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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Mechanical Maintenance: Break-in / Oil & Fluids / Servicing / Warranty > Could dealership void warranty if you bring your car in for oil change?



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      08-04-2011, 05:23 PM   #1
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Could dealership void warranty if you bring your car in for oil change?

AND the car has mods like DCI, BOV, etc? I have CPO and maintenance package with my next oil change due here pretty soon, and while I plan on bringing it in, I dont want them to bring anything else up if they see some mods done to the car. Any comments?
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      08-04-2011, 06:26 PM   #2
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Yes, they have the right to void your warranty. Recently a member got denied HPFP and fuel injectors replacement because of BOV.

And yes, you could hire a lawyer to fight for your warranty back, but that's a bit of a hassle. Just do the oil change yourself.
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      08-04-2011, 06:34 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JunkStory View Post
Yes, they have the right to void your warranty. Recently a member got denied HPFP and fuel injectors replacement because of BOV.

And yes, you could hire a lawyer to fight for your warranty back, but that's a bit of a hassle. Just do the oil change yourself.
I would do it myself, but like I wrote in the original post, I have a maintenance plan which includes FREE oil changes, filters, etc. Im not paying out of pocket for something I can have done for free.

Just wondering if the dealership can say something even if the car IS NOT in for warranty work, just an oil change?
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      08-04-2011, 06:43 PM   #4
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Most likely they wouldn't care if you're just doing an oil change. Best to check in your regional sub forum and see which dealers are nice about it, and which ones are not.
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      08-04-2011, 06:46 PM   #5
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any dealers can void your warranty for anything aftermarket on the car it's just a matter of how picky the dealership you go to is
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      08-04-2011, 10:48 PM   #6
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Again, the misinformation in this thread is staggering.

Dealers do NOT void a warranty. Voiding a warranty is a very involved affair and involves BMW corporate.

What a dealer CAN do is refuse warranty service if they believe that the mod caused the problem.

Some dealers routinely document mods when cars are brought in for service so the answer to your question really depends on hour dealer.
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      08-04-2011, 10:55 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ceb View Post
Again, the misinformation in this thread is staggering.

Dealers do NOT void a warranty. Voiding a warranty is a very involved affair and involves BMW corporate.

What a dealer CAN do is refuse warranty service if they believe that the mod caused the problem.

Some dealers routinely document mods when cars are brought in for service so the answer to your question really depends on hour dealer.
Well, the result is the same. If you mod and they document it and you come in later for warranty service they can refuse to service your car. It will get noted and other delaers will know why....in essence your warranty is voided. A lot of ifs, so if you are willing to gamble, go for it.
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      08-05-2011, 01:37 PM   #8
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To the OP. You probably need to get comfortable with the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and small claims court procedures in your area.
Here are a couple of places to start:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuso...s_Warranty_Act

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=446367

Bottom line: If BMW thinks that they can get away with denying warranty claims, they will. Forget about any appeals process through the company; I tried that. You will need to take them to court if they decide to play fast and loose with Magnuson-Moss.
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      08-05-2011, 03:17 PM   #9
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Just my two cents:

From my experience and from what my two dealers have told me:

I can put aftermarket parts in a vehicle but if they can trace the problem back to that part, they can then refuse warranty service for that repair.

My experience has been, if they see an aftermarket part they generally will just jump to that conclusion. You can then 'explain' to them why that isn't the issue and maybe they'll continue on.

One dealer jumped to that conclusion and notified BMW (I had wiring diagrams, part numbers and diagrams, etc and it didn't matter that I knew and could prove it wasn't the issue). I took it to another for a second opinion and they did the diagnoses and found it had nothing to do w/ the aftermarket part and it was fixed under warranty (the new dealer had to have a lengthy discussion with BMW to allow the part to then be fixed). I consider myself lucky. The epic went on from April to July, but it was fixed under warranty.

Better to be safe than sorry or maybe it depends on your relationship with your dealer.
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Last edited by HomeBrew; 08-05-2011 at 03:22 PM..
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      08-05-2011, 08:12 PM   #10
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Dealers get rated on how little warranty claims they process. All the major car companies work this way. It is in the best interests of the dealer to deny a warranty claim. Having unapproved modifed parts and tunes in a car give the dealer an easy excuse to void warranty claims. Expecting a manufacturer to cover warranty on a car that is modified is just not being realistic.
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      08-05-2011, 10:43 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chriztofor View Post
Well, the result is the same. If you mod and they document it and you come in later for warranty service they can refuse to service your car. It will get noted and other delaers will know why....in essence your warranty is voided. A lot of ifs, so if you are willing to gamble, go for it.
Actually, the outcome is not the same. A voided warranty means that nothing on your car is covered, while a refusal to provide warranty service applies to that problem only.
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      08-05-2011, 10:46 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by iflyjetzzz View Post
To the OP. You probably need to get comfortable with the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and small claims court procedures in your area.
Here are a couple of places to start:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuso...s_Warranty_Act

