[simoneves]

I've been searching but haven't found any real discussion on this. I thought about broaching the subject with my usual SA at my local dealer as I've been "his" for about six years now, but the pessimist in me just worries that he'll say don't do it and then flag my account for checks in the future. I'm not planning any visible mods, if you know what I mean, but I'm also not wild about paying over the odds for a certain mod provider with their own warranty...

[DKX4///M]

It's case by case\luck\SA...

I asked my SA before doing any mods if they would void warranty, he basically said only if the mod could be to blame for the problem. Now, that statement could be interpretd very differently by dif people...Theoretically different size\weight\offset wheels and tires could affect suspenstion, steering, load on drivetrain etc..in reality we all know thats mostly BS.

Personally I have never had an issue ...I got a brand new tranny at 35k miles without even asking because I told my SA how it popped violently out of 1st gear "a few times" and I just wanted to be on record early in case it got worse. Literally 2 days later I had a brand new transmission, tranny mounts, etc. I even had a short shifter at the time.

I bring my car in tuned, catless, lowered and warranty has covered everything.
Others have gotten voided due to aftermarket rear section exhaust.


PS I ALWAYS generously tip my SA, some would say too generous. But if you do the math, even $1,000 over a year is nothing compared to over 20k in covered parts and labor that a tech couldve justified denying.

Talk to your SA...He won't "flag" anything. If he seems "antimod", bring it somewhere else.

[tom @ eas]

Originally Posted by simoneves

I've been searching but haven't found any real discussion on this. I thought about broaching the subject with my usual SA at my local dealer as I've been "his" for about six years now, but the pessimist in me just worries that he'll say don't do it and then flag my account for checks in the future. I'm not planning any visible mods, if you know what I mean, but I'm also not wild about paying over the odds for a certain mod provider with their own warranty...

There is none. Every situation is simply handled differently.

Surefire way is remove mods before going to dealership or don't mod at all. Some simple bolt-on items will fly under the radar.

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by tom @ eas

There is none. Every situation is simply handled differently.

Surefire way is remove mods before going to dealership or don't mod at all. Some simple bolt-on items will fly under the radar.

I haven't had trouble with bolt-on's at the dealership.

The only time that I've ever seen them give anyone a hard time was around ECU upgrades as related to engine failures.

[tom @ eas]

Originally Posted by MKSixer

I haven't had trouble with bolt-on's at the dealership.

The only time that I've ever seen them give anyone a hard time was around ECU upgrades as related to engine failures.

Like DKM3Power said above my post, it's luck. Some cars have been denied coverage even on the smallest of mods, some don't. Its not like our cars are frequent visitors to for dealer maintenance, it's best to remove any questionable mods to keep the odds in your favor.

Or DIY maintenance items (or independent repair shops) and save the big stuff for the dealers.

[Abax335]

Generally not up to the service advisor. It will be left to the tech/team leader or foreman.

For example I'm a master tech and when we get cars with tunes we can try to remedy their problem but if we keep going in circles after trying to fix we have to contact the customer and ask them to remove and then bring back to retest. Only have had a few cars that required this but we do get alot of tuned cars at my dealer. Suspension, wheels, brakes, body modifications we definitely tolerate but if it is noise related we may ask to return to the installer after spending some time with it or we need to install OEM first.

We have an e64 that has scissor doors and multiple interior modifications that had a draw just last week that we diagnosed and fixed with no issues as far as warranty was concerned

I've removed sound systems at the customers dime to diagnose a draw come to find out but was the system causing it. Same with HID fogs on an e70 (don't remember what the little heat sinks were called but they drew alot of amperage)

It's going to depend on your complaint and what you have done. If you have no cats and a CEL but no tune, don't waste there time and yours. Or if you have a rattle but are straight piped we may turn you away as well.

Like stated case by case just don't be an asshole.

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by tom @ eas

Like DKM3Power said above my post, it's luck. Some cars have been denied coverage even on the smallest of mods, some don't. Its not like our cars are frequent visitors to for dealer maintenance, it's best to remove any questionable mods to keep the odds in your favor.

Or DIY maintenance items (or independent repair shops) and save the big stuff for the dealers.

