I was letting BC know some of the upgrades and mods I was looking forward to investing in my Fit, and he brought up a point that never really concerned me. Will modifying the engine cancel out my warranty? What won't? I never really thought about it because if anything bad were to happen to my Jazzmin (knock on wood ), I would justify my reason for getting insurance.

 

this has been covered many many many many times before. A mod wont cancel your warranty unless it is proved that the mod installed was the cause of whatever need to be repaired.

 

I understand what you are saying but lets say that it is an engine problem. Can they say that the problem is caused by the cold air intake installed or the exaust that is installed?

And if it isnt a cause of what is wrong with your engine and the dealer is going to be an ass about it then they can still say it is because of your intake or exaust. what can you do then?

 

Under all circumstances, the exhaust system cannot cause permanent harm to your engine. If the exhaust system is completely plugged (like if somebody, as a joke, seals your exhaust pipe by plugging it with a potato) the engine will not start. The only intake modification that can possibly cause permanent harm to the engine is a Cold Air Intake that becomes submerged in water, and the water is drawn into the engine. Possible damage from this "hydrolock" condition can be as serious as broken pistons, bent connecting rods, bent valves, warped head, and blown head gasket. Hydrolock leaves clear-cut evidence. If the evidence isn't actually there, no one can claim that it is. It would also be possible to run water over the filter of any modified intake system, and aspirate enough water into the engine to cause engine failure, but you would really have to be stupid to do this.

Properly installed, and properly used, intake and exhaust systems cannot cause harm to the engine, and therefor cannot be proven to have been the cause of any engine warranty issue. The burden of proof is on the dealer who is trying to avoid warranty work on your engine.

If you don't understand the possible pitfalls and dangers of your modifications, and lack the ability to stand up to a dealer who is trying to take unfair advantage of you, then you would be better off, and money ahead, by avoiding those modifications altogether.

If the performance advantages of the modification parts are not proved by the manufacturer with hard, documented evidence, then the possible hazards of the modification are probably hidden, and in that case you absolutely should save your money and avoid possible harm to your car.

There are enough tech-savvy, performance hungry people who post on these forums to guarantee that if something for the Fit is new and good, or new and BAD, one or more of us has tried it and reported on it, or is in the process of acquiring the new part to try it and report on it.

 

x2! Very well said!

 

Thanks for all the feedback guys! Man... I felt pretty stupid after I asked my question... but after reading this it sure does enlighten me! I'll be sure to keep you guys updated on what I get so I can get some help by the savvy car people on the forum!

Which... BTW I did order my CAI and i'll have it on Fridya... but I won't be able to install it... so i'm gonna end up bringing it to the Meet on Saturday anyway.

 

Damzil-
If your CAI is not installed, bringing it with you won't do you much good. A state park is the wrong place to do modifications on cars, and there won't be time for such a project anyway. And... most CAI's require the removal of the front bumper, so you will need extra bumper clips to replace any that get broken with the bumper R&R.

 

T_T I'm just a very excitable person... an dI'm super eager to start my mods... however... I'm getting my part friday morning at 10am and I work from 11am to about 11pm (yeah... 12hour days suck)... so... please excuse my enthusiasm...