A lot of new Evo owners are at first quite hesitant about modding their vehicles because they do not want to void their warranty.

So my question is:

How many of you actually have your warranty voided due to modification?

(Not due to time or mileage)

Thanks!

 

My understanding is that your warranty isn't voided simply by having a mod on your car. However, if a district manager decides (they have to give the okay to replace major systems) that the problem is due to a mod, then your warranty is void.

That said, some DM's are a lot smarter than others. Some understand that certain mods (like a cat back) have virtually no chance of causing a problem. Some on the other hand are morons and see a single mod and automatically assume that's the cause of the problem - regardless of what the problem actually is and whether it's related or not.

 

I understand this, I work for a dealership myself. It's funny how often I read about how "Mitsubishi will void an Evo warranty any chance they get" or "What kind of mods can I do without voiding my warranty ?" Yet I have never heard any one actually having their warranty voided. I'm sure there are people out there but no one speaks of it?

 

When I took my Evo in for a problem a few months ago they just told me if any of my mods caused the problem they would not cover the repairs. But they did not void my warranty

 

Well, since most non cosmetic mods add power, essentially they can void anything that has a moving part. Regardless, not worth worrying about. You could have no mods and they could void you for abuse. But yeah, they will still cover non related stuff.

 

From what I'm gathering, Mitsubishi will simply not completely void your vehicle's warranty (from what I've read of others experiences). However, they will not cover repairs due to the cause of that specific modification.


So back to the topic on hand, no one has had their warranty voided?

 

There are specific laws that contemplate the impact of modifications on a warranty. Do a little search on the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act and you can learn your rights. Your entire warranty is not voided (read the law) by modifications, just the coverage related to the affected parts. The dealership can make a broad claim in that regard but have to be able to prove it (again, as stipulated by the law). I've heard that dealerships will often claim something is not covered when, possibly, it should be, but it is up to the consumer to contend the dealerships claim.

I suspect that when DMs or other dealership personnel make snap decisions regarding the impact of a modification and thus a warranty problem, they have often not done their research into this law. That said there are a lot of people out there modding their cars and then, when they have a problem, taking the mods off before they run to the dealership for a fix. So, it is a two way street (pun intended) and, ultimately, if you are going to mod you should expect to have those related car part's warranty impacted.

Finally, I suppose, and my car is a good candidate in this regard, that through extensive modification and use every aspect of the warranty that is in force would be declined. This is to say that the warranty is still active but that, were I to make a claim, any claim, the specific item for which I am claiming defective would not be covered to the the shear number of modifications and vehicle's use (unregistered gutted race car).

 

Here in Ontario, Canada, it happens all the time.

 

I had problems getting Mitsu to honor their warranty on my stock Eclipse. I couldnt imagine going through warranty work on a modded Evo. Im sure this varies depending on your area. But the dealers in my area are a joke. Its probably these horrible dealerships are part of the reason for the Mitsu sales drop. I wish Mitsu would do more to get some of these dealerships in line. They do sale and service their product afterall. Make sure they are doing this right.

 

Two small comments. First, a dealer cannot "void" your warranty because the warranty is a contract between you and the manufacturer, not between you and the dealer. The dealer can, of course, refuse to do warranty work (because they don't think that the warrantor will pay them back), but they cannot void anything that they aren't a party to.

Second, no matter what you did to your car, modifications can never instantly void your warranty, even when the mods are reported to the warrantor. The Magnuson-Moss Act (which I've now mentioned twice in a week, after not having thought about it for ages) requires that the warrantor demonstrate that the damage for which you are asking repairs was caused by (or at least exacerbated by) one or more of the modifications. Only certain things can void an entire warranty, such as the car being registered under a salvage title.

Please note that I'm not a lawyer. But I can read.

 

Purchassed the car Used from Mitsu Dealer with 13k miles on it.
Car had an HKS Exhaust and crappy auto meter gauges, so we asked about the Warranty and were told it was still under warranty and would be transfered.

Clutch went out after 1000 miles (14k), took it in, and they wanted over $3k to fix it... told us it wasn't a Warranty part, but the Warranty is Voided because of the Aftermarket parts.

**** Mitsu. Dealers... just upgrade as the parts wear.
I feel sorry for anyone who ownes one of these and doen't know how to work on cars... Labor cost alone is insane!!

 

That is some BS right there but it does not surpirse me. Everyone's dealings with Mitsu and a dealership will be different. But I went through warranty hell with Mitsu and this dealership (Gillman San Antonio). And again this was on a completely stock car with barely 20k miles on it at the time. It did not cost me any money warranty wise, but it did cost about $1000 with gas, paying people for rides, rental cars, missed hours of work, etc.

If these local dealerships and mitsu will try to deny warranty work on something Mitsu put a TSB out for, I will assume they will try to do anything to deny the work on an Evo with mods. Yeah they wont void your warranty, but they will deny the work. And the next dealer will probably do the same and then the next will probably do the same as the service system is all linked up together. All they do is put in your vin and see that a previous dealer denied you for work because of the mods.

Eitherway I would be cautious about the mods while under warranty. In my experience they try to deny warranty work on stock so they will surely deny on a modded car. Just my experience though

 

The Magnuson-Moss Act is a joke it certainly sounds good but....you'll usually end up spending more time and money in the end then just fixing the car and being done with it.

Seen it across many platforms.

Remember car manufacturer $ > your $

Oh and dealers have been voiding warranties on evos since 03 nothing new there. Once they flag the car in their system it'll show up no matter what other dealer you try and bring the car too. Hell they had dealers going out to local tracks and taking the vin #'s from cars that were racing and voiding their warranties out

SCC did a nice article on the evo warranty deal years back

 

If they said that the entire warranty was void and you believed them.... Ah, forget it. If horses want to die of thirst right next to a stream, who I am to argue?

 

Exactly