Aftermarket parts do not automatically void warranty, by law!

9867 Views 10 Replies 9 Participants Last post by KovyForteSX, Apr 21, 2011

arinesmith

Discussion Starter · Apr 20, 2011

I know there is always discussion about whether adding CAI, Exhaust, etc will void your warranty. I was doing some investigation and came across this.
So if your dealer tries to tell you different, just tell them it's the law and have this info handy.

Magnunson-Moss Warranty Act - Aftermarket Parts

Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (P.L. 93-637) is a United States Federal Law (15 U.S.C. 2301 et seq. )

Below is the 'legal stuff' about the Warranty act, basically the part that concerns a buyer of aftermarket automotive products is that a dealer or manufacturer cannot void or charge for a warranty service based on use of aftermarket products unless a failure is a DIRECT result of use of the aftermarket product and they will have to prove how.

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Ratdaddy

· #2 · Apr 20, 2011 (Edited)

Good point good post. But in the case of the CAI's on the Forte it could be construed that adding the CAI to this particular model of car, without including the cooling feature of the the intake airbox on the ECU . You have infact changed the function of the intake / ecu cooling system from the way the manufacture has designed it . If the ECU fails, due to overheating,the warnanty of the ECU may not be covered ..In my opinion only it was designed the way it is for space saving . But then discovered ,that it's such a confined space could the ecu overheat? well maybe, ok so lets stick part of it in the airbox so it can't have any problems..I think putting part of the ECU into the airbox was an after thought of the designers. So far we (forum readers) have not heard of any problems with the ECU overheating..

I say install you CAI .Enjoy your ride if the ECU fails then deal with the problem.

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(K)illed (I)n (A)ction

· #3 · Apr 20, 2011

Where are the vents on the airbox that cool off the ecu? I can't find them.

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noodile

· #4 · Apr 20, 2011

(K)illed (I)n (A)ction said:
Where are the vents on the airbox that cool off the ecu? I can't find them.

Open the airbox. Remove the filter. An you'll see that the ECU mounts inside the airbox. An 8th of it is in the actual airbox

Or watch my video and you'll see that I show everyone where the ECU mounts. Think of it as the airbox has 3 Walls and the ECU is the fourth

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ForteGT2

· #5 · Apr 20, 2011 (Edited)

arinesmith said:
I know there is always discussion about whether adding CAI, Exhaust, etc will void your warranty. I was doing some investigation and came across this.
So if your dealer tries to tell you different, just tell them it's the law and have this info handy.

Magnunson-Moss Warranty Act - Aftermarket Parts

Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (P.L. 93-637) is a United States Federal Law (15 U.S.C. 2301 et seq. )

This act protects you if you use non-manufacturer's replacement parts such as filters, sparkplugs, belts, tires, oil, wiper blades, mufflers, mounts, brake pads, etc. It does not mean you can alter the vehicle and expect the manufacturer to repair it under warranty. If you install after market high compression pistons don't expect the manufacturer to warranty a head gasket leak. If you use a spark plug with a longer reach than factory sparkplugs and bend a valve you're going to pay. As posted above, a CAI that removes the air box from the ECU can void your warranty on the ECU if it goes bad. Installing aftermarket brake pads can void your brake warranty if you have something go wrong with your rotors since the manufacturer can - and will - claim the pads may have had something to do with the failure. There is a reason manufacturers spend so much time and money on testing.

The act requires the manufacturer to make their warranty available in writing -- the manufacturers warranty states that altering the way a vehicle is delivered to you can be taken as abuse. They put it in writing so they have a "leg" to stand on in court.

If you have a problem with your car and there is a modification to it in that area the chances are the manufacturer is going to deny warranty coverage (depends on how well you get along with your dealer too).

You'll hear others say to take them to court if you have a warranty problem -- how many can afford the cost? IF one can even find a lawyer to take such a case -- I've tried getting a lawyer to take on a company that sent me an obviously defective part but none would -- They are all personal injury lawyers nowadays!

Be careful with your choices...if your going to play...be ready to pay.

If in doubt, you can always ask your dealer's service manager for advice. My dealers service manager told me he would not honor the warranty on the ECU if I use a CAI that removes the airbox (which helps cool the ECU) and the ECU fries. Because of this I won't take the chance. He gave me the "green light" on my Solo Performance exhaust (as long as I don't use the free flow Cat) so I have it on.

