RX8Lover

Anyone have any experience with Mazda and aftermarkets parts? I had an exhaust and intake done on my eclipse GS-T, and never had any warranty issues with Mitsubishi. However, my friend and his 2002 Altima have had nothing but hassling from Nissan about the intake he put on his car.

I would love to do an intake, but not at the cost of losing a warranty.

Zaphod

According to my dealer, the warranty would only be at risk if the mod contributed to the problem, whatever it may be.

mikeb

this is a touchy question. Hopefully we can get some mazda staff for best info on this question.

Tigster

I bought a Mazda Miata once and asked the service manager in Orlando this question. He didn't want to reply but finally came around. What he said is, if you were to change the intake or exhaust (using this as an example) and the suspension or something totally unrelated to the mods broke it would be covered. However if they could attribute the damage or failure to the mod it would not be covered. The tricky part from what I understood, if you do a power mod and the transmission goes for example it may or may not be covered if they think the damage occured because or the mod installed.

This is what I was told from my Mazda dealer, don't take my word on it talk to your own dealer or mazda.

TybeeRX-8

As Tigster said, you should check with your dealer. But, I understand that if it is a normally replaceable part, it will not affect the warranty. For example, I put a K&N filter in the stock air cleaner on my Miata and have at least assurance from K&N that it won't affect my warranty as far as the engine is concerned. The mechanic at the dealer told me this too. I replaced my muffler with a Jackson Racing Sports muffler (on my Miata) and I know the muffler would not be covered by by Mazda. I "think" the same would apply to brake pads, for example. That is, if you replaced stock pads with Hawk or something similar and your rotors warped from some odd reason, I "think" the rotors would still be covered.

bureau13

I believe it is illegal to declare the warranty void if you can't demonstrate that the mod in question caused the failure. That said, it all depends on how sleazy the dealer wants to be about it. In the above example, does anyone *really* think the added power of an intake would cause a transmission failure? Of course not. However I can certainly imagine certain dealers making that claim. Even if they know its bogus, how many people are going to make enough of a stink to make them change their mind?

Well...*I* would. But a lot of people probably don't even know they have an option to do so.

jds

synthtk

I just got done talking to Mazda (the 800 customer service number that came on the letter) and asked them how having aftermarket mods would effect the warrenty and free maintenance, they said as long as it doesnt directly effect the problem then they will cover it and wont have any issues about the maintenance either, they just wont replace your aftermarket air filter etc...

-Chris

syntrix

Each dealership is usually independent of the car manufacturer.

So before you can even cry foul, the dealer ship has the first right of refusal to work or not work on your car. This is even before warranty can come out of your mouth.

Just keep that in mind!

mikeb

if thats true then what is the point of a warranty

syntrix

Good faith, but if your car is scraping on the ground and leaking fluids (extreme) are they gonna touch it?

And dealers make money on warranty, but they don't like any kind of liability or denied claims when the Manufacturers regional reps come down to examine a car on the lift.

Turbo Matty P

please read my thread titled :"No more warranty for you guys".
I have an aftermarket air filter on my MAZDASPEED Protege and also removed the resonator( after all emissions equipment). The head gasket blew causing the motor to seize and MNOA says it's my fault! Read my thread for better details and opinions/suggestions. I believe my thread is the most complete on this topic.

syntrix

Yeah Matty P, it's not just in the Mazda world! So it sounds like they pinned you hard on that one for a very simple mod

Turbo Matty P

you say, "pinned" like it's past tense. They are "tryinng to pin" it on me! I'm keeping hope alive. I'm also trying to get a large backing of Mazda owners who race behind me so when I go to court I can use testimonials. Keep an eye out for my thread in the next few days. I htink things are going to get very interesteing.

syntrix

Yeah, I mean it to mean the current events where they "flagged" you for the simple mods.

I race on road courses a lot with street vehicles and usually highly modify the cars that I buy. If there's anything I or the community can do, please let us know!

Good luck with everything!

Turbo Matty P

thanks for the support. I'm fighting this, not just for my out-of-pocket costs, but for the precident it sets for future owner/enthusiasts. If I make a big enough noise in the aftermarket vs dealer community it could be used from here on out to protect racer/enthusiasts throughout the country. When this is all said and done you can rest assured I will post full and complete details on everything that happened so that future consumers can have the tools needed to fight this successfully.

mikeb

good luck is right
hang in there

TybeeRX-8

"thanks for the support. I'm fighting this, not just for my out-of-pocket costs, but for the precident it sets for future owner/enthusiasts. If I make a big enough noise in the aftermarket vs dealer community it could be used from here on out to protect racer/enthusiasts throughout the country. When this is all said and done you can rest assured I will post full and complete details on everything that happened so that future consumers can have the tools needed to fight this successfully."

