Please help, losing sleep over decisions

[thebigbadbat]

Im psyched about getting my 2010 wrx sedan modded. The only thing that's now bothering and has been bothering me is the damn warranty. I got the extended warranty and am going to cancel it because what I am going to do to the car is just going to void it anyway. The warranty cost $2,200.00 and I think I can get $1,200.00 back but that still sucks because its like I just threw $1,000.00 out the window. I did however learn my lesson. Heres what i was planning on doing right now:

Catted Downpipe + Exhaust
Fuel Pump
Electronic Boost Controller
Top Mount Intercooler
Blow Off Valve
Pro Tuned

I guess the question i have is, how do the parts effect the car. I mean i know ill get more power but does it decrease engine life or increase risk for future problems? For example; the AWD,engine, or even transmission? I am just an average guy with an average income, saving for a house, and with a kid on the way. I'm not struggling with money but i don't want to put myself in a position that would jeopardize us thousands of dollars. Is this something thats going to bite me in the ass in the future? I know ill take good care of the car. My concern is if I'm increasing the probabilities of running into future problems.

Should i just stick with getting an exhaust, working on suspension and leave the engine alone for now, or go for it?

I greatly appreciate any and all help anyone can give. Thanks so much.

[MainFrame]

A warranty cannot be "voided", however certain things can give the dealership reason to deny certain warranty claims. It all depends on your dealership's service manager and how mod friendly they are. And if they say no go, you can always take it to another dealership to have the work done.



And, you don't need a blow off valve, all it will do is make noise and decrease your car's performance.

[Ventura'sWRX]

Legally, a vehicle manufacturer cannot void the warranty due to an aftermarket part unless they can PROVE that the aftermarket part caused or contributed to the failure in the vehicle.

Please read this, and I have used my extended warranty and my car is modified.

http://www.xcceleration.com/warranty.act.htm

[anxiouz]

Generally speaking...the more you mod the more likely you are to have issues down the road. But that's not a rule.

It sounds like you want to do a bunch of things. I say go for it. With a protune the car should be running nicely and having the warranty isn't a bad thing. Stuff on your car could break not relating to your mods (like the window motors failing) and having the warranty to cover that would be nice.

But if you're going to get rid of the car within 3 years then don't bother with the extended warranty.

[SD_GR]

Legally, a vehicle manufacturer cannot void the warranty due to an aftermarket part unless they can PROVE that the aftermarket part caused or contributed to the failure in the vehicle.

Please read this, and I have used my extended warranty and my car is modified.

http://www.xcceleration.com/warranty.act.htm

Except the constitutional scholars at xcceleration haven't explained how contacting the FTC is going to fix anyone's car. If I show up with a claim, and the dealer says "you're modded, so NO" it seems like we' be at an impasse either indefinitely (I lose) or far longer than I'd care to wait while my car remains in need of repair (I lose).

Example:

ME, "I need warranty work."
DEALER, "No. You're modded."
ME, "But the MM act says XXX and I will contact the FTC."
DEALER, "No."

Then what? I contact the FTC and... what? Wait?

Contacting the EPA regarding emissions claims is more worthwhile, since not only the owner is affected -- we all are. However, in many cases the unauthorized parts themselves violate environmental regulations, so even if the owner is correct, there's a bit of a dissonance there etc.

The people that gain from the warranty act are people that sell imitation or unauthorized parts. I suspect authorized dealers do OK since they get paid for warranty work by the maker, and makers do OK too since I'm betting lots of cars are simply denied and so out of their system -- although they also probably have to deal with undeserved bad publicity through the use of parts they neither designed nor approved for their cars.

The simplest way to keep life rolling smoothly is to use authorized parts and follow the owner's side of the warranty agreement.

[Ventura'sWRX]

The simplest way to keep life rolling smoothly is to use authorized parts and follow the owner's side of the warranty agreement.[/QUOTE]


Wrong, the simplest thing to do is to own up to what you did to your car. If the dealer and or Subaru does not want to standby their own extended warranty on other parts take your business somewhere else.

[2:43AM]

Is your other vehicle seriously an el train? Is that in your avatar? That's awesome. You work for CTA?

(Sorry, totally ignored thread...)

[mista jc]

If you're willing to do wrench time yourself(DIY) then you won't mind installing and uninstalling performance parts and reflashing to OEM ECU settings.

I say, keep your warranty and just do the labor whenever you need warranty work or your car looked at by the dealer.

For your needs, you'll need a tactrix cable(100$ +) to connect to your OBD diagnostic port and a non Mac laptop.


I went with an AccessPort and I won't mind taking off or reinstalling my downpipe and CAI. Also running an SPT dual catback which is just fine with the dealership.

Good luck!

[brfatal]

I went with an AccessPort and I won't mind taking off or reinstalling my downpipe and CAI. Also running an SPT dual catback which is just fine with the dealership.

Dealerships can tell if you've been flashed and any simpleton tech can see when exhaust has been changed out.

[jd92677]

Dealerships can tell if you've been flashed and any simpleton tech can see when exhaust has been changed out.

If you uninstall the COBB AP, and restored the original ECU map, how could they tell it had been flashed in the past?

[brfatal]

If you uninstall the COBB AP, and restored the original ECU map, how could they tell it had been flashed in the past?

The checksum changes whenever the car is flashed. Detection has been confirmed by both Subaru and Cobb employees. Even if you unmarry it it can still be found.

[jd92677]

The checksum changes whenever the car is flashed. Detection has been confirmed by both Subaru and Cobb employees. Even if you unmarry it it can still be found.

Good to know, I wasn't aware of that.

[mista jc]

-_-; Well I'll be..

Is it something that they check EVERY time warranty repair goes in, or only when suspicion of modding/abuse/street racing is suspected?

[brfatal]

-_-; Well I'll be..

Is it something that they check EVERY time warranty repair goes in, or only when suspicion of modding/abuse/street racing is suspected?

No, but if you go in for a major service (ie engine or transmission warranty work) they will.

[Ventura'sWRX]

Is your other vehicle seriously an el train? Is that in your avatar? That's awesome. You work for CTA?

(Sorry, totally ignored thread...)

Yes, I'm a train operator for the CTA going on ten years.