How do modifications affect factory warranty???

I have a bone stock '18 TRD ORP XP except for the 285's I just put on it. I'm about to put on a lift but want to see how these types of mods affect the factory warranty? One local shop told me the local dealerships are usually ok as long as it's not lifted more than 3" (mine won't be).

Any experience y'all can share?

Thanks in advance!

 

It's a grey area.

Usually a dealer will take a look at your issue, fix it if they can. But if they see any mods relating to it, they may tell you "it's the mods that are causing the issue and you have to remove them before we try a repair". If that is the case, you need to remove the mods and take the car back for them to fix.

There are a million mods and no dealer has an exact list of what is approved...other than ones made by TOYOTA.

 

If you have a lift, they may not cover any warranty issues with the CV axles or control arms, but those are easy to replace.

 

If it’s connected at all, they can (and usually will deny).

change DRL to LED’s?? Yup, electrical is done. They’ll diagnose it for you, but it’s usually remove the LED’s.

lift that is not installed by the dealer prior to selling, drivetrain can be out.

this is all extreme, but it does happen. Some dealers are a little more mod friendly and realistic, but others are obnoxious and will void it for anything. Just make sure you know which one yours is

 

I had a heavily modified FJ cruiser that had a transmission failure because of the throwout bearing, a known problem with six speed manual Tacomas and FJ cruisers.

The dealer didn’t even hesitate to replace the transmission under the warranty.

 

I’ve seen both. Some dealerships won’t touch the vehicle if it’s modified. I’ve dealt with both. Lol. I got a blown shock fixed by writing the VP of the dealership. The car had a 1000 miles and the service manager said it was my fault. The car had aesthetic mods only

 

They don't unless the mod causes an OEM part to fail and even then the dealer can just deny the repair, your while warranty isn't just gone.

 

I would go to a different dealer.

Ultimately warranty work is a money making proposition for the dealership, so they are more inclined to take your side than not, unless it’s so egregious that they could get in trouble with the manufacturer.

 

agreed! I was cranky that day and wrote the VP. Lol. I put TOYOTA camber bolts on my FRS. They didn’t like that. Said it was how I drove the car. It got fixed, I got an apology letter from the service manager and wrote a nice thank you email to the VP.

 

My 4Runner was modified by the dealer so they better stand behind their work.

 

The dealership "shouldn't" be able to deny warranty work unless they can prove the the modification caused the failure. This is according to the "Magnuson Moss Act".

But, there's so much grey area. Oversized tires undoubtedly put extra stress on the drivetrain and suspension. A lift can put extra stress on U-joints and CV axles, etc.. Bumpers and winches can stress the frame. Lighting mods can affect the electrical system...

As mentioned above, some dealers are very reasonable, while others will fight every warranty claim. You might have to try a few dealers if you have a problem after modifications.

Another good suggestion above was to have the dealer install the modifications, so that they might stand behind their work.

Ultimately, you might have to decide what's more important, the warranty or the mods. I can't imagine you have much warranty left on an '18 anyway.

 

If they CAN make a connection to deny you service, odds are that they WILL. I've seen denials that were so circumspect, anyone could tell the mod had nothing to do with it... yet, they will (sometimes, depending on the dealer) find a way to connect it... a good example was mentioned above. Put one LED bulb somewhere, and they will blame that for ANY electrical issue, due to the interconnectivity of the electrical buss, current demands, etc. Same with suspension mods - i.e. "your lift put component XYZ under stress by changing the angle of the connecting point". Mods WILL impact your warranty, it's just by how much and which dealer you're dealing with.

 

What bass said. Unless they can prove it, and if you want to spend the money and do the work to disprove what they proved, you’re out of luck.

I have 100k warranty and there’s not much I haven’t modified one way or another, except the engine.

 

If I end up with a non KDSS ORP, I'll have the dealer install Bilstein or Eibach shocks before delivery. They said they would do it no problem with the small .8" lift or so. It just costs more having them do the install but I figure if there are any problems, like with the sensors for active cruise control, they will take care of it. If I can get a KDSS model, I might just leave it stock since it's supposed to handle pretty well as is.

 

Like everyone else has said, it's kind of subjective. If you put 285's on your rig and your rear end or u- joint starts to have an issue then they may well blame that and refuse to cover it, even if it's legit. I've seen dealerships try to deny an issue with an ABS light and blame an aftermarket stereo installation, stating that the power cable for an amp was too close to the wires for the ABS causing a light to go on. Completely bogus but it happens.

Some people keep their stock stuff around to swap back in case it becomes an issue.

 

Watch this video. Great info on warranty claims and such. He explains a lot.

https://youtu.be/NWOCosJ0Tgs

 

I had a Kia dealership deny my claim for replacement horns because the car had apparently been in an accident and horns were never repaired before the car was sold. This was a certified pre owned to boot.

Moral of the story, dealerships can and will do dumb shit and it's up to you to pursue what you think the extent of their responsibilities actually are.

 

Having a 2018 model, at this time you’re past the 36 month basic warranty period. And if you’re over 60,000 miles you’re out of warranty on most of the other covered systems.

You’d still be covered under the corrosion perforation and emissions warranties for several more months, but a lift would have no effect there.

So, depending on your mileage, you probably have no applicable warranty coverage anyway. So mod away!

(Check your Warranty & Maintenance Guide for more details).

 

Thank you everyone!!!!!

 

https://www.4runners.com/threads/wa...s-updates-magnuson-moss-etc.8345/#post-231643