[TeinBMW]

Hi guys,

I have a 2011 335xi and I was going to install some vrsf downpipes on my car. I was wondering if I would have to remove them when I take it in to get it serviced.

My current mods are:
BMS intake
Cobb AP
Golf tee

I know I can put the car back to stock but to remove and install the down pipe every time I bring it Iin is alot of work.

Let me know what you guys do and if you guys have had your warranty voided because of a downpipe.

Thanks guys!!!

[Dark_Knight_335]

The aftermarket part will only void the portion of the warranty IF the portion of the warranty involves the system in which said part is involved. Or so I am told.

[Seamus]

below is from head mechanic at a bmw dealer - hes the one who makes the decision on warranty cover. This guy is awesome and very understanding of guys being worried about mods voiding there warrantys. So when he isnt 100% sure hed cover a car with a downpipe, i passed on it. Also, obviously if they ever find about about the Cobb your warranty is torn up. although i hear cobb say its untraceable - i would never risk that. thats why i just got the OEM ppk.

************************************************** *************

Section 3 – Warranty Statements
Effective October 01, 2012 Section 3 Page 3
New BMW Vehicles - Limited Warranties (Cont.)
(Valid Only in the U.S.A. Including Puerto Rico)
Warranty Coverage
Modification of the vehicle or installation of any performance accessories or components attached to the
vehicle which alters the original engineering and/or operating specifications, or which result in damage to the
other original components, electrical interference, electrical short, radio static, water leaks and wind noise.
Tires are warranted by their respective manufacturer. See the Tire Warranty Statement

Above is from our warranties and policy procedures manual. Technically I would be the one to make the call in our store in regards to coverage. Aftermarket exhausts are no problem at all. But, as for the downpipe it is harder to say since the catalyst is a federally mandated emissions components. Realistically the down pipe would not cause any additional strain on the vehicle if installed correctly but from my position as foreman I cannot advise you to install aftermarket cats in any official capacity.

Hope this helps, if you have any other questions about this feel free to call me at 801xxxxxxx.

[divisionbell77]

Cobb is traceable. Piggybacks, like the JB4, are not(if you take them out).

[TeinBMW]

How many guys here have cobb and got in trouble with the dealers even changing the map to stock or uninstalling????!

[TeinBMW]

I just called my dealer and he said you can put a downpipe on your car as long as its installed properly but if something were to go wrong with a part related to the downpipe then it may not be covered.

What parts can fail that may be related to the downpipe. I know the Turbo is connected to the downpipe. Anything else?

[tomtom11]

this is why i have been putting off downpipes for years. people seem to claim on here that you only need to take them off for warranty work. so if you go in for an oil change or something like that you dont need to remove them. my problem has always been, ok if i go in for an oil change and they see the downpipes and make a note of it then a month later my turbos blow, and i go in with the downpipes removed they will say hell no we're not covering this, a month ago we just saw aftermarket downpipes on your car

[TeinBMW]

Originally Posted by tomtom11

this is why i have been putting off downpipes for years. people seem to claim on here that you only need to take them off for warranty work. so if you go in for an oil change or something like that you dont need to remove them. my problem has always been, ok if i go in for an oil change and they see the downpipes and make a note of it then a month later my turbos blow, and i go in with the downpipes removed they will say hell no we're not covering this, a month ago we just saw aftermarket downpipes on your car

I know. That's what I'm worried about too. Not sure if its worth investing in ramps and tools and just spending the 2 hours to remove it every couple of months.

[tomtom11]

Originally Posted by TeinBMW

I know. That's what I'm worried about too. Not sure if its worth investing in ramps and tools and just spending the 2 hours to remove it every couple of months.

thats the exact conundrum i have been fighting with myself over the past 2 years

[TeinBMW]

Originally Posted by tomtom11

thats the exact conundrum i have been fighting with myself over the past 2 years

How often are your dealer visits though? I just got my car so I haven't had my first oil change yet. I was told its like once or twice a year.
I don't mine removing my mods a few times a year. If it was like every month then it's a diff story

[tomtom11]

Originally Posted by TeinBMW

How often are your dealer visits though? I just got my car so I haven't had my first oil change yet. I was told its like once or twice a year.
I don't mine removing my mods a few times a year. If it was like every month then it's a diff story

i'm really anal with my car so i notice things that other people would probably not notice or ignore. stuff like squeeks and rattles, twisted seatbelt, muffler rattle, bulb replacements stuff like that. i go maybe once every 3 months. the dealer is right near my house.

[tomtom11]

Originally Posted by Dark_Knight_335

The aftermarket part will only void the portion of the warranty IF the portion of the warranty involves the system in which said part is involved. Or so I am told.

this is exactly what people seem to say on here. so if you install downpipes and your radio stops working then they wont say anything about the downpipes but if a few weeks later you get wastegate rattle and go to the dealer and those downpipes are not there i would be worried they would have taken a note about the downpipes when i was in for the radio being fixed. thats just an example, it could be anything

[SRT14PimPin07]

Originally Posted by divisionbell77

Cobb is traceable. Piggybacks, like the JB4, are not(if you take them out).

+1 If the car has a major problem, like lets say they need to replace the entire engine for whatever reason, or if your trying to lemon the car. BMW sends someone from headquarters to come and check your boost levels in your black box! Cobb leaves traces in there which they will see.