Good luck. But I think if you read the warranty info you'll find that "racing" will exclude any failures from warranty coverage.

Turbo Matty P

ok, again, thanks for the support. Make sure to read all of this thread before posting something that would've obviously come up several times before! Just because the owners manual says it will void the warranty doesn't mean it voids the warranty. Their pamphlet does not override exsisting federal law. They would have to prove that the racing I did was the cause of the problem. Also, I was not racing when the motor blew. The CEL illuminated (random multiple misfires---probably due to my aftermarket air filter!! ) and then POP. I'm glad that I was able to pull the code out of the car BEFORE it went to the dealership. I'm going up there this week and I want to physically see if the code is still active in the computer. I also want to make sure it's still being parked inside after it's already been vandalized.

Another starter topic.....Do you guys know they (trussville mazda, who you people seem to love) are STILL trying to get MY insurance to pay for the vandalism that happened under their supervision?? Any advice on this topic??

neit_jnf

MODS MAKE THIS A STICKY PLEASE:


Consumers Bill of Rights

Your Rights to Personalize Your Vehicle

ARTICLE ONE: You have the Right to buy high-quality, reliable aftermarket performance and specialty parts, accessories and styling options.

ARTICLE TWO: You have the Right to use high-quality aftermarket parts and know that your new car warranty claims will be honored. In fact, your vehicle dealer may not reject a warranty claim simply because an aftermarket product is present. A warranty denial under such circumstances may be proper only if an aftermarket part caused the failure being claimed.

ARTICLE THREE: You have the Right to install and use emissions-legal aftermarket performance parts without incurring hassles and onerous procedures during state vehicle emissions inspections.

ARTICLE FOUR: You have the Right to actively oppose any proposed (or existing) laws or regulations that will reduce your freedom to use aftermarket automotive parts and service or will curtail your ability to take part in the automotive hobbies of your choice.

ARTICLE FIVE: You have the Right to patronize independent retail stores and shops for vehicle parts and service. The U.S. aftermarket offers the world's finest selection of performance and specialty parts, accessories and styling options. These aftermarket products satisfy the most discriminating customers seeking personalized vehicles for today's lifestyle.

The foregoing message is brought to you by the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA). If you would like our guidelines on what to do if your new car warranty is denied, call SEMA's Fax-on- Demand service, 909/396-0182, ext. 750 and request document #904 or check the Warranty Denied? section of our web site.

Also goto this link to get more information if your warranty is denied. No need to ask here, when you can search and read it here. http://www.enjoythedrive.com/content/?id=8124

here is the search page on warranty issues. http://www.enjoythedrive.com/search/default.asp

Remember SEMA is a group who fights for our rights to modify our cars without penalty. to visit the site itself and look around goto www.sema.org or www.enjoythedrive.com

And finally the link to the Magnuson Moss act. http://www.mlmlaw.com/library/guide...es/undermag.htm

Omicron

Useful info, thanks. I might also add that we have consumer protection under the law to modify our vehicles without voiding the warranty, from the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975. See this link for more info, and the specific verbiage: http://www.impalaclub.com/naisso/magmoss.htm

DragonStar4681

Im new to this Club so if this has been posted already im sorry. I spoke with my dealer today and they said depending on the aftermarket part that is put on it the warranty will be void. for example. if i put on shocks then the shocks are void. exhaust then the exhaust is void. but if i but on the rotary extrem intake it will void the whole engine warranty. Has anyone else found this to be true? Thanks in advance.

Jeff_pap31s

Yes. Unfortunatly, this is true according to the warranty dept. at my Mazda dealer. They told me the exact same thing. But, I am calling Mazda tommorrow. I will post the answer as soon as I get it.

J

jodynich

There is a law about this, the dealer can only void the warranty on parts the aftermarket accessory is applied to. So all of this is valid, the intake affects the whole engine. Sucks huh?

Jeff_pap31s

I doubt that my rotary will have any problems with it, but, that is why I will save all my old parts and if needed, just put it back the original way. They should not void on an airfilter! That is BS.

J

mikeb

this is only true if the dealer can show how the aftermarket part caused the problem.