It's not pure luck. It is building a relationship with your SA and the SM. My M6 is heavily modified. I had a rod bearing failure with a list of mods longer than you arm and they didn't blink to cover the replacement.

FYI...
Dinan Stage 2 Suspension.
Dinan CF Rear Upper Stress Bar.
Dinan Cold Air Intake
RPI Ram air induction system
Tubi X-Pipe
Tubi Rumore Section 3
AC Schnitzer Front Billet Aluminum Upper Stress Bar,
and more.

[Abax335]

Originally Posted by MKSixer

It's not pure luck. It is building a relationship with your SA and the SM. My M6 is heavily modified. I had a rod bearing failure with a list of mods longer than you arm and they didn't blink to cover the replacement.

FYI...
Dinan Stage 2 Suspension.
Dinan CF Rear Upper Stress Bar.
Dinan Cold Air Intake
RPI Ram air induction system
Tubi X-Pipe
Tubi Rumore Section 3
AC Schnitzer Front Billet Aluminum Upper Stress Bar,
and more.

Sometimes money is king. A s85 brings the dealer alot of money and from their perspective I don't see an intake causing a rod bearing failure (not normal for them to disassemble so I guarantee they don't know what actually failed) BMW doesn't tear down that far. Very rare. We've done two like this because there was thousands of dollars previously sent trying to diagnose

[Abax335]

Originally Posted by MKSixer

It's not pure luck. It is building a relationship with your SA and the SM. My M6 is heavily modified. I had a rod bearing failure with a list of mods longer than you arm and they didn't blink to cover the replacement.

FYI...
Dinan Stage 2 Suspension.
Dinan CF Rear Upper Stress Bar.
Dinan Cold Air Intake
RPI Ram air induction system
Tubi X-Pipe
Tubi Rumore Section 3
AC Schnitzer Front Billet Aluminum Upper Stress Bar,
and more.

Sometimes money is king. A s85 brings the dealer alot of money and from my opinion I don't see an intake causing a rod bearing failure nor can they really prove it (not normal for them to disassemble so I guarantee they don't know what actually failed) BMW doesn't tear down that far. Very rare. We've done two like this because there was thousands of dollars previously sent trying to diagnose

Most likely the engineer read out ghost faults and checked for over rev with a video of the noise. It's that simple to get a motor

[tom @ eas]

Originally Posted by MKSixer

It's not pure luck. It is building a relationship with your SA and the SM. My M6 is heavily modified. I had a rod bearing failure with a list of mods longer than you arm and they didn't blink to cover the replacement.

FYI...
Dinan Stage 2 Suspension.
Dinan CF Rear Upper Stress Bar.
Dinan Cold Air Intake
RPI Ram air induction system
Tubi X-Pipe
Tubi Rumore Section 3
AC Schnitzer Front Billet Aluminum Upper Stress Bar,
and more.

It's great you were covered, but your situation doesn't guarantee everyone will have similar results.

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by Abax335

Generally not up to the service advisor. It will be left to the tech/team leader or foreman.

For example I'm a master tech and when we get cars with tunes we can try to remedy their problem but if we keep going in circles after trying to fix we have to contact the customer and ask them to remove and then bring back to retest. Only have had a few cars that required this but we do get alot of tuned cars at my dealer. Suspension, wheels, brakes, body modifications we definitely tolerate but if it is noise related we may ask to return to the installer after spending some time with it or we need to install OEM first.

We have an e64 that has scissor doors and multiple interior modifications that had a draw just last week that we diagnosed and fixed with no issues as far as warranty was concerned

I've removed sound systems at the customers dime to diagnose a draw come to find out but was the system causing it. Same with HID fogs on an e70 (don't remember what the little heat sinks were called but they drew alot of amperage)

It's going to depend on your complaint and what you have done. If you have no cats and a CEL but no tune, don't waste there time and yours. Or if you have a rattle but are straight piped we may turn you away as well.

Like stated case by case just don't be an asshole.

This is the best advice.
Not being an asshole (with the caveat-until absolutely necessary) is the best general advice in life.

I've seen BMW owners behave in the worse possible around service. Sadly, it has been 1st time BMW customers who have no idea what it takes to maintain the car or how much repairs cost.

