Mods that didn't void your Mitsubishi warrenty?

[06EvoMR]

I don't think this thread has been discussed yet and i thought it would be a good one to start. Also if the moderator's don't think this is in the right place, move it please, thanks. I had a couple questions about this before and Warrtalon helped me out a little bit. I wanted to find out more info on what will and won't void the Mitsu factory warrenty, mod wise. From what i have read and found out myself, from working at a dealership, most dealership won't allow many mods at all. Some may allow intakes, while others will void your warrenty with certain intake systems. It seems that most don't care about cat back exhaust but anything forward that they will most likely void it. Almost all dealerships will recommend putting in a turbo timer, so there won't be a problem with that. In my opinion, the car companies should put a turbo timer in the car from factory, since they recommend doing it anyway. But it seems that anything more then drop in filter, cat back exhaust and TT, and theres a good chance your warrenty could be void. I know all dealerships are different, some may be real strict on mods and other don't really care much. If you guys can post your different experiences with dealerships, and let us know if the dealership that you got your car at or the one close to you house is or isn't really strict on mods. So if you guys could tell us your experiences with dealerships and modding and if you don't mind tell us the name of the dealership so that maybe others can benefit from this. I'm sure there are some other evotuners on the forums that have questions about this too, so any info is helpful, thanks.
Will

[Fourdoor]

You pretty much answered your own question. Every dealership is different. A lot of them will not allow a turbo timer since it manages to bypass the security system.

Keith

[krisj144]

even without mods Mitsubishi's warranty sucks. their policy is to simply deny stating the item was a wear item.

seat bolster worn out? sorry, that's a wear item, your fat ass is not covered.
clutch burnt after 15K? man, you need to learn to drive a stick. not covered.
brakes warped? obviously you've been driving the car too hard, not covered.
caliper paint fading? jesus man, lay off the brakes, driver abuse. not covered.
transmission gears grinding? stop shifting like a race car driver, syncros are wear items too I guess - not covered
x-fer case whine? should have kept up with maintenance, obviously you didn't replace the fluids enough. not covered

I wish that video I watched when I purchased my car would have said what they were really trying to convey. "Congratulations on your new Evo, it's your problem now."

At least even with such horrible service standards the evo is still a great car and a bargain.

[turbolarry]

Originally Posted by pezzonovante

even without mods Mitsubishi's warranty sucks. their policy is to simply deny stating the item was a wear item.

seat bolster worn out? sorry, that's a wear item, your fat ass is not covered.
clutch burnt after 15K? man, you need to learn to drive a stick. not covered.
brakes warped? obviously you've been driving the car too hard, not covered.
caliper paint fading? jesus man, lay off the brakes, driver abuse. not covered.
transmission gears grinding? stop shifting like a race car driver, syncros are wear items too I guess - not covered
x-fer case whine? should have kept up with maintenance, obviously you didn't replace the fluids enough. not covered

I don't even bother. It's not worth the hassel. If a factory part fails it's geeting upgraded.

[rammsteinmatt]

about a year ago on socalevo someone asked a mitsu rep via phone or email.

the list included: catback, intake, clutch plate (but not flywheel), the obvious things like tires and such. break pads can be changed, but dont count on rotors being replaced if they wear out. there were a couple more IIRC, but i cant remember them, and i dont think they were saved when socal switched software

however one must differentiate between mitsu legal, and street legal. like mitsu might not care about intakes, but the police sure as hell want to see a CARB number. cat backs need to be db legal for the street, but i doubt mitsu cares

things like boost gauges and TTs, mitsu shouldnt really void your warranty, but if something fails (boost problem or electrical problem) they can put it on you saying that you didnt install it right and therefore caused the problem.

[SilverIX]

As it's been said (as this topic is covered to death on just about every car enthusiast forum) a car company/dealership can not entirely VOID your warranty. They CAN and DO however deny a specific warranty CLAIM. Meaning, you submit your vehicle for X reason. They review and decide to deny this particular claim. They cannot outright void your entire warranty.

With that said, they must also prove that the part in question caused the problem/break/whatever. If you have, let's say, an aftermarket intake on (let's assume the car in question is N/A) and you take your car in because it's all jacked. In fact, you had to tow it in because the engine is gone. They see the intake and go 'Oh, aftermarket intake. Sorry, that's not allowed. Denied.' Unless they can prove you hydrolocked your engine, or otherwise damaged it due SPECIFICALLY to that part, they cannot deny the work.

Most people, however, hear 'No' and say 'Aww, my warranty is voided. Crap. Oh well.' And then, there are those that fight them and win.

Naturally, there are things within limits. Every little mod should NOT cause a warranty claim to be denied, but as a rule, most car companies deny first, sort later. If you're dumping your clutch at 5-6k and detonate your transmission, guess what? They can tell and that should rightfully be denied warranty work.

The absolute best thing to do is invest the time to research a GOOD dealership. Get to know the people, talk to them, let them know what's up. I'd gladly drive an extra 30-60min to a dealership for support/work, rather than deal with the usual BS of your average dealership. My thoughts anyway.


Edit: Wow...uh, hrm. Last post in January. Boy are my cheeks red. Sorry about that.

[FastBoy]

Actually my third and fith gear syncros were shot and my warranty covered everything for free. Also the back of my seat cracked and I got that fixed with the warranty. I had to fight for that one.