[LalondeWRX]

Hello,


I've recently purchased a used 2015 subaru WRX and it has about 48,000km (canadian), my big question is I'm tempted to do certain mods and wondered if any of them would void warranty or cause any issue in that aspect. I've been researching decently priced mods for my vehicle that will make it A) sound better, B)make it little faster and fun (even if I personally find it fun stock as is) and C) take it to drag strip odd time for some fun nights with friends to do a decent time on quarter mile (in 13s (or lower range) sounds decent considering my stock dart prior to this car did 15.6). That being said, mods in questions are the favous J-pipe, access port, cat back exhaust, cold air, blow off valve, or any suggested ones that are not mentioned feel free to suggest them to this post as I want to make this my daily driver and fun car). I do work for a dodge dealership in alberta, i did purchase extended warranty until 140,000km. Forgot to ask also about what did it do to fuel mileage after the mods.

best regards,

Chris

 

[XJman]

Taking it to a drag strip counts as abuse and can cause your warranty claim to be denied. Basically any modification can cause some level of warranty issue.

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[LalondeWRX]

Seems fair, it was my whole point is I know how the game works, so no drag strip for "abuse", is there any safe mods?

 

[XJman]

What's your idea of safe? Anything relating to power. Downpipe, intake, accessport, intercooler, etc will all likely cause any engine failure to be paid for out of your pocket.

Stereo, speakers, cat back exhaust should all be pretty safe bets, same with wheels, tires, brake pads, sway bars.

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[LalondeWRX]

does cold air, cat back and blow off valve sound safe? can it be done without need of accessport?

 

[XJman]

Sounds like guaranteed problems because the intake requires a tune and there is no way for a blow off valve to be tuned for properly without speed density so you are going to keep getting really rich afr when coming off the throttle.

You can run the cat back fine. Anything else is a sure bet for a denied warranty claim engine wise, and running your list sans a proper tune is a sure bet to bring an early death to your engine.

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[LalondeWRX]

Fair point, so cat back, summer rims for my summer tires, mud flaps for looks, and i think that'll be it for now, until my MFG runs up and i decide to go with it, or if a component fails maybe replace it with a aftermarket component down the road. Thanks for feedback, its nice to know from another WRX owner.

 

[Sasquatch]

Fair point, so cat back, summer rims for my summer tires, mud flaps for looks, and i think that'll be it for now, until my MFG runs up and i decide to go with it, or if a component fails maybe replace it with a aftermarket component down the road. Thanks for feedback, its nice to know from another WRX owner.

That seems reasonable. A blow off valve will likely never be needed. If so, go OEM.

Enjoy ...

 

[XJman]

The WRX is very pay to play. Subaru has a tendency to be strict with warranty work(ritefully so) and the engines are very sensitive to changes to the incoming and outgoing airflow.

Proper tuning for aftermarket parts on any modern turbo vehicle is very critical, and even if flashed back to stock the technician knows because of checksum logs, start cycles, or any number of possible ways to track what's been on the ECU.

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[RichD514]

I still don't understand the "I'll wait until my warranty expires to mod" mentality. Under warranty and after warranty there is a chance things may go awry. Under warranty there is a chance of said modification being overlooked and said repair being covered.. there is also a chance of said mod being flagged and the repair is out of your own pocket. after your warranty expires there is 100% chance that the repair will come out of pocket.

 

[Sasquatch]

I totally understand it, even though I did a lot of modding under warranty. It is a chance you take - some are less willing than others. Worked out OK for me.

 

[RichD514]

I just don't get it why people are cool with blowing up their engine on their DD after warranty.. but don't want it to blow up under warranty. At least under warranty there is still that **slim** chance it'll be covered. maybe it's the common misconception that if they modify their intake and flash the ECU that the entire bumper to bumper, drive/powertrain and rust/corrosion warranty is null and void.

 

[flg2010]

I modded a little on my 2008 Mustang GT.. (air intake, exhaust system, tune).. only put 19k miles on it in just over 4 years of ownership.

Managed to get a tremendous trade in value (19k I think it was).. and even with the mods I did warranty claims on electrical, computer, and transmission issues were honored.

unfortunately these are not fords.. I suspect the cars are just a lot more fragile then my mustang was.

 

[chewdc]

The problem with people saying mod while under warranty while you have a chance of getting warranty coverage anyway is this:

No one knows how a particular dealership is going to respond. Some might be cool with it, others might not. If you get the former, GREAT! If you get the latter, they log it into the system and now no matter where (dealership-wise) you go, the car's marked as having been modded, increasing the odds of denying your warranty coverage.