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Technical Topics B48 4-Cylinder Turbo Engine / Drivetrain / Exhaust Modifications Downpipe vs Warranty

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      12-17-2020, 02:55 PM   #1
dvniellee
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Downpipe vs Warranty

So what's everyone experience with the dealership with a swapped downpipe. Were they cool about it or were they on your ass about it and canceled your warranty?
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      12-17-2020, 04:57 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dvniellee View Post
So what's everyone experience with the dealership with a swapped downpipe. Were they cool about it or were they on your ass about it and canceled your warranty?
Your mileage is always going to vary here. If you value your warranty and are not willing to pay out of pocket for repairs, keep the stock downpipe.
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      12-18-2020, 08:25 AM   #3
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The dealership can deny warrantying work if the aftermarket part is proved to cause the damage or additional stress on the stock component.

The downpipe does not add any additional stress on other parts, if anything it reduces backpressure on your turbo making it easier for it to reach the target boost.

It's a safe choice for warranty
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      12-18-2020, 02:32 PM   #4
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The downpipe modestly increases TQ and HP, otherwise no one would install them. Anything that increases power puts more stress on the transmission, differentials and CV joints. BMW can easily deny a failure on any of these with a downpipe present. They do not have to 'prove' it caused the failure. I suggest you read the warranty.
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      12-19-2020, 10:08 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by todd92 View Post
The downpipe modestly increases TQ and HP, otherwise no one would install them. Anything that increases power puts more stress on the transmission, differentials and CV joints. BMW can easily deny a failure on any of these with a downpipe present. They do not have to 'prove' it caused the failure. I suggest you read the warranty.
I have dealt with almost 100k customers throughout the year, i don't think I ever saw a warranty denied because of the downpipe. Real life data is more important in my opinion.

Here is the law on aftermarket and warranty

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act prohibits product manufacturers from conditioning consumer warranties on the use of any original equipment part or service. Furthermore, a manufacturer can only deny warranty coverage if it can demonstrate that a non-original equipment part or related service caused a defect to occur in the original product. In the case of motor vehicles, new car manufacturers have ignored these conditions outlined in Magnuson-Moss and have misled consumers to believe that they must have dealer service shops install only original equipment replacement parts or fear having their new car warranty voided.

credits to www.autocare.org
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      12-19-2020, 03:16 PM   #6
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The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act only covers non-OEM replacement parts. It definitely does not cover modifications.
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      12-19-2020, 05:49 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by todd92 View Post
The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act only covers non-OEM replacement parts. It definitely does not cover modifications.
This. People misinterpret all the time.
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      12-21-2020, 07:28 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by todd92 View Post
The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act only covers non-OEM replacement parts. It definitely does not cover modifications.
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Originally Posted by njfoses View Post
This. People misinterpret all the time.
This has been discussed a million times on the forums, instead of doing that lets talk data. Hundreds of thousands of customers have changed downpipes, tens of thousands of them are on the forum.

How many customers got their warranty voided because of the downpipe?
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      12-21-2020, 07:14 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mike@x-ph.com View Post
This has been discussed a million times on the forums, instead of doing that lets talk data. Hundreds of thousands of customers have changed downpipes, tens of thousands of them are on the forum.

How many customers got their warranty voided because of the downpipe?
It's more about the fact that each dealer is going to treat things differently. So as with most things, your mileage may vary. I imagine most people care about the 90th/95th/99th worst percentile experience instead of the average experience.

Furthermore, a dealer will never tell you to your face "your warranty is voided" when during a normal service. They might see the modification, make a note in the log somewhere, and that's that. If and only if there is a warranty claim later which relates to this part (even superficially) will it make a difference.

So simply looking at the problem as (how many people have changed downpipes and had warranty issues) is understating the problem.

I live in Hong Kong for example and while I have no direct knowledge of anyone who's had warranties voided, I am absolutely 100% certain a downpipe change will void any engine related warranty claim.

This is because they've bluntly outright stated that they will not honor a warranty claim if the car is not serviced at the dealership during the warranty period (this is illegal in the united states).

If you can take a position THAT extreme, then for sure they'll drop your warranty claim if you've modified any hardware.

I think advice when it comes to implications to warrnty validity need to take these conditions into account, there is simply no "one size fits all" answer.

The best thing honestly is just dial up your dealer (and any competing dealers around your city) and even BMW corporate to get a statement on whether they will or will not void warranty for a particular modification (feel free to use burner phone/email if you're concerned with the query itself being linked back to your car)
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      12-22-2020, 07:53 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Knifeedge2k1 View Post
It's more about the fact that each dealer is going to treat things differently. So as with most things, your mileage may vary. I imagine most people care about the 90th/95th/99th worst percentile experience instead of the average experience.

Furthermore, a dealer will never tell you to your face "your warranty is voided" when during a normal service. They might see the modification, make a note in the log somewhere, and that's that. If and only if there is a warranty claim later which relates to this part (even superficially) will it make a difference.

So simply looking at the problem as (how many people have changed downpipes and had warranty issues) is understating the problem.

I live in Hong Kong for example and while I have no direct knowledge of anyone who's had warranties voided, I am absolutely 100% certain a downpipe change will void any engine related warranty claim.

This is because they've bluntly outright stated that they will not honor a warranty claim if the car is not serviced at the dealership during the warranty period (this is illegal in the united states).

If you can take a position THAT extreme, then for sure they'll drop your warranty claim if you've modified any hardware.

I think advice when it comes to implications to warrnty validity need to take these conditions into account, there is simply no "one size fits all" answer.

The best thing honestly is just dial up your dealer (and any competing dealers around your city) and even BMW corporate to get a statement on whether they will or will not void warranty for a particular modification (feel free to use burner phone/email if you're concerned with the query itself being linked back to your car)
I agree with a lot of what you said for example that each dealership is different and each country is different as well. I have heard that dealerships outside of the US and Europe can be stricter.

You also gave great advice on contacting the dealership and asking them before doing the upgrade. I also encourage customers to build a great relationship with their service advisor. I always take a small gift with me when I get work done on my car (usually a 6 pack beer)

As mentioned earlier, this issue has been discussed numerous times on the forums. Nothing new can be added now. It goes all the way back to 2007 when Procede and Jb4 (different name back then) were first introduced. 13 years later, the chances of getting a warranty voided from downpipe is close to 0%

I don't think we will agree on this one, so let's agree to disagree

One thing for sure, contacting your dealership before doing the upgrade is a great idea
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