[murph914]

Originally Posted by MKSixer

This is the best advice.
Not being an asshole (with the caveat-until absolutely necessary) is the best general advice in life.

I've seen BMW owners behave in the worse possible around service. Sadly, it has been 1st time BMW customers who have no idea what it takes to maintain the car or how much repairs cost.

All of this. Being nice is appreciated and rewarded. Service advisors see a lot of jerks in a course of a day. Last week I was at BMW Gallery Norwood. I just needed the piece of silver trim between the rows of window switches replaced. It took longer than expected, but the SA gave me a loaner so I could make a meeting on time. I then walk to the breezeway where they receive cars. A woman was throwing a hissy fit because her husband dropped the cap to an oil bottle and it was rolling around in her undertray. The techs were just rolling their eyes and telling her 4+ hours.

I did ask my SA once about Dinan and other mods. She said that if its up to her she can sweep it under the rug, but if it is something bigger and the foremen or the manager get involved its up to the dealership or corporate and all bets are off.

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by murph914

All of this. Being nice is appreciated and rewarded. Service advisors see a lot of jerks in a course of a day. Last week I was at BMW Gallery Norwood. I just needed the piece of silver trim between the rows of window switches replaced. It took longer than expected, but the SA gave me a loaner so I could make a meeting on time. I then walk to the breezeway where they receive cars. A woman was throwing a hissy fit because her husband dropped the cap to an oil bottle and it was rolling around in her undertray. The techs were just rolling their eyes and telling her 4+ hours.

I did ask my SA once about Dinan and other mods. She said that if its up to her she can sweep it under the rug, but if it is something bigger and the foremen or the manager get involved its up to the dealership or corporate and all bets are off.

I saw the same pathetic display from a woman who was given an i3 as her loaner. She was going on and on about how horrible it was relative to her personal vehicle so I was thinking that she had a 750 or M6 GC...it was an X1. Now don't get me wrong...the X1 is a fine vehicle but it is not worth throwing a fit about the free, $40K car you are getting to drive around while your car is getting repaired. In fact, no vehicle is worth this behavior. Sheesh.

They often apologize about giving me a 2 or 3 but I always tell them, no sweat..thanks for giving me the option of not being stuck at the dealership or being schlepped to my house to grab another car thereby giving me another logistical challenge.

Cheers-mk

[simoneves]

All good advice. Thanks, everyone!

[snaimpally]

Originally Posted by simoneves

I've been searching but haven't found any real discussion on this. I thought about broaching the subject with my usual SA at my local dealer as I've been "his" for about six years now, but the pessimist in me just worries that he'll say don't do it and then flag my account for checks in the future. I'm not planning any visible mods, if you know what I mean, but I'm also not wild about paying over the odds for a certain mod provider with their own warranty...

It depends on the dealership. Talk to your SA - they want to keep you happy and coming back. I always remove my tune (was JB4, now custom PTF map) before taking it in. I was upfront that the car was lowered with a Bilstein B12 Pro kit (e.g., it wasn't some no name ebay suspension kit). I also haven't gone FBO since I have an extended warranty - no DP, no intake, etc. I do have an FMIC but hey, I'm in Texas.

[catcher22]

It depends on several things - the dealership, the SA, the Service Manager, and the techs. I got so lucky when I bought the car because one of my good friends just happened to be a SA at the dealership I bought my car. He ran awesome interference for me; needless to say the first few years of ownership was fun and fearless for me lol

You have to be smart about it too. Like don't go in saying your charge pipe is cracked while you have a JB4 and back end flash installed lol

If you've known your SA for 6 years, and think he's cool, I'd probably try to bring it up in a casual conversation and see how he reacts. If he goes on some tirade about how people always bring modded cars in bla bla bla, well, then you have your answer. Use your negotiation SKILLS!

[AMGSlayer]

In five dealerships across the country (CA, HI, AZ, FL, VA) I've never once had an issue with having warranty repairs done to a modified car.

Even had an engine issue fixed with a supercharger and aftermarket tuner sitting in the trunk. They didn't even blink.

[UglyBuzzard]

Great threat - thanks!

Any experience with Crevier in Orange County - PM if more comfortable.

Thinking of just a tune and a bit paranoid. Have CPO+Warr+Maint.