Warranty and Mods

Go2ZZZ

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Hey guys, called a few Nissan service departments to see how consistent the answers are. They seem to be all on the same page.

If you mod the car it is voided. Even for a cold air intake (“it takes in more air then it’s intended”) was the quote I got. Same bs with a cat back exhaust.

Now, my post is about the difference then our US counterparts. Apparently , some Nissan dealers in US sell AMS parts and don’t mind you modding. Why is it any different anywhere else?
 

MCN1SMO

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the US has consumer protection laws. for example there is the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act basically its the use of an aftermarket part in itself doesnt void a warranty. you warranty will be voided if the part is determined to be the cause of the the issue. and even then its specifc to the issue of failure. lets say an over oiled filter on your cold air intake messes up your MAF. the replacement of the MAF wouldnt be covered under warranty but that doesnt change the warranty for say your radio or brakes ect.

so saying your entire warranty is void for a single part is illegal



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson–Moss_Warranty_Act
 

StrikeS30

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Personally, other than the motor itself, maybe turbos. I'm not too worried about a warranty. After all the years of building and working on my Z's, I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty :D

As far as I know. When it comes down to it, legally they have to prove exactly that the modification you have done has to be the direct cause for the issue or damage. There can always be a fight. We have consumer protection laws up here that help us in that sense
 
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Go2ZZZ

Go2ZZZ

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the US has consumer protection laws. for example there is the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act basically its the use of an aftermarket part in itself doesnt void a warranty. its if the part is determined to be the cause of the the issue. and even then lets say a oiled filter on your cold air inake messed up your MAF. the replacement of the MAF wouldnt be covered under warranty but that doesnt change the warranty for say your radio or brakes ect.

so saying your warranty is void for a single part is illegal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson–Moss_Warranty_Act
Nice! Good for you guys! They give us a hard time here in Canada
 
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Go2ZZZ

Go2ZZZ

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Personally, other than the motor itself, maybe turbos. I'm not too worried about a warranty. After all the years of building and working on my Z's, I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty :D

As far as I know. When it comes down to it, legally they have to prove exactly that the modification you have done has to be the direct cause for the issue or damage. There can always be a fight. We have consumer protection laws up here that help us in that sense
They said if anything happens to the engine , it won’t be covered. Even if it’s an exhaust because they can say whatever they want and say it’s not part of the OEM and engine now misfires etc….

I’m sure it will be ok but if anything happens, I would be screwed. We can always remove the parts and put oem part back on. But more $$$ if you can’t do it. I can’t because not handy and don’t have the space.

Now, if I went in for an oil change, will they know they saw the mod?
 

StrikeS30

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They said if anything happens to the engine , it won’t be covered. Even if it’s an exhaust because they can say whatever they want and say it’s not part of the OEM and engine now misfires etc….

I’m sure it will be ok but if anything happens, I would be screwed. We can always remove the parts and put oem part back on. But more $$$ if you can’t do it. I can’t because not handy and don’t have the space.

Now, if I went in for an oil change, will they know they saw the mod?
Yeah, it's always going to be a sticky situation. I think that's why some guys find mod friendly dealerships. In the end to be honest, warranty work is paid by corporate, so they're never losing any money themselves, they get paid the time and the parts are covered. So, I've never understood the big deal, unless it's the warranty company that fights the dealership for cause. As far as I've understood, cat back exhausts should never be an issue. It's if you're getting into pulling cat's and stuff they can question.

And yeah, they will see the mods when it's in for service lol
 
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Go2ZZZ

Go2ZZZ

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Yeah, it's always going to be a sticky situation. I think that's why some guys find mod friendly dealerships. In the end to be honest, warranty work is paid by corporate, so they're never losing any money themselves, they get paid the time and the parts are covered. So, I've never understood the big deal, unless it's the warranty company that fights the dealership for cause. As far as I've understood, cat back exhausts should never be an issue. It's if you're getting into pulling cat's and stuff they can question.


Yes, I know they will see but will they “note” or keep record of it.
And yeah, they will see the mods when it's in for service lol
 

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this used to come up a lot on our GTR owners club who wanted to stay mostly stock with just a few little things here and there.

I think the general logic is if its past the O2 sensors ( midpipe catback ect) then there is no way it can harm your Z/ affect your warranty as the car technically doesnt even need these parts to function. for intakes If the size doesnt require a retune then its fine but you could receive some dealer push back if anything goes wrong with mass air flow sensors. The tune was the big one where its generally its not a problem until it is. meaning you should be fine but if you have an issue the dealer would try to use that as an excuse first so if warranty was your primary concern then dont tune it. bottom line its always dealer discretion and building a relationship with service department is key if possible.
 

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I really think it's a bit misleading for those whose advice is centered around the Magnusson law.

There may be some consumer protection granted in the US, but a dealership can immediately deny a claim, leaving the ball in your court. You should keep that in mind. You may be hassled, and you may not.

