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      09-09-2019, 09:07 AM   #1
idle918
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What Voids Warranty?

Hey All,

I am surprised this isn't talked about more but what mods actually void warranty? I am considering a few things and want to make sure it doesn't void my warranty.
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      09-09-2019, 09:32 AM   #2
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Tune for sure if its not from Dinan, but if they can't trace it back your good. With catless DP it may or may not raise a red flag.
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      09-09-2019, 10:05 AM   #3
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I feel like if you search "void my warranty" you would get a ton of threads where this has been discussed in the context of whatever mod that thread is about, as inevitably someone always asks that question. Could be a good way to start?
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      09-09-2019, 11:28 AM   #4
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it seems like luck of the draw when it comes to how shitty dealerships want to be.

some dude posted on here a few months back that they wanted to void the warranty on his bumper for getting ppf.
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      09-09-2019, 11:45 AM   #5
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Generally speaking your warranty is voided for the thing you are modifying. For example, a tune would void your engine warranty but your suspension warranty would be left intact.

Basically all power mods are going to void your engine warranty with BMW.
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      09-09-2019, 11:50 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by idle918 View Post
Hey All,

I am surprised this isn't talked about more but what mods actually void warranty? I am considering a few things and want to make sure it doesn't void my warranty.
It's not really a black and white answer

Legally, BMW sells you a car in 'X' form and characteristics and applies a warranty that solely covers the car in it's stock (trial and tested) form.

Anything and everything you do to the car that has a direct negative impact or an indirect domino effect on other components, legally voids your warranty.

Generally speaking, everything cosmetic or not directly related to the engine generally just voids the warranty for the specific component. Engine mods on the other hand are a bit more tricky. If you break your engine and need a new one, BMW Corporate typically sends an engineer to investigate. ECU Tune/Piggyback will most certainly be detected through logging and in this case your warranty is thrown out of the window instantly.
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      09-09-2019, 11:17 PM   #7
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In my experience, nothing voids the warranty. My car is modded up the wazoo and I still get warranty repairs done for free. It all depends on what warranty work you need done.

I'm very upfront with my dealer about everything I have done to my car. Being shady about it just makes it harder to diagnose and find the issue. And I'd rather build strong relationships than lie and have that on my conscious.

Over the last couple months, I've had my car in for a left rear turn signal malfunction. I told my dealer I had my car coded, mainly because I didn't want him to reflash it wipe my codings without letting me know first. Also didn't want him updating the DME and wipe my tune, because I wasn't sure at the time that bm3 would work with any updated firmware, and dealers tend to do work without asking you if it's okay first. I have a n55 M2, and I know bm3 doesn't work after a specific M2C update, but didn't know the n55 was safe from this at the time... Anyway, I also let him know that I reset all my codings back to OEM (which was true) and was still getting the turn signal error. They looked over the car twice already. First time just looking for physical damage. Second time updating and resetting all of the software and top of looking for damage again. All free of charge. He's also very cognizant of not doing anything to my car that will affect any of the work I've done to it. If the issue persists, he has no problem replacing the taillight for me for free (even though what I read seem like that won't fix the issue)

So, in that sense, nothing completely avoids the warranty. Installing a downpipe isn't gonna stop you from getting a taillight replaced or something unrelated like that. If I have an oil leak or the steering motor breaks, they'll still fix that for me too. Even spark plugs will still be covered for me under the maintenance program, despite the mods I have done.

All of this is why there is no definitive answer to "what voids my warranty" because the answer is... it depends on what warranty work you need done.

Now, as far as modding adding stuff like WMI, fuel pump, upgraded turbo, etc. Do your research on what's reliable and build a solid car so you won't throw a rod or damage something. Learn to read logs and monitor them for acceptable values, and make sure your tuner knows what he's doing too. Both the S55 and N55 are old enough to have years of aftermarket development and testing done by mfgs and consumers and lots of posts and reviews about them.

Also, some mods have their own warranties. So if they cause an issue, you would pursue that instead of the BMW warranty. Maybe that's an advantage to mods. If one place denies a warranty, then go to the next... It's like having dual warranties in a sense haha.

I've also talked to my dealer recently about this briefly. I was asking for pricing and information on extended warranties. I was like "I guess this doesn't make sense for me to buy because if I need a new piston or something, you guys will just say the damage was caused by my tune or something" and he was like "yea, that's a possibility, but we still have to prove the tune caused it"

Last edited by Anthony1s; 09-09-2019 at 11:23 PM..
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      09-09-2019, 11:28 PM   #8
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This writeups is probably the best answer you're gonna get.

https://www.stage3motorsports.com/St...-Warranty.html

https://superchips.com/will-tuning-void-my-warranty/
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      09-10-2019, 02:18 AM   #9
idle918
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Quote:
Originally Posted by m20e3087 View Post
Tune for sure if its not from Dinan, but if they can't trace it back your good. With catless DP it may or may not raise a red flag.
Dinan tunes are covered? That would be pretty cool.

I was mainly asking for like pretty simple mods but wasn't sure about tunes or getting stuff coded.

Like I would assume an exhaust wouldn't affect anything but not sure about the AA midpipe.

Would coding out auto-rev mess with my warranty since I messed with the coding?

Also I wish I read that superchips article before I sold my STI lol.
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      09-10-2019, 08:44 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by idle918 View Post
Dinan tunes are covered? That would be pretty cool.

I was mainly asking for like pretty simple mods but wasn't sure about tunes or getting stuff coded.

Like I would assume an exhaust wouldn't affect anything but not sure about the AA midpipe.

Would coding out auto-rev mess with my warranty since I messed with the coding?

Also I wish I read that superchips article before I sold my STI lol.
Dinan tunes are not covered under BMW warranty. Dinan has their own warranty that covers you if it was deemed their product that caused the failure. CarBahn also provides its own matching warranty (if you pay extra) on its tunes, I believe.
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      09-11-2019, 10:37 AM   #11
idle918
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheRealOrosie View Post
Dinan tunes are not covered under BMW warranty. Dinan has their own warranty that covers you if it was deemed their product that caused the failure. CarBahn also provides its own matching warranty (if you pay extra) on its tunes, I believe.
Gotcha... makes sense.

Unrelated question though, but for each mod does the m2c require a tune? Coming from a STI, which required tunes for pretty much anything you did to it I don't have much knowledge on other brands or what they require.
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      09-13-2019, 03:17 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by idle918 View Post
Gotcha... makes sense.

Unrelated question though, but for each mod does the m2c require a tune? Coming from a STI, which required tunes for pretty much anything you did to it I don't have much knowledge on other brands or what they require.
I mean technically you can run a catless DP without a tune and just deal with the CEL, but it defeats the purpose.

catless w/o tune --- 20hp
catless w/ tune --- +-100hp
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      09-13-2019, 04:37 AM   #13
idle918
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Quote:
Originally Posted by waldrops View Post
I mean technically you can run a catless DP without a tune and just deal with the CEL, but it defeats the purpose.

catless w/o tune --- 20hp
catless w/ tune --- +-100hp
Oh damn. I was thinking about getting the AA midpipe instead of an exhaust and wanted to make sure it didn't require a tune. From what I've read I don't think it does. That is an impressive jump for just a downpipe though.
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