zoton

I have a friend who has a lovely centre decat pipe and H&S back box on a late car and needs take her car to the a dealer under warranty. She has read the archives and can anyone answer a question for her?

She shouldn't have improved a warrantied car, granted, but if her warranty is toast at one dealer, I guess it is with all, should the same car turn up somewhere else 'restored' to it's restricted state?

ta

ozzy

That depends on whether your friends Dealer has informed Subaru UK. If the Dealer found a fault and notified Subaru UK that it was modified, then Subaru UK would invalidate the warranty and note this against the registration and chassis number.

If your friends Dealer just told her straight that the wouldn't carry out any warranty work because it was modded (not having informed Mr Subaru UK), then I don't see why or how A.N. other Dealer would question this.

My dealer was happy with me making some mods and they fitted all of them, including my De-cat zorst and Eibach's whilst happily making warranty claims on my behalf i.e. scratched windows, broken door handle and rusty spot lights.

If her car blow a piston, then they might change their mind if the boost had been altered or she was running a full decat.

Stefan

ScoobyKev

This "warranty" thing is a funny old game....I've fitted a full system to my P1 and the service manager said as long as its a scoobysport system then fine. But if you install a dump valve/induction kit whether anything goes wrong or not, then this will automatically void the warranty....so be carefull ! If something does go wrong and you have modified it in someway, then correct it so its as standard. Cus if Subaru finds out it has been modded then your fooked.

Regards

Kev

chiark

Depends how arsey IM (the warranty underwriters) want to be.

If you change it back after being told by one dealer that you have no warranty, you're defrauding IM.

Not passing judgement whatsoever, just trying to tell you the worst case scenario

zoton

TFT

Very useful. The car goes in on Thursday morning and the choice was spend time or money taking it (the exhaust) off and refitting it. Thanks to this advice I'll see what the dealer says about the work, and make sure that I don't proceed with a warranty claim if they are going to mention a stainless steel exhaust.

cheers

pslewis

Far from 'Improving' the car has anyone EVER worked out why Subaru do NOT honour modded cars??

It's simply because the mods, in Subarus eyes, are degrading the car NOT improving it!!

I happen to agree with Subarus assumption - modded cars are more likely to go BANG than un-modded cars ........... thats hardly 'improving' the car is it??

Oh yes, being a kill-joy, it IS fraud if you change the car back to standard just to get work carried out under warranty!! ALSO, IM watch the cars on track days too!!! which voids all warranty claims also!

Pete

Mickle

I've had a warranty query with IM for my window and told IM about my decat exhaust (had to because dealer threatened to tell them anyway) and IM said that clearly the window problem has nothing to do with a decat exhaust and it is covered.

The only problem would be if I had an engine failure but then he said we won't cross that bridge until it happened.

ozzy

If you are told it's got no warranty with some mod by one Dealer (and IM) and then remove the mod and try for a warranty claim then your could deem that as being fraudulent.

The problem I have with IM is my warranty document (MY99) says that my warranty will be void if the failure IS A DIRECT RESULT of the modification. So, if I fit an aftermarket exhaust of the equivelant quality (which I am entitled too under the EU law) then IM cannot simply void my entire warranty. The can rightly refuse a claim on my exhaust, but if my central locking fails they must prove it was the fitting of the exhaust that caused the failure.

Unfortunately IM have us by the short and curlies. They can simply refuse to honour the claim and it's left to us poor saps to take them to court. Can you afford to? I certainly can't and life's to short. Anyway, if I was really pi$$ed, I'd pop a cap in their @rse

The big question is whether IM can legally void a warranty if you fit any other part other than a Subaru OEM item. If they can, then fitting a Halfords bulb or a different headunit would technically void a warranty. The problem is the wording is very vague and the manufacturer knows no one is going to go through the expense to prove them wrong

Just my 2p's worth.

Stefan

P.S. Pete, you've got to remember that Subaru have their own range of mods which they feel improve the car. Who is to say that an STI accessory backbox is any better or worse than Scoobynet/Magnex/TSL/whoever?