2005-2014 Mustangs Discussions on the latest S197 model Mustangs from Ford.

Warranty Question....

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Old Feb 14, 2012 | 11:39 PM
  #1  
DSargent09's Avatar
DSargent09
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Default Warranty Question....

I want to purchase this kit from brenspeed... it contains CAI, Programmer, and exhaust.

http://www.brenspeed.com/coyotestage1a.html

I just bought my car brand new Saturday...2012 5.0... Will these mods void my warranty... I know they will but if I had a problem with the car couldn't I just take them off before I take the car in?

I guess what I'm asking is... If I program my car then the motor blows, or transmission goes out, could I just return the computer to stock w.o them being able to tell.....
Old Feb 14, 2012 | 11:51 PM
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if you put on a mod that requires a tune, or if you tune, be prepared to pay your own repair bill in the uncommon event that something goes wrong. do not bank on the ability to pull a fast one on your dealer. gotta pay to play.
Old Feb 15, 2012 | 12:02 AM
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Originally Posted by Entaille
if you put on a mod that requires a tune, or if you tune, be prepared to pay your own repair bill in the uncommon event that something goes wrong. do not bank on the ability to pull a fast one on your dealer. gotta pay to play.

The programmers have options to return to stock.... The dealer would still be able to tell..?
Old Feb 15, 2012 | 12:11 AM
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you will hear a variety of answers to that question. you will not hear one 100% correct answer. what I believe they can tell is the last time the ecu was flashed, not necessarily to what or why.

for your own sake - just make sure you can afford the repairs should something go wrong. personally, I am leaving the tune alone for a while.
Old Feb 15, 2012 | 01:08 AM
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They have to actually cause the damage to void it but it is in your best interest to have funds available to pay it out of pocket if you do mod. I recommend putting a few thousand miles on her to see if any factory parts fail and need replacing. Either way good luck with the sweet new ride.
Old Feb 15, 2012 | 01:48 AM
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well apparently the 2011's+ have a hidden nanny cam.
If the tune is changed it will store a value to tell them it was changed, even if you return to stock and try to say you dc'd the battery it will have a obvious flag saying "tune changed"

but It would still have to be something the tune could have damaged, and them to prove it, cant have damaged windshield wiper and they blame a tune :P
Old Feb 15, 2012 | 01:52 AM
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yeah .. but pretty much anything power train related they will blame on the tune though. it's an easy out for them.
Old Feb 15, 2012 | 06:56 AM
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There's been plenty of conversations about warranty's getting voided. It's against the law for them to void a warranty and has been that way since the 70's. However, it does not prevent them from denying a warranty claim based on a modifications by the vehicle owner. Your warranty is still intact, but they do not have to honor it because you did something to the component or system that took the part outside of it's normal OEM operating parameters. i.e. you flashed the PCM and it fried it. You're paying the 100 bucks to have it reflashed. With the 2011's and newer, there is a log kept that shows the PCM was changed or reset. Essentially, if you mod the car, you could end up taking Ford to court over it if you wanted to push the issue. Your best option in that case is small claims court and make your claim for 5000 dollars or the cost of repairs. As I understand it, small claims is not exactly like a regular court where Ford would overwhelmingly have to have burden of proof...it's more like the judge has a lot more leeway and hear's the evidence and can kind of gut feeling decide who's telling the truth and who's lying. Also - no lawyers allowed in small claims court so someone from the dealership would have to show up and prove to the judge you screwed up the car with your tinkering.

With all of that...there's virtually no way that kit you're looking at is going to blow up your car. Yeah - its going to warm it up a bit, but there's not going to be anything that's going to make that over the top. I've modded every stang I have had and while I agree that you should have the coin to cover any potential damage that occurs, I'd do it and not give it a second thought. So what if you blew the tranny and then took it back to stock before towing it to the dealer? They see the PCM was reset. You just deny the whole thing and say I dont know what you're talking about fix my car. Just make sure you swap out all the old parts including that xpipe.

Seriously, don't worry about it. Mod away. You're not donig anything extreme that's going to blow up your car with this kit as these are really mild upgrades. It wakes up the car and its not like you're adding a supercharger!
Old Feb 15, 2012 | 09:40 AM
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So should I avoid the programmer? Say perhaps the clutch goes out by the end of the year.... If i returned it to stock couldnt I just lie and be like my check engine light was on so I took it to my mechanic he fixed it and reset the computer....

Programmer or no? Such a tuffy!
Old Feb 15, 2012 | 09:54 AM
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Originally Posted by DSargent09
So should I avoid the programmer? Say perhaps the clutch goes out by the end of the year.... If i returned it to stock couldnt I just lie and be like my check engine light was on so I took it to my mechanic he fixed it and reset the computer....

Programmer or no? Such a tuffy!
The CAI is tune required. So you need the programmer to make that work. If you want to avoid the programmer, you don't really need this package. If you really worry about the warranty part, just wait 3 years or drive 36000 mile this year then start modding your car after..

Call Chandler at Brenspeed then you will know more about what this package really does to your car.



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