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KovyForteSX

· #6 · Apr 21, 2011

Do not trust your dealerships "do's" and "don'ts"... The only reason I have a Forte and not my Cobalt SS is because of an air intake. Magnuson Moss Warranty Act will only get you so far before you have to hire a lawyer. I went two months with no car because they said the cause of the engine failure was the intake system. As false as that is, they just used that time to come up with a "technically sound" explanation to basically screw me over. If you want to modify your car with bolt-ons and tunes go for it, BUT when you have a problem put everything back to factory. Never bring it in for services with the aftermarket on. Now, obvious GM was in more of a financial jam than Kia, so they did not want to warranty any work at all even though my car was still under the 36,000mile bumper to bumper warranty. The only reason I gave up was I needed a car and I didn't want to lose my job... so I had to sacrifice the SS.

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tcope

· #7 · Apr 21, 2011

ForteSX2.4 said:
This act protects you if you use non-manufacturer's replacement parts such as filters, sparkplugs, belts, tires, oil, wiper blades, mufflers, mounts, brake pads, etc. It does not mean you can alter the vehicle and expect the manufacturer to repair it under warranty.

The Act serves to outline what can and cannot be stated in a warranty. This butt right up against other laws that do as mention in the OP's post. That is, if a warranty states X is covered under the warranty but Y was modified, as long as Y did not cause X to fail, then X is covered under the warranty. The MM Act places guidelines on the warranty that don't allow it to include an exclusion against X being covered even if Y fails.

The Act does also allow consumers to use non-OEM parts without voiding the warranty (unless the party offering the warranty pays for the OEM parts). Again, this carries over to adding an AM part without it automatically voiding the warranty _just_ because it's AM and not OEM. But yes, the warranty can still exclude a loss if it can be shown that the AM caused the damage. Then there are different laws/rules that apply.

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arinesmith

Discussion Starter · #8 · Apr 21, 2011

I agree with ForteSX2.4 and tcope, in that if what you do DOES cause a problem (high compression pistons, etc) then you are not covered. ECU issues MAY arise if you go with a CAI, but does not give the manufacturer cause to deny any claim because of it.

My hope is that having this knowledge, and letting the dealer know that you have it, could help with shady warranty claims.

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[email protected]

· #9 · Apr 21, 2011

I can barely get legit claims covered under warranty, how does the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act help me? The answer is: it doesn't. They can and will deny as many claims as possible. If you print that out and show it to the dealers, they will all have a good laugh at the water cooler. That's why it is important to NOT give them an out. Aftermarket parts gives them a way to deny warranty claims, valid or not.

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xSilverX9x

· #10 · Apr 21, 2011

[email protected] said:
I can barely get legit claims covered under warranty, how does the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act help me? The answer is: it doesn't. They can and will deny as many claims as possible. If you print that out and show it to the dealers, they will all have a good laugh at the water cooler. That's why it is important to NOT give them an out. Aftermarket parts gives them a way to deny warranty claims, valid or not.

I second that... Not only do I have to show that the car has a problem, I have to prove it's a manufacturer's defect in order for them to process. I had to go twice for the front dust boots with the TSB in hand. I feel that I know more about the issue(s) with my car than the guys at service. The Service writers and the Master tech know me very very well. I wonder if every dealer is like this, or just specific to KIA dealers.

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KovyForteSX

· #11 · Apr 21, 2011

arinesmith said:
I agree with ForteSX2.4 and tcope, in that if what you do DOES cause a problem (high compression pistons, etc) then you are not covered. ECU issues MAY arise if you go with a CAI, but does not give the manufacturer cause to deny any claim because of it.

My hope is that having this knowledge, and letting the dealer know that you have it, could help with shady warranty claims.

This argument did not help me win obviously BUT if they will say that a CAI or SRI caused the engine problem (not oil tainting the MAF or hydrolock that's a different story), If they say an intake caused detonation or any other engine failure due to excessive heat or bad spark the problem I have is that the MAF or MAP is there to adjust the fuel/air mix... so if the amount of air coming in is higher (in some cases lower) and the temperature is differen the ECU should be able to immediately make up for it. My old car actually had what they called "learn down" feature to keep the car at stock specs no matter what you bolted on, even then I could not win... but that's what car manufacturers do. The best thing to do is buy a beater car and mod it to hell and back, that way if it blows up you just part it out and don't worry about a warranty.

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