness or worse- refuse to warranty a problem by blaming the 'modification'.

I personally think it is a very low risk- and certainly if you have any electrical system issues just pop off the hardwire parts before you bring it in.



True, it will make it harder- but remember BMWNA is not going to cover an issue that they believe was caused by the mechanic at an independent thrid party dealer. Even if he was certified.

They do NOT need to "prove" it caused the issue to deny the claim. A consumers sole remedy is to sue the BMWNA if they refuse to honor the warranty. Then BMW has all the technical expert. I'd agree that it would be an easy argument to prove that the 50 mA load of a detector has no causal relationship, but you are $15,000 into legal bills by then. The point is that yes, the law requires them to show cause before they deny the claim and jerk you around.



Sure they do- at $140 an hour, they'll say "2 hours"...even if it takes 20 minutes.

Thanks Ard. Appreciate all the details.

The tech at the BMW dealership showed my son how to hardwire his radar detector in his M3 so my son could also install one in my M5. No warranty issues yet, and I have over 90k on the M5.