[hetzle]

Originally Posted by tomtom11

this is why i have been putting off downpipes for years. people seem to claim on here that you only need to take them off for warranty work. so if you go in for an oil change or something like that you dont need to remove them. my problem has always been, ok if i go in for an oil change and they see the downpipes and make a note of it then a month later my turbos blow, and i go in with the downpipes removed they will say hell no we're not covering this, a month ago we just saw aftermarket downpipes on your car

None of the mechanics care enough to make a note about a downpipe being installed. In fact, nobody above anyone from BMWNA is likely to care, since nobody at the dealership handles major warranty work

[tomtom11]

Originally Posted by hetzle

None of the mechanics care enough to make a note about a downpipe being installed. In fact, nobody above anyone from BMWNA is likely to care, since nobody at the dealership handles major warranty work

thats an opinion and not a fact. there have been several people that have gone in with a tune and then another time gone in without the tune and they said sorry you had a tune before this wont be covered. i dont recall this happening with downpipes but your statement is just an opinion.

[RandomHero]

Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act states that an aftermarket part can only void a warranty if it is proven to have caused a failure on the vehicle. In theory, that means that they can’t deny you a seatbelt warranty issue because you have rims on your car. It also technically means that if you had a transmission issue, they would have to prove that any engine modifications were the cause of the failure.

With that said, dealerships can simply prolong the fix of your vehicle. I’ve seen plenty of instances where people’s warranty claims were put on hold for months at a time. People had to get lawyers or wait out the process. In the end, many of them had to go ahead and just get the car fixed out of pocket.

Short answer: Take everything off before you go to the dealership. I had an issue with the interior trim bubbling and I put my car completely back to stock. Fortunately, it only takes me about an hour to put back on the factory charge pipe, intake, and stock tune, but I’d rather avoid any potential issues in the event they popped the hood for any reason.

[TeinBMW]

I agree. All my mods are easy to undo but the downpipe is the most time consuming one.

I'm gonna install the downpipe and see how long it takes for me to put in and if it takes me like 5 hours then ill just take it off and sell it but if I can do the switch out in an 1hr or so then meh might be worth the trouble. I barely drive my care so I won't be having to many dealer visits....hopefully.

[divisionbell77]

Originally Posted by SRT14PimPin07

+1 If the car has a major problem, like lets say they need to replace the entire engine for whatever reason, or if your trying to lemon the car. BMW sends someone from headquarters to come and check your boost levels in your black box! Cobb leaves traces in there which they will see.

From what I understand is that is not the case.

What BMW can see is how many times the DME has been flashed, which would mean only one thing if they have no records of BMW servicing the DME with new flashes.

[divisionbell77]

Originally Posted by hetzle

None of the mechanics care enough to make a note about a downpipe being installed. In fact, nobody above anyone from BMWNA is likely to care, since nobody at the dealership handles major warranty work

This is completely false.

[usmc_ja]

I'm new to the E9X community but have lurked for quite some time. The aftermarket mods question is forefront on my mind since I have over 2 years of factory and 4 years of CPO warranty left on my SG M-sport 335i.

The bottomline answer appears to be that any aftermarket mod that is related to, or in some way, effects a broken part, defect, or electrical malfunction can be grounds for denial of warranty work. So, you make your choice and take your chances. Everything else is dealer dependent and simple conjecture.

However, for what it is worth, I spoke to a BMW service manager and he clearly stated that adding BMW authorized parts/mods (i.e. intake, PPK, PE exhaust, etc) would not effect either factory or CPO warranty. Makes sense. But, again, I only trust it for his particular dealership.

[hetzle]

Originally Posted by tomtom11

thats an opinion and not a fact. there have been several people that have gone in with a tune and then another time gone in without the tune and they said sorry you had a tune before this wont be covered. i dont recall this happening with downpipes but your statement is just an opinion.

Yep, it's an opinion. How did they detect the tune? Unless someone was an idiot and didn't put their JB4 in Map 0, left their AP plugged in, or whatever Procede owners do, this is very hard to believe seeing as it's undetectable unless you start dissembling stuff under the hood.

Originally Posted by divisionbell77

This is completely false.

Nope, it's an opinion with some basis in truth. I know a bunch of mechanics who couldn't care less, as taking notes like that are far above their paygrade. The word "none" was an exaggeration though, I'll give you that

Originally Posted by divisionbell77

From what I understand is that is not the case.

What BMW can see is how many times the DME has been flashed, which would mean only one thing if they have no records of BMW servicing the DME with new flashes.

BMWNA can also check the car's black box which allows them access to recorded boost levels as well as a bunch of other telemtry. The AP doesn't fool the DME like piggybacks do and will leave records. This is the main reason I haven't switched to Cobb

[divisionbell77]

Originally Posted by hetzle

Nope, it's an opinion with some basis in truth. I know a bunch of mechanics who couldn't care less, as taking notes like that are far above their paygrade. The word "none" was an exaggeration though, I'll give you that

No, its false. Saying it is an opinion means nothing other than its an incorrect opinion. While some mechanics will not care, giving advise of 'none will' will just screw over someone looking for advice on if it will impact their warranty or not.

Originally Posted by hetzle

BMWNA can also check the car's black box which allows them access to recorded boost levels as well as a bunch of other telemtry. The AP doesn't fool the DME like piggybacks do and will leave records. This is the main reason I haven't switched to Cobb

That has been claimed and also refuted in the past. This is why I pointed out that it does not matter, they can still tell how many times it has been flashed.