For example, as a dealership I could deny your rear wheel bearing claim if you have a tuned engine. Although, as automotive enthusiasts we all know that's highly unlikely, it's actually not technically an impossibility, you apply extra torque to the drive wheels and it's technically true a rear wheel bearing is now supporting more load. At that point, now you really have your job cut out for you to prove that is not possible.
I could also say if the engine was more powerful, it could rev up faster in normal use and stress out your ac compressor, or the extra heat of the engine reduces the efficiency of the ac condenser......

It's a gamble. Me, personally, I have used JB4 in the past until a warranty is expired.
 

MCN1SMO

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I really think it's a bit misleading for those whose advice is centered around the Magnusson law.
thats why I said its the dealers discretion.

the original question was why is does it seem so different in the US and yes that is in part to that act where the burden lines more on the dealer to prove than making a blanket voided warranty statement.

Its not some magic document where you print it off and take it up to the dealer and all your problems are solved. you do have that on your side but if it got ugly you could still be a long fight where lawyers were involved. But the very existence of laws such as that as well as watchdogs groups ( reporting to local news or now a days social media) are all factors of why it doesnt seem as black and white strict here as what the OP was talking about.
 
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Go2ZZZ

Go2ZZZ

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this used to come up a lot on our GTR owners club who wanted to stay mostly stock with just a few little things here and there.

I think the general logic is if its past the O2 sensors ( midpipe catback ect) then there is no way it can harm your Z/ affect your warranty as the car technically doesnt even need these parts to function. for intakes If the size doesnt require a retune then its fine but you could receive some dealer push back if anything goes wrong with mass air flow sensors. The tune was the big one where its generally its not a problem until it is. meaning you should be fine but if you have an issue the dealer would try to use that as an excuse first so if warranty was your primary concern then dont tune it. bottom line its always dealer discretion and building a relationship with service department is key if possible.
For sure I know about the tune. Just wanted to put a cat back, Intake and lower Downpipes.
 

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For sure I know about the tune. Just wanted to put a cat back, Intake and lower Downpipes.
stating they would deny for a catback is pretty much the dealer showing their hand on what that relationship with them would be like imo. that would be a red flag for me. Intakes I can sort of see where they are coming from as they wouldnt want to spend their time money replacing a MAF or something related or maybe even the outside chance of damage from moisture ect

for the downpipe refresh me on this on the VR30 the turbo manifold/ and upper DP are like one single unit? thats where the o2s are? and you are talking past that? the Z doesnt have secondary cats in the lower DP or sensors at all right ? just one set total up in the manifold ara? GTR has 2 sets of cats but o2s were just in upper DP.

To me ive always seen it as if its past where the car is being monitored it doesnt count and you can do what you want. I guess there are differences in back pressure ect but cant see it being more of an issue than the catback.

here is a good example. the NISMO exhausts you can buy at the dealer ... they in past where labeled off road use only. they wernt warrantied but did not void yours. I had the NISMO dual cold air intake on my NISMO 350 ( which was just a rebranded AEM) ... it was bought and installed at the dealer.

the bottom line is even though it might not make sense there is always some risk/responsibility for modding when it comes to interacting with a dealer and warranty. I always made friends with the techs in the shop or found a service department who seems cool.. take it from experience that can be a huge factor.
 

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that is in part to that act where the burden lines more on the dealer to prove than making a blanket voided warranty statement.
Not trying to be a jerk and prove you wrong, but I want the op to get multiple takes on this before deciding what to do.....

I have not read the Magnusson act, especially in regards to the burden of proof being on the dealership, but I absolutely guarantee that won't stop a dealership from making a denial. At that point it's up to the customer to now advocate for themselves, try another dealership, try corporate and lastly, a lawyer. The act may state it's their burden of proof, but the actual burden of getting your vehicle fixed is immediately yours, until possibly worst case, a court date. I don't believe there's an intermediary who can step in between a dealership and a customer to enforce burden of proof onto the dealership or manufacturer....

I mean, if we're discussing the credibility of dealerships here, I think we all know by now what to expect from most dealerships in the 21st century.
 

StrikeS30

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In the VR, the downpipes are split into an upper and lower. Each has it's own catalytic converter. So I guess the total of cats on the car would be 4. The O2 sensors I believe located after the first upper cat right off the turbos

You can buy just the lower downpipes, leaving the OEM uppers in place on the turbos and use the OEM O2 sensor in the new lower downpipe. Or you can replace the entire unit with one complete downpipe right off the turbo, with or without an aftermarket cat. Technically, you are eliminating two of the 4 cats by ditching the lower downpipes, however the lowers are after the O2.

IMG_20200919_213009.png
 

takemorepills

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Just wanted to ad, I think Go2zzz is in Canada....

I would presume Canadian dealership are not so different than US dealership.

If they are telling you "no", you better believe it. That's the best information you can get.

On an aside, do you really need to modify the car so soon, especially for power? The new Z in 9AT is pretty fast on the roll, and horrible off the line. I mean, the off the line performance will only get worse with more power.

Just trying to talk you out of it, I saw many VR30 at my Infiniti dealership getting the engine -out treatment because something was wrong with the turbos. Engine. Out.
Remember, you will pay for engine-out if you need turbo work post-warranty.
 
 





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