I'm closing in on buying a 2005 STi and I would like to do some basic upgrades on the engine and suspension. Noobie question is, what can I put on the car without voiding any manufacturer/dealer warranties?

 

pretty much anything you do can void the warranty. SOA issued a statement saying that changing the wheels out to aftermarket wheels could void the warranty.

 

Dang, that sucks! I guess I will just have to keep the car stock until the warrantly runs out. I'm just too lazy to mod the car and then place the car back to stock if something happens to it.

 

As much as they say they will void the warranty, they don't want to totally screw you... most of the time. Legally, they can only void warranty on items which are broken due to negligence or modifications that you installed on your car.

For instance, I had a rear left strut go out on me. I have a ton of engine/fuel/exhaust mods but nothings that would have caused the strut to fail. They had no problem warranting the strut.

On the other hand, If I cracked a piston ring - running 20 psi of boost from an FP Red turbo... they would laugh me off their lot!

 

exactly what he said...also remember you gotta pay to play in other words if you break something and you know its due to modding dont go to the soa and try to get warranty work done because of your negligence.

 

they say they will void the warranty if you modified the car in a way that will make whtever part fail. like they may argue that the increased power from a CBE caused your tranny to blow...although for some reason the SPT CBE doesnt cause the tranny to blow??? just find a good, mod-friendly suby service center in your area, and stick to them. ask them questions and kiss their *** and stuff, and then they wont give you crap. but also, SPT parts installed by subaru techs will not void the warranty...but will cost a hell of a lot more

 

Shift ****..............ah that's about it.

 

I've already decided that if something is going to break, it would have already crapped out on me.

Luckily, none of my mods have voided my warranty. I've gone in for service and got warrantied service after putting in a down pipe. Supposedly, the only way they can claim that you've voided the warranty is if the problem found is directly from your after market part.

I do not see how my gauges, turbo timer, and cat back would void any warranty. If they tried to nail me on any of those springs for a rear strut blowing out (I think within the 30K miles) then I will probably try to fight my way to get it replaced under warranty.

 

The fact is guys, the moment you change the car in any way, shape or form - you hand them the right to deny you. Just like it says above, find a mod friendly service department (go to your local car shows and look for the Suby booth. Sometimes the display car will be an employees), thats how I found mine. Be a nice guy and see what you can get. You would be suprised how generous people can be when your cool about stuff and not a *****.

Oh same advice goes for cops - once you speed, cop has all the power. Be respectfull, put your hands on the wheel, tell the cop exactly what your going to do before you do it, smile and don't act like a *****. You wouldn't believe how well you can get out of a ticket.

 

Thanks for the input guys! I guess i'll just screw up my warranty because I'm just one of those people who can't wait to mod their car.

 

LOL, you are like 99.9% of us from i-club !

 

Why else would you buy a ridiculously fast car except to make it even more ridiculously fast?

Take it from a fellow junkie...

Brother, the moment you throw an intake on that car - you have done worse that suck on a glass pipe filled with rocks. The problem here is that you won't have any support groups to help you get over your new addiction. Only groups like i-club - we will only get you deeper.

Have fun!

 

http://www.granatellimotorsports.com/magnusonmoss.htm

Legally, a vehicle manufacturer cannot void the warranty on a vehicle due to an aftermarket part unless they can prove that the aftermarket part caused or contributed to the failure in the vehicle (per the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. 2302(C)) .

 

Start modding your car now and you will be addicted to it.

 

Yeah...I know there won't be any interventions going on. I've been addicted to modding cars. I spent close to $10k+ on my stupid Accord thinking that it would go somewhere but in the end, it's just an Accord. Once I get this STi, I'm gonna go bananas with the things this car can do! This is so like better than a girlfriend...I think she's gonna dump me once I get this car.