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=446367

Bottom line: If BMW thinks that they can get away with denying warranty claims, they will. Forget about any appeals process through the company; I tried that. You will need to take them to court if they decide to play fast and loose with Magnuson-Moss.
The OP needs to read the warranty and mods thread on the main page. The MM act does not apply to mods.
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      08-06-2011, 11:15 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ceb View Post
The OP needs to read the warranty and mods thread on the main page. The MM act does not apply to mods.
Thread referred to: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66970
Edit: I just reread your comment. A better way of saying it is that mods can void portions of the warranty and that modified parts are definitely not covered under warranty.

http://www.impalaclub.com/naisso/magmoss.htm
http://autos.aol.com/article/warrant...rmarket-parts/
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/conten...ty-intact.html

Modification CAN invalidate some things that would normally be warranted IF they can prove that the modification caused the otherwise warranted part to fail.
Putting aftermarket rims and tires on your car and the engine has problems? Not a big deal. It may be interesting if you have suspension problems. I did notice that the SA noted my non-RFTs when I had my final warranty servicing. If I needed a wheel bearing replaced, you can bet that they would've blamed that on the non-RFTs.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ENINTY View Post
Dealers get rated on how little warranty claims they process. All the major car companies work this way. It is in the best interests of the dealer to deny a warranty claim. Having unapproved modifed parts and tunes in a car give the dealer an easy excuse to void warranty claims. Expecting a manufacturer to cover warranty on a car that is modified is just not being realistic.
This is another reason to understand how to sue in small claims court. It's an easy process. Again, in my case, the dealer refused to pay due to an 'adverse driving profile' ... the distances that I traveled were 'too short' for the battery to fully charge. Sheesh! So yes, I sued BMWNA. And they paid rather than go to court.

... I don't have any mods and I'm out of warranty so none of this discussion directly effects me.

Last edited by iflyjetzzz; 08-06-2011 at 11:24 AM..
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      08-06-2011, 08:32 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by iflyjetzzz View Post
Thread referred to: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66970
Edit: I just reread your comment. A better way of saying it is that mods can void portions of the warranty and that modified parts are definitely not covered under warranty.

http://www.impalaclub.com/naisso/magmoss.htm
http://autos.aol.com/article/warrant...rmarket-parts/
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/conten...ty-intact.html

Modification CAN invalidate some things that would normally be warranted IF they can prove that the modification caused the otherwise warranted part to fail.
Putting aftermarket rims and tires on your car and the engine has problems? Not a big deal. It may be interesting if you have suspension problems. I did notice that the SA noted my non-RFTs when I had my final warranty servicing. If I needed a wheel bearing replaced, you can bet that they would've blamed that on the non-RFTs.



This is another reason to understand how to sue in small claims court. It's an easy process. Again, in my case, the dealer refused to pay due to an 'adverse driving profile' ... the distances that I traveled were 'too short' for the battery to fully charge. Sheesh! So yes, I sued BMWNA. And they paid rather than go to court.

... I don't have any mods and I'm out of warranty so none of this discussion directly effects me.
Different issue. You didn't have any mods.
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      08-07-2011, 08:36 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ENINTY View Post
Different issue. You didn't have any mods.
Well, the SA was sure treating my non-RFTs as a mod. She engaged in a rather long conversation about it.
Had a wheel bearing failed, I wouldn't have been surprised if they blamed it on the non-RFTs. That seem to be the way a lot of BMW service departments operate, based on some of the warranty denial posts here.
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      08-07-2011, 10:54 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by iflyjetzzz View Post
Well, the SA was sure treating my non-RFTs as a mod. She engaged in a rather long conversation about it.
Had a wheel bearing failed, I wouldn't have been surprised if they blamed it on the non-RFTs. That seem to be the way a lot of BMW service departments operate, based on some of the warranty denial posts here.
They would be hard pressed to blame bearings on RFTs but aftermarket wheels would certainly cause a warranty denial unless you can show that they are the same size, offset and weight of a wheels that is available from the factory for your car.

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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      08-07-2011, 04:46 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ceb View Post
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.
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.
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      08-08-2011, 12:58 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ceb View Post
Actually, the outcome is not the same. A voided warranty means that nothing on your car is covered, while a refusal to provide warranty service applies to that problem only.
Well, if that was your only problem with your car then they voided your entire warranty.
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      08-12-2011, 10:17 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JunkStory View Post
Most likely they wouldn't care if you're just doing an oil change. Best to check in your regional sub forum and see which dealers are nice about it, and which ones are not.
Doesnt matter what you bring the car in for.
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