Quote:
Originally Posted by ceb
As you can read in the warranty thread, if the dealer denies warranty service, and BMW concurs, then your remedy is to sue. Even assuming that the MM act would apply (i.e. my example above of the identically sized wheels) then you are still screwed until you sue. The feds are not going to come to your rescue and sue for you.
You've got to be prepared to pay to play. If you are not mentally and financially prepared to pay for the possible consequences of your mods then you shouldn't mod.
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Depending on the amount of money involved, BMWNA will likely pay you off as a nuisance claim. I sued for less than $800 for them to cover my battery under warranty.
Instead of spending the money defending themselves, it was cheaper to simply cut me a check. I think if you're trying to get more than $2000 or so and have a weak case, they'd probably defend it - that's just a wild guess on my part, based on my estimate of what it'd cost them to defend themselves.
If BMWNA decided to defend themselves against a mod lawsuit, it could get very costly for the plaintiff without outside help. If it were me, I would seek the help of SEMA, as I have the impression that they want to assist people with aftermarket mods since they are a group of aftermarket parts manufacturers. Website:
http://www.sema.org/
Personally, I see no need to mod my car (other than ditching the RFTs) but have done that to sports cars in the past that I've owned. In my case, I own a little 328i, not a 335i or M3. If I had a 335i and were a bit younger, I would probably consider modding it. On the other hand, if I wanted a performance car, I would've bought a Porsche Caymen or 911.
I can see where some view the 3 series as a performance car but I simply look at it as a luxury car; I've got all the bells and whistles - Navi, active cruise, heated seats, full leather, Logic 7. And it's automatic so it doesn't feel like a sports car to me.
... the active cruise is REALLY COOL; took my wife some time to get used to it (as a passenger; she doesn't like driving the car).
Back to the OP's question. If it were me, I'd remove any mods that I could prior to going to get dealership service. There's a chance that the mods will be documented and put in your 'permanent record'. Better to be safe than sorry.