Wow There is a lot of dealer hate here. I have never had an issue when it comes to my dealer and both the Evo IX and X have been modded. Like someone else said, if it directly effects an item yes it will void your warranty. An exhaust will not void your warranty on the motor period and all you would have to do is call MMNA. then again if you have for instance an open element airfilter and for some reason the MASS goes bad then yes they would have a right to void the warranty on that item.

 

have you owned a Mitsu before?

if your worried about a warranty they will bring up TIRE WEAR (I hear your at about 6k miles and almost corded out on your tires) your waranty will be denied for exessive tire wear.


so, zero mods, waranty denied. :


I've had a few mitsu's now, hell I still have one of em and this has been the case for everysingle one.

 

I have heard about the tire wear issue... and if denied major claims for tire wear (which I'm hoping I won't have to worry about, 30k miles to go lol), then I (through my lawyer) will just point at the sticker that Mitsu put on the drivers door in such plain sight.

They can't have their cake and eat it too.

 

the tire wear is an issue, when i pulled my stockers out after 3k ish, the fronts were bald.

however, after i put coilovers on and aligned the car, tires seems to be lasting.

nebo

 

To everyone saying you need to get a lawyer to take on a local service shop: look to your consumer advocate resources before you even make a call to a lawyer. Once you involve a lawyer, there isn't an advocate that will take part in your situation. The BBB is very good about these types of situations, and is extremely influential when it comes to local businesses. They usually head these things off before they become a big deal, it's a great way for you to show dealers you aren't willing to take their initial bluff and you mean business. I have only had 1 instance where I had to actually take a case to mediation, and GM ended up buying back the car.

Sorry to get off topic, but I wanted to let everyone know there are ways to resolve issues with dealers that don't cost thousands in legal fees.

 

Legally, they have to prove your mod was the cause of the breakdown. Now, whether they can claim your warranty is void if you modify you car in any way, I don't know. I would assume since they have to prove what you did caused the thing to break, that wouldn't be the case.
It's a federal law, and it's called the Magnusson/Moss warranty act. I may have spelled it wrong, but I'm willing to bet my spelling is good enough for google to find you all the info you need on it.

 

I understand all the legal jargon and what the dealer can and cannot do. However, they CAN leave the car sit there UNTOUCHED while litigation is in process. Therefore your car can sit there for weeks / months before they even begin fixing it.

Federal laws are great, but the court and process is VERY SLOW!!! If you can afford to be without a car, then mod away and fight them tooth and nail for every repair. It's going to cost you some money suing them, and it's going to be some time for it to get resolved.

It's so bad, even if you DO NOT have mods, they will bring up the Tire Wear like some others have mentioned. They can say you were abusing the car. You were racing. Etc... Don't expect to drive the Evo the way it should, and still get warranty.

But again, every dealer is different. Get to know them, and what their rules are. Some are great about mods, others are definitly not.

With all this being said. I don't think all dealers are the enemy. I've owned two Evo's through my dealer, and have gotten to know what to expect. They can be tough on some mods, but have also given me warranty work such as brakes when I did have mods. SO it's a give and take. Some things I get warranty on with mods, and some I don't. Just try not to rip them off, and they usually will do the same.

 

Good info, thanks.

+1 and that's what most people dont understand, yes there's a law, but the dealers know most people can't afford to have their car tied up while the system does what is suppose to, so they will bluff you and bet that you will fold.

I really think we need to get a class action law suit, if it really is as bad as they say. I haven't had any encounters with the dealer yet, but we will soon see.